5. The witches' hole in the Weritzstein

In the century before last, a witch is said to have been burned at the stake in France for having set off the terrible avalanche on the Tännbachhorn in the Lötschental in 1808. This unique giant avalanche is still the talk of the valley today, especially on long winter evenings, and it is said that it lasted seven hours and broke eighteen ridges. Even on the opposite side of the valley, the avalanche stripped the forest bare.

The witch did this outrageously evil work out of revenge and lovesickness. She had lived up here on the Weritzalp for decades. One day, a nice village lad from Wiler looked in through Steinloch, became curious and talkative and promptly fell in love with her. The journeyman now visited the woman more and more diligently in summer as a dairyman, in autumn as a hunter and in winter as a haymaker, often staying with his beloved for days on end. The witch maid diligently and secretly made her return visits to Wiler on the Horloiwinu, where her friend and admirer lived.

These hidden visits did not escape the sharp and watchful eyes of the neighbours, and soon the strange, unfamiliar woman was only called the "Horloiwinuhäx" by everyone; shunned by the adults and feared by the children. Throughout the valley, the suspicion grew from day to day, and from year to year, that the strange, mysterious maiden of Weritzen was a witch, like others before her, and that she was surely in league with the devil. She brought disease and plague to the land and the people and she also knew how to unleash storms and cause avalanches in the mountains. The lover behaved cautiously and simply listened to the gossip and talk. However, he became increasingly insecure and gradually began to doubt the cunning Weritzweib. But before he cancelled her friendship, he wanted to see his friend's suspected witchcraft for himself.

So one fine summer's day, while everyone was busy bringing in the hay, he climbed up to Weritzalp. He entered the cool dwelling of his beloved, and from here the two of them watched happily and lazily at the bustling activity of the men and women haying on the beautiful upper and lower meadows. After a while of watching and chatting, the lover said, seemingly casually, "I wonder what all these people would do now if it suddenly started raining and thundering so hard. The woman replied with a mischievous laugh: "I can satisfy your wonder, and you can solve the riddle yourself. Go up to the chamber! You'll find a jug of water there. Pour a few drops onto the floor! But carefully, please!"

The lad went into the chamber and poured out almost the entire contents as the jug fell out of his hands. As soon as he was back in the chamber, he heard and saw a terrible thunderstorm approaching from the Petersgrat, thundering and lightning in the valley, so that hopeless fear gripped the working people, and even the bravest man sought shelter and prayer in a nearby barn. This storm caused lasting damage. The most beautiful mats became desolate mats. The young man was healed and freed from love sores. The witch was banished from the valley and her possessions were burnt on the Wilerzelg.

The Goori says: "Not every disreputable woman has to be a witch ...