9. The Countess at Schwarzsee

In ancient times, a path led from Milan over the Beichgrat ridge into the Lötschental valley, and from here over the Lötschen Pass to Kandersteg. The great Aletsch and Langgletscher glaciers were beautiful Alps and belonged to a young countess who lived in a castle on the Schwarzsee and owned more gold and jewellery than the richest prince in the land. The windows of the castle were reflected in the lake, and when the mountain wind rippled the surface, the countess could hear the gentle murmur of the waves in her chambers. Behind the castle were gardens with flowers, shrubs and trees. The young countess had doe eyes, rosy cheeks and long brown hair. Many a nobleman had already asked her to marry him, but without success. She showed no desire to marry. To keep her suitors at bay, she had the door to the castle guarded and demanded that every suitor pick one of the carnations that bloomed outside her window. In their infatuation, many noblemen tried to scale the walls and reach the carnations, but they all slipped on the smooth façade and fell down into the lake, which gave no return.

Once upon a time, a nobleman from Venice came to the inn next to the castle with his son. The boy was tall and strong and he liked the lady of the castle so much that he decided to woo her. The doorkeeper told him the conditions that had to be fulfilled. The young man was not deterred by this, as the prize that beckoned was too tempting. The father, unaware of his son's dangerous endeavour, continued his journey and the young man decided to set to work immediately. For a whole day, he practised climbing the vertical rocks in the area, then he looked for the spot on the castle façade where he hoped to get up most easily. He worked his way upwards with secure grips and luck seemed to favour him. He didn't look back, but kept looking at his hands, which gripped tightly and drew ever closer to the cloves. He had already climbed three storeys and only a short distance separated him from the flowers. He clung tightly to the smooth wall, drew in his breath, held it and swung himself up with a powerful jerk. His hand caught one of the blood-red carnations and through the window he saw his beloved. Precious jewellery shimmered in her hair and her eyes sparkled like two stars in the sky.

Then he was seized by dizziness, his whole body trembled, his fingers let go and he plunged down. The water clapped and splashed up to the roof, then the flood swallowed him up. When the father returned and heard of the disaster, he uttered a terrible curse. A whirlwind swept down from the mountains, an avalanche of stones buried the castle, the lake raged and swallowed up all the precious treasures. The gardens became heaps of stone, the Alps were covered in glacial fields and the countess's silver and gold jewellery dissolved in the water, turning the bottom of the lake black. This colour gave it its present name. Years later, shepherds and herdsmen driving their flocks up to the Schwarzsee saw a white snake with a golden crown containing a blood-red carnation crawling along the shore. One lad dared to hunt the rare snake. She let herself be caught and said: "I am the cursed countess who has ruined so many noblemen. I must atone for my misdeeds in the Black Lake and may only show my face once every ten years. Only a nobleman who kisses me three times on the mouth will redeem me!" With these words, she disappeared into the waters of the lake. The road over the Beichgrat has long been deserted and covered in snow and ice. There are no more noblemen travelling along the road and the white snake is still waiting to be redeemed.

Der Goori meint zur Sache: Nicht in jeder Schlange steckt eine verwunschene Gräfin...