1. The ideas of the legendary world

On long winter evenings or after particularly impressive events, people used to tell each other legends - "Zellätä" (tales) or "Boozungschichtä" (ghost stories). Many events could not be interpreted at the time and explanations were sought - and found - in the legends. There were many stories about inexplicable incidents such as the action of torrents ("Horloiwinun") and avalanches ("Lauwitieri"). Fearless people also had much rarer experiences of a supernatural nature in the past.

Many incidents had a simple solution if the cause was investigated. Today, the causes of disasters are more likely to be found in the retreat of the permafrost than in the raging of a "mountain spirit". In recent decades, radio and later television have almost completely replaced the world of legends. However, changes in the way people live and work have also contributed to this displacement. Today, every mountain village has street lighting and there are hardly any dark, scary corners and places where it is no longer scary. At night, hardly anyone is out and about on foot any more and the noise of engines drowns out the indefinable, eerie sounds of nature.

Through the legends, the memory of the stories of the past was kept alive - wars, harsh winters, bad harvests - and much educational wisdom was passed on: "Honour and the good reputation of your fellow human beings should be sacred to you; don't behave outrageously; honour your father, mother and grandparents; you must pay for lying, stealing and any other wrongdoing later...!"

It is obvious that culture also plays an important role in the creation of a legend. In a region with a harsh and cold climate, the sinner does not have to atone in the heat, he is much more likely to be banished to the icy cold of a glacier. And a high-spirited youth does not jump into the wild sea, but climbs up into the mountains to prove his heroic courage, which then becomes his undoing ... Today, the tabloids and tabloid newspapers have largely taken over the function of the modern saga.

With the legend trail, we are trying to make a contribution to ensuring that "Zellätä" and "Boozungschichtä", the great cultural heritage of our fathers, are not completely forgotten.

And the Goori adds his "mustard" everywhere...