Dragon statue near Lake Lucerne
Dragons: good-natured and insidious, fetid red-green cave lizards and snow-white cleanliness, inhabitants of mountain reservoirs - in any guise, have always been welcome heroes of Swiss legends. But, probably, the canton of Lucerne surpassed everyone. Whatever the story here is an incident involving a winged monster
The fire-breathing lizards chose the land of Lucerne, to the horror of its inhabitants. The chronicles of the canton have preserved numerous eyewitness accounts who first-hand experienced the cunning and malice of the Lucerne dragons. One gets the impression that dragons were in Lucerne in the Middle Ages, sort of like UFOs today. That 500 years ago, that today - who has faith to believe, he believes.
In 1509, two townspeople filed an original claim with the Lucerne court. The plaintiff claimed that, out of need, he loaned the famous "dragon stone" to a local doctor. Usury had, as we can see, long-standing roots in the Alps. The debt was paid, and the malevolent doctor did not want to give up the treasure.
- I have inherited the stone from my ancestors, gentlemen of the judge, - said the injured citizen. “My great-great-grandfather noticed in the summer of 1421 how a hideous dragon crawled out of a cave on Mount Pilatus. The monster was about to tear to pieces my unfortunate ancestor, but he had the courage to hide in a mountain cleft. The dragon circled, and disappeared, but in parting spat with annoyance on the gray stones of the steep slope. Saliva hardened in front of my eyes. When the monster disappeared, my brave ancestor picked up this clot, split it, and found inside a rounded pebble the size of a scarlet goose egg with brown specks."
The stone turned out to be miraculous - it cured any ailments. The doctor managed not only to sue him, but also to issue the corresponding patent - again in court, since the case was unprecedented.
Another story tells about the exploits of a young shepherd who, chasing a fugitive goat, slipped on a steep slope - and rolled head over heels into a dark crevice. The earth was in peace to him in the literal sense - a thick layer of last year's foliage, straw and hay kept the hero alive. The shepherd lies and ponders: what is this soft and warm next to him, barely moving? Fathers, two hefty dragons are here preparing to winter peacefully!
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The miserable shepherd could not get out of the gorge on his own, and the winged sloths slept until spring. What our hero ate all winter is a mystery. Perhaps he collected acorns, caught bats, or maybe the lizards themselves, following the example of squirrels, prepared food for the winter. With the arrival of spring, the dragons awakened and soared elegantly into the sky. One of them, however, lingered on the edge of the cliff and amiably dangled his long tail to the shepherdess: grab, they say, I'll pull it out. The shepherd, not feeling the ground under his feet with joy, set off to his native land to tell his fellow villagers about the nobility of the dragon.
It might look like the insidious inhabitants of the Lucerne caves, but not all winged lizards possessed such a peaceful disposition. Around the same time, an ominous crimson monster settled over one valley of Lucerne. The dragon terrorized the locals, stole their livestock, flew over the village, spewing out fetid fire, shaking its thorny tail and covering the sun with giant wings. In the end, I chose a cave in the local mountains and settled down quite well.
Many daredevils tried to neutralize the monster - their fate was sad, not one of them returned to the village. At the village council, it was decided to go against the dragon with the whole world. None of the local shepherds wanted to be considered a coward. With pitchforks, scythes and axes, the male militia marched out at dawn. The women of the village with tears saw off their defenders. A terrible roar, growling, cries, pleas for help was heard in the mountains. Then everything was silent. Only one person returned - to tell the rest of the bloody events.
The mercenary Struthan came to the village from distant wanderings. He took part in military campaigns throughout Europe, and these tales of dragons caused him only a skeptical smile:
- Eh, you! Dragon Warriors! Immediately and see that you do not know military tactics. I will blow off the head of this ugly creature in one fell swoop.
But Strukhan shivered in his soul, superstitious fear chained his body - it is one thing to fight with his fellows according to all the rules of the art of war, and quite another to fight the creatures of hell in the dark mountain gorges. But the heir to the brave Helvetians stepped forward boldly. The road will be mastered by the walking one. In the mountains he met a rider in full combat gear.
- Where are you going, warrior? - asked the unknown knight.
“Fight the dragon,” Strukhan drawled dejectedly.
- Can I help you?
- Still would!
Soon the path led them to the monster's den. From the cave came the displeased roar of a raptor, disturbed during its afternoon rest. And soon the dragon himself appeared, spewing fire and sulfur. Struthan crossed himself, well, the last hour has come! The Swiss meet death with dignity, let this foreigner be convinced of it. But the knight miraculously transformed in front of Strukhan's eyes: his head was now resting on the heavens, and in his hand he was holding a sword the size of a mountain. With a lightning strike, he neutralized the monster, smiling at the mercenary:
- God opposes the proud, but looks down on the humble! - and at the same instant became invisible. It was Saint George, the slayer of dragons. And in Russia this saint was called nothing else but "George the Victorious".
Strukhan rushed to the village with all his might. He did not fail to tell about the miraculous deliverance thanks to the intercession of the heavenly conqueror of the spirits of evil. Peace reigned in the village, and masses in honor of St. George were celebrated in local churches for a long time.
It seems that in this age of pragmatism and unshakable belief in scientific progress, we tend to believe in the existence of UFOs rather than dragons. In Switzerland, this transition from popular beliefs to the foundations of scientific thought can be especially clearly traced in legends - dragons in the Alpine expanses became extinct in the 16th century. In the Middle Ages, not only Lucerne became famous for the antics of dragons. Other Swiss cantons have similar stories. In Lake Chavonne, in the canton of Vaud, a cute white dragon, good-natured and completely harmless, fed directly from the hands of local girls who came to swim in the lake. In Valais, legends about the dragon Nater and the serpent Gerond have long existed, which in their habits and dimensions rather fit into the context of traditional myths about dragons.
Well, the inhabitants of Lucerne were able to benefit most from the treasury of their folklore. Artist Hans Ernie designed the Dragon's Road themed tour on Mount Pilatus in 1999. And the menu of local restaurants certainly features desserts with burning alcohol.