Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Dragon of Urisee
Category: Dragon
The Myth
In the mountains near Reutte lie two lakes. Urisee rests above the Mühl on a projection of the Dürrenberg, while across the valley, on a projection of the Gernspitze, lies Frauensee. A terrible dragon dwells in Urisee.
At night, the dragon is sometimes seen flying through the air in flames from Urisee across the valley to Frauensee. Some people claim that it has seven heads and that it occasionally comes ashore to bask on the sandy banks of the lake. Others who have seen the creature say that it looked strangely like a horse that had been skinned.
Long ago, the place where Urisee now lies was occupied by a forge. The forge prospered and brought its owner a good income, but the blacksmith’s wife was a serpent and was utterly without reverence for God.
One day, their little son fell into the dirt in the street. Instead of cleaning him with a cloth or sponge, the woman took a piece of freshly baked bread and used it to wipe the filth from the child. This profane act enraged Heaven.
As punishment, the forge sank into the earth, and the waters of Urisee rose where it had once stood. The blacksmith’s wife was transformed into the dragon that now inhabits the lake, condemned to suffer her punishment and torment there.
Sources
“Der Drache im Urisee.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus Deutschland (Bayern, Allgäu). Reproduced by SAGEN.at.
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/deutschland/bayern/allgaeu/drache_urisee.html