Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Little Mountain Spirit
Category: Dwarf
The Myth
The Little Mountain Man was a tiny supernatural being with goose-like feet who lived among the mountains of Valais. He was small enough to hide inside a butter churn, and he moved about so quietly that the people he helped could never see him. An old man from Ernen owned a lonely little farm on Eggel in the Hochfluh area, where he kept his cattle during the winter. Each evening he had to climb up from Ernen to care for them, and the work became increasingly difficult as the snow deepened. One evening, exhausted after the climb, he sat beside the frozen well outside his cottage and wished aloud that someone would at least light his stove so that he could warm himself after his day’s labor. When he entered the cottage, he was astonished to find that his wish had already been fulfilled. A great log was burning brightly in the stove, the cheese had been pressed and placed neatly beneath its bricks, and the kitchen was perfectly tidy. Thinking that someone must have come to help him, he searched the parlor, but it too was empty. Yet freshly churned golden butter stood ready, the room had been swept, and everything was in perfect order. He hurried to the barn, expecting to find some helpful neighbor there, but there was no one. The cows had already been fed, groomed, and milked, and they rested contentedly on fresh straw. In the milk cellar, the milk had been placed in copper tubs and was already covered with a thick golden cream.
The old man could not understand who had done all this work. He thanked God for the mysterious help and returned to Ernen the next day. When he came back to the mountain farm that evening, everything had once again been completed before his arrival. The same thing happened day after day. The cows grew fatter, the butter and cheese grew more plentiful, and even the great haystack seemed never to lose so much as a single straw. Eventually the old man’s gratitude turned into curiosity, and he desperately wanted to see the invisible helper. He watched the house, kitchen, and stable through every crack and opening he could find, but nothing appeared. Then, near the end of winter, he finally heard the butter churn moving in the parlor. He crept closer and carefully lifted the cover. Inside the churn stood a tiny man with goose feet, quietly taking out the freshly made butter. The old man immediately understood that a little mountain spirit had been caring for his farm throughout the winter. Rather than frightening him away, he was delighted and decided to reward his mysterious helper.
He went down to Ernen and had a beautiful new coat made for the little mountain man. When he returned to the farm, he placed the coat on the table before going to bed. He intended to wake early and watch the dwarf when he discovered his gift, but he slept too long. When he finally awoke, the coat had vanished. Then he heard a voice singing outside: “Now I am a handsome man who can no longer shepherd.” With those words, the little mountain man disappeared forever.
Sources
“Das Bergmännlein.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/bergmaennlein.html