Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Little Mountain Man
Category: Dwarf
The Myth
The Little Mountain Man was a small, ancient man with a long gray beard, a black feathered hat, and kind blue eyes. He carried a walking stick and wore a coat that was soaked through by the rain. He appeared during a terrible storm that descended upon the village of Schillingsdorf, where thunder shook the mountains, lightning filled the sky, and torrents of water rushed down the valleys.
As the storm raged, the little man entered the village seeking shelter. He went from house to house, asking only for a place to spend the night, but the inhabitants repeatedly turned him away. Some spoke harshly to him, calling him a beggar, while one farmer even drove him away with blows. At last, the little man reached a poor cottage belonging to an old couple. Unlike everyone else, they welcomed him warmly, gave him dry clothes, milk and cheese, baked him a cake, and prepared a warm bed for him. Deeply moved by their kindness, the little man stepped outside before going to sleep and called out through the storm: “The castle is split! Schlegel and Weggen are dead, Schillingsdorf must perish!” He then returned to the cottage and stayed with the old couple through the night.
By morning, the strange guest had disappeared. The rain had continued throughout the night, and the people of Schillingsdorf gathered at their doors to see the devastation around them. Suddenly the mountains began to shake, and a gigantic section of rock broke loose above the village. The landslide came crashing down toward Schillingsdorf, while the little mountain men hidden among the cliffs cried out in triumph. Amid the enormous rocks, the villagers saw the old man sitting upon a gigantic boulder, steering it downhill with his walking stick like an oar. The great boulder rolled directly toward the cottage of the poor couple who had sheltered him. When it reached their home, the little man planted his stick before it, and the enormous stone stopped as though it had grown into the ground. The landslide then divided around the cottage and swept over the rest of Schillingsdorf, burying its houses, barns, people, and livestock beneath the rubble. Only the kind-hearted couple and their cottage were spared, while the rest of the village disappeared forever beneath the stones.
Sources
“Schillingsdorf.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/schillingsdorf.html