Tradition: Liechtenstein Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ghost of the Unjust Judge
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Unjust Judge is the ghost of a former village headman from Triesen who acquired land through a dishonest exchange. In the past, the people of Triesen owned extensive land on the Swiss side of the Rhine. When the river was to be dammed, men from across the river offered the judge a piece of land in Triesen in exchange for the land across the Rhine. The judge immediately accepted the deal, despite the land belonging to the community. He built a barn on his newly acquired property, but it brought him no good fortune. After several years, he died, and the property passed to his daughter.
One evening, the judge’s daughter drove her healthy cattle into the barn. The following morning, she discovered that the cows were nearly suffocating. The animals were either loose from their chains or tied so tightly that they could barely breathe. She had the barn blessed several times, but the strange disturbances continued. Eventually, the young farmer’s wife summoned a Capuchin friar to investigate.
Inside the stable, the friar encountered the ghost of the deceased judge. He attempted to banish the spirit to the Lawenatobel ravine, but when he arrived there, the ghost had vanished. Returning to the stable, he found the apparition standing by the door. The friar demanded to know why the ghost would not leave the people and their animals in peace. The spirit replied that the time for his redemption had come and demanded that the land be returned to the community or used for good purposes.
The judge’s daughter refused to believe the story and would not surrender the property. From then on, no animals could be kept in the barn. The haunted building, situated between Triesen and Balzers, remained empty, and the ghost continued to be remembered as a warning against unjustly acquiring land that belonged to others.
Sources
“Der Richter.” SAGEN.at – Liechtensteiner Sagen, collected by Otto Seger. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/liechtenstein/seger/richter.html