Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ghostly Knights of Lake Ägeri, The Knights of Morgarten, The Red Waters of Ägeri
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Knights in Lake Ägeri are the restless spirits of Austrian warriors who perished during the Battle of Morgarten. Many knights were killed by Swiss halberds during the battle, while others who escaped the fighting drowned in the cold waters of Lake Ägeri. Their deaths bound them to the lake, where they remain until the anniversary of their defeat, when the dead return to haunt its shores.
On that fateful anniversary, the lake begins to churn like a boiling cauldron, and its waters turn blood red. From the crimson waves emerges a vast host of armed knights mounted on warhorses. At the head of the spectral army rides the Black Death, carrying an hourglass and a scythe. Together, the ghostly warriors charge along the shoreline at a terrifying gallop, forming a supernatural procession that recalls the violence and slaughter of the ancient battle.
The spectral host continues its furious ride until the church of Oberägeri announces the first hour of night. At that moment, the knights are compelled to return to the lakebed, where they must remain until the anniversary of their deaths comes around again. Their annual appearance serves as a supernatural remembrance of the Battle of Morgarten, while the blood-red waters and the presence of the Black Death transform the lake into a place of terror and lingering death.
Sources
“Der Ägerisee.” SAGEN.at – Zuger Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/aegerisee.html