Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Treasure-Guarding Hermit of Schönbrunn
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

Around the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, pious women lived as recluses on the hill above Schönbrunn in the Swiss canton of Zug. According to local tradition, one of their houses stood at a place called Chilebode, below the site of the present-day chapel. One legend tells of a great treasure hidden deep beneath the earth in an earthen vessel. The treasure was guarded by a devout woman who watched over it as the centuries passed. Every hundred years, the treasure rose gradually toward the surface until it finally emerged into daylight, allowing it to be unearthed by anyone who knew how to retrieve it.

When the appointed time arrived, two local men set out to recover the treasure. They began their work, knowing that they had to remain completely silent if they wished to claim the riches. As they labored, one of the men suddenly noticed a procession of pious nuns approaching from the direction of the chapel. Surprised by the sight, he nudged his companion and exclaimed, “Look there!” The moment he spoke, the treasure sank back into the earth, disappearing beyond their reach.

The treasure-guarding recluse sighed in distress, for she had nearly been freed from her endless duty. Had the two men remained silent throughout their work, the treasure could have been recovered and her long watch would finally have ended. Instead, she was condemned to guard it for another hundred years, awaiting someone who could retrieve it in complete secrecy. As the treasure vanished, the procession of praying women disappeared along with the hermit, leaving the two disappointed treasure hunters with nothing.

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Sources

“Die Klausnerin von Schönbrunn.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/klausnerin_schoenbrunn.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Sunken Monastery of Menzingen
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

Near Menzingen in the Swiss canton of Zug, a monastery once stood before suddenly disappearing into the earth without leaving a trace. Yet its presence was not entirely forgotten. From time to time, the faint ringing of its hour bell could still be heard, calling the faithful to prayer as though the vanished religious community continued its devotions beneath the ground. The mysterious sound eventually drew the attention of a simple farmhand from Menzingen, who heard the bell and climbed the hill to investigate.

There, the farmhand discovered a brightly shining, square marble cross lying on the ground. When he reverently touched it, a magnificent monastery suddenly appeared before him, complete with two imposing bell towers. A pale monk emerged through a narrow gate and beckoned him inside. The farmhand followed him through a broad colonnade into a tall, dimly lit church, where a black curtain concealed the chancel. When the monk touched its hem, the curtain slowly rose, revealing richly decorated choir stalls occupied by sleeping monks. On a raised seat sat the abbot, wearing a gleaming mitre. The monk led the bewildered farmhand toward him.

The elderly abbot opened his eyes and asked in a dark, melancholy voice, “What time is it outside?” Thinking that he was expected to answer, the farmhand quickly replied that it was half past four. Immediately, a wild storm swept through the church. The monastery vanished, and the farmhand found himself sitting in a daze upon a large stone. According to the legend, had he remained silent instead of answering the abbot’s question, he would have become a rich man. The mysterious encounter thus offered a fleeting glimpse of the vanished monastery and the fortune that might have been his.

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Sources

“Das verschwundene Kloster.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/kloster_verschwunden.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Egelsee Hooter
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

The Hüper is a mysterious haunting spirit associated with Lake Egelsee in the Swiss canton of Zug. Its legend dates back to the defeat of the Zurichers at Gubel in 1531, when a young horseman fled wildly from the battlefield. Reaching Lake Egelsee, he attempted to escape into the woods on the opposite shore. In the midst of his desperate flight, he found himself in grave danger and made a solemn vow to God in his heart, promising devotion if he were spared a sudden death.

When the horse finally carried him onto dry ground, the rider abandoned his pious intentions and began laughing and mocking the vow he had made. Suddenly, his horse turned around and leaped back toward the lake. The terrified rider struggled to control the animal, striking it and digging in his spurs while shouting, “Hup, hup!” But nothing could stop the horse. It plunged into the dark waters with its master, and the rider drowned miserably.

For many years afterward, a terrible cry could be heard around midnight near Lake Egelsee: “Hoo, hoo!” The sound was attributed to the restless spirit of the drowned horseman, known as the Egelsee Hooter or Hüper. Its mournful call served as a reminder of the rider’s broken vow and dreadful fate. According to the legend, however, the eerie cries ceased after the French came to the region, and the Hüper was never heard again.

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Sources

“Der Hüper.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/hueper.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Battle of Egelsee
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

The lord of Wildenburg Castle was a quarrelsome knight who once became embroiled in a fierce dispute with the neighboring Baron of Wädenswil. Seeking to confront his rival, the knight led his men into the Winzwilerholz forest, where they established a camp. However, the cunning baron had discovered their position and maneuvered around them, bypassing the Wildenburg forces and threatening their castle. Realizing that they had been outwitted, the knight and his men hurried home to defend their stronghold.

Their retreat led to a vicious battle beside a stream near Egelsee. The Wildenburg warriors were fiercely attacked, and many were thrown into the nearby lake. So much blood flowed into the stream that its waters turned red, earning it the name of the Red Stream. The battle ended in terrible slaughter, leaving many of the Wildenburg knight’s men dead in the surrounding wilderness.

Afterward, the area around Egelsee became haunted by strange and frightening sounds heard during the night. Ghostly warriors mounted on wild horses were seen riding through the air, accompanied by the dreadful noise of cowbells. These spectral riders were believed to be the fallen men of Wildenburg, returning as restless spirits to reenact their violent fate. Their phantom battle preserved the memory of the bloody conflict, haunting the lake and its surroundings long after the warriors had perished.

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Sources

“Die Geisterschlacht.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/geisterschlacht.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Lake Urden
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

In a narrow, rugged valley descending from the Rothorn toward the Plessur River in Graubünden, Switzerland, lies Lake Urdensee. The lake was not always there. Once, the place was occupied by a beautiful alpine meadow surrounding a dairy hut, where a herdsman lived with his large red cow. The herdsman was wicked and refused to offer refreshments to poor travelers who passed through his pasture. One day, an elderly woman arrived after a long journey, exhausted and desperately thirsty. She begged him for a little milk, explaining that her knees were failing and her tongue burned with thirst. The herdsman insulted her and slammed the door in her face.

When he found the old woman still sitting outside, the herdsman mockingly promised to give her milk so that she could quench her thirst. He milked his red cow and handed her a drink, but secretly he had mixed rennet into the milk. The woman drank gratefully and blessed him, unaware of his cruelty. She had barely continued along the path when terrible pains seized her body. As she collapsed, dying, she cursed the herdsman and his alpine pasture. At that moment, thunder roared across the mountains and lightning struck the dairy hut. The hut, the herdsman, and the red cow sank into the earth, while water surged up to form a lake in their place.

The lake still bears signs of the vanished alpine pasture. The old path leading to the hut can supposedly be seen disappearing beneath the water and reappearing on the opposite shore, where it continues over the mountains toward Obervaz. A dark spot in the middle of the lake marks the place where the dairy hut sank. Once every seven years, during terrible thunderstorms, the cursed herdsman rises from the lake with his red cow. Above the storm-tossed waves, he milks the cow before sinking back beneath the water with a dreadful howl, wringing his hands in despair. Thus, the legend explains the origin of Lake Urdensee and preserves the memory of the herdsman’s cruelty toward a helpless traveler.

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Sources

“Der Urdensee.” In Theodor Vernaleken, Kinder- und Hausmärchen in den Alpenländern. Vienna, 1863. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/vernaleken/urdensee.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Beautiful Milanese Woman
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

In the mountains of Valais, the dead are said to wander among the peaks, while the distant sound of a death drum echoes across the valleys. The mighty Aletsch Glacier is considered especially eerie, and a pious priest once claimed to have seen countless heads of suffering souls emerging from its crevasses. It was in this desolate mountain wilderness, near the Törbjeralp and the Grimsel Pass, that a solitary shepherd encountered a mysterious woman while searching for a lost cow. Beneath a gloomy sky, amid jagged rocks and deep glacier crevasses, he saw a beautiful young woman walking slowly toward the ice. She moved with noble grace despite being barefoot and bareheaded in the cold, rainy weather. Her long black hair shone with a bluish sheen, and she wore a necklace of gold and precious stones, golden bracelets, a jeweled belt, and diamonds on her small hands. Her face was pale and streaked with tears, and heavy sighs escaped her lips.

The shepherd approached her, astonished that someone so elegantly dressed could be wandering alone through such a dangerous place. He asked whether she had lost her way or been separated from her servants and horses. The woman answered that she was neither lost nor accompanied by anyone. She had come from a great city and a magnificent palace, and her body still lay warm upon its deathbed in Milan, where her grieving parents mourned their only daughter. God had condemned her to atone upon the glacier for the pampered life she had led. In life, she had rarely touched the bare ground, always traveled by carriage, and been sheltered from rain, cold winds, and physical hardship. She had denied herself no pleasure and avoided every exertion. Now, after death, she was forced to walk barefoot through the freezing wilderness, enduring the harsh weather as penance for her former luxury.

As the woman spoke, a thick black fog rolled over the glacier, and her graceful figure disappeared. When the mist lifted moments later, she was nowhere to be seen. The shepherd suddenly realized that he might have been given an opportunity to help redeem her soul, but he had failed to offer his assistance while she was still before him. Desperate to learn how he could free her, he cried out into the mountains, asking the beautiful woman to tell him what he must do. Only the faint echo of his voice answered. The streams murmured, the glacier thundered and crashed, and pale, misty figures rose and fell among its crevasses. Deeply saddened, the shepherd returned home, but he repeatedly climbed back into the wilderness to search for her. Each time, he called out asking whether he could release her from her punishment. Black mists swept across the ice, strange shapes appeared in the crevasses, and the glacier roared, yet the elegant Milanese woman never appeared again.

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Sources

“Die Mailänderin.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/mailaenderin.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Gold Coals
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

Near the small town of Zofingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau, a young maid named Kathrine served an old miller whose elderly aunt had recently died. One night, while preparing to rise early and make breakfast for her master, Kathrine awoke beneath the light of the full moon, mistaking its glow for dawn. Unable to light the kitchen fire because the tinder was damp, she looked outside and noticed a small fire burning on the meadow near the house. Hoping to find glowing embers for the hearth, she took a brazier and hurried out into the night. There she discovered three men wrapped in white cloths, sitting silently around the fire. Believing them to be travelers, she politely asked permission to take some coals. The men remained silent, staring into the embers, so she gathered a few and returned to the kitchen. Yet when she poured them onto the hearth, they had already gone out.

Thinking the coals might not have been hot enough, Kathrine returned to the strange men and collected another brazier full of embers. Again, the coals extinguished as soon as she brought them inside. Uneasy but still determined to prepare breakfast, she ventured out a third time. The three figures remained motionless, ignoring her greetings and questions. As she gathered the hottest coals, the eldest man finally raised his head. His face was deathly pale and sullen, and he warned her in a deep voice never to return. Terrified, Kathrine rushed back into the house with the brazier. Once more, the coals went out as soon as they touched the hearth. When she looked through the kitchen window, the nearby village clock struck midnight. A tremendous crash sounded around the house, and the mysterious fire and its three silent companions vanished without a trace. Kathrine realized that the moon was setting behind the wooded hills and fled to her bed, where she eventually fell asleep from exhaustion and fear.

The next morning, the miller came downstairs expecting his breakfast but found neither food nor Kathrine. When he inspected the kitchen hearth, he was astonished to discover it filled with glittering gold ducats arranged in three heaps. The mysterious coals had transformed into a treasure far greater than the inheritance he expected from his deceased aunt. Kathrine awoke late and hurried downstairs, where she explained her encounter with the three pale figures and their strange fire. The household listened in fearful amazement, realizing that the silent men had been supernatural visitors who had bestowed the treasure upon her. The miller honestly gave Kathrine the gold, and she became a wealthy woman who lived comfortably for the rest of her life.

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Sources

“Die verschneite Alp.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/verschneite_alp.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Lost Nunnery of Neuheim
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

Long ago, a convent stood in Neuheim, in the Swiss canton of Zug, below the local church in a place known as the Unterhaus-Matte, or Lower House Meadow. The nunnery has long since disappeared, leaving no visible trace of its former existence. Yet the ground where it once stood remained strangely barren: despite repeated efforts and careful cultivation, nothing could be made to grow there. The abandoned site acquired an eerie reputation, as wandering lights were frequently seen flickering across it at night.

The supernatural disturbances were not limited to the former convent grounds. Near a nearby barn, a night watchman was reportedly confronted by a horrifying apparition: a headless man walking silently through the darkness. The legend offers no explanation for the identity of the figure or its connection to the vanished nunnery, leaving the barren meadow, wandering lights, and headless apparition as mysterious remnants of Neuheim’s haunted past.

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Sources

“Das Kloster Neuheim.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/kloster_neuheim.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Schön-Anneli of Berchtwil, Anneli von Berchtwil
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

Anneli von Berchtwil was a young woman of extraordinary beauty who lived near the Reuss River in the Swiss canton of Zug. The Baron of Rüßegg became consumed by desire for her after seeing her during his travels along the river. He showered her with courtship, promises, and enticements, but Anneli refused to return his affection. Unable to accept her rejection, the baron continued to long for her, determined to make her his own.

One day, while Anneli was gathering hazelnuts along the banks of the Reuss, the baron’s men ambushed her. A fisherman waited nearby with a large boat beneath the overhanging branches, ready to help the warriors seize their intended prize. Anneli fought desperately against her captors, but the strong men eventually forced her to her knees. Trapped and terrified, she saw no way to escape their grasp except through death. Near Meisterschwil, she leaped from the boat into the swollen waters of the Reuss and disappeared beneath the waves. The Baron of Rüßegg waited in vain for her return, while his men and the fisherman came back to the castle empty-handed. The river spirits never returned Anneli’s lifeless body.

After her death, fishermen at the place where she had vanished sometimes saw a pale female figure hovering above the waters of the Reuss. The ghost cried out desperately for help, as though still seeking rescue from her terrible fate. From the dense thickets along the riverbank came answering whimpers and groans. According to the legend, the lustful Baron of Rüßegg and his accomplices were imprisoned among these thickets, where they were forced to atone for the crime that had driven beautiful Anneli to her death. Thus, the river became the setting for the restless apparition of the maiden and the supernatural punishment of those who had persecuted her.

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Sources

“Berchtwil.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/berchtwil.html

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Snow-Covered Woman, The Cursed Mountain of Frau
Category: Ghost

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The Myth

The Snowed Woman is a legendary mountain in the Frutigen valley of the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, whose peaks rise more than 11,000 feet and remain covered in eternal snow. According to local tradition, the mountain was once a lush alpine pasture filled with excellent grasses and herbs, including a plant known as Mutern, described as resembling carrot tops. The vegetation was so abundant that the cattle grazing there had to be milked three times a day. The mountain belonged to a blind woman who, every spring, brought her son, servants, and herd of cattle up to the high pasture.

The woman’s son lived a life of excess and engaged in a forbidden relationship with a maiden. He ignored his mother’s warnings and treated her cruelly, despite her blindness. Grieved and angered by her son’s behavior, the mother finally pronounced a curse: the mountain would be covered in ice, and both her son and the finest cow in the herd would be banished there forever. Her curse came to pass, transforming the fertile pasture into a frozen, desolate mountain. The son and the cow were condemned to remain there, and their presence can still be sensed through the cow’s bellowing and the son’s mournful cries, which are said to echo across the mountain.

The curse can supposedly be broken if someone manages to milk the cow on Good Friday before sunrise. If the task is completed in time, the mountain will regain its former beauty and fertility. However, no one has ever succeeded, because the sun invariably rises before the milking is finished. Those who attempt the dangerous task and fail are said to fall victim to a monster. The legend thus explains the mountain’s perpetual snow as the consequence of a mother’s curse and preserves the hope that its lost alpine abundance might one day be restored.

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Sources

“Die beschneite Frau.” SAGEN.at – Sagen aus Vernaleken. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/vernaleken/beschneite_frau.html

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