Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Dragon of the Drachenloch
Category: Dragon
The Myth
The Dragon of Burgdorf was an enormous dragon that lived inside a hollow mountain near Burgdorf in Bern. The cavern became known as the Drachenloch, or Dragon’s Cave, and the creature was said to have laid waste to the surrounding countryside.
In the year 712, the brothers Sintram and Beltram, dukes of Lenzburg, went hunting together. Deep in a wild and desolate forest they came upon a hollow mountain and discovered the dragon within. As soon as the beast saw the two men, it sprang violently toward them.
Before Beltram could escape, the dragon seized him and swallowed him alive. Sintram fought back with great courage and engaged the monster in a fierce struggle. Eventually he managed to overcome and kill the dragon.
But when Sintram cut open the dragon’s split body, he discovered something astonishing: his younger brother was still alive inside the monster. Beltram had survived being swallowed and was rescued from the dragon’s body.
To commemorate the terrible encounter and Beltram’s miraculous survival, the two princes had a chapel dedicated to Saint Margaret built at the very place where the dragon had been defeated. The story was also painted there, where it could still be seen.
Sources
“Das Drachenloch.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Bern). Reproduced by SAGEN.at.
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/bern/dasdrachenloch.html