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