Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Liberation of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden
Category: Ghost
The Myth
When the bailiffs of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden learned that William Tell had killed Governor Gessler, they feared the people they had long oppressed. Rather than ruling more justly, they tightened their grip on the land, believing the rebellious shepherds could only be subdued through greater cruelty. But the time of the tyrants was coming to an end.
On New Year’s Day in 1308, the people of Schwyz rose beneath their blood-red banner, led by Werner Stauffacher and other leaders. Crossing the frozen waters of Lake Lauerz, they attacked Schwanau Castle. Its bailiff, a relative of Gessler, tried to resist but was overcome. The people seized him and threw him from the same window through which Gemma von Arth had once plunged. The ice broke beneath him, and he disappeared into the green waters. Afterwards, his ghost was said to haunt the castle walls, pursued by a white-clad maiden carrying a burning torch. Other strongholds also fell, including the castles at Küssnacht and Brunnen, which were destroyed. At Perfiden, a faithful servant managed to rescue his master from a burning castle by hiding him in a carrying basket.
The people of Uri also rose against their oppressors. William Tell, long hunted by the bailiffs, suddenly appeared in the main square of Altdorf with his crossbow. Beside him stood the bearer of Uri’s horn, who sounded the call to arms. The people gathered, and the unfinished fortress of Zwing-Uri was soon captured and razed to the ground.
In Unterwalden, however, the people faced a more difficult challenge. Bailiff Landenberg ruled from Sarnen Castle and was too powerful to defeat through a direct assault. The peasants of Obwalden therefore devised a plan. Each New Year’s Day, they were required to bring gifts to the bailiff. Twenty men approached the castle carrying calves, goats, sheep, game, and cheeses, concealing spears beneath their clothing. Landenberg, pleased with the offerings, allowed them to enter the castle and wait for him while he attended Mass. Once inside, the men secured the gate, attached spearheads to their walking sticks, and sounded the horn known as the Cow of Unterwalden. Thirty more men armed with halberds and clubs emerged from a nearby alder grove and joined the attack. The guards and servants were quickly overcome.
When Landenberg left the church in Sarnen, he saw flames rising from his castle. He hurried back but was captured by the villagers. Although they initially wanted to kill him, he begged for his life and swore never to return to the land. The peasants spared him, and he fled on his raven-black horse so hastily that the women later claimed he had ridden through the air on a four-legged devil. His castle burned to the ground.
The people of Unterwalden also captured Rotzberg Castle through cunning. A beautiful maidservant living there was in love with a young man who had sworn allegiance to the confederates at the Rütli meadow. They had arranged a secret signal: whenever the evening star appeared above the mountains, she would lower a rope ladder from her high window so that he could climb up to visit her. On the night of the uprising, he arrived with twenty brave companions hidden nearby. When the ladder descended, he climbed up first, pretending to offer his beloved New Year’s greetings. His companions followed, and before the maid could call for help, all twenty-one men had entered her chamber. They bound her and the castle’s inhabitants, including the under-bailiff, and soon flames engulfed the fortress. Rotzberg Castle collapsed and was destroyed.
That night, great bonfires blazed across the mountains of all three countries, Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. Their red flames announced the return of freedom and the downfall of the hated bailiffs. The legend connects these victories with the Swiss Confederates’ oath at the Rütli meadow and explains the tradition of lighting bonfires throughout Switzerland on the night of 1 August. The fires commemorate the struggle for liberty, the courage of those who resisted tyranny, and the enduring spirit of the Swiss people.
Sources
“Die Befreiung der Länder.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/befreiung_laender.html