Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Death Stone
Category: Object
The Myth
The Sterbensstein, or Death Stone, lies at Kirchetbüel in Oberhasli, along the route to Gadmen near Meiringen in the Swiss canton of Bern. The stone rests beside a narrow, rocky gorge through which the River Aare flowed in ancient times. Its surface bears several impressions resembling marks left by human fingers, as though someone had pressed a hand into the stone.
According to local legend, a murder took place at this spot long ago. A woman who suffered a violent death desperately tried to grasp the stone, leaving the impressions of her fingers behind. The marks were said to preserve the traces of her final struggle, transforming an ordinary rock into a lasting reminder of the tragedy.
The Sterbensstein is thus associated with death and the enduring physical traces of a violent event. Beyond this brief account, the legend provides no further details about the woman, her killer, or the circumstances of the murder.
Sources
“Der Sterbensstein” (The Death Stone). SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/grimm/dersterbensstein.html