Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Stock Jumper, Hopen
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Along the road from Sattel to Ägeri, in the Swiss canton of Zug, lies the Schornen, an area known for its Letziturm tower and the remains of ancient defensive earthworks built by the people of Schwyz. According to local tradition, this disputed stretch of land once belonged to the estate of Ägeri but eventually passed into the possession of the municipality of Sattel through the sacrilegious perjury of an unscrupulous man. For his false oath, the man was condemned to a supernatural punishment, forever haunting the boundary of the land whose ownership he had helped determine dishonestly.
The perjurer appears as a mysterious black figure wearing a long coat and a broad-brimmed hat that hangs low over his head and reaches toward his broad shoulders. He is sometimes seen sitting atop the wooden picket fence that once marked the disputed boundary. More often, he leaps wildly from one boundary stone to another, racing along the border in a frantic, unnatural chase. During these nocturnal journeys, he emits a piercing, bone-chilling cry known locally as the Hopen. He particularly favors a small hill called the Stock, which gave rise to his name, Stockhüper, meaning “Stock Jumper.”
For many years, the Stockhüper was a familiar figure in local legend, condemned to roam the boundary as punishment for his dishonest testimony. However, the ghost has not been seen for a very long time. According to the tradition, a parish priest eventually banished him for eternity, bringing an end to his eerie nocturnal leaps and terrifying cries.
Sources
“Der Stockhüper.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/stockhueper.html