Tradition: Liechtenstein Mythology
Alternative Names: The Doll of Alpe Guschg, Guschger Sennendoll
Category: Object
The Myth
The Guschg Dairyman’s Doll is a supernatural figure from a legend set on Alpe Guschg, near Schönberg in Liechtenstein. The alpine servants working there once had so little to do that they amused themselves by making a large doll out of rags. They treated it like a person, talking to it, cradling it, and feeding it milk and purée. At times, they also beat it and quarrelled with it because it stubbornly refused to speak.
When autumn arrived, the servants prepared to leave the alpine pasture and return to the valley. Before their departure, they gathered for one final meal, bringing the doll along and continuing their usual mischief with it. Before the meal was finished, however, the doll suddenly began to speak. The servants stared at one another in terror as it looked angrily from one person to the next and declared that everyone could return home except the dairyman, who had to remain with it.
The dairyman stayed behind, and the others abandoned the alpine hut. After walking some distance, they grew curious and looked back. To their horror, they saw the dairyman’s skin stretched across the roof of the herdsman’s hut, while the doll sat beside it, laughing scornfully. The legend offers no further explanation of the doll’s origins, but its sudden awakening and terrifying demand transform an innocent game into a deadly encounter with a supernatural being.
Sources
“The Guschger Dairyman’s Doll.” SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/liechtenstein/seger/sennpuppe.html