Swiss Frog Mythology

Giant Toad of Zurich

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Charlemagne’s Giant Toad
Category: Frog

The Myth

A gigantic, hideous toad once lived among the reeds at the outflow of Lake Zurich, where the Limmat River begins. The creature had settled directly upon a snake’s eggs, threatening the offspring of a serpent that would eventually seek justice from Emperor Charlemagne. The toad was so enormous and dreadful that its presence astonished the emperor when the snake led him to its nest.

The strange events began when a snake repeatedly rang a small bell attached to a pillar in Zurich, where anyone seeking justice could summon Charlemagne while he held court. At first, the emperor’s soldiers could find nobody ringing the bell. Eventually, one soldier discovered a snake coiled around the rope, pulling it to attract the emperor’s attention. Charlemagne approached the serpent, which bowed before him and led him to its nest among the reeds. There, the emperor discovered the enormous toad crouching upon the snake’s eggs.

Recognizing the creature as a threat to the snake’s offspring, Charlemagne ordered the toad removed and condemned it to death by burning. The snake’s appeal had thus been answered, and justice was carried out against the creature that had threatened its young. Some time later, the grateful serpent visited the emperor in his residence, climbed onto his table, and dropped a sparkling gemstone into his golden goblet before disappearing forever. Believing the event to be a sign from Heaven, Charlemagne ordered a church built over the place where he had discovered the snake’s nest. The church became known as the Water Church, while the emperor gave the precious gemstone to his wife, who wore it in a golden capsule over her heart for the rest of her life.

Sources

“Kaiser Karl und die Schlange.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/kaiser_karl_schlange.html

Cursed Toads of Lasarraz

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Knight of Lasarraz’s Toads
Category: Frog

The Myth

The Cursed Toads of Lasarraz are two hideous supernatural toads that cling to the face and back of a knight who commits a terrible crime against his elderly parents. The creatures possess gruesome, poisonous eyes and grip their victim so tightly that neither servants nor household attendants can tear them away. They first appear when the knight opens a magnificent venison pie beside his wife. Instead of the expected meal, two revolting toads leap from the pie and attach themselves firmly to his cheeks, drawing ever closer to his eyes as though intending to devour them.

The curse begins with the Knight of Lasarraz, a wealthy and courageous young nobleman who falls in love with the daughter of his overlord, the count. To win her hand, he promises to provide a castle and three hundred fine cows. His elderly parents willingly surrender their entire fortune to fulfil his wish, leaving themselves destitute. After the marriage, however, the knight’s wife treats the old couple cruelly, and the knight allows their suffering to continue. When winter brings bitter cold and hunger, his parents seek shelter at his magnificent palace. At his wife’s urging, he eventually casts them out into the freezing night, leaving them to wander without food or warmth.

The toads appear that very evening, as the knight enjoys a feast beside his wife. Horrified by the creatures clinging to his face, he summons servants and maids, but nobody can remove them. Realizing that his cruelty toward his parents has brought divine punishment upon him, he confesses his crime to the castle chaplain. The chaplain sends him to the bishop, who in turn directs him to the Pope in Rome. The Pope orders him to return home, find his parents, and seek their forgiveness, declaring that the shameful mark will disappear if they forgive him.

The knight searches for his parents day and night, but eventually discovers their bodies in a lonely hermitage in a snow-covered forest. They have already died from hunger and cold. Weeping, he throws himself upon them and begs for forgiveness. At once, the two toads leave his cheeks, but crawl onto his back and fasten themselves there instead. Since he found his parents too late to receive their living forgiveness, his guilt is only partially atoned for. For the next twenty years, he must carry the toads hidden beneath his clothing. His punishment continues through further family tragedy: his wife is killed by a snake, and his only son murders him out of greed for his inheritance. After the knight’s death, the son is torn apart by a bear, bringing the family line to a miserable end. In remembrance of the terrible events, a statue is erected in the castle chapel depicting the knight with two monstrous toads attached to his cheeks and back.

Sources

“Ritter Lasarraz.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/ritter_lasarraz.html

Church Toad

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Giant Toad Beneath the Church
Category: Frog

The Myth

A gigantic toad lies beneath a church in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It rests upon an unfathomably deep body of water hidden beneath the building. The creature remains concealed underground, its enormous body supporting a mysterious and fragile balance beneath the church.

According to the legend, the church will collapse if the giant toad ever turns over. As long as it remains still, the building stands above it, but a single movement could bring the entire structure crashing down. The tale connects the hidden creature’s movements with the sudden destruction of the church and offers a mythical explanation for the trembling of the earth.

Sources

“Die Kröte (Sargans).” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (St. Gallen). https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/st_gallen/kroete_sargans.html