Tradition / Region: Swiss Mythology
Alternative names: Eisenriet-Geiss, Isariadgoass, Riatligoass
Category: Sheep

The Myth

The Eisenriet Goat is a terrifying demonic creature said to haunt the marshes of the Eisenriet near the Swiss villages of Montlingen and Oberriet. According to local legend, it punishes the arrogant, the blasphemous, and those who travel the marshes at night.

The tale tells of a chimney sweep from a neighboring village whose soul was said to be as black as his soot-covered clothes. Whenever he became drunk, he cursed God and mocked religion. One evening, after drinking heavily at an inn, the other patrons warned him not to cross the dangerous marsh after dark. The chimney sweep laughed at them, boasting that he feared nothing—not even if the Devil himself appeared before him.

As he stumbled along the causeway through the Eisenriet, a beautiful snow-white goat suddenly appeared and blocked his path. Thinking it nothing more than an animal, he angrily swung his soot-covered chimney brush at it until it disappeared into the darkness.

Moments later, however, a massive old billy goat emerged. Its grim expression, enormous horns, and frightening appearance chilled even the fearless chimney sweep. Suddenly realizing he might be facing the Devil himself, he cried out in terror.

The monstrous goat began pawing violently at the ground before charging with tremendous force. It gored the chimney sweep upon its horns while his screams echoed across the countryside, loud enough for the people of Montlingen to hear.

Villagers rushed to the scene but arrived too late. They found only a few black scraps of clothing and the chimney sweep’s ladder. Of the man himself, there was no trace.

The legend survives to this day as a warning to children. As night falls, mothers in Montlingen are said to call them home with the words:

“Come home quickly, or the Eisenriet Goat will get you.”

Sources

SAGEN.at. (n.d.). Die Geiß von Eisenriet. In SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/st_gallen/Eisenriet_Geiss.html

The Myth

On the mountain path that runs from Vättis to Untervatz, across the Owaggis and Salatz Alps, there was once said to be a lonely place called Oute Garmina. There, long ago, three witches lived together.

A young hunter from Vättis often roamed the Calanda mountains and passed that way on his hunts. Several times he encountered the sisters, yet they could not harm him. He was said to wear “clean shoes,” and because of this, their magic failed against him.

Unable to touch him directly, the witches tried another trick. They transformed themselves into chamois and appeared on the slopes, hoping to lure him into danger. One day, as he crossed the Alp Gwaggis, he saw three chamois grazing peacefully on a grassy ledge. Thinking them ordinary game, he raised his gun and fired. Yet every shot missed.

Suddenly the animals sprang toward him. Sensing danger, he threw himself flat to the ground, and the attack failed. Later, an old man from Vatz told him the truth: the chamois were not beasts, but the witches of Garmina. He instructed the hunter how to defeat them.

The hunter followed his advice. He mixed Trinity-blessed salt into his powder and loaded a consecrated silver bullet. The next time he saw the chamois, he fired again. This time his aim did not fail. One of the animals was struck and fell from the rocks, tumbling down the cliff.

The hunter went at once to Garmina. There he found that he had indeed slain one of the witches, killed by a shot through the head.

And so the story remained among the mountain people, who remembered that on the high paths of Garmina, even grazing animals might hide something far more dangerous.