Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Gold Coals
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Near the small town of Zofingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau, a young maid named Kathrine served an old miller whose elderly aunt had recently died. One night, while preparing to rise early and make breakfast for her master, Kathrine awoke beneath the light of the full moon, mistaking its glow for dawn. Unable to light the kitchen fire because the tinder was damp, she looked outside and noticed a small fire burning on the meadow near the house. Hoping to find glowing embers for the hearth, she took a brazier and hurried out into the night. There she discovered three men wrapped in white cloths, sitting silently around the fire. Believing them to be travelers, she politely asked permission to take some coals. The men remained silent, staring into the embers, so she gathered a few and returned to the kitchen. Yet when she poured them onto the hearth, they had already gone out.
Thinking the coals might not have been hot enough, Kathrine returned to the strange men and collected another brazier full of embers. Again, the coals extinguished as soon as she brought them inside. Uneasy but still determined to prepare breakfast, she ventured out a third time. The three figures remained motionless, ignoring her greetings and questions. As she gathered the hottest coals, the eldest man finally raised his head. His face was deathly pale and sullen, and he warned her in a deep voice never to return. Terrified, Kathrine rushed back into the house with the brazier. Once more, the coals went out as soon as they touched the hearth. When she looked through the kitchen window, the nearby village clock struck midnight. A tremendous crash sounded around the house, and the mysterious fire and its three silent companions vanished without a trace. Kathrine realized that the moon was setting behind the wooded hills and fled to her bed, where she eventually fell asleep from exhaustion and fear.
The next morning, the miller came downstairs expecting his breakfast but found neither food nor Kathrine. When he inspected the kitchen hearth, he was astonished to discover it filled with glittering gold ducats arranged in three heaps. The mysterious coals had transformed into a treasure far greater than the inheritance he expected from his deceased aunt. Kathrine awoke late and hurried downstairs, where she explained her encounter with the three pale figures and their strange fire. The household listened in fearful amazement, realizing that the silent men had been supernatural visitors who had bestowed the treasure upon her. The miller honestly gave Kathrine the gold, and she became a wealthy woman who lived comfortably for the rest of her life.
Sources
“Die verschneite Alp.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/verschneite_alp.html