Story of the Vibrant Alps

The Alps region that is covered with ice and debris of pebbles today looked glamorous with colourful flowers and fruit-bearing trees once. This region in Switzerland was not only beautiful and fertile, but also home for numerous legends – more than any other locations in Switzerland. Particularly Bern uplands had a popular story about mount Clariden.  

Alpine uphill was once rich and gorgeous. The cattle here thrived in all aspects; cows were milked thrice a day and each cow gave two buckets of milk every time.

A wealthy herdsman lived in one of the hills. He became too proud of his wealth. He furnished his old country home as elegant as a rich man’s and began courting Catherine, a beautiful milkmaid. Above all he built a staircase in the house with cheese, polished it with butter and washed it with milk. His love Catherine, his favorite cow Brandyl and pet dog Rhyn walked across those steps.

His pious mother did not have any idea of the sin her Alpine dairyman son committed. One summer Sunday, she thought of visiting him. She got tired on the way. Reaching her son’s home, she went upstairs and asked for a drink. The shepherd instructed his lady-love to take a milk-barrel, fill it with sour milk, sprinkle with some sand and serve that as drink. Shocked by the despicable act, the mother came out of home. She ran down the hill. Standing still at the foot of the hill she cursed the wicked one – “May God punish you!”.  

A devastating storm rose within moments, ravaged the beautiful meadow, destroyed the cattle and cottages. All the people and the animals of the hill were buried. The spirit of the herdsman was condemned along with his property till the time they learn to handle the mountain properly again. He screamed – “I and my dog Rhyn, my cow Brandyl and my Cathy will be in Clariden forever.” But their salvation depended on one condition. Only if a milkman could milk Brandyl’s thorny udder in complete silence then only they could escape the curse. But the village destroyed and wild plants came in its place. The cow too went wild. Milking a cow that didn’t stand still became more difficult. Once one milkman had milked half a bucket-full when another man arrived there out of the blue and asked tapping his shoulder: “Does the milk foam well?” The milkman forgot the condition of silence. He replied: “Oh yes!” With his response the chance of the salvation of the cursed one was over. Also Brandyl the cow disappeared before his eyes.

Bernese Alps – From Wikimedia Commons