Culture
Mountain tales and legends
In the mountains, where winter lasts a long time, the tales and legends passed on in the olden days during evening gatherings are probably more enduring than elsewhere. Today, storytellers and festivals pass on these wonderful or terrifying stories, always steeped in symbolism.
Tales and legends are the fruit of oral tradition, handed down from generation to generation, and play an important role in the culture and identity of a region. Tales from mountain regions depict a Dantean or fairytale nature, as well as the animals, plants and supernatural beings that live there.
For example, a legend common to many parts of the Alps tells us that edelweiss comes from the sky and is made of stardust. The shepherd’s star, which, after guiding the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus, sought refuge on earth and descended to the peaks of the Alps. It split into an infinite number of shooting stars, covering itself in down to protect itself from the cold. In keeping with this legend, theedelweiss today symbolises the protection of the mountains.
In this way, legends have often been used to justify the presence of plants or animals whose origin seemed mysterious. In the Jura, one legend has it that fir trees were created by the devil to protect imps from the heat of the mountain sun in summer and from bad weather in winter. Before becoming the protectors of humans too.
Mountain tales and legends
Stories with meaning
Legends are sometimes peopled by fantastic beings, who more often than not deliver a message. The vouivre, for example, is a half-woman half-snake character who is part of the oral heritage of the Jura mountains. When she bathes in the mountain lakes, she lays a valuable jewel on the shore, arousing the envy of humans. Those who try to take it are invariably killed by the vouivre. It’s a legend that goes some way to illustrating the proverb: “ill-gotten gains never do”.
Stories can also feature emblematic places. According to legend, the dome of Chasseforêt, one of the peaks of the Vanoise glaciers, was once covered with rich pastures. One morning, while the shepherds were milking their cows, a fairy disguised as an old woman approached them and asked for some milk. But no matter how much she begged, they wouldn’t give her anything. The fairy then put a curse on the mountain, causing an enormous amount of snow to fall on the alpine pasture… which turned into a glacier forever. The moral of the story: human selfishness always backfires in the end.
Living an oral tradition
The revival of storytelling
In the past, these meaningful stories were passed on in the evening. Now that television and computers fill the evenings, storytelling is sometimes relegated to the status of children’s stories. Fortunately, professional and amateur storytellers continue to keep this oral tradition alive, particularly at festivals and recitals.
Other events include the mountain storytelling festival in Mont-Dauphin (Hautes-Alpes) in September. The festival of tales and legends, at the end of April/beginning of May, in Baume-les-Dames (Doubs). Alors… raconte! in Beaumont-de-Lomagne (Tarn-et-Garonne), late January-early February. Le Printemps des légendes, in April, in Monthermé (Ardennes).
Some events, such as Au bonheur des Mômes, in August in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie), although not specifically dedicated to storytelling, give it a prominent place. And the list goes on…
With local traditions back in vogue, fairytales and legends are sure to be back in the spotlight. And we hope they will, because “a country without legends is a country that is dying”, according to the storyteller Zian des Alpes.