Vaud myths

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Le géant Gargantua (Gargantua giant) The story about the giant who carelessly drops stones from his rucksack creating valleys and hills.

Michel et Nérine The fairy whisks the young shepherd away on her winged chariot.

Le Vaudai This legend can be traced back to early Christian times. The Celtic character descends from the mountains to fight Christianity. As he goes down the Rhone Valley and arrives at St Maurice he is pushed back and ends up living in the peaks.

Le Rocher de 11 heures (The 11 o'clock rock) The story refers to a strange shaped rock that shines at 11 o'clock indicating that it is time for housewives to make lunch.

L’Age d’Or (The golden age) The tale about plentiful pastures and forests has a strong environmental theme. swissinfo.ch

Michel et Nérine The fairy shows Michel her treasures in her mountain grotto, but in the end he decides to return to his village. swissinfo.ch

La Quille du Diable (The devil's skittle) The little devils from the mountain village of Les Diablerets practise throwing rocks.

Les deux fées (The two fairies) Fairy legends inevitably ended badly.

Le jeune chasseur (The young hunter) The young hunter, who is supposed to be looking after his cows, is chastised by the mysterious elf for wanting to kill animals in the high peaks.

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Age-old alpine legends from western Switzerland.

Lucienne Fontannaz’s paintings bring to life 20 myths selected from Alfred Cérésole’s popular book, Légendes des Alpes Vaudoises, which was written in 1885 but continues to be published to this day. (Paintings: Lucienne Fontannaz)