By Miranda Waters

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Preface: This is a short story that I have written inspired by old Salzburg legend. May it transport you to a time when legend was truth and imagination was entertainment. 

Context

Untersberg is a massif bordering Salzburg, Austria and Berchtesgaden, Germany. Austrian legend tells of wild women who reside in the forests, fairies who flutter and float over Almbach Gorge, dwarfs (or the Untersberger Mandln) who protect their treasure and gold in the endless maze of caverns, and emperors who escaped death to sleep soundly in the heart of the mountain. One such emperor was none other than, Charlemagne- the first Holy Roman Emperor. History says he passed away from lung disease but stories say that he withdrew to the mountains of Untersberg and there he rests frozen in time at a marble table. He is being guarded by the Untersberger Mandln as they wait nervously for his beard to grow and for the ravens to stop circling the castle. For it is said that once his beard grows around the table three times and the ravens no longer circle the castle the world will end. Others believe it to be Emperor Frederick Barbarossa whose beard is to determine the fate of the world. 

Many have been drawn to the magic and mystery of this soaring mountain, including the Dalia Lama who described the mountain as “a sleeping dragon” and Adolf Hitler who became obsessed with the mountain believing that it’s supernatural properties could be the key to winning the war and he even had the Berghof Residence constructed with his dining room window facing the Untersberg. Many have hiked the mountain and explored the cave systems and many have disappeared doing so (maybe by the portal that is rumored to be within the mountain). Most famously are three friends who disappeared on the mountain in 1987 and did not reappear until three months later on a ship in the Red Sea claiming they had no recollection of the past time. Much of the mountain remains undiscovered. In 2008 there was an expedition led into one of the caverns, but after heading down over 1000 meters for three days and discovering a lake with over 800 more passageways they desperately retreated back to the surface. For centuries the mountain has mesmerized and tormented people from all over the world.

Our Story Begins...

Being the son of a great doctor has always been difficult, then we had to move and I had to start all over again to try and shake the expectation from everyone that I could be just as great. You moved us out to Salzburg and every morning I woke up, looked out the paneled window of our new quaint home, and stared in wonder at the mountain reaching for the heavens. At the very top it hooks around leaving a portion of the mountain concealed from the eye. Something about it is alluring, something about it seems otherworldly, like the kind of place you hear about in fairytales or folklore. Our fifth day in Salzburg was a beautiful day and I needed some time to clear my head, so I put on my shoes and some extra layers to start my journey up the mountain. 

The walk up through the forests was stunning. It was that perfect time of year when all the leaves are changing color, enveloping you in a world of vibrant yellows, oranges, and greens. A gentle breeze would snake its way through the trees making the leaves move as if in a dance. Sometimes the wind would almost sound like a woman laughing, and the rustling of the leaves like someone leaping past me. It wasn’t an eerie sound but rather the kind of laugh that is inviting you to join in on the amusement. 

Higher and higher I went and the air cooled until I made it to a small cove with a waterfall. The water looked like glass and the trickling of the water sounded like the fluttering of little wings coming from all directions. The water and all the rocks dampened by the waterfall glimmered and sparkled hints of gold in the sun. The perfectly serene and magical place felt alive and breathing. 

I walked along a bit farther and stumbled across a large cave. It was early enough in the day that I could do some exploring and I could walk upright through it, so I ventured in. The farther I walked the more passageways it split into but I remained walking straight ahead. The cold of the air started to burn my lungs and the roof started to slant downwards to where I was now hunched over but a voice in my head told me that there was a goal to reach here, so I traveled on. It must have been the echo, I told myself, because I could hear more footsteps than my own. Then the fatigue must have gotten to my head, the longer I walked the more and more I thought I saw a tiny man running beside me in the shadows. I must be crazy, but then I could make him out so clearly. He had a long white beard to match his long white hair, he was wearing a flat brimmed, green hat that was far too large for his head, on his feet were little red shoes to match his red tunic which was fastened by a black cord to match his black tights. No, I definitely wasn’t dreaming because now there were four of them, all identical, two grabbed hold of each of my hands and the others walked one in front of me one behind me. I didn’t feel threatened, they were guiding me not forcing me along. 

We walked through cavern after cavern for what must have been an eternity until finally we came to a beautiful lake perfectly nestled in what felt like the center of the earth. All along the edge of the lake where it meets the rock there were stacks and stacks of jewels and gold from all over the world. There were crowns from many centuries ago, golden elephant figures, gems of all varieties, and garments fit to be worn by royalty. After letting me take in all the fanciful treasures the elves (what else could they be?) once again took hold of my hands and led me to a small passageway that had a room at the end. 

The room’s walls were covered in decades worth of vines and growth. In the center of the room stood a round marble table and sitting at this table was a sleeping king (for you could tell by the magnificent crown adorning his head) with a reddish beard so long that it had wrapped around the base of the table two times and was close to completing a third ring around it. The elves looked at me with concern as though I understood how dire the situation at hand was, but I understood nothing of what I was setting my eyes on. Finally, when it seemed my comprehension of the situation was hopeless, one that appeared older than the other three clasped my hand and led me to the wall covered in vines. He pulled back the growth to reveal a series of images. The first was of an emperor lying on a bed and under it was inscribed “Karl der Große” (“Charles the Great”). The second image showed the emperor in the same seated position as the one sitting before me with the inscription “durch Schwert und Kreuz” (“by the sword and the cross”) below it. The third image showed Emperor Charlemagne (“Karl der Große”) being looked upon by the emperor seated before me, inscribed under this image was “das Ende der Welt” (“the end of the world”). The fourth image was the emperor I see now seated at the table, his beard only touching the ground but no longer than that, the inscription reading “Barbarossa”.  The fifth image was an image of the present including my own figure standing there with the inscription “Opfern” (“sacrifice”). The sixth and final image was me sitting at the stone table and although I’m only fifteen I have a beard beginning to wrap around the base of the table. This image had a three-word inscription that read “rette die Welt”. Now my German is not very advanced but I could make this out to be simply “save the world”. 

I never thought myself destined for great things but here I was in the company of a sleeping emperor and four elves pleading with me to save the world, but how? The elves guided me over to the dormant emperor and the one that looked the eldest motioned for me to lay a hand on Emperor Barbarossa’s shoulder so I did just that. As though a statue coming to life the emperor slowly started to move each part of his body and then at last, he opened his eyes and lifted his head off his hand to look at me. Without standing up he offered me his seat. I now understood what this meant, it was my turn to serve for this greater purpose, to save the world. Nothing was forced, it was an offer I could accept or decline. I thought of my family, I thought of you. What would you expect of me? I wasn’t sure exactly what would happen if I didn’t take the seat but that didn’t even seem like an option. I nodded my head and a look of relief fell over the room. Emperor Barbarossa stood and I gently lowered myself into his place. The last thing I remember seeing was his smile peaking from beneath a beard that magically trimmed to a proper length. My eyes felt exhausted, I rested my head on my hand, and slipped into slumber. 

I was suddenly woken by a young man’s hand on my shoulder. I noticed how long my beard had become and knew that my time was up. I smiled at him and gave him the same signal that I had received from Emperor Barbarossa, offering him my seat with my eyes. He hesitated but ultimately accepted with the same understanding I had. As I left, I watched him slip into sleep and as I began to leave I noticed additions to the series of images on the wall including an image of this moment right now, his inscription being “beschütze die Welt” (“protect the world”). He left me free to travel among the caves until I stumbled across a cave with a bright light at its end. 

I hope I did something great. I stayed asleep in that cave for 376 years and now I am here writing a letter to lay across your grave, father. 

References

“Untersberg.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untersberg. 

“Summit Hikes on the Legendary Untersberg Mountain: Hiking Collection by Komoot.” Komoot, https://www.komoot.com/collection/550/summit-hikes-on-the-legendary-untersberg-mountain. 

Williamdefalco, director. YouTube, YouTube, 16 Mar. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-onLtHVSzc. Accessed 26 Sept. 2022. 

June 03, 2020, et al. “Untersberg: The Mountain with a Portal to Another World.” Untersberg: the Mountain with a Portal to Another World, https://sciencedailyonline.blogspot.com/2020/06/untersberg-mountain-with-portal-to.html. 

Archyde. “Untersberg, the Most Mysterious Mountain in the World That Was the Obsession of Adolf Hitler.” Archyde, 9 May 2021, https://www.archyde.com/untersberg-the-most-mysterious-mountain-in-the-world-that-was-the-obsession-of-adolf-hitler/. 

Schmidt, Ron. Para: Untersberg – the Mystery Mountain, https://www.thelivingmoon.com/46skyfloating/02files/Untersberg_01.html.