NEUOFFENBARUNGMountains with infamous names
1. In a region of upper Carinthia, not far from the Drau River, there is a mountain called the High Staff. This mountain dominates with it's peak the Drau valley almost from the border of Tyrol to Klagenfurt, i.e. to the vicinity of this city; at the same time, the so-called white lake leans against it's foot on the southwest side. It has a height of 8000 feet, and from it's top surely everyone who has climbed it enjoys the most enchanting view. This mountain was once extremely notorious, and was, so to speak, a main gathering place for the witches and their masters, of course, according to the legend of the still living countrymen, who inhabit this mountain around on all sides. It's foothills had received the still leading names from it's former magical fame; One of the foothills to the north is called Goldeck, one to the northwest Siflitz, one to the west Bärenbuck, one to the south the Silver Grave; the vertical rock of the highest peak is called the High Clearing, and a wall lying somewhat below it, the Lower Clearing, just as the saddle between the high and lower staff is sometimes called the Witches' Ride and sometimes the Devils' Ride. So there is also from this very saddle a bare stone ditch, which is called the Devil's Slide; also another ditch, which slopes towards the west, is called the Wild G'jad. These names and several others that follow this mountain, such as: Witch's Leap, Devil's Ride, Werewolf's Nest and many more, sufficiently indicate the reputation in which this mountain once stood; but apart from all these site names, just the name Staff is enough to see that this was a main magic mountain.
2. The word staff was an expression used by these earlier mountain dwellers to denote the quality of an extraordinary thing. Extraordinary, however, was with them that which served both for the elements, as there are: Air with it's phenomena, and water with it's own, as well as for humans and animals, served as a point of reference; for which reason, in later times, this mountain was given a new name, which only translated the first in a certain way into a more modern German.
3. The new name was and still is Landschnur, from which name the French staying there later made Landjour out of it. Therefore, in this old mountain language, the word Staff denotes a kind of court, and Hochstaff a high court, and that because every unauthorized person, not initiated into the magic mysteries of this mountain, was immediately judged in the most terrible way, of course by the sorcerers, if he dared to climb this mountain only so high, where the forest region ends; For such a guest was suddenly seized by invisible hands, and in a flash, as the legend goes, carried away to the highest peak; there he was tormented by likewise invisible forces for several hours in the most painful and cruel way, and with thunderous voices was coerced to join the witches' league; if he did not want to do so, he was thrown from the highest point, which was therefore called the high clearing, to the lower clearing, but so magically that he was not killed. On the lower free space, the most enchantingly charming sylphs would come to him and intoxicate him with the charm of their form; if he surrendered to them, he was immediately lifted up again to the high free space and there initiated into their mysteries. If, however, he did not want to be intoxicated by the sylph's allure, then he either came onto the Devil's Slide and had to make a terrible journey down into the valley, during which journey, of course, all limbs, as you like to say, completely lost all glue. But if he had shown half a will at the Sylphid stimulus, he was placed on the Goldeck, where he was dazzled by the enormous wealth consisting of masses of bright gold; and if that was not enough, he was led southward to the region of the silver tomb. This was actually not a grave, but a fairy-like most beautiful area of this mountain, which so enchanted this newly acquired that he now could no longer avoid joining the witch's alliance at all.
4. Of course, all this is mere folk tale, and mostly of the people who inhabited the lowest valley area.
5. The wiser mountain dwellers, who not infrequently had to endure a shameful punishment because of the stupidity of the lower valley dwellers, knew nothing of all the witchcraft, but they did know of the spirits that inhabited this mountain abundantly in all directions, as is rarely the case with any other
mountain. Why then exactly this mountain? The reason why such beings often take possession of one mountain more than another is different; partly it depends on the location and on a certain height of the mountain, partly on the content of such a mountain, but mostly on a rather free position, according to which a mountain is cut off from other mountains from all sides in a certain way, so that the spirits of other mountains, which are often of an evil nature, cannot easily reach these spirits, and cause disorder among them. But mainly such a mountain is taken possession of by the above-mentioned spirits for the reason that, as a result of it's free position, it affords a charming view to all regions around without restriction; for these spirits also all have the ability, if they wish, to look at the natural world; and in that they are also used for the so-called making of weather, If the spirits of the mountains have to keep a watchful eye on the neighboring mountain spirits, they prefer such mountains where they cannot be limited in their watchfulness by anything. Such spirits, of course, are already accompanied by more perfect spirits, who control and guide them; but in spite of this, no spirit is deprived of it's own individuality, it's free activity and the joy connected with it.
6. This would be a main famous mountain of this country. A second one is the Unholde, which was even more infamous than the Hochstaff; for the names, which still stick to this mountain today, as well as it's almost mystical wild-romantic-grotesque design, are more than telling proofs of it's former magical fame. We only want to mention some names of it's foothills and it's premises, which will sufficiently teach us, how it should have looked once with this mountain, but naturally it never looked thus.
7. The highest peak of this mountain is called the High Stadl, i.e. as much as a high place and a high dwelling, in which the witches spent winter and summer. A side peak of this mountain is also called the Lower One, and a peak rising above it is called the High Clearing. A clearing is a place where quite innocent people were recruited to become magicians in the way described earlier. Immediately below these two clearings, is a rather extensive place where the new arrivals had to learn magic; this place is still called Zaubrad, or the Magic Place.
8. Above this magic place, more to the south, rises another rocky peak under the name: Ruhdnik; this was the place of rest for the new students of magic. Below the Ruhdnik, even more to the south, there was a large open space called Gerlize. The word Gerlize in the silly magic language of that time meant 'a place of the most exuberant joy', and at the same time also a place of the magic game; Therefore, even today there are several springs towards the rock walls of the high stables, which only emit a jet of water at exactly ½ 12 o'clock, of which only one has survived until now, and is still called Halbzwölfuhr-Bründl [The half twelve hour spring -tr].
9. Even more south of this place rises the still today's so-called high Truth, whose name hardly needs a closer description concerning the former meaning. Above this high Truth comes the so-called red wall, also called blood wall, and to this renegades or traitors of the magic are said to have been hurled by the devils.
10. Again above this high red wall is the so-called Dreihexenspitze [Three witches' peaks], according to the current language also Dreihexenköffel, which was continuously inhabited by the three worst witches, who had to keep watch there.
11. Above this Dreihexenspitze rises the rather steep ridge up to the high Stadl under the name Hexenstieg [Witch's Rise -tr], which, as already noted, rises up to the highest peak, where the Stadl or castle of the Witch King was. North, parallel with the highest peak, runs a rocky ridge ten fathoms long and three fathoms wide; this now has the name: Hohebrüstung, but in former times it was called Hexentrui. Trui means: drive; there they were driven out into the free air, and had to seize the mists,
which rose from the top, name Deuwand (translated into newer language: devil's wall).
12. More to the north of the Deuwand is the Deudreispitz'; still more to the north the Evil Sieg, and still a little more to the north the high Siebenwand [Seven Wall -tr], also called the Hollow Spitze, which should have been inhabited by the very worst spirits.
13. More south of the high Stadl is a very steep peak under the name: the Damned Bay, in more recent times also: Sandriß [Sand Tear -tr]. Even more to the south, but a little lower down is the Teufelsgalgen [Devil's Gallows], and from there a little more to the southwest the böse Weib [Evil woman -tr].
14. From this name it is quite clear in what fame this mountain range once stood; already the sole name: Unholden [Unfair -tr] sufficiently shows the once known character of this mountain range, which ruled partly Carinthia and partly Tyrol, and also a capable part of Welschland.
15. That there is nothing else behind these legends than what I have already explained to the clearest view, is self-evident.
16. Just this Hochstadl is also such an exposed mountain, and therefore a favorite abode of such nature spirits already made known to you, who have become more free, and who were in already known conflict with the country people living at the foot of this mountain; But the fact that the name of this mountain and it's foothills is linked to many a sad witch-inquisition story, hardly needs any further discussion; for on the Drava, the witchcraft execution site of the old Flaschberg dominion can still be seen today, the name of which already contains a sufficient description of what was once perpetrated here.
17. There are a lot of similar mountains in Tyrol; the Gantspitze, the High Evil Ring, the Evil Stone, the High Helmet, the Brenner [Burner -tr], the Oetzer, the Vintschgauer Hochkuppe, the Wurmserjoch [Dragon's Pass] and the like are several more notorious ones; In Switzerland, the well-known Wetterhorn [Weather Horn -tr], the sinister Achhorn, the high Mönch [Monk -tr], the Wöllerhorn, the Pilatusspitze, also the Bernhardsberg, the Teufelsbrücke [Devil's Bridge] and many similar, lone mountains of the same caliber.
18. But the mountains of Savoy are the most notorious; for there, according to popular legend, the highest heads of the evil spirits were at home, and not so long ago, every Savoyard was regarded with such contempt that he was hardly considered higher than the animals; just as not so long ago the inhabitants of the Pyrenees under the name of Chacots [Scorned/mocked -tr] were despised by the Spaniards more than the meanest dog.
19. Now that we have sufficiently explained the existence of the spirits in our second region by these little stories, and now see how it is in this second region, we will immediately go down to the first region and see how it is there spiritually.