Between Lauterbrunnen and the Kiental lies the Sefinenalp. Something strange once happened on this alp: it was on a summer’s night. The herdsmen had long since milked the cows and tied them up in the barn. Suddenly, at midnight, there was a commotion. The cows began to moo, stamp their feet and tug at their ropes, causing the whole hut to creak. When the herdsmen entered the barn the next morning, two cows were completely tangled up in their ropes. However, the knot in the rope was so tight that none of the herdsmen could untie it. ‘There’s no helping it – we’ll have to cut the rope with a knife!’ they said. To make matters worse, the cows produced hardly any milk that morning. The same thing happened the following night, and so on every night. No swearing or cursing helped; the knots had to be cut open every morning, and soon hardly any cow gave enough milk.  

When they finally took the cows down to the valley in late summer, they said: ‘We’re not going up there anymore. There’s an alp spirit up there that ties knots in the ropes every night!’

There was only one solution: a monk had to drive the alp spirit away. When the cows were driven up to the Sefinenalp the following year, a Capuchin monk from Unterwalden climbed up with the herdsmen. He was sweating and out of breath by the time he reached the top. But then he began to work his magic. He entered the barn and spoke:

May God protect us
May God wake us.
May He grant us six angels,
two at our head
two at our feet
and two beside us.
May God keep us safe from danger
from misfortune,
and from all that wishes us harm.

Amen

The Capuchin stayed overnight in the hut and heard the mooing and stamping during the night. When he entered the barn the next morning, two cows were once again tied up in knots. So the monk took a wooden stick, spoke a blessing, and then struck the knot, which immediately sprang open as if by itself. He then drilled a hole in each of the four corners of the alpine hut, inserted a slip of paper with a prayer, and sealed the holes back up. From that moment on, the Sefinenalp was freed from the evil spirit, and the cows stood contentedly tied up in their ropes once more, giving sweet, nourishing milk.

Yes, one must know the right charm!

Neu erzählt von D. Jaenike, nach: H. Michel, Ein Kratten voll Lauterbrunner Sagen. Wengen 1936, unter dem Titel: Zwei Kühe in einer Seili, Übersetzung Lysander Jaenike© Mutabor