The Story of Türst – As Told by Night Watchman Ralf
On the heights of Mount Pilatus, a ghostly figure roams—a creature that is part "wild man," part "spirit," part "warrior," and part "god." This being, called Türst, causes great trouble for the alpine herdsmen and torments their cattle in many ways. His power is strongest when the herdsmen stray from a godly life. He is a fearsome hunter from the underworld.
At nightfall, Türst prepares for the hunt. He drives the poor cattle before him, scaring and confusing them so much that they run wildly in all directions. Sometimes, they even leap down into the valley, forcing the herdsmen to struggle to bring them back up. The cows remain without milk for a long time after such encounters.
When Türst approaches, he blows a powerful hunting horn. Every animal that hears it must come and stand before him. He is often accompanied by a pack of hellish dogs, all of which have only three legs. Leading the pack is a massive dog with a single eye in the middle of its forehead. This dog jumps ahead, with the entire pack stumbling behind it, constantly falling over due to their missing legs. In the middle of it all is Türst, part hunter, part spirit, part ghost, and part warrior.
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| The Wild Hunt |
The barking of the dogs sounds eerie—hollow, muffled, and unnatural. It terrifies the cattle, causing them to flee towards humans in fear. The herdsmen have their hands full whenever Türst appears. This happens in the Alps of Pilatus, on the meadows of the mountain.
In winter, when the cold sets in, Türst and his pack sometimes descend into the valleys. Sometimes, Türst even reaches the city of Lucerne. People say that when the wind blows fiercely through the streets on cold nights, you should be cautious and listen carefully—because Türst announces himself with a chilling call:
"Out of the way! Out of the way! Three steps to the side—or else!"
If you hear this, you must step three steps to the right immediately. If you don’t, Türst and his pack will run you over, and you will be transformed into a three-legged dog, doomed to run with his ghostly pack forever.
Among the pack, there are big and small dogs, always led by the one-eyed leader. The smallest dogs sometimes struggle to keep up and fall behind. One story tells of a time when Türst and his pack were passing St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne. A tiny three-legged dog kept stumbling and was left behind. Türst and his pack vanished into the night, leaving the little dog behind, whimpering.
A kind-hearted sacristan (a church caretaker) saw the poor creature and took pity on it. He brought it into his home, fed it, and gave it water. The little dog stayed there for the entire day.
But as night fell, a great commotion broke out in the square outside the chapel. There was loud barking, shouting, and suddenly—a knock at the door.
The sacristan hesitated. Who could it be?
When he opened the door, he saw the massive one-eyed dog standing before him. It spoke in a deep voice:
"Give us Gregorli. Give us Gregorli. We will not harm you. You were kind to Gregorli. You fed him and gave him water. So we will not hurt you. But now, give us Gregorli."
The sacristan gently picked up the little dog and handed it over. Türst and his pack disappeared into the darkness.
And that is the legend of Türst.
Source
Based on "Luzerner Sagen" (Lucerne Legends), collected and told by Kuno Müller (with slight modifications by Nightwatchman Ralf)
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