Grimm the giant and the dragon of Branzoll/Bronzolo
Jochgrimm/Passo Oclini is located in the municipality of Aldein/Aldino, between the twin peaks of the Weisshorn and Schwarzhorn. The Brothers Grimm would surely have been proud of their mountain-dwelling namesake, because – what else – Jochgrimm too can tell many an exciting tale, as shown by the legend of Grimm the giant and the lindworm.
“I´ll kill the beast for you. In return I want the finest, fattest ox in Branzoll.”
Once upon a time there lived a big, strong, brave man at the Jochgrimm pass. He was a herdsman and, from time to time, he would come down to the villages. One day he was at an inn in Branzoll when he heard from the regulars about the lindworm, a wingless dragon that lived in the marsh and had already killed many people. Grimm the giant shouted: “I´ll kill the beast for you. In return I want the finest, fattest ox in Branzoll.” The people of Branzoll agreed and shook hands on it. But they secretly thought: “The creature will eat him for sure, even though he is such a strong man, so we will keep our ox.” The next day the giant went to the butcher and got a bucket of blood; he asked the joiner for a bag of wood shavings; he got a bucket of pitch from the resin gatherer; and finally some stinky old fish from a fisherman. He then rolled all this into a great ball, put it in his rucksack and went back to Branzoll. There he rented a boat from the fishermen and rowed out into the marsh. When he was far enough out, he took the stinking mass out and set to waiting. The lindworm caught the smell and made its way through the reeds. When it reached the boat, it emerged and opened its huge mouth. Grimm knew that now things would get dangerous. He quickly took out the lump and hurled it with all his might into the monster’s mouth. The lindworm swallowed and swallowed but, as it realised something was wrong, it was already too late: the mass had stuck in its throat. It tried to cough it out, but with no success. The lindworm thrashed and rolled so wildly in the water that it turned black. It soon ran out of air and, after a short while, suffocated.
The people of Branzoll thought that the giant had perished. But when Grimm turned up on the village square, carrying the lindworm’s head as proof, they had to give him his promised reward. Grimm thereupon took his ox and returned to the Jochgrimm pass. And, should you meet him while hiking or skiing up there and share some of your food with him, he is sure to tell you more of his adventures!
