The peasant of Corvara and the ogre
A young peasant who once lived in Plaza de Sura liked to boast when in the company of friends. The bought two oxen at the market in Pederoa, and on his way home he stopped off in Pedraces, as the oxen were tired and he too wanted to take a rest.
He went into a hostelry to drink a glass of grappa, leaving the animals outside.
He sat down alongside some other peasants who began speaking about the ogre. The young man first listened with interest and then began to take part in the conversation. he boastfully claimed that he would not be afraid to spend the night near Col Maladët. And what’s more, he also said that if he met the ogre, it would be a good chance to demonstrate his courage and strength.
When the peasant began walking back towards Corvara with the two oxen, the sun had already gone down and when he got to Col Maladët it was already pitch dark. All of a sudden he began to hear the cries of the ogre, which were getting closer and closer: the oxen were so afraid that they ran off towards the Sassongher. The young man was lifted up by mysterious hands and he remained suspended in the air for the entire night, flying over the summit of the Sas dla Crusc mountain and Gardenacia. Finally intuition told the peasant to bless himself, and following this he was immediately hurled to the ground, back to the same spot from which he had been taken. He was in a pitiful state, his face was swollen and his bones aching, as though he had been beaten. The oxen were found the next day on the slopes of the Sassongher, amidst the mountain pines.
It was a long time before the peasant recovered from his injuries and from the sheer fright of his experience. He learnt his lesson, not to continue being so boastful and from then onwards, each time that he passed by Col Maladët he blessed himself.
Original texts: Lidia Zingerle
Pictures: Emma Maneschg
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