The legend of King Watzmann
Southeast of Salzburg, rising high above seven lesser peaks and crowned with eternal snow, a mountain lifts its twin jagged summits into the sky—Watzmann. For generations, people in the region have told this story about its origins.
Long ago, in a distant age, a fierce and ruthless king ruled these lands. His name was Watzmann. Cruel beyond measure, he knew neither compassion nor mercy. Only the hunt brought him joy. With the blare of horns and the baying of hounds, he stormed through forests and valleys—accompanied by his equally harsh wife and their children, raised in the same savage spirit. Day and night, his wild hunts tore through the land, chasing game, destroying fields, and crushing the hopes of those who lived from the soil.
One day, the king and his retinue came upon a quiet forest clearing. A shepherdess sat peacefully before her hut, cradling her sleeping child, while her dog rested at her side and her husband lay inside. Suddenly, the stillness shattered. The hounds rushed forward—killing the dog, attacking the child, and dragging the terrified mother to the ground. When the king arrived and saw the devastation, he did not intervene. He laughed.
Awakened by the chaos, the shepherd rushed from the hut and struck down one of the hounds—the king’s favorite. Enraged, the king unleashed his fury. His men and dogs turned on the shepherd, who held his unconscious wife close, glancing in despair at his lifeless child and then to the heavens. Soon, both fell. With a final cry to God, the shepherd died—and once more, the king rejoiced.
But everything comes to an end, and so did God’s patience.
A deep roar rose through the mountains. Thunder echoed through valleys and cliffs, and a force of vengeance seized the king’s own hounds. They turned on him—on the king, his queen, and their seven children—and tore them apart. Their blood flowed down into the valley; and then, in a rage, they hurled themselves from the mountain into the abyss.
From their bodies, mountains rose. And so they remain to this day: King Watzmann, a towering mass of rock and ice; beside him, his wife; and around them, their children—seven jagged peaks. At their feet lie two lakes, said to have been filled with their blood. The larger still bears the name Königssee. And the mountain where the hounds leapt to their death is known as Hundstod–the “dog’s death.”
Thus, King Watzmann and his family received the harshest fate for their cruelty—and their reign came to an end.
Based on: Ludwig Bechstein, Deutsches Sagenbuch
