A breathtaking view of the Milky Way over Stellisee Lake, Zermatt, reflecting the night sky and mountains.A breathtaking view of the Milky Way over Stellisee Lake, Zermatt, reflecting the night sky and mountains.
Ukategorisert

The Legend of the Rollibock: Guardian of the Aletsch Glacier

1 Comment
Advertisements

Coming down as an avalanche through the Swiss Alps, the Rollibock monster is the avenger on man when they take too much from nature. 

Deep in the Swiss Alps, where eternal ice clings to jagged peaks and ancient glaciers wind their way through forgotten valleys, a chilling legend endures — the tale of the Rollibock. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Switzerland

Among the locals of Valais and villages like Naters and Fieschertal, and the scattered alpine villages near the Great Aletsch Glacier, this supernatural creature is spoken of in hushed voices, especially when the wind howls through the mountain passes and the ice groans beneath the weight of unseen forces.

The Aletsch Glacier: is the largest glacier in Switzerland and the Alps. It is 15 miles long and up to 800 metres deep. Since the late 19th century Aletsch has lost almost two miles of its length, and by 2100 it is predicted to shrink by eight miles more, reducing it to a tenth of the mass it is today and nine in 10 glaciers in the Alps will disappear by the end of this century.

The Rollibock of the Alps

The Rollibock is no ordinary beast. Descriptions passed down through generations tell of a massive goat-like creature, its eyes glowing an unnatural, eerie light in the darkness. Its twisted, towering horns resemble gnarled branches coated in frost, and its entire body is encrusted with jagged shards of ice that clatter together as it moves. It is said to have torn open land, stones, and fir trees with its horns and hurled them high into the air. Some say when it breathes, the air turns brittle and the snow itself recoils in terror.

According to legend, the Rollibock is the ancient guardian of the Aletsch Glacier, protector of the frozen world from the greed and carelessness of men. According to legend, the RolliBock is a terrifying creature that takes revenge on everyone and everything that tramples on nature.

Fieschertal Village: Between the year 1300 and 1850/1860 the Aletsch Glacier grew rapidly in size and regularly pushed through the natural dam of the Märjelensee, causing flooding in large parts of the canton of Valais. In the 17th century, during the little ice age, German-speaking Catholics from the village of Fiesch began an annual pilgrimage to beg God to turn the glacier back.

The Rollibock and the Hunter

Woe to those who trespass on his domain with disrespect. One of the most enduring tales involves a reckless hunter who, driven by greed, ventured onto the glacier to harvest rare ice crystals believed to hold magical properties. As he smashed them from the ice, a sudden storm engulfed the glacier, and a lone ferryman appeared to offer him passage to safety.

The desperate hunter accepted, only to realize too late that the ferryman’s eyes gleamed like twin embers in the gloom. Midway across a frozen expanse, the ferryman’s form shifted and swelled, his cloak of furs transforming into shards of clinking ice, his visage twisting into the monstrous form of the Rollibock. With a bellow that echoed across the mountains, the beast dragged the screaming man into the depths of the glacier, his cries swallowed by the ice.

To this day, sudden storms and avalanches on the Great Aletsch Glacier are blamed on the Rollibock, a grim reminder that nature’s ancient powers still watch over the high places of the world. They also fear the mysterious Märjelen Lake they thought to be the place where the hunter disappeared. 

The Revenge of the Rollibock.

Locals swear that if you hear the distant clatter of ice when the wind is still, you’d best turn back — for the Rollibock is near, and he does not forgive trespassers. And when the people of the Upper Valais experienced flooding, it was said the Rollibock was angered. Only those who fled to a chapel or a house where blessed objects were kept could save themselves. Those who didn’t make it was crushed to like dust in the sun, swallowed by the ice and snow. 

It remains one of Switzerland’s most unnerving alpine legends, a chilling testament to the dangers of arrogance in the face of nature’s dominion.

Newest Posts

  • The Ghostly Monk of Spittelsprung (Münsterberg) in Basel
    Back at a time when the hills of Münsterberg were called Spittelsprung in the really old parts of Basel in Switzerland, it was also said a monk was haunting the streets. Gliding in and out of the houses frightening the children, he took no notice of the world of the living, always deep in his prayers. The question is, prayer for what?
  • The Haunting of the Gray Lady at Søndre Brekke Manor
    For centuries now, there have been rumours about the ghost of a gray lady haunting the Søndre Brekke Manor house in Norway. A presence so strong that even an exorcism didn’t have help.
  • The Half-Dead Írafells-Móri Haunting For Generations
    Although not even completely dead, an unfortunate boy was resurrected as an undead by a sorcerer to avenge an entire family. For generations the Írafells-Móri plagued, harassed and also took care of the family he was sent to destroy.
  • The Ghostly Shoes of Hindelbank: A Mother’s Journey Beyond the Grave
    After her husband forgot to bury her with shoes, a woman came back to haunt him as she was condemned to wander the realm of the dead barefoot.
  • Troubling Encounters With the Ghosts of Tranquille Sanatorium in Canada
    Tranquille Sanatorium near Kamloops is said to be one of the most haunted places in Canada. Once a hospital treating tuberculosis, later a place for the mentally ill has a history filled with mystery, tragedy, and an eerie atmosphere that still lingers to this day. Visitors report spooky sightings of ghostly figures wandering the grounds and warning whispers in dark corridors.
  • Knightly Ghosts Haunting St. Johanns-Vorstadt by the Rhine River
    Before a modern apartment complex was built in its place, the area around St Johann district used to belong to the crusader order of St. John. Tales of knights prancing in armor, the anguished screams of children cries coming from the wells as well as ghostly apparitions in the old Ritterhaus have haunted the place for ages.
  • Dearg Due – Ireland’s Vengeful Vampire of Blood and Stone
    For a long time, there have been tales about the Dearg Due, the bloodthirsty vampire of Ireland. But how true is the story about the female vampire though, and has it really been told since ancient times?
  • The Sels-Móri or Ghost of Þorgarður Haunting for Generations
    A family cursed by a ghost called Sels-Móri was said to be haunted for nine generations in 18th and 19th century Iceland. Targeting the women in the family, it is said that it was the ghost that drove them all mad.
  • The Dragons of Mount Pilatus: Serpents and Ghosts in the Mist of Lucerne
    Is there a dragon nesting in Mount Pilatus by Lake Lucerne in Switzerland? For centuries the mountain has brought fear and fantastical tales from the locals living at the foot of the raging mountain. It was even forbidden to visit, as they believed disturbing the spirits would cause storms and flooding.
  • The Ghosts Haunting the Mattentreppe, Ringing the New Year In
    The old stairs around the old town in Bern are most definitely haunted. Ascending from the Cathedral on Münsterplattform towards the Aare River, ghosts of the past are said to be the ones behind the creaks on the stairs.
  • Legends of Oriental Theater and the Ghosts from The Great Chicago Fire Disaster
    After a devastating fire in the old Iroquois Theater in Chicago around 600 people died trying to escape the flames. Even after the Oriental Theater was built in its place, some still believe the ghost from the fire is haunting the stage.
  • The Basilisk of Basel: The Beast Beneath Gerberberglein
    Once upon a time there used to live a Basilisk in a cave underneath where the Tanner’s Fountain (Gerberberglein) is today. Said to kill with its poisonous breath even, it has become the very symbol of Basel today.

References:

Der Rollibock – Forgotten Creatures 

Rollibock – Wikipedia

One thought on “The Legend of the Rollibock: Guardian of the Aletsch Glacier”

  1. Pingback: The Legend of the Rollibock: Guardian of the Aletsch Glacier - Global Frightening

Leave a ReplyCancel reply