The Queen of the Croderes

Going from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Lake Misurina, through the pass of the Three Crosses, you have in front of you a chain of severe mountains, with their peaks covered with snow and ice, whose name is "Marmaròle". At the foot of the chain, between Auronzo and Misurina, there is the Argentiera, a mine once very rich and now impoverished. Miners told tales, that on the tops of the mountains there lived the Crodères, the sons of the rocks. They were equal to men, but feel no joy or sorrow: they were indifferent to everything because their heart was made of stone. Their were reigned by a woman, Tanna, always dressed in a dark suit and a blue tiara on her head, on a throne in a darkened room of an ice palace, between two engraved crates made of gold. They had seen her, because one day a year in the kingdom there is a "day of calm". A day when the mountains are as dead: leaves do not move, stones don't roll, the Crodères sleep and their shelters are open and the miners on the occasion steal their gold and silver.Even as a child Tanna had been crowned with the tiara, but the Crodères had repented because she had a human heart, and used to listen to the men, using her enormous power to help them. She forbade the stones to roll, the streams to flow impetuously, instead of steep trails she made to grow sweet pastures, and forbade the snow to fall in avalanches. The Crodères were annoyed because their kingdom was being invaded by men, but the result was that Tanna was farther and farther away from his serious and cold people. 

Seven years had passed when the Wind of Storms saw her and fell in love with her. He learned from Crodères of her history and thought that she could not continue to stay among men. Every day blew on the lawns, uprooting houses and trees, until he met her 
"Noble Queen, you are the lady of the mountains and I of the winds. Let's unite, and our power will be immense! Come to my kingdom of light, and the world will lie at your feet!"
Tanna not only refused, but asked him to not return too often because he spoiled the huts! The Wind could not really believe that she refused his offer, and returned two more times, but had to leave without wedding while the men, who understood what had happened, were at the windows to make fun of him. 
More years passed until the news came to Crodères that Tanna had offered her hand to the Prince of Aquileia, a man! This time they called for an assembly where Tanna they intimated her to change her conduct, but she refused the oath. So the oldest of Crodères was called to curse her. He too had a human heart, but overflowing with hatred. The people had no sympathy for him, but they called him in these cases, because we know that the curses are not effective unless they come from a heart that hates. The Elder came supported by two guides and listened to the charges, but when he put eyes on Tanna his gaze lost the bad expression. Everyone was waiting for him to gesture and curse her, without speaking any word as usual, but instead he spoke 

"Why are you reopening the wounds of my heart? Did I have to live so long to see once more the gaze of her, who had the face like the dawn, the hair like sunlight, the eyes like the endless sky?" 
From the tired look he seemed to be willing to tell a painful story of years away, but the Crodères were insisting on the curse for the Queen.
"To be the Queen of the Crodères... does that the matter now? She must lay the blue tiara and live with the men until her destiny is accomplished. Then she'll come back to the mountains, and will be the most worthy queen among the queens". That said, the old man leaned against one of the guides, and they knew that he was lifeless.Tanna had a baby, Salvanèl, and with him she waited for the return of the man she loved. She lived on the highest peaks in order to look at the sea, towards Aquileia, and with infinite patience and confidence awaited. Her child grew, and  asked of the world; she replied that when he returned, his father would tell him everything, but Salvanèl was tired of waiting and when he reached the adult age he left. He found his father, but he did not recognize him, so the boy offered his services to the enemy. One day there was a battle, and the boy was seriously wounded. Everyone knew that he had been the father who hit him and took pity on him. Marcòra, the daughter of the Duke, cared for him with love and when he was completely healed she asked his father the consent to marry him, but he was angry, and locked her in the tower. Salvanèl managed to free her and fled with her to the mountains inhabited by Tanna.

The mother every day felt more miserable and alone, but she did not want to think of the man who had give her so much sorrow, and now hoped only in the return of the child. One evening she thought she heard a distant -Mom! - And immediately looked down. It was really her son!

"Mom! Show me the way; there is' too much snow and I cannot find it! We are chased! Save us!"

Neither she knew the way, because it was too many years since she used it; she was no longer the Queen and the mountains didn't obey her any more. The night was coming, so she had a few hours to run to the Crodères and ask for help, hoping to bring down avalanches on the chasing pack. She prayed on her knees, but their hearts of stone left them numb. The sunrise arrived and the enemies reached the two fugitives: Salvanèl fought with all his strength, until he fell into a crevasse.Tanna and Marcòra went to live in a poor hut, hoping each day that the glacier brought back Salvanèl's body, but the glacier continued to grow because of the order not to bring down avalanches. The pastures were disappearing under the ice and the shepherds became convinced it was the fault of the two "Stries de la djassa" (Glacier witches), so they burned their hut. 

The women went to live in a cave, but the stalking continued, although without managing to drive them away. One day the shepherds found a body and screamed with amazement. Marcòra, hearing the screams, understood and ran: when she recognised Salvanèl's body her life had no more reason to be and died beside him. 

Tanna also approached, and everybody let her pass with deference, because they had in front of them no longer the miserable Strìas, but a Queen. Again she had on her head the greatest treasure and mystery of Marmaròle, the blue tiara. The older recognized her, calling her name in awe.
"Yes, I am Tanna, the Queen of the Crodères. Now I'm back and I wear again the blue crown, because the destiny was fulfilled. Run away, now, otherwise there's death for you. Tanna goes back to her people: the forces of the mountains are free again. The prohibitions that were used to protect you are revoked and under the avalanches I want to bury my love and my grief"

As she finished speaking, there was a thud from the highest peaks, and men and flocks fled fast. The glaciers were rent and avalanches began to fall, while the people of Crodères came to render homage to their regained Queen. 

The bodies of Marcòra and Salvanèl were placed in two gold crates and taken in solemn procession into the palace of Cordon de Fropa, the ice palace. 
Today Tanna is still with her people. Only for having followed one last time the impulse of her heart and having advised the shepherds of the danger that threatened them, every year still has a day of sorrow, the "day of calm". That day she cries her betrayed love and the lost happiness but, at the end of the day, she is back the superb Queen of the mountains, the absolute sovereign of her wild kingdom, beautiful, cold and majestic, insensitive to sorrow and love, like all Crodères.

The flowers of Lagorai

Lagorai is a mountain massif bordering south and west the Eastern Dolomites, dividing the Fiemme valley at the north from the Valsugana valley at the south.
During the WWI, it marked the border between the Austrian (north) and the Italian (south) lines, with fierce fights between the two lines, as remembered in the Alpine troops song "Monte Cauriol".
This is one of my favourite tales of the Dolomites. Its simple, delicate, heart-breaking plot of young love is intertwined with the German theme of warriors living in their paradise after their death.

One of the valleys cutting through the harsh peaks of Lagorai is called "Valfloriana", the valley of flowers, as in spring and summer it is covered by a carpet of meadows and flowers of all colours.
A legend says that the blue flowers are the souls of warriors, killed in battle, that were collected by the ravens and brought in the form of flower.

Dina was a girl of Valfloriana. She was very beautiful, with blond hair and dark eyes, and was promised to a handsome man of the same place.
Their love was happy, and they were planning to get married, and move to, and have many beautiful children when, unfortunately, a war broke out.
The man had to leave Dina and join the army that would defend their beautiful land from the hostile neighbours. He left, promising to come back once the war was over.
Days, weeks, passed by, but her fiancée was not back yet. Dina heard that the war was eventually over, but her man was not returning home. Dina thought that he must have died, and willing to talk to him one last time, she started to water each of the blue flowers, hoping to find the one holding the soul of her beloved man.
Day after day after day she would fill her bucket with water, and walk along the valley through the flowers, speaking to them while gently pouring water on them, but she couldn't find the one she cared about.
One evening, while she was walking in the valley, a woman with a green cloak appeared and addressed her with prophetic words  "Dina of Lagorài! Your love is vain, your fidelity useless. The warrior you are looking for here married another woman" - The strange woman brought Dina in front of 5 flowers. Two large and two small flowers were yellow; the fifth was small, blue with a red border. - "Take them if you like" she said. But Dina wet the three smaller flowers and replied "I never pick flowers. I feel sorry for the little ones, the largest flowers I think they are poisonous" Then the woman explained that the large flowers represented her fiancee and his bride, and the smaller their children: everyone of them would be affected by much grief, but the more terrible sorrow would be spared, because she had not picked them.
 
At the foot of the mountains of Lagorai, in Val di Fiemme, lies a large forest with the ancient name of "Treselùm". While Dina was walking in the forest of Treselum, she found a weeping child. She knew that the only neighboring house was the Nadaròl castle at the foot of the mountain, so she took him to the castle.
Walking back from the castle, among the flowers that she had uselessly wet, she felt more lonely and sad than ever. She looked up, and it seemed to her that the peaks of the Lagorai suddenly paled; in the deep silence she seemed to hear the tolling of bells and small-pitched sounds. She felt sick, and walked to a stream to wet her hands. Everything was now quiet, and she felt better. Then the strange woman with the green mantle appeared again, saying "The souls of the warriors, who you have awakened, are now calling you. Your place will be on the highest peak of all, the one that at night becomes silver in the light of the moon and has clouds and forests beneath. Soon you will be with us...". From that day, every time she walked through the Treselum, she felt sick, and only the water of the stream could make her feel better.  
Time passed by. One day she met again the child, and from that day they met every day; the boy had taken such a liking to her, that he said that if she died, he would die with her. The boy became a young man. When she felt bad, he knew what to do, and would immediately bring some water of the stream to her.   
But the boy had a father, of course, and he started to wonder where his son was spending all his afternoons. So, one day he followed his son, until he found himself in front of her... her, the lovely beautiful girl once he had promised to marry and had instead abandoned. At that vision, she stood still and speechless. Big tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, she paled and once again fell down, sick. The boy moved to go and fetch the water, but his father thought it was an excuse, so grabbed him and tied him to a tree. But when he saw that she was getting worse, with the son screaming desperately that she needed water, he decided to run and get some. But -alas!- he did not know the places, wandered uselessly through the forest to find the stream, and when he returned it was too late. Dina was lying down, dead, her pale face surrounded by a cloud of blond hair. The boy was still crying, trembling and desperate for the loss of his friend. The father, now afraid of what he had done, and unable to stop his son from crying, took him on his shoulders and carried him away to the Naradol castle. The way seemed endless; he was tired, scared, and his son still crying and struggling to get free of his hold. When he finally got home, it was too late: his son was dying, too, of sorrow and convulsions.
Having seen the scene, his mother came out of the castle crying, and kissing her motionless son, and asked to be told everything. She thought Dina was a witch, so she ordered the servants to go and burn her body. Her husband, however, moved to compassion, ordered other servants to go faster, and bury her under a tomb of flowers.
When the servants came back, they told in shock and awe what they had seen: the shadows of thousands and thousands of warriors descended from the mountains, put Dina in a coffin of blue flowers and carried her with honours to the highest peak of Lagorai. 

The following night the same warriors, with helmets adorned with blue flowers, crossed the ditches and walls of the castle, took the child and brought him close to Dina, on the highest peak, the one that at night becomes silver, with clouds and forests beneath.