Lessons from the Legends of the Salzkammergut

Lessons from the Legends of the Salzkammergut: The Divine Feminine in Place and Time

Author: Krista Rodin
Publication date: April 1, 2022

ISBN 9798421043621
Total pages: 207

Description There are a number of books on the legends and customs of the Salzkammergut available to those who read German. There is, however, nothing that is in English for those who do not speak the local language, but still would like to know more about the magic and history of the area. Additionally, there is nothing in either English or German that places the legends in a culturally relevant context focusing on the impact of divine feminine figures on the region. This book fills that void as it offers insights into how local legends and customs contain universal lessons while being embedded in this unique region’s distinct history and geography. Divine feminine figures have been present in Land Salzburg and the Salzkammergut since Neolithic times. The figures and their stories have changed due to historical and political events, but their influence remains through place names, legends, and seasonal celebrations. The text starts with a brief historical overview of the peoples and events that shaped the legends; this is followed by an introduction to various Alpine spirits that are touched on in the legends and annual celebrations. The divine feminine figures mentioned include the Neolithic Kienbach Gorge goddess, the Celtic Bethen, their Christian counterparts: Katherine, Margarethe and Barbara, and the Alpine Frau Holle, Frau Percht and local Witch Kranabetha. The Virgin Mother Mary appears in various contexts throughout the book. The legends are organized into five general moral codes that shape the region’s communities and are based in specific places and landscapes around Land Salzburg and the Salzkammergut. This organizational pattern is derived from the dress on the Neolithic Kienbach figure. The face of the figure is an eight-spoked wheel indicating the passage of time that is discussed in the next section. Alpine spirits in their pagan and Christian forms shape the organization of time through the changing of the seasons as seen through local customs and celebrations. The final section ties the themes from the legends and annual celebrations back to the role of the divine feminine in the daily life of the people of the Salzkammergut. While the book deals specifically with Land Salzburg and the Salzkammergut, the lessons from the legends can be universally understood.

Keywords Goddess, Salzkammergut, Land Salzburg, Celts, Legends, Mother Mary, Alpine Spirits

Book Excerpt: Introduction

(Book Excerpt) Lessons from the Legends of the Salzkammergut: The Divine Feminine in Place and Time by Krista Rodin, Ph.D.

Endorsements

At a time when the world needs all the wisdom we can find, a timely reminder that our ancestors understood humanity’s place in the world, perhaps better than we do. Stuart McHardy, Writer and Storyteller

It is a pleasure to read this important unfolding of the long story of the Land Salzburg and the Salzkammergut, with the author’s combination of both sound scholarship and heartfelt devotion to She of Old. This perspective is important and unique, and also the story itself is important, not just to this specific region, but for much that affects cultures across the globe, as much of it has been so influential to the Western mind. The story herein also has resonance with the Christian colonization and appropriation of Indigenous cultures and customs everywhere. This book offers a thorough telling of the organic roots of the legends and devotional practices of this land and place still so much alive, so that they may be reclaimed with integrity. Glenys Livingstone, Author and Scholar

As a newcomer to the Salzkammergut, I was really thankful to have the history of the area condensed into digestible form from the earliest inhabitants, all the way to modern day. Give it a read. It’s well worth it! Rebecca Sears, Inquisitive Traveler

A wonderful account of local legends and mythologies of the Salzkammergut region of Austria. The included photos only begin to portray the beauty of the mountains, lakes, and shrines. Reading about the legends before visiting some of the local sites, then visiting where many others have lived in the past, I enjoyed imagining their development through the ages as detailed in Rodin’s book. Today, sometime after my visits I continue to be awed by the stories and photos. What a great service Rodin renders by collecting such beautiful photos with thoroughly researched local legends and their development over the millennia. Also, while most histories speak of kings, wars, industrial development, etc. Rodin gives us stories of moral, ethical, and mythological development. Paul Stratton, Psychologist