The legendary Dolomites

Poetic creation myth vs. fantastic natural creation
Isolde von Mersi

How did the ‘pale mountains’ first receive their name? Legend has it that two inhabitants from the moon returned from the dark, rocky fiefdom on Earth to the silver satellite with a Prince who was fascinated with their homeland. There, the prince fell madly in love with the Moon Princess, yet the blinding light on the Moon would have robbed him of his sight had he stayed there for too long. So the prince and princess travelled back to Earth, yet she soon fell ill, destined to perish among those dark, inhospitable rocks, longing for her home. The dwarf tribe of the Salvans helped the unfortunate couple. In one single night, they wove shiny moonlight threads, covering every single spire of the dark mountains. From that moment onwards, they would always shine, bathing the realm in a pale light.

 

This poetic Ladin myth was written by author Karl Felix Wolff in 1905 in the first collection of the Dolomite legends. However, it was French geologist, Déodat de Dolomieu, who started the scientific research of these unique mountains. The ‘pale mountains’ were named ‘Dolomites’ in the 18th century in his honour. In 2009, UNESCO declared the southernmost mountains of the Alps a World Heritage Site.

Limestone ocean giants

It’s a well-known fact that it wasn’t moonlight that bestowed the pale hue of the Dolomites, rather actual rocks such as plaster, sandstone, marl, and corallian limestone. Moreover, their geological formation is unique: the mountains rested at the bottom of the primordial ocean around 250 million years ago, during the Mesozoic era. Volcano eruptions, earthquakes, and the shift of the continent formed the Dolomites. Wind, rain, and glaciers moulded the summits that had emerged from the oceans over centuries. The miracle of this amazing creation of nature is demonstrated by the geological-palaeontological sections in the Museum Gherdëina in Ortisei and its collection of petrified plants and sea life.

The Sella Massif is the heart of the Dolomites, an imposing rocky giant with bizarre towers and steep walls. Val Gardena is one of the two Ladin South Tyrolean valleys which, like a beatingartery, lead to the aforementioned heart. It also connects a network of other Ladin Dolomite valleys: Passo Gardena grants access to the South Tyrolean Val Badia, Passo Sella to Trentino, and Val di Fassa.

The heart of the Ladin culture

The Dolomite landscapes in Val Gardena are unique. The Sella rises in the east, the majestic Sassolungo in the south, the filigree summits of the Puez and Odle group to the north, and the valley opens up to the west with a view over the Sciliar, another mythical Dolomite mountain. The locals are just as unique as their mountains. They’re Ladin, speak the oldest language in South Tyrol, which was basically passed down orally and partially in written form up to the 20th century, and is still alive and kicking with all its legends, fables, or songs. The Dolomites are bursting with magic thanks to their stunning nature and the Rhaeto-Romanic lifestyle and culture which have put the whole world under a spell.

Have you become curious? Then read more about the Dolomites here.