The legends of Val Gardena
Mystical tales and a little Ladin phrasebook
You’ve probably noticed already that people here in Val Gardena speak a rather special language: Ladin. It lies at the heart of a wonderful, diverse culture that we proudly cherish and preserve throughout the valley. Here in Selva di Val Gardena, we speak what is known as Sella Ladin, which, in our opinion, is the most beautiful dialect of all. But all its varieties share one thing: a vast treasure trove of fairy tales and folklore, stories, myths and legends. There are tales of fanes and ganes, of witches and fairies, and of wild, mysterious creatures. And the very spot where Fil da Mont stands today is said to have been the setting for a bittersweet love story long, long ago.
The warrior Ey-de-Nét, the unattainable Dolasilla and Soreghina, the child of the sun
It’s a rather complicated tale, full of twists, turns and misunderstandings. At its heart is the brave warrior Ey-de-Nét, who fell head over heels in love with the heroine Dolasilla. But she was not only clad in shimmering, pearl-white armour; she also had far better things to do than pay attention to Ey-de-Nét, who was hopelessly smitten. One night, he tripped over his own feet and fell into a ditch. Had it not been for the beautiful Princess Soreghina who found him and devoted herself to nursing him back to health, things might have ended very badly for our brave warrior. Sadly, there is no happy ending. Soreghina felt well only during the day, when the sun was shining brightly. But when mighty Samblána (the goddess of winter) sent thick kalivérna (autumn fog) across the land, or when the moon appeared in the sky, she would grow unwell. And, as sometimes happens with unrequited love, the princess secretly followed the man she adored. She overheard him confessing that it was not her he loved, but the kind-hearted Dolasilla. Overwhelmed by shock, grief and sorrow, she wandered aimlessly for so long that the bitterly cold night set in, and her story came to a tragic end.
Sometimes, on very special days of the year, you can still hear the ungrateful warrior Ey-de-Nét sobbing ever so softly. For he had, after all, grown rather fond of beautiful, sun-loving Soreghina.
For children and adults: useful words in Sella Ladin
If you want to find out what happened next, and whether our hero at least managed to win Dolasilla’s heart, you’ll have to come and visit us at Fil da Mont in Val Gardena. Everyone here knows these legendary tales! Around 80% of the local population in Selva di Val Gardena and the surrounding area speak Sella Ladin. So we’re always delighted when our guests learn a few words of our beautiful language:
Good day/Good evening! - Bon di! Bona sëira!
My name is XY, what is your name? - Mi inuem ie XY, co es’a tu inuem?
I come from XY - Ie vëni da XY
I’m on holiday at Fil da Mont - Ie passi mi feries tl Fil da Mont
How do you say XY in Ladin? - Co dijen pa XY te ladin?
Shall we play? - Ulons’a fé damat?
Shall we be friends? - Ues’a vester cumpanies?
Goodbye, see you soon! - A se udëi!
