Sunday, August 14. 2005
Fairy Cave
Grotte aux Fées
It's been a rainy Sunday, and so after a year of living here in St-Maurice, we decided to drive to the Grotte aux Fées (Fairy Cave), five minuts from here. How many of you have lived for years by one of the "seven wonders of the world", yet only visited it a week before you moved on? I know I have on several occasions.
Anyway, it was a nice visit, although to get there it took a ten minute walk up a muddy forest path, of course not without incident...with one of the kids slipping in the mud. Not too bad tho.
Click here to see photos of the outing, and here is some info about the cave.
History
1863 discovered.
1994 entrance area renovated and improved.
Description
As the name of the cave promises, Grotte aux Fées means fairy cave, you will find a fairy well inside, and the legend tells that everybody who puts his left hand in the well will be granted a wish. However, it seems this is only the modern touristic interpretation. The cave which was known as early as Roman times, was called Trou des Fayes during the 19th century, which means Hole of the Sheep in the local dialect, as it was used as a sheep pen. Nevertheless there are several legends told at the cave, like this ones:
Long time ago, a good fairy named Frisette (little curl), lived in the cave entrance. His duty was to protect the noble family Duin, which lived in castle Duin above the village of Bex Also there was a witch living at Diablerets, called Turlure.
After her cave was destroyed by a collapse, Turlure asked if she could live in the cave of Frisette for some time. Frisette welcomed her with opened arms, but she demanded from her not to mangle with anybody in the area. But one day, Turlure found the two young children of the Duin castle playing at the shore of the Rhone river and drowned them.
Frisette saved them with her magic wand. Angry as she was, she struck Turlure who fell into the floods and drowned there. But now she was so sad about having killed her, that she broke her wand and left the area for ever.
At the same time, a dragon haunted the cave. Being the only one of its species here, it was bored and decided to leave the area. When it arrived at the cascade of the cave, it stayed a few days on the small balcony above and rested. Then it continued, but the cave is rather narrow and so its skin left markings on the wall. Finally it met the wicked fairy who petrified it inside the cave where it can be seen until today.
Local legends.
At the end of the tour, the water from the glacier Dents du Midi falls down a 77m high waterfall into a subterranean lake. This is said to be the highest underground waterfall in a show cave in the world.
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kewl! but i'm so claustrophobic i could never go ther.lol.
#1
Babyfreespirt
on
2005-08-15 18:43
(Reply)
I know what you mean, man. I can't tell you how many times I've done that, except, I usually haven't visted them, period. Like living in NYC and not visiting the statue of liberty or the Empire State building. Or when I lived in Tokyo and never went to Mt. Fuji, etc. , etc.
#2
Mike
(Homepage)
on
2005-08-15 21:54
(Reply)
yep i lived near a wonderful castle and we only visted it b4 we moved, shame coz it was sooooo cool!
#3
Babyfreespirt
on
2005-08-16 00:34
(Reply)
