The Sacred Geography of the High Places

The Alps demand reverence. Unlike gentler ranges where humans might forget they walk on the earth's bones, these mountains impose their presence absolutely. Every valley has its guardian peak, every peak its resident spirits, every glacier its mysteries. The folklore here reflects this vertical world where heaven and earth meet in zones of perpetual ice.

The Three Realms

Alpine cosmology divides the mountain world into three distinct realms:

The Green World: Below the tree line, where humans, cattle, and familiar spirits dwell. Here the rules are known, the saints have churches, and even the devils are neighbors one can bargain with.

The White World: Above the tree line but below the eternal snows, where summer briefly claims the high pastures. This liminal zone belongs to shepherds for three months and spirits for nine. Here the boundaries blur—a shepherd might share his meal with a stranger who leaves no footprints, or find his flock increased by animals that cast no shadows.

The Crystal World: The realm of eternal ice and naked rock, where only spirits and the mad or holy venture. Time moves strangely here—climbers report hours passing in minutes or minutes stretching to hours. The spirits of this realm are ancient, predating human memory, neither good nor evil but utterly indifferent to human concerns except when their laws are broken.