österreich 9020 Klagenfurt Neuer PlatzTHE LINDWURMSAGE
At the time, when Duke Karast commanded from the Karnburg, the area from the Wörthersee to the Drau was covered only with damp moss, wild bushes and many branched tangles of trees. While numerous herds grazed on the mountains, only seldom did a human foot set foot in that uncanny and impenetrable darkness %u2013 because none returned who had dared to go there. Likewise, many a fat ox disappeared and was sought in vain by the shepherds. No one had ever seen the sinister strangler that annihilated people and animals| because mostly heavy fog lay over the area. Only occasionally could a dull growl or terrible howling be heard.
The duke commanded the bravest of his band to find the monster´s seat and slay it. But in vain! Fear and terror had seized even the boldest. Only cunning was able to lure the hidden monster out of its safe lair. In a short time a solid tower stood at the edge of the swamp, from whose carefully guarded openings the approaching enemy could be observed from afar. A brave band of servants, lured by the praise of victory, went to battle because the duke had announced: ´Whoever dares to take possession of the monster by cunning or force, for him be the tower and rich reward | the whole country from one river to the other, as far as the monster´s voracious tooth now rules, be the victor´s property | let him be free, even if he were a slave now!´
A fat bull was tied to a chain by the servants and a barbed hook was attached to it. The roar of the frightened animal filled the air far away. It wasn´t long before there was a roar in the swamp and the spray spattered skyward. A hideous worm shot out like an arrow, winged and armored. Its claws gripped the animal and its toothy jaws opened to swallow it. The curved iron grips the soft palate. The monster now beats its tail in terrible tires, and furiously it digs its sharp claws into the ox´s belly. Now the servants jump out quickly and with iron, pointed clubs they succeed in killing the monster. Once more the long serpent´s body writhed and twisted, then it was over and the land was freed from the plague of the lindworm.
A peaceful hamlet arose on the site of the dragon battle| and where the tower stood the duke built a protective castle. From this castle and the village, a city developed over the centuries, the current capital of the country, the friendly Klagenfurt.
Source: J. Rappold, Legends from Carinthia, Graz 1887