Lake Bled: Land of Myth and Legends
Photo by Jošt Gantar, courtesy of the Slovenian Tourist Board, www.slovenia.info
Amidst a backdrop of bright blue skies and snow-capped mountain peaks, thick evergreen forests open up to reveal a pristine turquoise lake, its mirrored surface broken only by a bevy of swans swimming to shore and the steady oars of wooden rowboats. In the middle of the lake, a quaint church tops a hilly island, the gentle chime of bells echoing from its tower. Nearby on a steep precipice, a medieval castle clings to its rocky perch guarding the scene below.
You’d be forgiven for believing you’ve wandered into a fairy tale, but no, this is real life. This is Lake Bled.
Here, in northwestern Slovenia, at the foot of the Julian Alps, fantasy meets reality in more ways than one. It is not only the stunning natural beauty of the surroundings that make Lake Bled magical, but also the cloak of legend which blankets the region. Among the many fables and myths associated with Lake Bled, we share below the two most popular.
Meadow photo by Franci Ferjan, courtesy of the Slovenian Tourist Board, www.slovenia.info
The Creation of Bled Island
There are several folk tales pertaining to the origin of Lake Bled, but the most widely circulated involves dancing fairies…
According to legend, the area where Lake Bled now sits was once a lush valley of sweeping grassy meadows, full of soft green grass and inhabited by fairies. In the middle of the pasture was a small hill and a rock where the fairies danced at night. By day, local shepherds grazed their sheep in the valley, which ate the grass around the fairy rock. This angered the fairies, who were afraid that the sheep would eat all of their luscious grass. The irritated fairies told the shepherds to keep the sheep away, warning that if they did not obey, the fairies would build a barrier around the hill so large that no one without wings could reach it. Indignant, the farmers ignored the warning.
Not long after, the sheep had eaten nearly all of the grass, leaving nothing but bare earth behind. One night, as the fairies danced, the youngest and most beautiful among them slipped and fell, breaking her leg on the hard ground where the soft green grass once grew. Infuriated, the fairies gathered and called upon the mountain springs and brooks to flood the valley and form a lake. As the water rose, only the hill in the center where the fairies danced was left unsubmerged; an island amidst turquoise waters.
The fairy hill of legend is what we now refer to as Bled Island, home to the 17th century Assumption of Mary Church and reachable only by wooden Pletna, an awning-covered boat rowed by a standing oarsman. The church is home to a magical wishing bell which is the subject of its own fable.
The story is called…
Landscape photo by Franci Ferjan, courtesy of the Slovenian Tourist Board, www.slovenia.info; Legend of the Sunken Bell photos by Miro Zalokar, courtesy of the Lake Bled Tourist Board, www.bled.si
The Legend of the Sunken Bell
This folk tale tells of a young widow who lived in Bled Castle. After her husband was killed by bandits and his body thrown in the lake, the young woman was inconsolable. Overcome by grief, she collected all of the gold and silver that she and her husband had and ordered that it be melted down and cast into a bell to commemorate her fallen beloved. She intended that the bell be installed in the chapel on Bled Island where she prayed daily after her husband’s death.
However, the bell never arrived at its destination. During its transportation to the island, a storm hit, and a powerful swell overtook the boat, sinking it and its precious cargo to the bottom of the lake. Defeated, the widow sold her remaining belongings and offered the proceeds for the construction of a new church on the island. She left Bled for Rome where she joined a monastery and lived out the rest of her days as a nun.
After she passed, the Pope heard of her story and was touched by both her misfortune and her good deeds as a nun. He decided to have a new bell made in her honor and placed in the steeple of the church on Bled Island. It is believed that anyone who rings this blessed bell three times will have their wish granted – a promise which tempts visitors to the island again and again.
Those who visit Lake Bled on Christmas Day are privy to a special treat, as every year on December 25th, the Legend of the Sunken Bell is celebrated in a spectacular light show. Spectators gather around the lake to watch divers recover a bell in a stunning visual performance blending fire and sound, bringing the legend to life. Of course, the bell the divers recover is one made of lights, designed purely for the show. As for the real bell, cast by the young widow sitting at the bottom of the lake, it is said that if you listen closely in the silence of the night, you can still hear it ringing from its watery resting place.