On a country road ten miles north of
Altdorf lies an obscure shrine. It is a small stone tower not more than ten
feet square and four storeys high. It tapers as it rises and ends in a tiled
belfry. The bell is gone, however, and hasn't been there for hundreds of years.
On the ground floor is a wooden altar supporting a small, wooden statue of a
wolf, and carved into the wall behind it is the simple legend: Sigmar and
Ulric. According to local legends, the place commemorates the site where Sigmar
was said to have met with Ulric himself in wolf form. He fought the wolf to a
standstill and, depending on which version of the story you believe, either
Sigmar was impressed by the wolf's bravery and agreed to spare it, or the wolf
was impressed by Sigmar and agreed to spare him. However, both versions of the
story are obscure these days. Locals who call it anything at all call it the
Shrine of the Wolf.
As can be seen from the state of the place,
hardly anyone visits here anymore, and few of them leave offerings. There is no
one to look after the shrine. Although the building belongs to the Cult of
Ulric, it surprises few that it remains untended.
No comments:
Post a Comment