The Ladin legends
Tales handed down from generation to generation
Ladin myths are at the heart of the Dolomite legends which were painstakingly collected by Karl Felix Wolff and first published in 1905.
Although the Dolomite legends were written down in prose form, a touch of poetry pervades them, and those who know the Dolomites will find echoes of familiar moods and impressions of nature in these tales.
The tale of “King Laurin and his Rose Garden”, for instance, explains the “enrosadira” or “alpenglow”, when the Dolomites are steeped in a red glow by the sunset.
The legends also tell of the Fanes Myth, the rise and fall of the Marmot Kingdom of Fanes, the princesses Moltina und Dolasilla, the wicked magician Spina de Mul and the hero Ey de Net.
The roots of the Fanes legends reach back several thousand years in the past, and contain ancient elements such as the ability of humans to turn into animals, or the marmot as a symbol of peace and modesty.
The Ladin legends also contain many tales of the “ganes” and “salvans”, the good people of the forest. For a long time they were regarded as the original inhabitants of the Ladin valleys, but these characters are actually derived from the Roman world (“aquanes” and “silvanos”) and often feature in tales from the Alpine region.
Le Rëgn de Fanes
The film in the Ladin language "Le Rëgn de Fanes" was born from the collaboration of three Ladin artists: Susy Rottonara (co-author of the script, author of the soundtrack, soprano soloist and actress), Roland Verra (co-author and director) and Hans Peter Karbon (producer and cameraman). The subject of the film is based on the events of the Kingdom of Fanes (the Fanes saga), certainly the most vast and intriguing material of the Ladin Dolomites.
The film has won several international prizes and awards.
Les Ganes
The singing trio “Ganes” take their inspiration from Ladin mythology. Sisters Elisabeth and Marlene Schuen and their cousin Maria Moling originate from La Val and are united by their language and rooted in their Ladin homeland. In the songs in their album “an cunta che” (“once upon a time”) which came out in 2016 the “Ganes” transport their listeners into the fairy-tale realm of the Fanes.
In 2018 Maria Moling left the band and will be succeeded by Natalie Plöger as the new “Gana”.