Legends of the Dolomites

 

Thanks to the contribution of Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites,

we are bringing you the third legend:

The “Reduoia”

 

This legend is set in the highlands of Cadore and comes to us today thanks to Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites. It dates back to a time when witches were associated with evil and folk tales were a way of teaching respect for social conventions. As with our previous legends (The German Witches and The Scales of Orsola Baranza), we are presenting the story in the original language: Ladin from the Auronzo area. This ancient language is protected, spoken and handed down to the new generations thanks to Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites. This institute in the province of Belluno celebrates the Ladin culture and was set up in accordance with an Italian law passed to protect historical linguistic minorities, in this case to safeguard the linguistic and cultural traditions of the local Ladin people. It represents the Ladin communities of 34 municipalities in the Agordino, Cadore, Comelico and Zoldo areas.

 

Ladin

La Reduoia (leggenda in ladino auronzano, da Ida Zandegiacomo De Lugan)

La gnote del zinche de genaro, che sarae la vea de la Pifania, tre bele dovene, sentade su le bance ntorno al larìn, le filiaa a la pore luse de n lumìn a oio. Le avea fato n bel fuogo co le taute de lares e de faghera, che i saudaa le gianbe e dasea n tin de lustro a chela cosina negra de fumo.

Le filiaa lin e cianepa e pò, d aissuda, le avarae fato la tela da bete fora sui prade a sbianchedà por fei i lenziós de la dòta de Felicita, chela pi vecia de le sios, che avea belo l nuizo e no la vedea l ora de ruà fora l laoro por podesse conpagnà.

Le savea ben che chela era la gnote che se dovea destudià l fuogo e l lumìn gnante medagnote, por no nsoreà la Reduoia, chela stria bruta come la fame e trista come l demonio. Le savea che n chela gnote, al zinche de genaro, la Reduoia, no se sà por cuala diaularia, avarae podù dì n giro fin che la volea, e poreto chel che se remenaa de ciasa. Por ela era come feisi por despeto, avé ncora l lumìn npeou daspò medagnote.

Ma Felicita avea massa pressa de ruà l sò laoro e la tendea là a laurà come na mata, zenza vardà le ociade de travès che tiriaa le so sios. Ele fasea conto de l tenpo che era passou da cuanche era vegnù scuro e del filo che la avea ncora su la spola. Ma Felicita fasea finta de nuia, la pensaa al so Nane e la vardaa solo de parà ndavante l laoro.

Era belo calche ora che neveaa, la vegnea do fina e lediera e ades era levou su anche l vento. A n zerto momento se siente n strupo de ciadene tiriade a strozo su la giaza, apò n gran begaro che à spasemou le tre tose. Le lassa dute tre tomà la spola dobas e le se bete a fissià co la tremason la porta de ciasa, che era senpro meda verta por via che l fumo desse su meo por la napa del camin… “Èla ca la Reduoia!”. Coi oce che lusia le varda Felicita, e co na os da bolco le se bete a cridià: “Leva su desconculiada, tira do la to rociada e dame ca doi sece che vade a tole aga, e veautre savé belo porcè, desconculiade!”.

Ele savea anche massa ce che la volea dì chela stria con chele parole. Cuanche le era pizole, so nona avea contou tante ote che la vendeta de la Reduoia era chela de bicià inze de l aga de boio dute chele sfrontade che aussaa sfidià l so gei.

Le era tanto spasemade dal teror de la striona, che Felicita e Tonina no era pi bone, por nessun fato, de levà su da la bancia agnó che le era sentade. Ma Pona, la pi dovena, à pensou na bela roba: e cossì la ciapa coragio, la leva su de colpo e la tole doe zeste de chele por la roba da lavà, co la mantia tonda, e la le sporde a la vecia stria al posto dei sece. La se fida, dato che la stanza é meda scura e la Reduoia tende a vardà da trista pi de dute Felicita.

La stria ciapa inze con malagrazia chi che secondo ela era doi sece e la và via dal brento, che no era tanto ndalonde de la ciasa de le tre sios, ma gnante la ordena de bete su la ciaudiera de lessiva e nvidià l fuogo. La Reduoia no é gnanche ruada là dal brento, che le tre dovene ciapa la forza de despeà l fuogo, sprangà la porta de la cosina e sautà inze de lieto.

Ntanto la stria, là dal brento, la varda n dute i mode de ciapà l aga de chi sece stranbe, ma l aga somea che la fese por despeto: la và fora da dute i bus, e ntanto l tenpo passa. Era cuase da bonora, scomenziaa a vegnì dì e cossì la Reduoia, ntanto che la maledia la canaiada de Pona, la begaraa come na mata: “Pona, Ponata, te me l às fata, te me l às fata”. E ntanto che la la maledia, la à cognù npiantà là duto e dì pol so destin.

Le tre sios, col ciou ncora sote l lenziò, le se maza dal ride de chela bela pensada che le à avù, anche porcè che le savea che por chel an la Reduoia no podea pi fei nuia e Felicita pensaa che forse, n ciou a n autro an, la avarà belo n bel pupo e che nessuna malagrazia podarà esse pi forte de l amor de na mare.

Pona e Tonina, ntanto, le pensaa ben de filià e pò tesse la tela gnante de chela maledeta gnote, por doe robe: scapolassela da la vendeta de la Reduoia e, pó dasse, vardà de maridiasse ncora gnante.

English 

The “Reduoia” 

On the night of 5 January, the eve of Epiphany, three beautiful girls were sitting on a bench around the fire, spinning in the weak light of an oil lamp. They were spinning linen and hemp to make sheets for Felicita’s dowry. Felicita, the eldest of the sisters, was engaged and was anxious to complete this task so she could get married. That night the sisters knew they had to put the fire out before midnight to avoid incurring the wrath of Reduoia, a witch who was as wicked as the devil himself. However Felicita, who could not wait to finish the task, spun faster and faster, thinking of Nane and her wedding day. On the stroke of midnight, they heard the sound of chains being dragged along the frozen ground and a scream that filled them with fear. They dropped the spool and, shaking, turned to the door. “She’s here, it’s Reduoia!”. They stared at Felicita and heard the witch shout in her piercing voice: “Get up, you idle child, take the thread off the distaff and get me two buckets for some water; you know why you lazy thing!”. They knew only too well what this meant: Reduoia took her revenge by throwing all shameless girls who dared cross her path into boiling water.

Felicita and Tonina were terrified, too frightened to even rise from the bench. Pona, the youngest of the three, had an idea; she plucked up her courage, stood up suddenly, took two linen baskets and handed them to the witch instead of the buckets. The old hag grabbed what she believed to be buckets and went to the fountain by the sisters’ home. Before she had even got as far as the fountain, the three girls gathered their strength, put the fire out, bolted the kitchen door and jumped into bed. When the witch reached the fountain, she tried and tried to fill the strange buckets but the water seemed to be making fun of her as it leaked out of the holes. Before long it was dawn and Reduoia, cursing Pona and her trick, cried in a fury: “Pona, Ponata, you did it, you tricked me!”. Cursing her, she had to give up and escape to her destiny.

The three sisters, hiding under the sheets, laughed heartily at the brilliant idea they had had and started spinning again.

Ph. Roberto Zanette