In Slovene folklore, Goldhorn or Goldenhorn ( sl, Zlatorog) is a

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

ary white

chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the ...

buck, or alternatively, an

Alpine ibex The Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), also known as the steinbock, bouquetin, or simply ibex, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. It is a sexually dimorphic species: males are larger and carry longer, curved h ...

, that had his realm in the heights of Mount

Triglav Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Nat ...

. The legend is well known throughout

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

(specifically Carinthia), as well as in Austrian Carinthia, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...

. The story about Zlatorog was first written down, adapted to the late

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

style and published by

Karl Deschmann Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

(Karel Dežman) in the ''

Laibacher Zeitung ''Laibacher Zeitung'' (meaning ''Ljubljana News'' in English) was the largest and most influential newspaper in Ljubljana in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was published daily in German from 1778 to 1918. History and profile ''Laibacher Zeitung'' ...

'', no. 43, on 21 February 1868.

Story

Summary of the story as written by Karl Deschmann

Goldhorn's golden horns were the key to a treasure hidden in the mountains around Triglav. A young and brave hunter from the

Trenta Valley The Trenta Valley () is a valley in the Julian Alps in the northern part of the traditional Gorizia region ( sl, Goriška) of Slovenia. Geography The source of the Soča River and the settlements of Soča, Lepena, and Trenta are located in th ...

fell in love with a beautiful girl and managed to win her heart by bringing her beautiful flowers. However, one day, a rich merchant from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

came by and tried to gain her attention by giving her golden jewelry and dancing with her. As the hunter approached the girl, she mocked him. The hunter was desperate and left. Persuaded by another hunter, called the green hunter, who was said to have brought about the fate of several honest boys, he decided to go that very night to find Goldhorn and claim his treasure. In the morning, they found the animal, shot it, and pursued it. The dying animal dragged itself onto a narrow, rocky ledge. Suddenly the boy saw on a dangerous trail the most beautiful and healing flowers. The green hunter forced him on to catch the Goldhorn before it ate the magic Triglav flowers that grew from its blood, but it was too late. The Goldhorn had already eaten one and the flower gave it tremendous life power. It ran towards the hunter, who being blinded by the bliss of its golden horns, lost balance and fell from the mountain. The river

Soča The Soča ( in Slovene) or Isonzo ( in Italian; other names fur, Lusinç, german: Sontig, la, Aesontius or ') is a long river that flows through western Slovenia () and northeastern Italy (). An Alpine river in character, its source lies ...

brought his corpse to the vale.

Recasts

The story of Goldhorn was put into verses by

Rudolf Baumbach Rudolf Baumbach (28 September 1840 – 21 September 1905) was a German poet. Life Born in Kranichfeld in Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the son of a local medical practitioner, he received his early schooling at the gymnasium of Meiningen, to which pla ...

and published in 1877, becoming his most popular work. Gluth, Viktor and Baumbach, Rudolf (1910) ''Zlatorog'' Feuchtinger, Stuttgart, It was turned into an opera by Camilla and Eduard Lucerna.

Cultural references

The first Slovene-language, full-length film, recorded in 1931 by

Janko Ravnik Janko Ravnik (7 March 1891 – 2 September 1981) was a Slovenian pianist, teacher, film director and composer.Booklet to Bernarda Fink ''Slovenija!'' 2010 Harmonia Mundi He was born in Bohinjska Bistrica and died in Ljubljana. In 1928 and 1929, ...

, was titled ''

In the Kingdom of the Goldhorn ''In the Kingdom of the Goldhorn'' ( sl, V kraljestvu Zlatoroga) was the first Slovene feature film. It was filmed in 1928 and 1929 and was directed, shot and edited by Janko Ravnik. It was a silent film shot in the black-and-white technique. T ...

''. Zlatorog is also a brand of beer produced by the

Laško Brewery Laško Brewery ( sl, Pivovarna Laško) is the largest brewery in Slovenia. It is located in Laško and named after the town. The brewery was founded in 1825 by Franz Geyer, a gingerbread baker and mead producer. After World War II ended in 1 ...

References

External links