Introduction

Abstract

The old folk tales of the Gotthard mountain region in central Switzerland are filled with ghosts. Ghosts appeared everywhere and troubled the unfortunate farmers with storms, avalanches, fires, and sickness. It was believed that the only way to send a ghost back to where he came from was to force him to reveal his name. Supposedly, once that name was no longer secret, the ghost would instantly be dispelled. Deprived of the power to carry on with his evil business, the ghost would disappear and never come back. None of these old folk tales would tell us about a free-spirited man or woman who dared to ask why calling ghosts by their names would instantly dispel them. Believing in the method and its results was enough.