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The Lindworm Fountain

1 - Lake Wörthersee is in the state of Carinthia in Austria. The area around the lake has attractive villages and towns, beautiful scenery and a wealth of natural diversity. People enjoy living here, and many holidaymakers come every year to relax. 2 - An old story, however, says that it was not always this way. Long ago, only a few people lived by Lake Wörthersee. The land around the lake was covered with moss, grasses, wild shrubs and dense forests. People were afraid to enter the area because, according to legend, a dangerous lindworm lived there and devoured people and animals. 3 - One day, the Duke of Karnburg is said to have offered a generous reward. Whoever freed the land from the lindworm would be allowed to keep all the territory the dragon had ruled. A few brave men came forward. They built a tall, sturdy tower near the lake. Then they tied a fat bull to a chain fitted with a large barb. The animal bellowed in fear, luring the terrible lindworm over. 4 - The monster grabbed the bull with its claws and opened its jaws to swallow it. But the barb caught in its enormous mouth. The men rushed in and killed the beast with clubs and spears. At last, the land was free of the menace. The duke built a castle where the tower had stood. His men founded a village, which soon grew into a thriving town. 5 - That is how the city of Klagenfurt is said to have come into being. An old fountain there still recalls the legend of the lindworm. But could the old story really be true? In earlier centuries, people really did believe in monsters they called lindworms or dragons. They imagined creatures with the characteristics of reptiles, birds and predators. They could supposedly fly, had armored bodies with long tails, the claws of an eagle or the paws of a lion, and were said to breathe fire. 6 - Today, hardly anyone believes that such creatures ever existed. But we still know many old stories about dragons and lindworms. And the beautiful city of Klagenfurt really does exist.