King asleep in the mountain
Legendary hero sleeps in mountain, awaiting summons to defend nation.
The "king asleep in the mountain" (classified as D 1960.2 in Stith Thompson's motif-index) is a recurring story pattern in folklore and legend. Thompson called it the Kyffhäuser type, and it is also known as the king in the mountain, king under the mountain, sleeping hero, or Bergentrückung (German for "mountain rapture"). The trope typically features legendary heroes—often with armed followers—slumbering in isolated spots like mountain caves, remote islands, or supernatural realms. The hero is usually a historical figure with military importance to the nation where the mountain stands.
In these tales, the hero's presence is unknown until a herdsman, searching for a lost animal, stumbles into the cave and sees him. A common detail is the hero's long beard, showing how long he has slept. In the version collected by the Brothers Grimm, the hero speaks to the herdsman. The conversation often goes: the hero asks, "Do the eagles (or ravens) still circle the mountaintop?" The herdsman (or a mysterious voice) answers, "Yes, they still circle." The hero then says, "Then begone! My time has not yet come." The herdsman is supernaturally harmed by the encounter: he ages quickly, emerges with white hair, and often dies after telling his story. The king sleeps on, waiting to rise with his knights when the nation faces deadly danger. The omen for his awakening will be the disappearance of the birds that trigger it.
Examples include King Arthur, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Charlemagne, Ogier the Dane, King David, Frederick Barbarossa at Kyffhäuser, Falanto of Taranto, Genghis Khan, Constantine XI Palaiologos, Kraljević Marko, Sebastian of Portugal, and King Matjaž. Related motifs in Thompson's index are A 571 ("Cultural hero asleep in mountain") and E 502 ("The Sleeping Army"), which can appear in the same tale. Another related motif is the "Seven Sleepers" (D 1960.1, also known as the "Rip Van Winkle" motif), whose type tale is the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (AT tale type 766).
In the Baltic states, Latvian legends tell of a castle sinking into the ground, leaving a hill. If someone enters the hill, the castle's inhabitants are found asleep. If the visitor guesses the castle's name, it returns to the surface and the inhabitants wake up. The choir song "Gaismas pils" (The Castle of Light), part of Latvia's Cultural Canon, was inspired by these legends. In Lithuania, some believe
- Motif Index Number
- D 1960.2
- Alternate Designations
- Kyffhäuser type, king in the mountain, king under the mountain, sleeping hero, Bergentrückung
- Related Motifs
- A 571 (Cultural hero asleep in mountain), E 502 (The Sleeping Army), D 1960.1 (Seven Sleepers)
- Typical Features
- Hero with long beard, herdsman encounter, eagles or ravens circling, hero asks about birds, herdsman ages rapidly
- Notable Examples
- King Arthur, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa, Constantine XI Palaiologos, Sebastian of Portugal
Lore & Background
The stories gathered by the Brothers Grimm concerning Frederick Barbarossa and Charlemagne are typical and influential. In these tales, the hero's presence is unsuspected until a herdsman, often looking for a lost animal, wanders into the cave and sees the hero. The hero has grown a long beard, indicating the long time he has slept. The hero speaks with the herdsman, typically asking, 'Do the eagles (or ravens) still circle the mountaintop?' The herdsman replies, 'Yes, they still circle the mountaintop.' The hero then says, 'Then begone! My time has not yet come.' The herdsman is supernaturally harmed: he ages rapidly, his hair turns white, and he often dies after repeating the tale.
Reader's Guide
The king asleep in the mountain motif appears across many cultures, attached to historical and legendary figures such as King Arthur, Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa, Ogier the Dane, and Constantine XI Palaiologos. The hero sleeps with his knights, awaiting a summons to arise and defend the nation in a time of deadly peril. The omen that presages his rising will be the extinction of the birds that trigger his awakening. In Latvian legends, a castle sinks into the ground leaving a hill; if a visitor guesses the castle's name, it returns with its inhabitants awakened. The motif is related to the 'Seven Sleepers' (D 1960.1) and the 'Sleeping Army' (E 502). The stories have been influential on many variants and subsequent adaptations.
Did You Know?
- The motif is indexed as D 1960.2 in Stith Thompson's motif-index and termed the Kyffhäuser type.
- In the Brothers Grimm version, the hero asks if eagles or ravens still circle the mountaintop.
- The herdsman who encounters the hero ages rapidly, emerges with white hair, and often dies after telling the tale.
- Related motifs include A 571 'Cultural hero asleep in mountain' and E 502 'The Sleeping Army'.
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