As you may know, behind Aeternum is a small business based in Brittany (in southern Finistère, to be precise). And it is well known that this region lives to the rhythm of legends, myths, and magical practices, more or less well known (Brocéliande, Merlin, the Fairy Viviane, the Alignments, and many others). Thus, to highlight our beautiful region, we will regularly publish little-known legends from Breton history.
Let us discover together the legend of the Treasure of the Mountain, set in the Monts d'Arrée. This legend comes from the collection Legends of Argoat by Bernard de Parades.
Roch Trévezel, in the heights of the Monts d'Arrée, overlooks the lands between Cornouaille and Léon (an ancient Breton principality around Brest). With its russet grasses and pointed rocks, it watches over the moors and wooded slopes descending toward the villages. To the ancient Bretons, Roch' Trévezel was a mysterious and magical rock.
Roch' Trévezel opens every 1100 years. Inside the mountain, in a deep cave, lives an old wooden saint called Ar Santig Koz. You can obtain anything you wish by rubbing the top of his head and making a wish. But to bring this wooden artifact out of its cave, you must come accompanied by a boy who is celebrating his 11th birthday on the day the mountain opens.
An old gentleman, wanting to discover the truth, went to the mountain with an 11-year-old boy whose birthday fell on that exact day. When the clock in the bell tower of Plounéour-Ménez struck 11:00 a.m., the rock opened, and the old gentleman sent the child inside. He entered a large room filled with beautiful apples. But he did not find the saint.
— Let's go farther, the boy said to himself.
He entered a second room containing even more beautiful apples. Unable to resist, he ate one, then another, until the clock struck noon. The rock closed with a crash, and the boy was imprisoned for 1100 years, able only to eat the apples.
The days passed, and the pile of apples grew smaller. One day, he found a strangely carved piece of wood.
— There is the "old saint", he said, rubbing the wooden head.
A voice coming from the wood asked:
— Child, what do you want?
— Santig Koz, let's leave this cave and look at the sun from the top of Roch Trévezel.
In an instant, the boy found himself at the summit with the old wooden saint.
Thanks to the powers of Santig Koz, he had a magical life: he had a castle built, filled with luxurious furniture, and a carriage drawn by 12 horses. This enabled him to travel to Paris, where he met the king of France. Impressed by the young man's wealth, the king offered him his daughter's hand in marriage.
On the evening of their wedding, the princess was surprised to see her husband place an old, worm-eaten piece of wood in their room.
— This old piece of wood, the young man explained, is a Breton saint who accompanied me here, a saint whom I respect and venerate.
After many years, the boy grew old, after a life full of wonders. Sensing that his death was near, he went one last time to the cave entrance at the appointed hour, and it opened.
Thanking Santig Koz, he sent the piece of wood inside the cave with all his strength, as if allowing him to finally return home... until the next curious visitor.
Par Olivier of Aeternum
Passionate about esoteric traditions and the history of the occult from the earliest civilizations to the 18th century, I share some articles on these topics. I am also co-creator of the online esoteric shop Aeternum.
