Haymon

Haymon is a giant from Tyrolean legend, credited with founding Stift Wilten, a Premonstratensian abbey located south of Innsbruck. He is thought to have lived roughly 600 to 900 years ago, with thirteenth-century records placing his grave beneath the altar of the Collegiate Church in Wilten. Some scholars have suggested Haymon was actually a Bavarian nobleman named Haimo, but despite the name’s similarity to the ancient Greek Haimon (Αἵμων), no connection has been established.

The legend of Haymon blends several local traditions. By the 15th century, a story emerged about a gold-guarding dragon living on the hill Bergisel, east of the Sill River. Haymon killed this dragon, and its tongue—actually the rostrum (snout) of a swordfish, set in gold—is still displayed at the Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck. Another tradition, appearing around the 16th century, describes a fight between Haymon and a giant named Thyrsus, who lived near Zirl and Seefeld. Haymon killed Thyrsus, and from Thyrsus’s blood—called Thyrsenblut—the healing Tyrolean shale oil (ichthyol) is said to be extracted. Thyrsus’s last words were: “Blood spray! Be good for man and beast!” In this story, Haymon, an immigrant from the north, defeats the local giant.

Overcome with remorse, Haymon converted to Christianity and was baptized by the Bishop of Chur. He then founded the monastery at Wilten, handing it over to Benedictine monks from Tegernsee Abbey, and joined the order as a lay brother, living there until his death. By the late 16th century, all these elements had become part of the founding legend of Wilten. Belief in Haymon’s historical existence remained strong into the 17th century: the abbot of Wilten ordered an excavation for Haymon’s bones inside the church, but the dig found nothing and eventually caused parts of the church to collapse.

According to 17th-century scholarly interpretation, the giant Thyrsus represents the Romansh people, while Haymon stands for the invading Bavarians who settled the Inn valley from the 6th century onward. Their fight thus symbolizes the Bavarian conquest of the Romansh. In art, Thyrsus is often shown as a crude figure wielding a torn tree, whereas Haymon appears as a gallant giant with a sword. Life-sized statues of both giants stand at the entrance to the church in Wilten. An engraving from 1677 by J.J.