Türst

In the pre-Christian farming communities of Lucerne, folklore warned of a figure called Türst (pronounced [tʏʁst]), a "dreadful huntsman" best avoided during storms. He would blow his horn through villages in the wild months leading up to Epiphany, followed by a pack of three-legged hunting dogs. Local traditions about him differ from place to place.

Türst is known for his warning cry, "drü Schritt rechts, gang uswägs" (roughly, "step right; get out of my way"). Anyone who fails to move aside in time is turned into one of his dogs. Some stories say barn doors should be left open so he can hunt through them without trouble. His wife, Sträggele, appears in certain versions, while others claim Türst terrorizes dairy cows, making them fall ill and stop giving milk.

Regional variations include: In Horw, he is joined by small hounds, a one-eyed lead dog, his witch-like wife Sträggele, and the Pfaffenkellnerin—a ghostly parson's mistress with glowing eyes. In Rickenbach, he wears a green hunting outfit and leads a pack of creatures that are half dog, half pig. In Wolhusen, locals set up crosses to ward him off; if a cross falls, farmers suffer bad luck until it is set upright again. People near Pilatus say Türst is a ghostly huntsman who harries cows until they stop producing milk for a long time. His hounds leave three-legged tracks. In Ettiswil, farmers keep barn doors open most of the time, fearing that invisible forces from Türst might tear them apart.