The giant, obviously, is Gargantua that, after having distributed various parts of his body after his death, left a tooth to Valle d’Aosta: to fix amongst the glaciers of the Monte Bianco. The sharp point stands out in the sky and its characteristic outline makes it one of the most famous peaks. What people don’t know is that numerous evil spirits are imprisoned in that powerful fortress: all those that, in ancient days, raged in Valle d’Aosta. To rid the area of these evil spirits was a wizard, who came from far away, maybe from the East. Moved by the inhabitant’s fear of the spirit’s nasty tricks, he climbed the entire valley, pronouncing mysterious words. Attracted by the irresistible chants, the spirits flocked down the mountainside like crows from the glades and forests, from the rocky gorges and from the ponds, to join with the other elves in a tumultuous flight that obscured the sky. The wizard climbed up towards the upper valley. Docile, with a rumble stronger than thunder, the evil crowd followed him every step of the way to the giant prison that awaited them, in the Monte Bianco’s desert of ice. One by one the spirits entered, pulled by an invincible force: and the rocky door closed behind the last of the spirits. From then on the dangerous tower of the Dente del Gigante holds the impacts of the evil spirits that desperately try to break the spell of the wizard in order to get out, but to no avail.

Based on: “Il fiore del leggendario valdostano” (The Flower of the Legendary Valdostan) by Tersilla Gatto Chanu Edizioni Emme/Torino (publishers)