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The beginning* of mining silver-bearing ore at Schneeberg is lost in the mists of antiquity, and this means that it must be a very ancient activity, interrupted for sometimes long periods of time. No written source supplies clear indications on exactly when mining began. Authors, each according to their knowledge, refer simply to various years – 1479, 1402, or even 1237 - when mining was already documented at Schneeberg.

Prehistoric mining at Schneeberg?
The question arises as to whether silver ore was already being mined at Schneeberg in prehistoric times. There are many indications that it was, but until now not much attention has been paid. Historically ordered descriptions of mining, principally of silver, lead and zinc, have been studied. Copper ore, which occurs extensively in various areas of Schneeberg, has received very scanty attention. The fact that copper was mined in the form of calcopyrite (CuFeS) and of its transformation mineral, malachite (copper carbonate), is clearly indicated by the primitive ‘copper holes’** in the southern wall of the ‘Himmelreich’ (Paradise).** Only copper-bearing minerals outcrop at that spot. In September 1999, an interdisciplinary research project of the University of Innsbruck was set up, directed by the Institute for High Mountain Research, under the guidance of Prof. Gernot Patzelt. One of the declared aims of this project was to establish exactly when mining began at Schneeberg. A preliminary survey revealed splinters of flint, calcined bones, charcoal and pieces of wood, mainly in the Himmelreich copper holes - traces of very old techniques, when pieces of ore were simply detached from the host rock with wooden wedges**. Detailed information is expected to come from analysis of pollens, preserved for thousands of years in the peat of the Seemoos marsh at Schneeberg. Other data should emerge from examination of smelting waste from the ancient foundries at St. Martin and Himmelreich, the colour of which, already from superficial observation, reveals its high contents in copper. It had already been identified by researchers from the University of Innsbruck as bronze smelting waste.
We cannot yet state definitely that mining at Schneeberg began far earlier than has been presumed until now, as initial research results seem to confirm. But we expect many more surprises. It is possible that the copper used to make the axe used by Oetzi, the Ice Man, actually came from Schneeberg, since the mummified body of this prehistoric hunter was found only about 25 km away, as the crow flies. Copper ore has always been found lying on the surface of the ground, and prehistoric paths leading to and from the various tiny villages of the area crossed high mountain passes. No further conclusions can be drawn as yet.

Legends and their core of reality
In ancient times, when apparently strange natural phenomena were still unexplained and unexplainable mysteries, people throughout the world created myths and legends, aiming at giving a simple interpretation of complex historical or natural phenomena. Apart from embellishments and moral teachings, added to and transmitted from one generation to the next, all legends do contain a core of truth: they are not just amusing little stories, but contain some part of the history and culture of a people.
The best-known legend about the beginning of mining at Schneeberg is the following:
‘One day a hunter from Passeiertal left Schneeberg to hunt chamois. While he was resting on a rock at Seemoos, carefully watching the slopes around him in search of game, he noticed a Salige (a female figure impersonating the spirit of nature) sitting on the edge of the lake, wearing a splendid silver dress, as brilliant and white as the glaciers around her. She beckoned to the hunter, and showed him the shining precious stones she had on her lap. She said she would give him all those treasures and show him where they came from, if he promised not to hunt the animals, which were under her protection. She asked him to break his crossbow and swear that he would never kill animals again. The man did as she asked. Then the girl showed him cracks in the rocks full of pure silver, threatened him with harsh punishment if he broke his promise, and suddenly disappeared from his sight. Very soon thereafter, miners climbed up the inhospitable mountain side with the hunter. Many galleries were excavated, and everywhere the miners found rich ores which they took down to the valley in large quantities. Work stopped during the cold winter months but, as soon as the Föhn, the warm south wind, melted the ice, increasing numbers of miners came up to Schneeberg, where a small village soon developed. The hunter became very rich and had everything he wanted. But one day, when he was old, his ancient passion for hunting was awakened. He made a new crossbow with a strong cord and, forgetful of his oath, one Sunday he killed a magnificent chamois. Punishment immediately followed: a piece of rock fell from the mountain and killed him. The following day, when the miners arrived at the gallery, they no longer found silver, but only worthless blende, which could not be smelted’.
(A tale by Heilfurth, and oral tradition)

Apart from doubts about the real core of this legend, it clearly does refer to a time when only silver-bearing ore was economically interesting and profitable. This must have been before 1450. In 1237, the first time Schneeberg silver is mentioned as a means of payment, mining was certainly restricted to silver-bearing ore alone, and it is presumed that excavating it flourished only until about 1360. In any case, after an initial period of enthusiasm, yields were not satisfactory and work was interrupted until the 15th century - a fact which also explains the lack of written sources.
However, the reason why silver in the Schneeberg seams suddenly diminished – which, in the legend, is explained as punishment to the hunter who broke his oath – does have a valid scientific explanation. Silver, which occurs in small quantities in all the Schneeberg seams (on average, 1 kg per ton) was leached for millions of years by underground waters and appeared abundantly in outcropping veins. Research mentions the phenomenon of ‘cementation’. The first Schneeberg miners thus found apparently rich veins of silver which, however, disappeared after just a few metres or even less, until only ‘worthless blende’ (a mineral which, at that time, could not be used) was left, as the legend states.

The Norggen
As well as the legend of the discovery of Schneeberg, Passeiertal and Ridnaun also had legends about gnomes or goblins called Norggen (or Nörggeler, the diminutive form). The name derives from Orcus, the god of the kingdom of the dead. The Norggen were the spirits of still unfreed dead people, and belong to the world of the Rhaeto-Romanic sagas. Many legends refer to the Norggens’ kindness and how they helped the local peasants, and to the fact that they worked for humans, mainly grinding cereals. But if they were provoked, their spitefulness knew no limits, or else they just disappeared.

‘At Saltnuß (Salto) in Passeier, there lived a helpful Nörglein, who was not much larger than a pine cone. All you had to do was take grain to the mill, and he ground it as you wished (...). One day, a peasant noticed that the gnome’s jacket was all torn and full of holes, so he made him a new one and took it to the mill. But when the Nörglein saw his new jacket, he began to weep and complained: ‘Now I will have to go into the Oetztal with my new rags and my things!’ With these words, he went off and never came back again. If the Nörglein had been left without a reward for his work, until his ragged clothes fell off him, he would have been freed.’
(Zingerle)

There were in fact many similarities between these gnomes and the early Medieval miners. Short men were more suitable for work in low galleries underground, and the miners were very often foreigners. Their pointed hats, as well as their reinforced leather aprons, were typical of their working clothes.
The hats not only protected the miners from water dripping from above, but also, in poorly illuminated galleries, the men could avoid hitting their heads against the ceiling, warned of the height when the tops of their hats touched the rock above.
Clearly, these images of Norggen, goblins and gnomes were transmitted by the first miners and then embellished with supernatural qualities in tales and legends. The classic example in the South Tyrol is the well-known legend of the gnome king Laurin, who kept his treasures inside Mount Rosengarten, fell in love with the king’s beautiful daughter, carried her off to the kingdom of the gnomes, and was finally taken prisoner by the king of the Germans Dietrich von Bern (Theodoric of Verona) and lost all he had. The historical background of this tale was the period of migrations and conflicts between the local Rhaeto-Romanic populations and German invaders: a reason for tension which also existed in remote parts of Passeier and in Ridnauntal, and documented until the 13th century – something revealed by the many Rhaeto-Romanic place-names.

Who really discovered the veins of silver ore?
Schneeberg lies at an altitude at which silver ore seams outcrop at 2,000 to more than 2,500 metres above sea level, and does not therefore hide its treasures as well as other deposits located more deeply. There are few trees at these altitudes, and the rocks are not covered by vegetation due to their steepness and to erosion by glaciers, so it is still relatively easy to find blocks of ore, veins, or traces of tunnels.
The point at which a seam, or vein, reaches the surface is called outcrop or, if rust-coloured, a Eisernen Hut (iron hat). Many veins outcropped at Schneeberg and, once discovered, could be followed inside the mountainside and extracted. If you pick up a small rust-coloured sample of ore from one of these outcrops, you can immediately tell that it weighs much more than a sterile piece of rock from nearby. And if you break the ore open, which is not an easy thing to do, you will see the mineral shining inside, and smell a strong odour of sulphur: this is galena, blende, calc-pyrite – or often an intimate mix of metalliferous minerals and sterile rock.
Near these outcrops, which are clearly visible on the ground, there are others, covered by soil. But in this case too, nature offers careful observers good indications of what lies below. Although the vegetal cover at Schneeberg is very thin, grass and flowers compete for the territory. But only a few plants are able to tolerate the large quantities of heavy metals in the terrain which covers the outcrops and waste dumps.
At Schneeberg, these plants are mainly Alpine toad-flax (Linaria alpina), Alpenmiere (Minuartia gerardii), Ceriasticum uniflorum and red saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia). Even in ancient times, expert mineral seekers first looked for specimens of these plants, and could then more easily locate the invisible deposits under the ground.

*Origins
In 1565, Georg Fabricius, in his book on mines Iter Chemnicense, wondered who had discovered the silver veins of Schneeberg:
‘Quis vero argenti venas in montibus illis eruit inventas, quas nunc Stercingia tellus Suaciacis similes gremio de divite fundit?’ (‘Who excavated the silver seams found in those mountains, which Sterzing now produces from its rich womb, like the area around Schwaz?’)

**Excavations for copper in the Himmelreich (Paradise)
The ridge defining the Schneeberg valley to the south-east has always been called ‘Paradise’, although no-one knows how it came by this name. In autumn 1999, five horizontal galleries, five or six metres deep, from which copper had once been mined, were found in the rocky southern wall. Worthy of note was the fact that these tunnels were relatively large in diameter, up to 2 m wide, which allowed enough daylight to enter for working. No traces of chiselling (which are always present in Medieval galleries) were found, but there was clear evidence of the use of wooden wedges for excavation: pieces of dry wood were hammered into cracks in the rock, one next to the other, and then soaked with water. The pressure of the swelling wood gradually broke blocks of ore away from the host rock.