Bernoline, a young woman who haunts Lake Annecy
There is a local legend that the annecy lake would be haunted. A young woman, answering to the name of Bernoline, tried to attract towards the bottom the men having resemblances with her husband.
The legend of the Lady of Angon
A long time ago, lived in Angon a young chatelaine named Bernoline d’Angon. She was known for her beauty. An orphan, she lived in the castle left by her parents when they died. Although many young men were tempted to seduce her, Bernoline remained alone, offered by her guards. It must be said that in front of his fortune, no one could compete. However, it was during a cold and rough winter that Bernoline’s servant introduced her to the fortress, the young knight who succeeded in winning the heart of the chatelaine.
Love at first sight in Angon
Bernoline and the knight almost immediately fell in love. Before going on a crusade, he stays with the chatelaine for a week. Thus, the winter storm had time to pass. The suitor of the Lady of Angon swore to him to return the following year, in order to tell him about his journey. For a year, she waited. Then the knight returned. The young people then celebrated their marriage, surrounded by noble families from the surrounding area, following the example of Talloires or of Duingt.
The Snow Star and the Pact with the Devil
One evening, Bernoline and her knight saw a star brighter than all the others. In front of the enthusiasm of the young woman, her husband proposes to her to go and fetch her. So he left for a three-month ride through the mountains and the lakes. During a conversation with a wise old man, he learned that it was not a star, but a edelweiss. Disappointed, he decided to return to Angon.
The encounter with the Devil
On the way back, the knight crosses a supernatural animal, endowed with a diamond in the middle of the forehead. Determined to seize it, he follows the beast. But the path was then slippery and steep. He slips into the bottom of a tower, in which he spends several days. It is the Devil himself who offers to get him out, in exchange for his soul in 10 years. Having no choice but to accept, the young man was able to find Bernoline and offer her his diamond. After ten years of love, he had to honor the deal and he took the road to Satan.
Why Bernoline haunts Lake Annecy?
Not seeing her husband return, Bernoline decided to go looking for him. After having met God, to whom she gave alms, the chatelaine found herself face to face with the Devil. The latter challenged him to recognize the knight among the people crossing his path. But her husband having aged so much, she does not recognize him. Exhausted, Bernoline turned back to Angon, where she found her castle in ruins. In the height of despair, she decides to put an end to her life by throwing herself into the lake from the Roc de Chere.
The lady of Angon still wanders in the depths of the lake
Since this tragic episode, the Lady of Angon still wanders in the depths of the lake, behind the golf of Talloires. The legend says that she would carry the body of the drowned in a cavity, always having the hope of finding her knight. And if you had to go next to the Roc de Chère in small boat, paddle we canoeyou might just hear him cry.