Manu and the Tale of Zachéo the Dwarf
Between oral transmission, written tradition and contemporary performance, the ancient legends of Anniviers continue their journey
Between oral transmission, written tradition and contemporary performance, the ancient legends of Anniviers continue their journey
For a long time, the tales and legends of Anniviers were passed down orally, mostly during veillées—those winter evenings when villagers would gather around the fire to share extraordinary stories, ancient myths, and folk wisdom.
As the valley gradually opened up to tourism and moved away from its traditional way of life, oral culture began to fade. Some then saw the need to preserve these stories by writing them down or recording them.
Today, these stories are mainly passed on in writing. But thanks to people like Manu, a resident of the village of Zinal, the living word continues to spread. For over 25 years, he has hosted the Camp des Moyes, where he shares these stories—still around a bonfire—with the young people of Anniviers.
A passionate storyteller, whether for tourists or for the people of Anniviers, Manu modernizes and reinvents the art of narration. Sometimes he dresses up, becoming an old tree that has witnessed the passage of time, or a talkative choucas (alpine chough) soaring over the peaks—bringing a theatrical and poetic dimension to the legends.
When telling stories indoors, he brings nature into the room by projecting his own photographs of Anniviers landscapes with a video projector, adding an immersive layer to his storytelling.
He has also created a YouTube channel where he shares some of these tales in various forms: stories illustrated with slideshows, shadow theatre created with the children at camp… so many ways to keep this collective memory alive.
In this video, he takes us on a journey through the legend of the dwarf Zachéo—a story imagining how a pagan valley, long isolated from the outside world, might have been converted to Christianity.
We hear the echo of the mountains, once considered ancient gods; we recall the sacred nature of the glaciers and the fierce reputation of the Val d'Anniviers people in the past.
Told with heart and passion, this story goes far beyond legend: it becomes a living link between generations, a vessel of collective memory, a way of passing on the spirit of a place, a people, and the mountain itself.
