My daughter and I took a full moon night walk with our digicams yesterday. It was freezing, but beautiful - full moon light is something special for sure.
If you breathe while taking pictures it'll look like you've pictured the "Salige Frauen".
"Salige Frauen" are part of many (etiological) myths here in the alpine region. They are said to be the original inhabitants of the alps and have been there before mankind.
"Salig" means wild, untamed, white, translucent, fairylike (not like in fairy-tales, in a more mystical way).
"Salige" are friendly and helpful women. They protect animals, especially chamois and support considerate gamekeepers, but punish the ones who hunt too many animals.
They will be there to help dairymaids and herdsmen who care for cows, sheep and goats on alpine pastures. But humans need to have a pure heart and show real care and respect for their animals and nature in general. If they do not respect the help and gifts of the "Salige Frauen" the punishment will be thoroughly, even cruel - just like a grim mountain they do not allow or forgive mistakes.
You may never ask their names, because that would mean you've got power over them which they do not accept. Although they are said to marry humans from time to time, they never stay for long because men seldom accept their strict rules.
It's difficult to find links in English because they are mainly known in Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol and Bavaria, but there's quite a good one in German: frauenwissen.at
I grew up with such stories, they were an important part of my childhood and dovetail nicely with being Catholic :-)
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