NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY UNTERVAZ
Sources:                                        Regarding:
Booklet Arnold:                                 Legends
Legends out of Graubünden Switzerland
                        Part 2
Aarau + Leipzig 1953
                                                Date:   (1683)
KB Nr. Bb 490a
        Pages 185-186
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                The perjury at Batänja
Numerous old farmers still live today in Haldenstein, up in the mountain
village Batänja on the Calanda who attended school, and in the year 1868
helped move into a larger town.
In addition to the citizens of Haldenstein, back in time, the citizens of
Untervaz at  shared Alp Rights to the meadows near Batänja.
For a long time their cattle grazed together peacefully until a disput
between the two communities developed over a portion of "the back Alp",
the meadows Wang and L'Arezen, where the Batänjers came out in the Spring
with their herds the equal of the Vazer.  Still today, you can see the
marks at the "peak's corner".
This meadow was now claimed by Vaz for itself alone.  It came to legal
notice for name and location.  At that a farmer from Untervaz committed
perjury in favor of his community that the meadow belongs to his village.
He filled his shoes half with earth from his garden, pushed his wooden
ladle under his hat, and on the disputed meadow made an oath, that the
ground on which he stood, had for ages been the exclusive possession of
the Untervazers as surely as the earth he stood on and the creator above
his head.  (In german 'creator' and 'wooden ladle' are the same word!)
Without suspecting the hypocritical double meaning of his oath, the judge
awarded title of the property to Untervaz.
One still points out the place, where the man named Immis stood at his oath.
It is named after him:  Immisbödli (Immis ground).  As the legend reports,
the Heavenly punishment was not long in appearance.  Immis was struck down by
lightning on top of the same ground and place where his sacriligious cunning
won it for himself and his fellow citizens.  And there he returns in the
dark of night, stamping on the earth till it makes a hallow echo, recalls his
words of false witness and howls in the tortures of Hell.

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Translated by Herman Radloff of the St. Louis Genealogical Society Jan. 1994.