The Gateless Gate

To reach Crystal Mountain, one must pass through the magical Gates of Hribaric, which whispered lore refers to as the Gateless Gate.

Inspired by the legendary Slovene alpinist Julius Kugy, I’m captivated by his idea of Hribaric, a 2388m mountain in the Julian Alps, as a gate. He wrote:

Hribarice is a magical gateway that connects the eastern and southern Triglav basins to the kingdom of the Triglav Lakes. There lie the rocky seas of the Triglav, as well as the mythical place that was once the enchanted gardens of the Fates, good white fairies, and the blissful wives of Triglav. Zlatorog, the golden goat with its golden horn, guarded the gardens. He was protected by the Fates; he was sacrosanct. ¹

The idea of the “Gateless Gate” originates from a collection of 48 Zen koans compiled in the early 13th century by Zen master Wumen Huikai. The introductory poem reads:

 The Great Way has no gate,

A thousand roads enter it.

When one passes through this gateless gate,

He freely walks between heaven and earth.

Anabell and Tarragon will enter the Gateless Gate via the Valley of the Seven Lakes (Triglav lakes), once a sacred fairy realm protected by a herd of chamois or ibex. Their destination is Crystal Mountain, the abode of the Gods; where Heaven and Forevermore are joined in a sacred union, where the mountain spirits, rain spirits, and river spirits gather in harmony.

The fairy tale "Anabell" is not just an environmental cautionary tale but also a story of spiritual awakening.

1. Julius Kugy, Julijske Alpe V Podobi (Maribor: Obzorja, 1971), 26. This translation is attributable to Daniel Goulding.

2. Julius Kugy, Julijske Alpe V Podobi (Maribor: Obzorja, 1971), 26.