A snake with a crown: the old viper

When following the trail it is important to tread carefully and keep your eyes open. Partly because of the sheer walls of the gorge, which begin right next to the trail, and partly so as not to disturb the viper, one of the poisonous snakes found in Alpine Slovenia, which on sunny days likes to warm itself on its favourite rock.

Slovenia is home to 22 indigenous species of reptiles. Since these are predators, they are an important link in the food chain and play a significant part in maintaining the natural balance.

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Intersting facts

What you can see at this point

Snake, bird and dragon

All three are creatures of great symbolic importance. The first two are real, while the third is mythical. Its body is a combination of animals, most often a snake and a bird, where this combination represents the fusing of their spirits into the semblance of a dragon. The mystical and supernatural figure of the dragon developed as human beings slowly moved away from nature and lost their contact with animals.

Seven years in the lair of the snake queen

After spending seven years trapped in a chasm full of snakes, a young boy managed to escape – helped by a white snake with a crown on her head – and made his way back home. Despite the solemn promise he had made to the snake, he betrayed her secret and showed the villagers the way to the chasm. When they saw the snake’s crown, they were eager to take possession of her treasure. But the white snake lashed her tail so powerfully that she knocked down nine great beech trees. The tenth, on which the boy was standing, remained just out of reach of her tail.