Rockles are the spirits of the mountains. Believed to be ancient yet wily beings who
live within the rock itself, occasionally exiting their homes and taking on
another form to walk the mountain range.
Rarely seen, they were believed for centuries and by many to
be the hallucinations of climbers dizzy from a lack of oxygen. Photographs and films have since destroyed
that theory.
Of the Rockles' life inside the mountains nothing is
known. Arguably. Infamously, there is François Bernard's
account of his trip into the Alps. This
talks about great halls of peaceful contemplation devoted to lifetimes of
philosophising. But it is universally
believed to be lies and so can be found under the banner of fiction in
libraries and bookshops.
Not a lot more is known of a Rockle's life outside of their
mountain homes. Only really the form
taken - that of a rock 'man,' much like The Thing of Fantastic 4 fame, albeit
much leaner, usually reaching 7 feet in height.
Rockles are seen in this form at heights of more than 4000 metres, meaning
they can be found in parts of the Alps, Andes, Himalayas and Rocky
Mountains.
Here they stroll around the mountain tops and across
glaciers alone, approaching no one, human or animal. Sometimes they will be seen sitting and
taking in the views across and down valleys like an animated Rodin’s Thinker,
and, occasionally, within caves. They
have been seen melting into and out of the mountain side in order to assume
this form or their mysterious other.
This 'melting' into the rock is what has led people to believe they
exist within mountain ranges as spirits.
Some think they may exist in all rock everywhere but can only (or are
only allowed to) assume their other form at high altitude.
Various theories surround their activities outside of the
mountains. Some follow the same line of
thought as Bernard of philosophising spirits spending time in isolation to
clear the mind. Others see it as a rite
of passage, the adolescent Rockle having to bridge childhood and adulthood on
some sort of mission in the outside world.
This comes from the belief that no Rockle has ever been seen twice. Something that is hard to prove, though, as
all Rockles look extremely similar and are rarely seen.
Dick Harrelson thought the Rockles left the mountains simply
to travel to other Rockle communities, a theory much derided by those who
believe Rockles are not imprisoned by mountains or their ranges.
Humans have frequently tried to make contact with
Rockles. American teams once tried to
find them by blasting into the Rockies while Buddhists in Mongolia have tried
to approaching on numerous occasions.
Only François Bernard has ever
claimed any degree of success in making contact through speech. Many, though, have said they have got within
touching distance. Whatever the truth of
Rockles, until humans can make contact, these spirits of the mountains will
forever be a mystery.
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