Peter the Goatherd
Every morning Peter comes to the Dörfli and blows his horn. This is how he gathers the goats of the people from the little village Dörfli. Together with the herd, he makes his way up to the alp, where lush pasture grass grows alongside delicious herbs and fragrant flowers.
At that time Peter was by far not the only herding boy. In the 19th century and beyond, children were needed as workers in the fields during the school holidays from spring to autumn. Those who were surplus had to contribute to their own livelihood. So, every year in March several hundred boys and girls looked for work with external farmers. They stayed there until school started in October, even though they had to endure hardship and homesickness.
The herding boys supervised their animals in all weathers from early morning until late evening. Their wages were meagre, mostly limited to free board and lodging, some clothes and a small pocket money. It was common practice for the children at that time to help at home or abroad during the spring and summer months when there was no school. So, this piece of Swiss history also made its way into Johanna Spyri’s story of Heidi.