The Armenian Princess Who 'Cried A Lake'

Oddly enough, there is a completely different story about a princess, a lake, a fire, and a suitor who was too late — also with Armenian origins, yet set in a different region (via Gugoco New York). The setting for this legend is Lake Van in modern day Turkey, which used to be a part of ancient Armenia. Surrounded by the lake is the island of Akhtamar, which shares its name with the legend.

As the story goes, Princess Tamar met a commoner in town, and they fell in love over their mutual passion for poetry. As is the case with most of these ancient tales, they were forbidden to marry, as they were not of the same social status. In secret, the commoner swam across the lake to the princess' island every night — guided by a fire she would light — to spend time with her. In different versions of the story, her father — the king — or nuns from the nunnery discover her one night (via YouTube), and put out her fire. With no light to guide him, the commoner drowned while screaming out, "Akh, Tamar!" (per Gugoco New York). While the lake is now within Turkey's borders, Armenia still hosts a statue of Tamar, holding a flame for her lover, standing on the shore of Lake Sevan in Armenia. Some still hear the commoner screaming in Lake Van to this day.

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