Once upon a time, in a land far away…

Dochia, the Carpathian legend of renewal, coming of the spring, and eternal life

Deep in the Balkans, there was once a widowed king by the name of Decebal who had a beautiful daughter named Dochia. He ruled over Dacia and over a great people who lived peacefully around the Carpathian Mountains, on a land full of riches that many envied.

One day, sombre clouds took over the pristine blue skies of the budding spring. The horizon darkened into a thin black line that started to thicken, wider and wider, closer and closer, dripping with black dots advancing slowly. The Roman army of Emperor Trajan was invading. Battles ensued where Dacians fought bravely in an unequal war. But, in the end, the Romans took over their land.

Trajan demanded that the king’s daughter be his wife. Dochia refused. She took refuge high in the mountains, where the forests were dense and shielding. Trajan did not give up, and he started a massive search. Soon, he was closing in, time was running out, and Dochia asked the God Zamolxis for his protection.

Centuries passed. The strength of the Romans and the Dacians built a new nation. Today, in the Romanian Carpathians, on the way to Ceahlau Peak, there is a rock formation called Dochia, where Zamolxis granted her wish and made her one with her land, the land that she would now rule forever.