The Legend of Devil’s Lake – Covasna

On the outskirts of Covasna, there is a place known as Devil’s Lake, where the ground constantly breathes hot steam, and the soil seems to boil as if alive. Few know that this restless place has a story passed down through generations.

Long ago, a peaceful meadow stretched across this land. Everything changed one day when a mysterious stranger appeared in the valley. He was tall, thin, dressed in a black cloak, and his gaze seemed to pierce into the very souls of those who saw him.

Mihály, a proud local farmer known for his arrogance, stepped forward and demanded:

– Who are you, and what do you seek here?

The stranger answered calmly:

– I want land. As much as the shadow of my cloak can cover.

Mihály laughed mockingly and said:

– Take it, if you can!

The stranger slowly spread his arms, and at that moment, the shadow of his cloak began to grow, stretching and spreading across the meadow. It grew larger and larger until it covered the entire valley in darkness.

Suddenly, a deep rumble shook the ground. In the middle of the meadow, the soil split open. Hot mud and steam burst forth, carrying the sharp smell of sulfur, bubbling and hissing as if the fires of the underworld had claimed the land. Mihály fell to his knees in terror.

The stranger spoke beside the boiling mud:

– What you gave with pride now belongs to the forces below.

Then he disappeared without a trace.

From that day on, the place was called Devil’s Lake—for the sulfurous steam that rises from its depths and for the eternally restless mud, which locals believe hides powers not of this world.