In the Carpathian Mountains of
Ukraine meandering through the gorges, the road leads to one of the most
tranquil and beautiful lakes of the country, Synevyr. The lake with its
crystal-clear water is surrounded by rare animals and plants.
The view from above from the nearby
mountain of the blue lake with a tiny island in the middle, gives you an
impression of a blue eye looking at you. While at the bottom, the lake gives
you a reflection of two wooden statues standing by its shore, and holding a
legend.
A long time ago, the lands
surrounding the lake belonged to a rich Count. He had only one daughter, named
Syn, who was known for her beautiful blue eyes. Every day, the Count would make
his regular rounds checking on the woodcutters working for him.
One sunny day, as count was getting
ready for one of those rounds, his daughter stated “Wouldn’t it be lovely to
spend this nice day together.” So the plan was made; they would walk together
to the site and while the Count was checking on the workers, the daughter would
wander on her own for a little bit.
While Syn was admiring the beauty of
the spruce trees, all of a sudden she heard the most charming melodies carried
toward her by the delicate breeze. She followed the melody, which led her to a
peaceful pasture land on which shepherd Vyr was playing on his flute. The boy
startled by the girl stopped playing suddenly. “Oh, please, don’t be bothered
by me” said Syn “I’d love to listen for a little bit longer, and then I have to
go back.” Before Syn left, she promised to come back.
The meetings between Syn and Vyr
became more frequent. When the Count found out about them, he was not happy. He
made a decision to put an end to this relationship. The Count ordered his
servant to roll a huge boulder down the mountain.
One day, as Vyr was peacefully
awaiting Syn playing on his flute, the boulder rolled down unexpectedly. As Syn
cheerfully was approaching the meeting place, she saw a huge boulder in its
place. Once she realized what has just happened, she cried her eyes out. The
tears rolled down as a tiny stream of water to the edge of the forest until a
lake formed. The Syn disappeared herself.
The lake is of the blue color as
Syn’s eyes and the small island in the middle of the lake, is where boulder
covered Vyr. The names were combined giving the name to the lake, Synevyr.
