Crimean Legend - Maiden

On a high rocky mountainside in Sudak one can see the remains of the fortress. Up to now, walls and defence towers, temples and castles, where Genoese consuls of medieval Sugdeya lived, were preserved. On the very top of the mountain there is a lonely tower. The steep path with tracks of steps, broken up in the rock, leads to the tower. They say, that in ancient times, this tower already existed, and a daughter of an archont lived in it. She was the most beautiful girl in Tavrida. They say, Diophant, the best general of Mitridat, the Pontian tzar, was vainly striving for her hand.

Nobody knew that the girl was already in love, she loved an ordinary village herdsman. They felt easy and were happy, nothing reminded them that she was the archont's daughter and he was the herdsman. Whether it is important for the loving hearts?

But once they were seen together, and the archont ordered to seize the herdsman and to throw him into the stone well.

A few days passed until the maddened with grief girl found out where her beloved was. She managed to persuade her father to free the youth.

But the archont did not intend to agree with his daughter's choice. He decided to separate them with a trick. One ship was to leave for Milet in a few days. The archont wanted to send the herdsman to Greece, ostensibly, with an important commission. But he himself had ordered the navigators to kill the herdsman on the way to Greece. The order was carried out.

- In a year, - he said to his daughter, - the ship will be back. If your beloved do not betray you, you will see the white sign on the mast. And I shall not object to your happiness. But, if there is no any sign on the ship, you will have to marry Diophant.

Dull days were creeping by for the girl. But, at last, one year passed. One day all the inhabitants of the city gathered at the quay: the ship from distant Milet had come. But the archont's daughter had not found any sign on the mast.

The girl went up to the top of the tower, where it is encircled by merlons, and with the words: "Worthless people, you do not know, what the heart and love is!" she jumped down.

From that time on the tower in Sudak is called the Maiden Tower.

Sugdeya - modern Sudak;

Milet - the biggest city on the Malaysian coast at the days of Ancient Greece;

Archont - the elective official functionary, governing the republic.