The Treasure from Altan

During the times when nomadic nations invaded the Romanian places, it is said that a crowd of these nomads, known as the Pechenegs, arrived in these lands, setting up camp in a place now called Smizi, not far from the Altan Mountain. From here they went everywhere, even to more distant places, plundering everything they could find: cattle, gold, silver, brass, coins and ornaments that they piled up here, at the foot of Altan Mountain. How long they stayed here, weeks, months or years, is not known to man, but they amassed a lot of wealth.

Other nomadic nations invaded. The Pechenegs, feeling threatened and even beaten by them, put all their gold, silver, brass and ornaments in wooden barrels. There were 10 barrels of gold, 10 full of silver and 10 of brass. They dug a large cellar with thick iron doors under Altan Mount and put all their wealth there. After this work they covered everything with soil and arranged, through their spells, that no one could open their treasure. It is said, however, that on the Resurrection of God, at midnight, when neither the devil nor the spells have any power, the doors of treasure open by themselves, revealing the way to the treasure, but only for an hour long. It is said that an ordinary man, taking his child along with him, knowing this, entered the room where the treasure was, and saw all those barrels full of riches. He took from each barrel as much as he could fit in the bag that he carried. He then hurried away from the room. His child, being attracted by the brilliance of the wealth inside the barrels, ran too late towards the exist and the door closed in front of him, leaving him captive under Altan Mountain. The following year, on the night of the Resurrection, the man went to the treasure again to find his child, but found only his skeleton.