The Legend of Audia Village (2)

Long ago, when migratory hordes came from the east and invaded the lands inhabited by Romanians, robbing, burning and killing them, a very rich woman from those places, took her wealth and withdrew from the invaders’ way, in the forests and cocoons at the foothill of Ceahlău Massif. This woman’s name was Auda, and because she was long past her young age, the locals called her “old lady” Auda. The place where Auda settled was at the foot of a hill, called Muncelu, not far from the outflow of a rushing and noisy stream, into another larger one which, in turn, flowed into Bistrița river. She thought she would be safe here, the place where she settled being farther from the roads the invaders were walking on.

Towards the end of her life she also thought of putting her fortune in a safe place. She turned everything into gold, silver, and precious stones and buried them under Altan Mountain. Since she didn’t want anyone to seize her fortune and go unpunished, she worshiped the devil and, in the room where she accumulated her wealth, she set up a table on which she put a golden salamander which, when someone would have entered the room where the fortune was, came to life and frightened everyone by forcing them to leave the room as soon as possible.

From the name of this old woman Auda, the place and the creek were called Audia and it has remained so to this day onwards.