Like water at the bottom of a great bowl, the lake of Saint Anne rests in the bottom of mountains reaching to the sky. Around it are pine-covered hills. Walk through all the lands, and you'll find no lovelier sight.
Who would have thought that in the place of this beautiful lake there was once, long ago, a terrible high mountain, and that on its top was a proud castle, which looked down proudly on the villages of Chios and Tricis. But this castle was not alone proud of Chisinau and Tricino: an hour away, across the way, above the sulphur-breathing, stifling-smelling Büdös Cave, there was a castle.
Oh, it's been so long! There is no trace of this castle now. Well, but the memory, the sad memory of both castles remains. Two brothers dwelt in the two castles, both proud, haughty, and unchaste. They had no love in their hearts for anyone. They oppressed and plundered the people of the land, and loved not one another. They always vied and boasted, who had the most.
In the cellars of both castles, a sea of gold and silver stood in vats, pounded to the edge. Once a great lord from far away came to visit the lord of the Büdös castle. He came in a six-horse carriage.
Now, you've never seen a carriage like that, with six horses like that. The wheels, the axles, the poles of that carriage were of pure gold; the horses' tools were set with gold, silver, diamonds, and hair! The horses were fiercer than the dragon. For the lord of the castle of Bydes had no more rest when he saw this chariot, these six horses.
He was on his guest at once, he would not leave him alone: give him the six horses with the carriage and the tools.
- I'll give you six pots of gold for it.
- "Not for sale," said the guest.
- Moreover, the manor of Torja.
- Not for sale!
"Stop," he thought to himself, "it will be mine after all!"
He made a great feast, the wine flowed like the waters of the Olt, and when the guest was in a flowery mood, the lord of Büdös castle brought out the dice game. He expected to win the horses with their swings and tools at dice. Well, he was right, for his luck was with him. He won all his guest's money and six beautiful horses, all of them.
As the guest said goodbye, the first thing he did was to visit his brother. His heart leapt for joy when the six-horse carriage pulled up. Oh, how his brother would envy him! He may have more gold and silver than she, but he has no six-horse swing like this.
His brother was sitting in the courtyard of the castle when he rode in on the six-horse carriage. His eyes were wide with wonder.
- Well, my brother, have you such six horses?! - he cried triumphantly.
- "No such thing," said the brother, "but there will be another.
- But I would like to see it now!
- Well, it doesn't even take twenty-four hours, you'll see!
The lord of Büdös castle laughed a great laugh.
- Better than that! And I say, my castle and all my dominions shall be yours, if you come to me with six horses better than this.
- Not six, twelve!
The lord of Büdös castle did not even go up to his brother, he just wanted to show his horses, let the yellow bile surprise his brother, he turned around and rode home like the wind, even faster than the wind. All day long the brother wondered where he could get twelve horses. He wondered in vain, he racked his brains in vain, but he could not think where he could suddenly find six horses, not one, not one, not six, but twelve.
He bitterly regretted his impulsiveness. But what did he suddenly remember? He thought of bringing the twelve most beautiful daughters of the country to his castle, and of putting them in a carriage, and going to his brother.
He bundled his serfs together, and sent them everywhere, whoever could bring the fairest maiden he knew. In less than half a day the serfs came, and with them the maidens; there were a hundred of them, each more beautiful than the last, but the fairest of them all was one named Anne. She was the first chosen by the lord of the castle. Then eleven more beside her.
And when they stood there, in a neat row, He drew his golden swing from under the shade, And took the twelve daughters before him. Poor girls! They stood trembling before the carriage. Tears streaming from their eyes like showers of rain, They looked up to the sky, and from there they sighed for help.
Then the gentleman jumped on the buck, let loose his buck whip, and gave a great crack that made the forest roar.
- Go, go, go!
The girls staggered forward, but they could not move the heavy carriage. Oh, the great lord was in a terrible rage! He swung his brass whip at Anna, who was standing in front. Blood gushed from his white flesh, and woe, his voice rose to the skies.
- "Giddy up, Anna, giddy up," he shouted, and struck her a second time.
- "May the Lord of Heaven smite you!" cried Anna. "Sink into the ground, murderer of innocents!
And behold, at that moment the sky grew dark, thunder and lightning, the sky and the earth moved, the trees crackled and crashed, the tower of the castle began to sway and to bend, and then suddenly it collapsed, and then the whole castle, and the ground sank lower and lower, until all at once it was submerged. And, behold, when the wrath of heaven had ceased, there was a beautiful lake where the castle stood, and in the lake twelve swans were swimming.
Away from them, a dragon was writhing in the lake, struggling to catch the twelve swans, but he could not escape the turmoil. And the twelve swans swam, swam quietly, and came to the shore of the lake, where they were shaken and became a swan again. They all hurried home to their villages, only Anna remained.
He built a chapel on the shore of the lake, and in this chapel he spent his life in silent prayer. And people from all over came and made pilgrimages to the little chapel, praying with the holy maiden, whom they would call a saint during her lifetime, and after her death they named the lake St. Anne after her.
(Elek Benedek: Hungarian tale- and mythology Volume 3)
