Cape Kaliakra

A legend 

Once upon a time foreign invaders took over the Black sea seaside, wreaked and ravaged. They captured forty beautiful maidens, each more beautiful than the last. They were all svelte like a poplar with pale faces and long dark as a resin or blond as gold hair.

The conquerors took them to cape Kaliakra and imprisoned them in one of the caves. At the entrance stood a guard who kept them from running away while the invaders waited impatiently for the night to come. Then would start the merriment and the beauties would be shared among them.

Because of the common fate the maidens became as close as sisters. None of them wanted to fall into the hands of the invaders, but there was no way out. All day they mourned over their lost youth and life. At the end of the day a voice spoke:

• There’s still a way to save ourselves! 
• But how? asked another voice- This cave has only one way out which is guarded.
• We can save our honor and freedom! – spoke again the first voice -The sea will take us – said she pointing at the small window at the end of the cave. 

Some of the girls started crying bitterly, they were young and didn’t want to die. Others understood quickly and started calming them down :

• That’s nothing else we can do! Dying is better than letting them have us! Let us stay pure! 

The maidens bravely decided – better to die than to live in slavery. They looked through the window and the courageous maiden who gave them an escape stood in front of it. One by one the maidens lined up and took each other’s hands. Falling they looked like the wings of a bird.  Nobody understood how they managed to get through the little window and fall at the same time. The sea took and sheltered them and by then on the cave standing above the violent sea waves carries the name “door of forty maidens”.