Long ago,
near the place where the Dunavăț channel meets the Black Sea, just north of Lake Razelm, a fearsome dragon once lived on Popina Island. It was a monstrous creature, with long, powerful claws that could tear through the earth.
The people in the region lived in terror of the beast.
One day, a hero arrived from a distant land, determined to face the dragon. At the sight of him, the serpent grew afraid and fled, hoping to escape into the Danube. Wherever it slithered, its claws carved a deep trench into the earth, which quickly filled with water from the lake.
After a fierce and relentless chase, the hero caught up with the dragon near the mouth of the sea and struck it down with his spear.
From that day on, the place where the Danube meets the Black Sea was named Sfântu Gheorghe (Saint George), in honor of the hero. And the trench dug by the dragon’s claws became known as Canalul Scorpiei; The Serpent’s Channel.