Republica Moldova

WHERE DID THE NAME “MOLDOVA” COME FROM?
There is a beautiful legend about the history of appearance of the Moldavian principality. It is mentioned in the book “Descriptio Moldaviae” by Dimitrie Cantemir written at the beginning of the 18th century. The chronicler Grigore Ureche wrote this legend a century before Dimitrie Cantemir. This story is mentioned in different variations also in the works of other chroniclers.
The legend runs that Dragos and 300 of his people went hunting from Maramures (today it’s the territory of Romania). Chasing the aurochs they arrived on the bank of the river. A favorite dog of Dragos pursued the aurochs. Its name was Molda. The aurochs was killed but before he died it threw itself into the river follower by the dog. The drowned flow caught Molda up and it died in water. Dragos decided to call the river Moldova in memory of his dog. On the coat of arms of the principality Dragos depicted the aurochs’ head. For many years this giant animal took the main place on the Moldavian coats of arms.

Other legends say that the hunters were herdsmen from Maramures. They liked the landscape near the river Moldova, the territory wasn’t inhabited that time. They moved on to this new country together with their countrymen. The oldest among them was Dragos, so he became their general.

All the versions of the legend tell us about the appearance of the new principality called Moldova, the general of which was Dragos in 1351. According historians the lands in the west of the river Prut were under the influence of Golden Horde but till the middle of the 14th century the influence became weaker. The Hungarians took advantage of Golden Horde’s weakness and settled on the territory forming the Moldavian mark (a territory unit). Dragos carrying the orders of the Hungarian king got an army and defeated the Mongols who moved on between the rivers Dniester and the Prut. The general pushed them away on the other bank of the river Dniester. Thereby the Moldavian mark added Bessarabia to its lands.

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