Trahlyta
Encyclopedia
Trahlyta is the name of a woman in Cherokee
legend who is said to have lived in the North Georgia Mountains
near present day Dahlonega
in the United States
. Trahlyta supposedly drank from a nearby Fountain of Youth
to maintain her renowned beauty. The warrior Wahsega courted her, but Trahlyta rejected his courtship, and the angered warrior kidnapped and imprisoned Trahlyta in some unknown location away from the beauty's mountain home. Trahlyta longed to see her home again, but her captor did not relent, and she grew weak. Her dying wish was to be buried in the mountain forests whence she came. According to the historical marker at the site of her supposed grave, "custom arose among the Indians and later the Whites to drop stones, one for each passerby, on her grave for good fortune." Today there is a pile of stones reaching at least five feet high.
Trahlyta's "fountain of youth" is now known as Porter Springs, the site of her home is known as Cedar Mountain, and her final resting place is called Stonepile Gap. These are all minor tourist attractions for those visiting the North Georgia mountains.
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
legend who is said to have lived in the North Georgia Mountains
North Georgia mountains
The Georgia Mountains Region or North Georgia mountains or Northeast Georgia is an area that starts in the northeast corner of Georgia, United States, and spreads in a westerly direction. The mountains in this region are in the Blue Ridge mountain chain that ends in Georgia...
near present day Dahlonega
Dahlonega, Georgia
Dahlonega is a city in Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,242....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Trahlyta supposedly drank from a nearby Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...
to maintain her renowned beauty. The warrior Wahsega courted her, but Trahlyta rejected his courtship, and the angered warrior kidnapped and imprisoned Trahlyta in some unknown location away from the beauty's mountain home. Trahlyta longed to see her home again, but her captor did not relent, and she grew weak. Her dying wish was to be buried in the mountain forests whence she came. According to the historical marker at the site of her supposed grave, "custom arose among the Indians and later the Whites to drop stones, one for each passerby, on her grave for good fortune." Today there is a pile of stones reaching at least five feet high.
Trahlyta's "fountain of youth" is now known as Porter Springs, the site of her home is known as Cedar Mountain, and her final resting place is called Stonepile Gap. These are all minor tourist attractions for those visiting the North Georgia mountains.