Cerna sources - Iovan Iorgovan (Hercules) legend

[Nicolae Sfetcu]

The Cerna River is a river in Romania. The Cerna has its source on the south-east side of the Godeanu Mountains and flows into the Danube. The upper reach of the river is sometimes called Cernişoara River. With a basin of 1433 square km and a length of 84 km, it carves an erosive tectonic valley with numerous gorges, quite deep sometimes. There is a man-made lake on it (Tierna), just before it crosses the Băile Herculane spa.
 
 
 
 Iovan Iorgovan (Hercules) legend:
 
 Iovan Iorgovan is a character in Romanian mythology, similar in some ways with Hercules (some writers consider him to be the same person). The legend is present in the Cerna valley of south-western Romania. In the legend, Iovan is named "fiu de rămlean" which can be translated as "son of a Roman."
 

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