The Lakes Made of Tears
In a volcanic crater in the Azores, two lakes lie side by side, one blue and one green. Legend says they were made by the tears of two lovers.
What was reported
Sete Cidades, on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, is a huge volcanic crater holding two lakes joined by a narrow strait: Lagoa Azul, the blue lake, and Lagoa Verde, the green lake.
Legend says a princess with green eyes fell in love with a shepherd with blue eyes. Her father forbade the marriage, and at their last meeting, they wept so much that their tears formed the two lakes, each the colour of the eyes that cried it. Another legend links the crater to the mythical Seven Cities of the Atlantic.
Explanations offered
The colours come from the different depths and plant life of the lakes and the way they reflect the sky and the green crater walls. The crater was formed by volcanic eruptions, the most recent a few hundred years ago.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Sete Cidades, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
- Witnesses
- Azorean folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Portugal