Voyagers and locals have begun calling their places and countries out of legends and myths throughout generations. Here are five places and the interesting story behind their names.
Mindoro, Philippines. The name of the place was taken from two lovers destined to meet each other, Princess Mina and Doro. The story started when Mina was taking a bath in the forest river when she encountered Doro hunting for a deer that would cure his mother's illness. The two talked for some time and fell in love. But, Doro would be returning home to bring the animal to his mother. He promised to go back and ask Mina's father, the datu, for his permission to marry. Doro did so, but enraged the datu. He was thrown into the river and was eaten by crocodiles. The next morning, while the datu was searching for Mina, the locals saw her body by the river, as she had committed suicide. The people then named the place as Mindoro to remember the two lovers.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Story has it that all this started when a rich lady named Penh, who lived on the outskirts of the town, saw four bronze statues of the Buddha in a washed-up tree near her home after the great flood of the Mekong river. Seeing this as a sign from Buddha, she built the statues a new temple where people can visit them. The temple became famous, and the area is now known as Phnom Penh which means "the hill of the Lady Penh."
Moldova. Who knows a country could be named after a dog fighting a bull? The Roman Prince Dragos had his favorite dog Molda by his side all the time until a hunting mishap had the two animals fight to the death. The bison and Molda both died from the fight, and Dragos became so disheartened that he named most of the area after his dog.
Zagreb, Croatia. A Croatian viceroy led his thirsty soldiers in a desert. Out of anger of their dire situation, he drew his sword to the ground where water surprisingly gushed from the sandy regions. The land was called "za breg" or beyond the hill. After seeing that the water may have come from beyond the hill which is the river bank of the River Sava.
Greenland. The name of the country was coined from Viking Erik the Red who was exiled from Iceland. He settled in the place soon to be called Greenland for several years. After his exile had been lifted up, he wanted to stay in the area and would like to have people in it. But since the place is barren and cold, he thought no one would come and therefore, changed the name to something warm and inviting - Kalaallit Nunaat, or "land of the humans." His planned seemed to work as hundreds of people were enticed to go there. In English, Kalaallit Nunaat means "Greenland."
