Trahlyta

Who is Trahlyta?

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.