Many legends but also folk songs refer to the presence of dragons in
the region round the villages of Zagori since the very old years. The
best-known legend is the one that refers to the two small lakes, which
are characteristically called "Drakolimnes" (Dragon Lakes). The first is
situated in Mount Smolikas and the second in Gamila. The legend speaks
of the fight of the two dragons that lived in the deep water of the lakes.
The one flew trees from Smolikas and the other threw rocks from wild
Gamila. This fable must derive from the presence of the rare amphibian
Triturus alpestris that lives in the water of the lakes and resembles
enough with a small dragon.
The figure of Katsantonis, a brave warrior that lived
and acted in the end of the 18th and beginning of the
19th century is known from folklore tradition. He was a
courageous man who fought Ali Pasha and his men with
all the means he had, since it was because of him that
he lost his family and fortune. He dominated in the
untrodden mountains round the villages of Zagori and
they could not catch him in any way. The legend has
connected him with the monastery of Saint Paraskevi,
which is found in the village Monodendri. They say
that he escaped from the trapdoor of the monastery
every time the men of Ali Pasha chased him and
came close to his traces. According to the tradition,
the end of Katsantonis was horrible. After he was
finally caught, they dragged him in Ioannina, where
he died after Ali Pasha put somebody to crumble
his bones with a hammer.