In Bulgarian language the name of the lake means the Lake of the Priest. There are two legends about it origin. According to the more popular one, a priest threw himself into the water because the Ottoman Turks had violated his daughter. His cap surfaced and made the little islet in the middle of the lake. The other legend suggests that after the Christianization of Bulgaria in the 9th century, a priest decided to climb the Pirin mountain and expel the Slavic god Perun. He found him but Perun was enraged by his audacity and threw him into the lake. Again, his cap emerged from the water and formed the islet.
