During the time of the Austro-Hungarian empire, 18th century, many people had their own mines in Roșia Montană, though not many of them where Romanian.
This myth talks about a Romanian mine owner, Mihail Gritta, that lived during the time when Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. He had become frustrated with not finding gold in his mine. Vâlva Albă appeared to him and offered to show him where he should mine though it asked him what he intends to do with the gold. During that time Romanians where far worse off than not having their own gold mine, access to education was also very limited. So Mihail Gritta said he would like to help his Romanian brethren. Vâlva Albă told him that she/it will show him where to mine if he will build seven churches and next to each one a religious school (confessional school).
If you travel through Alba county, around the Apuseni mountains many locals can recount this story, and name churches that he built - five of them are known: Adormirea Maicii Domnului (Roșia Montană), Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril (Bucium Cerbu), Sfânta treime (Mogoș), Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril (Josan), Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril (Gelmar).
Mihail Gritta: was a Romanian philanthropist in the 18th century.
Vâlva Albă : a spirit, a force. Helped Mihail to find gold and in exchange asked for churches and confessional schools to be build.
Vâlva Băii: spirit of the mines
Gold