In the heart of North Sumatra, lived a young man named Toba. He was an orphan and worked tirelessly in the rice fields to sustain his livelihood.

One day, after a long day in the fields, Toba went to the river near his hut to fish, hoping to catch a big fish for his meal.

As he cast his fishing rod into the river, his hook was immediately bitten by a large, strange-looking fish with golden scales.

To his astonishment, the fish he caught transformed into a beautiful woman. She introduced herself as Putri.

Toba, smitten by Putri's beauty, asked for her hand in marriage. Putri agreed, but on the condition that Toba never reveal her secret.

Eventually, Toba and Putri had a son named Samosir. Despite his laziness and mischief, Samosir was adored by his parents.

One day, Samosir was asked to deliver food to his father in the fields. But on his way, Samosir ate most of the food.

When Toba saw the meager leftover, he was infuriated. Out of anger, he called Samosir a 'descendant of a fish'.

Scared and shocked, Samosir ran home and told Putri about the insult. Putri was heartbroken to hear that Toba had broken his promise.

Suddenly, a miracle happened. Water sprouted from the ground where Samosir and Putri stood, and they disappeared.

The water continued to gush, flooding the entire valley. In a short time, Toba's home was submerged, forming a large lake.

The locals named the lake 'Lake Toba', and the small island in the middle 'Samosir Island', in memory of the mother and son.