The best parables, stories, legends. For everyone and everything

In the general religious understanding of the ancient Hellenes, there was a variety of cult ideas. All this is confirmed by numerous archaeological excavations and artifacts. It has been proven in which locality one or another god was extolled. For example, Apollo - in Delphi and Delos, in honor of Athena, the capital of Greece, the god of healing Asclepius (son of Apollo) is named - in Epidaurus, Poseidon was respected by the Ionians in the Peloponnese, and so on.

Opened in honor of this shrine of the Greeks: Delphic, Dodonian and Delian. Almost all of them are covered with some kind of mystery, it is deciphered in myths and legends. We will describe the most interesting myths of Ancient Greece (short) below.

The cult of Apollo in Greece and Rome

He was called "four-handed" and "four-eared". Apollo had about a hundred sons. He himself was either five or seven. There are countless monuments in honor of the saint, huge churches named after him, too - are located in Greece, Italy, Turkey. And this is all about HIM: about Apollo - the mythical hero and god of Hellas.

The ancient gods did not have surnames, but Apollo has several of them: Delphic, Rhodes, Belvedere, Pythian. This happened in the territories where his cult grew most.

Two millennia have passed since the inception of the cult, and today they believe in the tale of this handsome man. How did he enter “naive mythology” and why was he invented in the hearts and souls of Greeks and residents of other countries?

Veneration of the son of Zeus originated in Asia Minor two thousand years BC. Initially, the myths portrayed Apollo not as a man, but as a zoomorphic creature (influenced by pre-religious totemism) - a ram. The Dorian version of the origin is also possible. But, as before, an important center of the cult is the Sanctuary in Delphi. In it, the soothsayer uttered all sorts of predictions, according to her instruction, twelve mythical exploits of Apollo's brother, Hercules, took place. From the Hellenic colonies in Italy, the cult of the Greek god took root in Rome.

Apollo myths

God is not alone. Archaeological sources provide information on various sources of its origin. Who were the Apollo: the son of the guardian of Athens, Coribant, Zeus the third and several other fathers. Mythology attributes to Apollo thirty heroes he killed (Achilles), dragons (including Python), cyclops. It was said about him that it could destroy, but it could also help and predict the future.

Mythology spread about Apollo even before his birth, when the supreme goddess Hera learned that from her husband Zeus Leto (Latona) should give birth to a boy (Apollo). With the help of a dragon, she drove the mother-to-be to a deserted island. Apollo and his sister Artemis were born there. They grew up on this island (Delos), where he vowed to destroy the dragon for persecuting his mother.

As described from the ancient myth, the quickly matured Apollo took a bow and arrow in his hands and flew away to where Python lived. The beast crawled out of the terrible gorge and attacked the young man.

He looked like an octopus with a large scaly body. Even the rocks were moving away from him. The disturbed monster attacked the young man. But the arrows did their job.

Python died, Apollo buried him, and the real Temple of Apollo was built here. In his room there was a real priestess-diviner from peasant women. She pronounced divinations allegedly through the mouth of Apollo. Questions were written on tablets and passed on to the temple. They were not fictional, but from real earthly people from different centuries of the existence of this temple. They were found by archaeologists. How the priestess commented on the questions, no one knows.

Narcissus is a mythical hero and a real flower

To paraphrase the ancient sage, we can say: if you have extra money, then do not buy bread in excess of what you can eat; buy a daffodil flower - bread for the body, and he - for the soul.

So the mythical story about the narcissistic young man Narcissus from Ancient Greece grew into the name of a beautiful spring flower.

The Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, took cruel revenge on those who rejected her gifts, who did not submit to her authority. Mythology knows several of these victims. Among those is the young man Narcissus. Proud, he could not love anyone, only himself.

Anger found on the goddess. One spring, while hunting, Narcissus approached a stream - he simply charmed him with the purity of the water, its specularity. But the stream was really special, perhaps also bewitched by Aphrodite. The goddess did not forgive anyone if they did not pay attention to her.

No one drank water from the stream, not even a branch or flower petals could fall into it. So Narcissus was staring at himself. Bent over to kiss my reflection. But there is only cold water.

He forgot about hunting and the desire to drink water. Everyone admires, forgot about food, sleep. And suddenly I woke up: "Did I really love myself so much, but we can't be together?" So he began to suffer that his strength left him. Feels that he will go to the kingdom of darkness. But the young man already believes that death will end his torment of love. He is crying.

Narcissus's head was on the ground. He died. The nymphs were crying in the forest. They dug a grave, followed the body, but it was not. On the grass, where the head of the young man fell, a flower grew. They named him Narcissus.

And the nymph Echo was forever left to suffer in that forest. And she did not respond to anyone else.

Poseidon - Lord of the Seas

Zeus sits in all divine majesty on Mount Olympus, and his brother Poseidon went into the depths of the sea and from there the water boiled, causing trouble on the sailors. If he wants to do this, he takes his main weapon in his hand - a club with a trident.

He has a better palace than his brother on land. And he reigns there with his charming wife Amphitrite, the daughter of the sea god. Together with Poseidon, she rushes through the waters in a chariot harnessed by horses or zoomorphic creatures - tritons.

Poseidon looked after his wife from the waters on the coast of the island of Naxos. But she ran away from him to the handsome Atlas. I could not find the fugitive Poseidon myself. Dolphins helped him and took her to the palace at the bottom of the sea. For this, the sea lord gave the dolphins a constellation in the sky.

Perseus: almost like a good person

Perseus is perhaps one of the few sons of Zeus who did not have negative character traits. As a lover of getting drunk Hercules with his fits of inexplicable anger or Achilles, who did not take into account the interests of others and admired only his own "I".

Perseus was as handsome as a god, brave and dexterous. I have always tried to achieve success. Perseus mythology is as follows. His grandfather, one of the earthly kings, dreamed in a dream that his grandson would bring death to him. Therefore, he hid his daughter in a dungeon behind stones, bronze and castles - away from the men. But all the obstacles for Zeus, who liked Danae, were overwhelming. He penetrated to her through the roof in the form of rain. And a son was born, named Perseus. But the malevolent grandfather nailed the mother and child into the box and sent them to swim in the box on the sea.

The captives still managed to escape on one of the islands, where the waves washed the box to the shore, the fishermen who arrived in time rescued the mother and son. But a man reigned on the island, no better than Father Danae. He began to molest the woman. And so the years passed, now Perseus could stand up for his mother.

The king decided to get rid of the young man, but so as not to incur the wrath of the god Zeus. He cheated by accusing Perseus of undivine origin. To do this, it was necessary to perform a heroic act, for example, to kill the malicious Medusa Gorgon and drag her head to the king's palace.

It really was not only a sea, but also a flying monster that turned into stone those who looked at her. The gods were indispensable here. The son of Zeus was helped. He was presented with a magic sword and a mirror shield. In search of the bogeyman, Perseus went through many countries and through many obstacles set up by his opponents. The nymphs also presented him with things useful on the road.

Finally he reached an abandoned country where the sisters of the same Gorgon lived. Only they could lead the young man to her. The sisters had one eye and one tooth in three. While the younger gorgon was leading with an eye, the others could not do anything. Further across the sky, he flew to the monster. And on the move came across a sleeping jellyfish. Until she woke up, the young man chopped off her head and put it in a bag. And took a course across the sky to his island. So he proved his destiny to the king and, taking his mother, returned to Argos.

Hercules is getting married

Many accomplished feats, slave labor from Queen Omphale took away the strength from Hercules. He wanted a quiet life by the hearth. “It's easy to build a house, but you need a loving wife. So we need to find her, ”the hero was making plans.

Once I remembered a boar hunt near Calydon with a local prince and a meeting with his sister Deianira. And he went to South Aetolia to woo. At this time, Deianira was already being given in marriage, and many suitors gathered.

There was also a river god - a monster that the world had never seen. Deianira's father said that he would give his daughter to the one who conquers God. Only Hercules remained of the suitors, since the others, seeing a rival, changed their minds to marry.

Hercules grabbed his opponent with his hands, but he stood like a rock. And so several times. The result for Hercules was almost ready, as the god turned into a snake. The son of Zeus strangled two snakes while still in the cradle, he coped here too. But the old man became a bull. The hero broke one horn, and he surrendered. The bride became the wife of Hercules.

These are the myths of Ancient Greece.

Instructions

In the north of Moscow in Khovrino there has been an unfinished building resembling a ghost ship for more than a decade. It still instills fear in the residents of this Moscow district, since it has long had a bad reputation. This building is unfinished. Its construction began in 1980, but was never completed. Popularly, this unfinished building was called the Khovrinskaya abandoned hospital and is one of the ten most terrible places in the world! As soon as they do not call the Khovrinskaya unfinished building: the house of horror, and the cradle of nightmares, and even the citadel of darkness.

According to urban legend, the construction of this hospital began on the bones, i.e. in the place where the old abandoned one was once. Many people are sure that this explains all the failures that accompanied the construction process. Old-timers generally say that there used to be a large slough on the site of the abandoned Khovrinskaya hospital. This is evidenced by the fact that at present the foundation of the unfinished construction is sinking lower and lower into the groundwater. The construction of this architectural structure was suspended in 1985. Since the time the last builder left the territory of this building, the Khovrinskaya hospital has been living a life of its own, full of secrets and tragedies.

Another Russian legend is associated with a ghost train and, like the first, is urban. According to legend, every month a strange ghost train rushes along the rails at a breakneck speed in the Moscow metro. According to eyewitnesses, sometimes he makes stops and opens the doors of his cars. People who claimed to have seen the -sign are sure that the silhouette of a machinist dressed in a pre-war construction uniform is clearly visible in its cabin, and all the other cars of this strange train are filled with the souls of builders.

To understand the meaning of this legend, it is necessary to remember exactly how the Moscow metro was built. Its construction began in the 40s of the last century. Old-timers say that it was exhausting and hard work for all those involved in the construction of the Metro Circle Line. The fact is that most of the builders were real prisoners, convicted of various crimes of a political or criminal nature.

Moreover, the construction of this metro was marked by bloody events: at this time, many workers allegedly died on the site. The fact is that from time to time unstable structures collapsed on them, and some people were generally driven into ventilation shafts and walled up without investigation or trial. After a while, at the cost of many human sacrifices, the "bloody" subway was nevertheless completed. In this regard, the legend of the Russian ghost appeared. Until now, people complain that sometimes the phantom of a rusty electric train supposedly scares them. Eyewitnesses say that this train appears always after midnight and only on the Circle Line.

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We're sure many of you still believe in unicorns. It seems wonderful to imagine that they do exist somewhere, and we just haven't found them yet. However, even the myth of such a magical creature has a very prosaic and even somewhat frightening explanation.

If it seems to you that site very skeptical and no longer believes in magic, then at the end of the article you will find a real miracle!

Great flood

Scientists believe that the legend of the Great Flood was based on the memory of major flood, the epicenter of which was Mesopotamia. At the beginning of the last century, during the excavations of the tombs of Ur, a layer of clay was found, which separated two cultural layers. Only a catastrophic flood of the Tigris and Euphrates could lead to the emergence of such a phenomenon.

According to other estimates, for 10-15 thousand years BC. NS. an incredible flood happened in the Caspian, which spilled over an area of ​​about 1 million square meters. km. The version was confirmed after the discovery by scientists in the territory of Western Siberia of sea shells, the nearest distribution area of ​​which is in the Caspian Sea zone. This flood was so powerful that the place of the Bosphorus there was a huge waterfall, through which about 40 cubic meters were poured per day. km of water (200 times the volume of water passing through Niagara Falls). The flow of such power was at least 300 days.

This version seems insane, but in this case it is impossible to accuse the ancient people of exaggerating events!

Giants

In modern Ireland, legends are still told about people of gigantic stature who can create an island by simply throwing a handful of land into the sea. Endocrinologist Martha Korbonitz came up with the idea that ancient traditions may have a scientific basis. Incredibly, the researchers found what they were looking for. A huge number of Irish residents have mutations in the AIP gene... It was these mutations that caused the development of acromegaly and gigantism. If in Great Britain the carrier of the mutation is 1 in 2,000 people, then in the province of Mid-Ulster - every 150th.

One of the famous Irish giants was Charles Byrne (1761-1783), his height was over 230 cm.

Legends, of course, endow the giants with tremendous power, but in fact, not everything is so rosy. People with acromegaly and gigantism often suffer from cardiovascular diseases, vision problems and frequent joint pain. Without treatment, many giants may not live to be 30 years old.

Werewolves

The legend of the werewolves has several origins at once. At first, the life of people has always been associated with the forest. From the deepest antiquity, rock carvings of hybrids of people and animals have come down to us. People wanted to be stronger, they chose a totem animal and wore its skin... On the basis of these beliefs, drugs also worked, which the warriors took before the battle and imagined themselves to be invincible wolves.

Secondly, belief in the existence of werewolves was also supported by the presence in humans of such a genetic disease as hypertrichosis- profuse growth of hair on the body and face, which is called "werewolf syndrome." Only in 1963 did the doctor Lee Illis give the disease a medical justification. In addition to a genetic disease, there was also a mental one, known as lycanthropy, during the attacks of which people lose their minds and lose their human qualities, considering themselves wolves. In addition, there is an exacerbation of the disease in certain lunar phases.

By the way, the wolf from the world famous "Little Red Riding Hood", according to, was none other than a werewolf. And he did not eat his grandmother, but fed it to his granddaughter.

Vampires

As for the scientific substantiation of these myths, in 1914 the paleontologist Otenio Abel suggested that the finds in antiquity of the skulls of dwarf elephants caused the birth of the myth of the cyclops, since the central nasal opening is easily mistaken for a giant eye socket... It is curious that these elephants were found precisely on the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus, Malta, Crete.

Sodom and Gomorrah

We don't know about you, but we have always thought that Sodom and Gomorrah are a very large-scale myth and rather a kind of personification of vicious cities. However, this is a completely historical fact.

For a decade, an ancient city has been excavated at Tell el-Hammam in Jordan. Archaeologists believe they have found the biblical Sodom... The approximate location of the city has always been known - the Bible described the "Sodom Pentapolis" in the Jordan Valley. However, its exact location has always raised questions.

In 2006, excavations began, and scientists found a large ancient settlement surrounded by a powerful rampart. According to researchers, people lived here between 3500 and 1540 BC. NS. There is no other version of the name of the city, otherwise the mention of such a large settlement would have remained in written sources.

Kraken

The Kraken is a legendary mythical sea monster of gigantic proportions, a cephalopod mollusk, known from the descriptions of sailors. The first extensive description was made by Eric Pontoppidan - he wrote that the kraken is an animal "the size of a floating island." According to him, the monster is able to grab a large ship with its tentacles and drag it to the bottom, but the whirlpool that occurs when the kraken quickly sinks to the bottom is much more dangerous. It turns out that a sad end is inevitable - both in the case when the monster attacks, and when he escapes from you. Really creepy!

The rationale for the "creepy monster" myth is simple: giant squids exist to this day and reach 16 meters in length. They really represent an impressive sight - in addition to suckers, some species also have claws-teeth on the tentacles, but they can only threaten someone by pressing it down from above. Even if a modern man, having met such a creature, is very frightened, what can we say about medieval fishermen - for them the giant squid was definitely a mythical monster.

Unicorn

When it comes to unicorns, we immediately imagine a graceful creature with a rainbow horn in its forehead. Interestingly, they are found in the legends and myths of many cultures. The earliest images are found in India and are over 4,000 years old. Later, the myth spread throughout the continent and reached Ancient Rome, where they were considered absolutely real animals.

Jindo in South Korea. Here the waters between the islands part for an hour, opening a wide and long road! Scientists attribute this miracle to the time difference between ebb and flow.

Of course, many tourists come there - in addition to simple walks, they have the opportunity to see the sea inhabitants who remained on the land that opened up. The amazing thing about the Moses Trail is that it leads from the mainland to the island.

Among the main gods, the Egyptians especially singled out a married couple - Osiris and Isis. Osiris was revered for the fact that he taught the Egyptians various crafts, healing, showed how to build cities and houses, grow cereals and grapes. Isis was the goddess of fertility. Women approached her with the help of ...

In all the myths we know, it is said that the earth was created by some kind of creator. In some countries, god was considered the creator, in others - some animal. In the myths of many Asian peoples, for example in Indian myths, the earth is created by a heavenly being that descended from the sky. She is l ...

When God created heaven and earth, then far to the east, he planted a wonderful Garden of Eden. And he called it Eden. Eden grew orange trees, apple trees, grapes, dates, bananas. And there were many more amazing trees and flowers. Eden was eternal spring. Roses bloomed, the river murmured in ...

Gilgamesh is a real historical person, he lived at the end of the XXVII - the beginning of the XXVI century. BC e. Gilgamesh was the ruler of the city of Uruk in Sumer. He began to be considered a deity only after death. It was said that he was two-thirds a god, only one-third a man, and ruled for almost 126 years. Sleep ...

The beautiful daughters of Sultan Salim were orphaned early. The eldest, the impregnable Mahiman Bano, became the ruler, and the people regretted that the youngest, whom people called Shirin, which means Sweet, did not get the throne. Only one circumstance reconciled the people with the ruling ...

Hercules was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Hera, the wife of Zeus, could not come to terms with the birth of Hercules. Once she sent two terrible snakes to the cradle of Hercules, but an unusual child strangled them. Hercules grew up strong and agile, but distinguished by a wayward nature. To about ...

The Carpathians are a reserved land, a kingdom of pristine nature. Plants and animals, which have long become rare and disappearing, have found refuge under the canopy of centuries-old beech forests. One of the most picturesque corners of the Carpathian nature is the alpine lake Synevyr. The blue surface of the water, steep banks, overgrown ...

It was so long ago that no one remembers when it was. They say, however, that in those days all people spoke the same language and everyone understood each other, and people wanted to leave a memory of themselves forever. - Let's all get together and build a high tower! ...

When people settled the land, they first learned to sow grain, and then began to grow grapes and make wine from it. And when they drank wine, they became stupid and angry, offended the weak, praised themselves and deceived Each other. God looked at people, and he was ...

In the Middle Ages, Western Europe was Christian, but its legend is still associated with the myths of pagan times. In legends, information about real historical events has reached us, but these events have been changed and decorated. The legend is sometimes based on myth, but more often it includes in ...

In ancient times, people did not know about fire, they lived in caves, hunted with clubs and stones, and ate everything raw ... At that time, life on Olympus was going on to the full using fire. Once Prometheus stole the spark of the sacred fire from Olympus and presented it to people. The fire went on in ...

The world arose out of Chaos. Chaos in translation from Greek means "mouth", "empty length". According to one version of the myth, Gaia (mother earth) emerged from Chaos. She created Uranus (sky). Uranus and Gaia became husband and wife, and titans were born to them. One of the titans, Kronos, the sentiments of others ...

One of the most terrible monsters in the mythology of Ancient Egypt was Apop (APEP) - a giant underground serpent. Every night he fought the sun god Ra. Every day Ra sailed over the world in the sky in a boat, which was called the Boat of Millions of Years. Ra illuminated Egypt - a country that ...

Sometimes the truth is more incredible than fiction. But people seem to gravitate more towards myths and mysteries than truth. Legends are amazing and fascinating, especially when it comes to famous places or personalities. This article will tell you about ten popular sights and amazing legends associated with them.

Sphinx

Experts agreed on only a few facts about the Great Sphinx of Giza: it is one of the largest and oldest statues in the world, as well as a creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man similar to the Egyptian pharaoh. The rest comes down to speculation and beliefs.

The legend about the prince of Egypt Thutmose, the grandson of Thutmose III, a descendant of Queen Hatshepsut, is a favorite story of the admirers of the Sphinx. The young man was the joy of his father, which aroused the jealousy of his relatives. Someone even plotted to kill him.

Due to family troubles, Thutmose spent more and more time away from home - in Upper Egypt and the desert. He was a strong and dexterous guy and enjoyed hunting and archery. Once, as usual, while he was away his leisure time, hunting down a wild beast, the prince left behind two of his servants, languishing from the heat, and went to pray to the pyramids.

He stopped in front of the Sphinx, in those days known as Harmahis - the god of the rising sun. A massive stone statue up to its shoulders was covered with sand. Thutmose looked at the Sphinx, begging to relieve him of all his problems. Suddenly, the huge statue came to life, and a thunderous voice came from its mouth.

The Sphinx asked Thutmose to free him from the sand pulling down. The eyes of the mythical creature burned so brightly that, looking into them, the prince fell unconscious. When he woke up, the day was drawing to a close. Thutmose slowly rose to his feet in front of the Sphinx and swore an oath to him. He promised that he would cleanse the statue of the sand covering it and immortalize the memory of this incident in stone if he becomes the next pharaoh. And the young man kept his word.

A fairy tale with a good ending or a true story - Thutmose actually became the next ruler of Egypt, and his problems were far behind. The story gained popularity only 150 years ago, when archaeologists cleared the sand from the Sphinx and discovered a stone tablet between its paws describing the legend of Prince Thutmose and his oath to the Great Sphinx of Giza.

The great Wall of China

The tale of tragic love is just one of the many legends of the Great Wall of China. But Meng Jiannyu's story - perhaps the saddest of them all - can move from the very first lines. It talks about the Meng spouses who lived next door to another couple named Jiang. Both families were happy but childless. So, as usual, the years passed until the Maines decided to plant a pumpkin vine in their garden. The plant grew rapidly and bore fruit outside the Jiang fence.

As good friends, the neighbors agreed to share the pumpkin equally. Imagine their surprise when, having cut it, they saw a baby inside. A tiny, lovely girl. As before, the two amazed couples decided to share the responsibility of raising a baby named Meng Jiannyu.

Their daughter grew up to be a very beautiful girl. She married a young man named Fan Xilian. However, the young man was hiding from the authorities, who tried to force him to join the construction of the Great Wall. And, unfortunately, he could not hide forever: just three days after their wedding, Silyan was forced to join other workers.

For a whole year, Meng waited for her husband's return, without receiving any news of his health or the progress of construction. One day Fan dreamed of her in a disturbing dream, and the girl, unable to bear the silence any longer, went in search of him. She traveled a long way, crossing rivers, hills and mountains, and reached the wall, only to hear that Silyan had died of exhaustion and was resting at its foot.

Maine could not contain her grief and cried for three days in a row, due to which part of the structure collapsed. The emperor, who heard about this, considered that the girl should be punished, but as soon as he saw her beautiful face, he immediately changed his anger to mercy and asked for her hand in marriage. She agreed, but on condition that the ruler would fulfill her three requests. Meng wished to declare mourning for Silyan (including for the emperor and his servants). The young widow asked for her husband's funeral and expressed her need to see the sea.

Meng Jiangyu never remarried. After attending the funeral ceremony for Fan, she committed suicide by throwing herself into the depths of the sea.

Another version of the legend says that the grieving girl cried until the wall collapsed and the remains of the dead workers appeared from the ground. Knowing that somewhere below her husband was lying, Meng cut her hand and watched as the blood dripped on the bones of the dead. Suddenly, she began to flock around one skeleton, and Meng realized that she had found Silyan. Then the widow buried him and took his own life by jumping into the ocean.

Forbidden City

In the past, the average tourist never had a chance to get to the Forbidden City. And if he could penetrate the walls, he would leave their heads. Literally. This ancient palace complex is the largest in the world and the only one of its kind. During the reign of the Qing dynasty, it was closed to the public.For more than 500 years, only the emperors and their entourage saw the city from the inside.

At least today, guests are allowed to explore the site and listen to the legends associated with it. One of them tells that the four watchtowers of the Forbidden City appeared in a dream.

Allegedly, during the Ming dynasty, the city was surrounded only by high walls, without a hint of towers. Emperor Yongle, who reigned in the 15th century, once had a vivid dream about his residence. He dreamed of the fantastic watchtowers that adorn the fortress in the corners. Waking up, the master immediately ordered his builders to make the dream come true.

According to legend, after the failed attempts of two detachments of workers (and their subsequent execution by beheading), the foreman of the third group of builders was very nervous, getting to work. But by modeling the tower on the model of the cage for grasshoppers he had seen, he managed to make Vladyka happy.

He also tried to include the number nine, the symbol of the nobility, in the design to please the emperor even more. They say the old man who sold the cricket cages that inspired the watchtowers was Lu Ban, the mythological patron saint of all Chinese carpenters.

Niagara Falls

The Maiden of the Mist legend may have inspired the name for the Niagara Falls river cruise. As with most legends, there are different versions of it.

The most famous - tells about an Indian girl named Lelavala, sacrificed to the gods. To appease them, she was thrown from Niagara Falls. The original version of the legend says that Lelavala sailed down the river in a canoe, and she was accidentally carried away downstream.

The girl was saved from certain death by Hinum, the god of thunder, who finally taught her how to defeat a huge snake that lived in the river. Lelavala conveyed a message to her tribesmen, and they declared war on the monster. Many believe that Niagara Falls acquired its present form as a result of subsequent battles between humans and the monster.

Incorrectly retold versions of this legend have appeared in print since the 17th century, many attributed some errors to Robert Cavelier de La Salle, a European explorer of North America. He claimed that he visited the Iroquois tribe and witnessed the sacrifice of a virgin - the daughter of the leader, and at the very last minute the unfortunate father fell victim to his own conscience and fell into the watery abyss after the girl. So Lelavala was named the Lady of the Mist.

However, Robert's wife opposed her own husband and accused him of portraying the Iroquois people so ignorant only in order to appropriate their land.

Devil's Peak and Table Mountain

Devil's Peak is an infamous mountainside in South Africa. He saw a lot, he could tell so much: including the wonderful legend of how fog rises from the ocean and envelops the summit along with Table Mountain. Cape Towners and other South Africans still tell this tale to their children and grandchildren.

In the 1700s, a pirate named Jan van Hanks decided to leave his dashing past behind and settled in Cape Town. He married and built a family nest at the foot of the mountain. Jan loved to smoke a pipe, but his wife hated this habit and chased him out of the house whenever he took up tobacco.

Van Hanks got into the habit of going to the mountains to smoke quietly in nature. One perfectly ordinary day, as always, he climbed the slope, but found a stranger in his favorite place. Jan did not see the man's face, since he was covered with wide hat brims, and he was dressed in all black.

Before the former sailor could say anything, the strange man greeted him by name. Van Hanks sat down next to him and started a conversation that smoothly turned to the topic of smoking. Jan often bragged about how much tobacco he could handle, and this conversation was no exception after a stranger asked the pirate to smoke.

He told van Hanks that he could easily smoke more than him, and they immediately decided to check it out - to compete.

Huge puffs of smoke surrounded the men, swallowed the mountains - suddenly the stranger began to cough. The hat fell from his head and Ian gasped. Before him was Satan himself. Angry that a mere mortal had exposed him, the devil was transported along with van Hanks in an unknown direction, flashing a flash of lightning.

Now, every time Devil's Peak and Table Mountain are covered with fog, people say that it is Van Hanks and the Prince of Darkness who have taken their places on the slope again and compete in smoking.

Mount Etna

Etna - Located on the east coast of Sicily, one of the highest active volcanoes in Europe. The first recorded revival took place in 1500 BC. e., and since then he has spat fire at least 200 times. During the eruption of 1669, which lasted four whole months, lava covered 12 villages and destroyed the surrounding areas.

According to Greek legend, the source of volcanic activity is none other than a 100-headed monster (dragon-like) that spews columns of flame from one of its mouths when angry. Apparently, this is a huge monster - Typhon, the son of Gaia, the goddess of the Earth. He was a rather naughty child, and Zeus sent him to live under Mount Etna. Therefore, from time to time, Typhon's wrath takes the form of boiling magma shooting straight into the heavens.

Another version tells about the terrible one-eyed giant Cyclops, who lived inside the mountain. One day Odysseus arrived at its foot to fight with a mighty creature. Cyclops tried to pacify the king of Ithaca, throwing huge boulders from the top, but the cunning hero managed to get to the giant and win by thrusting a spear into his only eye. The defeated big man disappeared into the bowels of the mountain. Further, the legend says that the crater of Etna is in reality the wounded eye of the Cyclops, and the lava splashing out of it is a drop of the giant's blood.

Alley of baobabs

The island of Madagascar resonates with many people around the world, and it's not just lemurs. The main local attraction is the delightful Baobab Avenue, located on the west coast. "Mother of the Forest" - 25 huge trees lined on both sides of the dirt road. This is where the indigenous inhabitants of the island are, in all respects, and the largest representatives of their species! Naturally, their amazing location has given rise to many legends and myths.

One of them says that the baobabs tried to escape while God was creating them, so he decided to plant the plants upside down. This might explain their root-like branches. Others tell a completely different story. Allegedly, the trees were originally unusually beautiful. But they became proud and began to boast of their superiority, for which God immediately turned them upside down so that only their roots became visible. It is said that this is the reason why baobabs bloom and release leaves for only a few weeks a year.

Myth or not, six varieties of these plants are found only in Madagascar. However, deforestation is a serious threat even against the background of all the activities and efforts being made there, aimed at protecting and restoring forests. If more is not done to protect them, the protagonists of these legends may disappear, most likely forever.

Giant's path

The unintentional creation of the Giant's Causeway, located in Northern Ireland, is what can happen if you get involved in a fight with a giant. At least, the legend convinces us of this. While scientists believe that basalt pillars in the form of regular hexagons are a 60 million year old lava accumulation, the legend of Benandonner, the Scottish giant, sounds a little more intriguing.

It tells about the Irish brute Finn McCool and his long-standing feud with the Scottish big guy Benandonner. One fine day, two giants started another squabble across the North Strait - Finn got so angry that he grabbed a handful of earth and threw it at his hated neighbor. A lump of mud landed in the water and is now known as the Isle of Man, and the place where McCool rests is called Lough Nei.

The war flared up, and Finn McCool decided to build a bridge for Benandonner (the Scottish giant could not swim). Thus, they could meet and fight, resolve the old dispute - who is the bigger giant. After the construction of the pavement, tired Finn fell asleep soundly.

While he was sleeping, his wife heard a deafening rumble and realized that it was the sound of the footsteps of the approaching Benandonner. When he arrived at the couple's house, Finn's wife was horrified - her husband's death came, because he turned out to be much smaller than his neighbor. A resourceful woman, she quickly wrapped a large blanket around McCool and put the largest cap she could find over his head. Then she opened the front door.

Benandonner yelled into the house for Finn to come out, but the woman hissed and said that he would wake her "baby". Legend has it that when the Scotsman saw the size of the "child", he did not wait for his father to appear. The giant immediately ran back home, destroying the passage through the strait on the way so that no one could follow him.

Mount fuji

Mount Fuji is a huge volcano in Japan. It is not only a major attraction, but also an important part of Japanese culture - the theme of many songs, movies and, of course, myths and legends. The story of the first eruption is considered the oldest legend in the country.

An elderly bamboo gatherer was carrying out his daily task when he came across something very unusual. A tiny baby the size of a thumb was staring at him from the trunk of a plant he had just cut. Struck by the beauty of the baby, the old man took her home to raise her with his wife as his own daughter.

Soon after the incident, Taketori (that was the name of the collector) began to make other surprising discoveries while working. Every time he cut a bamboo stem, he found a gold nugget inside. His family became rich very quickly. The little girl has grown into a young woman of stunning beauty. The adoptive parents eventually learned that her name was Kaguya-hime and she was sent to Earth from the Moon to protect against the raging war there.

Because of her beauty, the girl received several marriage proposals, including from the emperor himself, but rejected them all, as she sought to return home to the moon. When her people finally arrived for her, the ruler of Japan was so miserable at the imminent separation that he sent his army to fight the Kaguya's own family. However, the bright moonlight blinded them.

As a parting gift, Kaguya-hime (which means "moon princess") sent the emperor a letter and an elixir of immortality, which he did not accept. In turn, he wrote her a letter and ordered the servants to climb the highest mountain peak in Japan and burn it along with the elixir, in the hope that they will reach the moon.

However, the only thing that happened during the execution of the order of the sovereign on Fujiyama was a fire that could not be extinguished. So, according to legend, Mount Fuji became a volcano.

Yosemite

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, USA is a challenge when it comes to climbing, but it is also considered a favorite with hikers and climbers. When the Native Americans lived here, they called it the Broken Mountain. At some point, as a result of repeated glaciation and thawing of the rock, most of the rock separated from it - so it acquired its present appearance.

The origins of the Half Dome have become the subject of a wonderful legend, still passed down by word of mouth, and they are all called "Tales of Tis-sa-ak." Tradition also explains the unusual face-shaped silhouette that can be seen on one side of the mountain.

The legend tells of an elderly Indian woman and her wife who traveled to the Auani Valley. Throughout the journey, the lady carried a heavy wicker basket of reeds, while her husband simply brandished his cane. This was the custom in those days, and no one would have thought it strange that a man was in no hurry to help his wife.

By the time they reached the mountain lake, a woman named Tis-sa-ak was thirsty, tired of her heavy burden and the scorching sun. Therefore, she, without wasting a second, rushed to the water to drink.

When her husband came there, he was horrified to find that his wife had drained the whole lake. But then everything only worsened: due to the lack of water, a drought hit the area, and all the greenery dried up. The man got so angry that he swung his cane at his wife.

Tis-sa-ak burst into tears and ran with a basket in her hands. At some point, she turned around to throw a basket at her husband who was pursuing her. And when their gaze met, the Great Spirit who lived in the valley turned both of them to stone.

Today the couple are known as Half Dome and Washington Colum. They say that if you look closely at the mountainside, you can see a woman's face, on which tears silently flow.