The best myths. Category: Legends
Akhtamar (Armenian legend).
A long time ago, in time immemorial, King Artashez had a beautiful daughter named Tamar. Tamar's eyes shone like stars in the night, and her skin turned white like snow on the mountains. Her laughter gurgled and rang like the water of a spring. The fame of her beauty spread everywhere. And the king of Media sent matchmakers to king Artashez, and the king of Syria, and many kings and princes. And King Artashez began to fear that someone would come for the beauty with war, or that an evil vishap would kidnap the girl before he decided who to give his daughter as a wife.
And then the king ordered to build a golden palace for his daughter on an island in the middle of Lake Van, which has long been called the “Sea of Nairi”, it is so great. And he gave her only women and girls as servants, so that no one would disturb the beauty’s peace. But the king did not know, just as other fathers before him did not know, and other fathers after him would not know, that Tamar’s heart was no longer free. And she gave him not to the king or the prince, but to the poor azat, who had nothing in the world except beauty, strength and courage. Who remembers now what his name was? And Tamar managed to exchange a look and a word, an oath and a kiss with the young man.
But then the waters of Van lay between the lovers.
Tamar knew that by order of her father, guards were watching day and night to see if the boat was sailing from the shore to the forbidden island. Her lover knew this too. And one evening, wandering in longing along the shore of Van, he saw a distant fire on the island. Small as a spark, he fluttered in the darkness, as if trying to say something. And looking into the distance, the young man whispered:
Distant fire, are you sending me your light?
Isn’t it you, dear beauties, hello?
And the light, as if answering him, flashed brighter.
Then the young man realized that his beloved was calling him. If you swim across the lake at nightfall, not a single guard will notice the swimmer. The fire on the shore will serve as a beacon so as not to get lost in the dark.
And the lover threw himself into the water and swam to the distant world, to where the beautiful Tamar was waiting for him.
He swam for a long time in the cold dark waters, but the scarlet flower of fire instilled courage in his heart.
And only the bashful sister of the sun Lusin, looking out from behind the clouds from the dark sky, witnessed the meeting of the lovers.
They spent the night together, and the next morning the young man set off again on his way back.
So they began to meet every night. In the evening, Tamar lit a fire on the shore so that her lover could see where to swim. And the light of the flame served the young man as a talisman against the dark waters that open the gates to the underground worlds at night, inhabited by water spirits hostile to man.
Who remembers now how long or short the lovers managed to keep their secret?
But one day the king's servant saw a young man in the morning returning from the lake. His wet hair was matted and dripping with water, and his happy face seemed tired. And the servant suspected the truth.
And that same evening, shortly before dusk, the servant hid behind a stone on the shore and began to wait. And he saw how a distant fire was lit on the island, and heard a light splash with which the swimmer entered the water.
The servant saw everything and hurried to the king in the morning.
King Artashez was fiercely angry. The king was angry that his daughter dared to love him, and even more angry that she fell in love not with one of the powerful kings who asked for her hand, but with a poor azat!
And the king ordered his servants to be ready at the shore with a fast boat. And when darkness began to fall, the king’s people swam to the island. When they had sailed more than half the way, a red fire flower bloomed on the island. And the king's servants leaned on the oars, hurrying.
Coming ashore, they saw the beautiful Tamar, dressed in gold-embroidered clothes, anointed with fragrant oils. From under her multi-colored cap, curls as black as agate fell onto her shoulders. The girl sat on a carpet spread on the shore, and fed the fire from her hands with branches of a magical juniper. And in her smiling eyes, small fires burned like in the dark waters of Van.
Seeing the uninvited guests, the girl jumped to her feet in fright and exclaimed:
You, your father's servants! Kill me!
I pray for one thing - don’t put out the fire!
And the royal servants were glad to take pity on the beauty, but they were afraid of the wrath of Artashez. They roughly grabbed the girl and dragged her away from the fire, into the golden palace. But first they let her see how the fire died, trampled and scattered by rough boots.
Tamar cried bitterly, breaking away from the hands of the guards, and the death of the fire seemed to her the death of her loved one.
And so it was. The young man was halfway along the path when the light that had beckoned him went out. And the dark waters pulled him into the depths, filling his soul with cold and fear. The darkness lay before him and he did not know where to swim in the darkness.
For a long time he struggled with the black will of the water spirits. Every time the exhausted swimmer’s head emerged from the water, his gaze pleadingly searched for a red firefly in the darkness. But he did not find it, and again he swam at random, and the water spirits circled him, leading him astray. And finally the young man was exhausted.
“Ah, Tamar!” - he whispered, last time emerging from the water. Why didn’t you save the fire of our love? Was it really my fate to sink into the dark waters, and not fall on the battlefield, as a warrior should!? Oh, Tamar, what an unkind death this is! He wanted to say this, but he couldn’t. He only had the strength to exclaim one thing: “Oh, Tamar!”
“Ah, Tamar!” – the echo picked up the voice of the kaji, the spirits of the wind, and flew over the waters of Van. “Ah, Tamar!”
And the king ordered the beautiful Tamar to be imprisoned forever in her palace.
In grief and sorrow, she mourned her lover until the end of her days, without removing the black scarf from her loose hair.
Many years have passed since then - everyone remembers their sad love.
And the island on Lake Van has been called Akhtamar since then.
Very interesting legends and parables!
One day, little Fish heard a story from someone that there was an Ocean - a beautiful, majestic, powerful, fantastic place, and she became so eager to go there, to see everything with her own eyes, that it actually became the goal, the meaning of her life. And only The fish grew up and immediately set off to swim and search for that same Ocean. The Fish swam for a long, long time, until finally when asked: “How far is it from the Ocean?” they answered: “Darling, you are in it. It’s all around you!” “
“Ugh, nonsense,” Rybka grimaced, “there’s only water around me, and I’m looking for the Ocean...
Moral: sometimes in pursuit of certain “ideals” we do not notice obvious things!!!
And do you believe?
Believing Child: No, no! I don't know exactly what our life will look like after giving birth, but in any case, we will see mom and she will take care of us.
Unbeliever baby: Mom? Do you believe in mom? And where is it located?
Believing baby: She is everywhere around us, we abide in her and thanks to her we move and live, without her we simply cannot exist.
Unbeliever Child: Complete nonsense! I didn't see any mother, so it's obvious that she simply doesn't exist.
Believing Child: I can’t agree with you. After all, sometimes, when everything around is quiet, you can hear her sing and feel how she strokes our world. I firmly believe that our real life will begin only after childbirth. And do you believe?
And do you believe?
Two babies are talking in the belly of a pregnant woman. One of them is a believer, the other is an unbeliever. Unbeliever baby: Do you believe in life after childbirth?
Believing Child: Yes, of course. Everyone understands that life after childbirth exists. We are here to become strong enough and ready for what awaits us next.
Unbeliever Child: This is nonsense! There can be no life after childbirth! Can you imagine what such a life might look like?
Believing Child: I don't know all the details, but I believe that there will be more light there, and that maybe we will walk on our own and eat with our mouths.
Unbeliever Child: What nonsense! It’s impossible to walk and eat with your mouth! This is absolutely funny! We have an umbilical cord that nourishes us. You know, I want to tell you: it is impossible for there to be life after childbirth, because our life - the umbilical cord - is already too short.
Believing Child: I'm sure it's possible. Everything will just be a little different. One can imagine this.
Unbeliever baby: But no one has ever returned from there! Life simply ends with childbirth. And in general, life is one big suffering in the dark.
PRICE OF TIME
The story actually has a subtext: instead of dad there can be mom, and instead of work there can be the Internet, and the telephone and... everyone has their own!
Let's not repeat the mistakes of others
One day, one man returned home late from work, tired and nervous as always, and saw that his five-year-old son was waiting for him at the door.
- Dad, can I ask you something?
- Of course, what happened?
- Dad, how much do you get?
- It's none of your business! - the father was indignant. - And then, why do you need this?
- I just want to know. Please, tell me, how much do you get per hour?
- Well, actually, 500. So what?
“Dad,” the son looked up at him with very serious eyes. - Dad, can you borrow me 300?
- Did you ask just so that I would give you money for some stupid toy? - he shouted. - Immediately go to your room and go to bed!.. You can’t be so selfish! I work all day, I’m terribly tired, and you’re acting so stupid.
The kid quietly went to his room and closed the door behind him. And his father continued to stand in the doorway and get angry at his son’s requests. How dare he ask me about my salary and then ask for money?
But after some time, he calmed down and began to think sensibly: Maybe he really needs to buy something very important. To hell with them, with three hundred, he’s never even once asked me for money. When he entered the nursery, his son was already in bed.
-Are you awake, son? - he asked.
- No, dad. “I’m just lying,” the boy answered.
“I think I answered you too rudely,” said the father. - I had a hard day and I just lost it. I'm sorry. Here, have the money you asked for.
The boy sat up in bed and smiled.
- Oh, dad, thank you! - he exclaimed joyfully.
He then reached under the pillow and pulled out several more crumpled bills. His father, seeing that the child already had money, became angry again. And the baby put all the money together and carefully counted the bills, and then looked at his father again.
- Why did you ask for money if you already have it? - he grumbled.
- Because I didn't have enough. But now that’s just enough for me,” the child answered.
- Dad, there are exactly five hundred here. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early from work tomorrow, I want you to have dinner with us.
BEING A MOTHER
We were sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentioned that she and her husband were thinking about “starting a full-time family.”
- We're conducting a survey here. public opinion“, she said jokingly. - Do you think maybe I should have a child?
“This will change your life,” I said, trying not to show my emotions.
“I know,” she responded. “And you won’t sleep on the weekend, and you won’t really go on vacation.”
But that was not at all what I had in mind. I looked at my daughter, trying to formulate my words more clearly. I wanted her to understand something that no prenatal class would teach her.
I wanted to tell her that the physical wounds of childbirth would heal very quickly, but motherhood would give her a bleeding emotional wound that would never heal. I wanted to warn her that from now on she would never be able to read a newspaper without asking herself, “What if this happened to my child?” That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her. That when she looks at photographs of children dying of hunger, she will think that there is nothing worse in the world than the death of your child.
I looked at her manicured nails and stylish suit and thought that no matter how sophisticated she was, motherhood would lower her to the primitive level of a mother bear protecting her cub. What an alarmed cry of “Mom!” will make her throw away everything without regret - from the soufflé to the best crystal glass.
I felt like I should warn her that no matter how many years she put into her job, her career would suffer significantly after having a baby. She can hire a nanny, but one day she will go to an important business meeting, but she will think about the sweet smell of a baby's head. And it would take all her willpower not to run home just to find out that her baby was okay.
I wanted my daughter to know that the bullshit everyday problems will never be bullshit to her anymore. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room at McDonald's would be a huge dilemma. That there, among the rattling trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender will stand on one side of the scale, and the fear that there may be a child rapist in the toilet will be on the other.
As I looked at my attractive daughter, I wanted to tell her that she could lose the weight she gained during pregnancy, but she would never be able to shake off motherhood and be the same. That her life, so important to her now, will no longer be so significant after the birth of the child. That she will forget about herself at the moment when it is necessary to save her offspring, and that she will learn to hope for fulfillment - oh no! not your dream! - the dreams of your children.
I wanted her to know that a C-section scar or stretch marks would be badges of honor for her. That her relationship with her husband will change and not at all in the way she thinks. I would like her to understand how much you can love a man who gently sprinkles powder on your baby and who never refuses to play with him. I think she'll learn what it's like to fall in love again for a reason that now seems completely unromantic to her.
I wanted my daughter to be able to feel the connection between all the women on earth who tried to stop wars, crimes and drunk driving.
I wanted to describe to my daughter the feeling of delight that a mother gets when she sees her child learning to ride a bike. I wanted to capture for her the laughter of a baby touching the soft fur of a puppy or kitten for the first time. I wanted her to feel a joy so intense it could hurt.
My daughter's surprised look made me realize that tears were welling up in my eyes.
“You will never regret this,” I finally said. Then I reached across the table to her, squeezed her hand and mentally prayed for her, for myself and for all mortal women who devote themselves to this most wonderful of callings.
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We are sure that many of you still believe in unicorns. It seems wonderful to imagine that they still exist somewhere, and we just haven’t found them yet. However, even the myth about such a magical creature has a very prosaic and even somewhat frightening explanation.
If you feel like website If you are very skeptical and no longer believe in magic, then at the end of the article a real miracle awaits you!
Great Flood
Scientists believe that the legend of the Great Flood is based on the memory of major flood, the epicenter of which was Mesopotamia. At the beginning of the last century, during excavations of the tombs of Ur, a layer of clay was found that separated two cultural layers. Only a catastrophic flood of the Tigris and Euphrates could lead to the appearance of such a phenomenon.
According to other estimates, 10–15 thousand years BC. e. An incredible flood happened in the Caspian Sea, which spilled over an area of about 1 million square meters. km. The version was confirmed after scientists found sea shells in Western Siberia, the closest distribution area of which is in the Caspian Sea. This flood was so powerful that there was a huge waterfall on the Bosphorus, through which approximately 40 cubic meters were poured per day. km of water (200 times the volume of water passing through Niagara Falls). There was a flow of this power for at least 300 days.
This version seems crazy, but in this case, ancient people cannot be accused of exaggerating events!
Giants
In modern Ireland, legends are still told about people of gigantic stature who can create an island simply by throwing a handful of earth into the sea. Endocrinologist Martha Korbonitz came up with the idea that ancient legends could have a scientific basis. Incredibly, the researchers found what they were looking for. A huge number of people in Ireland have mutations in the AIP gene. It was these mutations that caused the development of acromegaly and gigantism. If in the UK the mutation carrier is 1 in 2,000 people, then in the province of Mid-Ulster it is every 150th.
One of the famous Irish giants was Charles Byrne (1761–1783), his height was over 230 cm.
Legends, of course, endow giants with enormous power, but in reality, not everything is so rosy. People with acromegaly and gigantism often suffer from cardiovascular diseases, vision problems and frequent pain in the joints. Without treatment, many giants may not live to see 30 years of age.
Werewolves
The legend about werewolves has several origins. Firstly, people's lives have always been connected with the forest. Rock paintings of hybrids of humans and animals have reached us from ancient times. People wanted to be stronger, they chose a totem animal and wore its skin. These beliefs were also the basis for the narcotic drugs that warriors took before battle and imagined themselves to be invincible wolves.
Secondly, the belief in the existence of werewolves was also supported by the presence in people of such a genetic disease as hypertrichosis- excessive growth of hair on the body and face, which was called “werewolf syndrome.” It was only in 1963 that doctor Lee Illis gave the disease a medical basis. In addition to the genetic disease, there was also a mental disease known as lycanthropy, during attacks of which people lose their minds and lose their human qualities, considering themselves wolves. In addition, there is an exacerbation of the disease during 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 didn’t eat the grandmother, but fed it to her granddaughter.
Vampires
The theory about the connection between dinosaur and dragon bones is confirmed in Mongolia. There's different geographical names the word "dragon" is present. This is due to the fact that in some areas of the Gobi Desert, dinosaur bones can be easily found by anyone because they lie on the surface of the earth's layers. There are many of them even now, so much so that excavations are carried out illegally all the time.
An important detail: in Africa there are no such myths, as well as access to dinosaur remains.
However, why in human consciousness Do dragons appear in the form of reptiles, with scales and claws? This question is explained by the observant nature of people. The appearance of the skeleton is similar to the bones of modern lizards, snakes, crocodiles. These animals were enlarged many times - and the result was a dragon. And, by the way, it is lizards and snakes that sometimes develop not one, but two heads, just like some fairy-tale dragons.
Centaurs
The image of a centaur was known back in the 2nd millennium BC. e. It supposedly originated in Greece as the fruit of the imagination of representatives of civilized peoples who did not yet know horse riding, who first encountered the horse riders of certain northern nomadic tribes: Scythians, Kassites or Taurians. This explains the ferocious temperament of the centaurs. The nomads actually lived in the saddle, skillfully shot with a bow and rode very quickly. The hyperbolic fear of the farmer, who first saw a man who rode so skillfully in the saddle, could well turn into a story about a hybrid of a man and a horse.
According to ancient Greek legend, under the palace of King Minos there was a huge labyrinth in which a formidable monster, the half-bull, half-man Minotaur, was imprisoned. The thirst for blood torments the monster so much that its roar shakes the earth.
The island of Crete, where the monster lived, is very interesting for its seismic activity. Part of the island is on the continent called Aegean plate, and the other part - on oceanic Nubian plate, which moves directly under the island. This geological phenomenon is called a subduction zone. It is in these areas that there is an increased risk of earthquakes. In Crete, the situation is further aggravated by the fact that the African Plate is pressing on the oceanic Nubian Plate (and just imagine how huge it is), and a phenomenal thing happens: under the interaction of the plates, the island is simply pushed to the surface. Since the emergence of civilization, Crete has experienced several such rises, some of them up to 9 meters. It is not surprising that ancient people thought that a furious monster lived in the depths, because every earthquake was accompanied by terrible destruction.
Cyclops
IN ancient greek mythology Cyclopes are a group of characters, in different versions they are divine beings (children of Gaia and Uranus) or separate people. The most prominent representative was Poseidon's son Polyphemus, whom Odysseus deprived of his only eye. The Scythian people of the Arimaspians were also considered one-eyed.
As for the scientific basis for these myths, in 1914, paleontologist Otenio Abel suggested that the ancient finds of dwarf elephant skulls became the reason for the birth of the myth of the Cyclops, since the central nasal opening can easily be mistaken for a giant eye socket. It is curious that these elephants were found precisely on the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus, Malta, and Crete.
Sodom and Gomorrah
We don’t know about you, but we always thought that Sodom and Gomorrah are a very large-scale myth and rather some kind of personification of vicious cities. However, this is quite a historical fact.
For a decade now, excavations of an ancient city have been underway in the town of Tell el-Hammam in Jordan. Archaeologists are confident that they have found the biblical Sodom. The approximate location of the city has always been known - the Bible described the “Sodom Pentate City” 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. e. There is no other option for 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 size, a cephalopod, known from 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 capable of grabbing a large ship with its tentacles and dragging 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 when the monster attacks and when it runs away from you. Really creepy!
The rationale for the myth of the “creepy monster” is simple: Giant squids still exist today and reach 16 meters in length.
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 very first images were found in India and are over 4,000 years old. Later the myth spread across the continent and reached Ancient Rome, where they were considered absolutely real animals.
The main “candidate” for the role of the prototype of the unicorn is Elasmotherium - rhinoceroses of the Eurasian steppes that lived during the Ice Age. Elasmotherium somewhat resembled a horse (albeit at a stretch) with an extremely long horn in its forehead. It became extinct at the same time as the main megafauna. However, according to the materials of the Swedish Encyclopedia and the arguments of researcher Willie Ley, individual representatives could have existed for quite a long time to become legendary.
Bonus: Moses' Trail
Surely each of us has heard about the story from the Bible, which tells how the sea parted before Moses. But few people know that such a phenomenon can be seen near Jindo Island in South Korea. Here the waters between the islands part for an hour, revealing a wide and long road! Scientists explain this miracle by the difference in the timing of low and high tides.
Of course, many tourists come there - in addition to simple walks, they have the opportunity to see the marine inhabitants who remained on the opened land. The amazing thing about the Moses Trail is that it leads from the mainland to the island.
Urban legends are often exciting stories containing many folkloric elements, and they spread quite quickly through society. Stories are told dramatically, as if they were true stories related to real people- although in fact they may be 100% fictitious.
Local touches are often added to the legend, so it will be quite strange to hear the same story in different versions in different countries. Urban legends often carry a warning or some meaning that motivates society to preserve and spread them. One thing is for sure - some of these creepy urban legends have kept many people awake. Below are ten of the best urban legends:
10. Choking Doberman
This urban legend comes from Sydney, Australia and tells the story of a Doberman pinscher who choked on something. One night, a married couple went out for a walk and sat in a restaurant, when they returned home, they saw their dog choking in the living room. The man panicked and fainted, and the wife decided to call her old friend, a veterinarian, and arranged to bring the dog to the veterinary clinic.
After she took the dog to the clinic, she decided to return home and help her husband go to bed. This takes her some time and meanwhile the phone rang. The veterinarian screams hysterically into the phone that they need to quickly get out of their house. Without understanding what is happening, the married couple leaves the house as quickly as possible.
As they descend the stairs, several police officers run towards them. When the woman asks what happened, one of the officers replies that their dog choked on a man's finger. There is most likely still a burglar in their house. Soon after, the finger's former owner was found unconscious in the couple's bedroom.
9. Suicidal guy
This story, also known as "Death of the Boyfriend", is told in many variations and is considered a general warning not to stray too far from the safety of your home. Our version will focus on Paris in the 1960s. A girl and her boyfriend (both college students) kiss in his car. They parked near the Rambouillet forest so that no one could see them. When they finished, the guy got out of the car to take a breath. fresh air and smoke a cigarette while the girl waits for him in the safety of the car.
After she waited five minutes, the girl got out of the car to find her boyfriend. Suddenly she sees a man hiding in the shadow of a tree. Frightened, she gets back into the car to quickly leave - but while she was getting in, she heard a very quiet creaking sound, followed by several more creaking sounds.
This continues for several seconds, but the girl eventually decides that she has no other choice and decides to leave. She presses the gas pedal, but can’t go anywhere - someone tied a cable from the car’s bumper to a tree growing nearby.
As a result, the girl presses the gas pedal again and hears a loud scream. She gets out of the car and finds her boyfriend hanging from a tree. As it turned out, the creaking sounds were made by his shoes dragging along the roof of the car.
8. Woman with a torn mouth
In Japan and China, there is a legend about the girl Kuchisake-Onna, also known as the woman with the torn mouth. Some say she was the wife of a samurai. One day, she cheated on her husband with a young and handsome man. When the husband returned, he discovered her betrayal, and in a rage he took his sword and cut her mouth from ear to ear.
Some say that the woman was cursed - she will never die, and still walks around the world so that people can see the terrible scar on her face and feel sorry for her. Some claim that they saw a beautiful young girl who asked them: “Am I beautiful?” And when they answered positively, she tore off her mask and showed a terrible wound. Then she repeated her question - and anyone who stopped considering her beautiful would face a tragic death.
There are two morals to this story: it costs nothing to give a compliment, and honesty is not the best approach in all situations.
7. Bridge of the Crying Child
According to this legend, a couple was driving home from church with their child and arguing about something. It was raining heavily, and soon they had to cross a flooded bridge. As soon as they drove onto the bridge, it turned out that there was much more water than they thought, and the car was stuck - they decided that they had to go for help. The woman remained waiting, but got out of the car for a reason that one can only guess about.
When she turned away from the car, she suddenly heard her child crying loudly. She returned to the car and discovered that her child had been swept away by the water. According to the same legend, if you are on the same bridge, you can still hear a child crying there (the location of the bridge, of course, is unknown).
6 Alien Abduction of Zanfretta
The story of the kidnapping of Fortunato Zanfretta has become one of the most famous urban legends in Italy over the past few decades.
According to his own stories (originally made under hypnosis), Zanfretta was abducted by aliens Dragos from the planet Teetonia, and over the course of several years (1978-1981) he was repeatedly abducted several times by the same group from another planet. No matter how terrifying and creepy this story may sound, if we take into account the words of Zanfretta, spoken by him during a hypnosis session, we can evaluate the intentions of the aliens from an optimistic point of view:
“I know that you want to fly more often... no, you can’t fly to Earth, people will be scared of what you look like. You can't become our friends. Please fly away."
Zanfretta probably provided more details about his alien abduction than any other person in history - his detailed stories can make even the most ardent skeptic wonder if there is some truth there. Until this day, the Zanfretta case remains one of the most interesting and mysterious "secret files".
5. White Death
This story is about a little girl from Scotland who hated life so much that she wanted to destroy everything connected with her. Finally, she decided to commit suicide, and soon after, her family discovered what she had done.
In a terrible coincidence, all members of her family died a few days later, their limbs torn off. Legend says that when you hear about the White Death, the ghost of a little girl may find you and knock on your door many times. Each knock gets louder until the man opens the door, after which she kills him so that he will not tell anyone else about her existence. Her main task is to make sure no one knows about her.
Like most urban legends, this story is most likely the product of the unbridled imagination of a modern Aesop.
4. Black Volga
According to rumors, on the streets of Warsaw in the 1960s, a black Volga was often spotted - in which people who kidnapped children were sitting. According to legend (no doubt aided by Western propaganda), Soviet officers rode around Moscow in the black Volga in the mid-1930s, kidnapping young, pretty girls to satisfy the sexual needs of high-ranking Soviet comrades. According to other versions of this legend, vampires, mystical priests, Satanists, human traffickers and even Satan himself lived in the Volga.
According to different versions of the legend, children were kidnapped in order to use their blood as a treatment for rich people from different parts of the world suffering from leukemia. Naturally, none of these versions were ever confirmed.
3. Greek soldier
This lesser-known legend tells of a Greek soldier who returned home after World War II to marry his bride. Unfortunately for him, he was captured by his compatriots with enemy political beliefs, tortured for five weeks and then killed. In the early 1950s, mainly in northern and central Greece, stories circulated of an attractive Greek soldier in uniform who would appear and quickly disappear, seducing beautiful widows and virgins with one goal - to give them a child.
Five weeks after the child was born, the man disappeared forever - leaving a note on the table in which he explained that he was returning from the world of the dead so that he could have sons who could avenge his murder.
2. Elisa Day
IN medieval Europe There lived a young girl named Eliza Day, whose beauty was like the wild roses growing by the river - bloody and red. One day a young man came to town and instantly fell in love with Eliza. They met for three days. On the first day he came to her house. On the second day, he brought her one red rose and asked her to meet where wild roses grow. On the third day, he took her to the river, where he killed her. The terrible man waited until she turned away from him, after which he took a stone and, whispering “All beauty must die,” killed her with one blow to the head. He put a rose in her teeth and pushed her body into the river. Some people claim to have seen her ghost wandering along the river bank, holding a single rose in her hand and blood streaming from her head.
Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave have a very beautiful song on the theme of this legend - “Where The Wild Roses Grow”:
1. Well to Hell
In 1989, Russian scientists drilled a well in Siberia to a depth of approximately 14.5 kilometers. The drill fell into a cavity in the earth's crust, and scientists lowered several devices into it to figure out what was going on. The temperature there exceeded 1000 degrees Celsius, but the real shock was what they heard on the recording.
Only 17 terrifying seconds of sound were recorded before the microphone melted. Many of the scientists, convinced that they had heard the cries of the damned from hell, quit their jobs - or so the story goes. Those who remained were even more shocked that night. A stream of luminescent gas shot out from the well, transforming into the shape of a giant winged demon, and then the words “I have won” could be read in the lights. Although on this moment Although this story is considered fiction, there are many people who believe that it actually happened - the urban legend "The Well to Hell" is told to this day.
20. Eve ate an apple
The apple is a healthy fruit, although it has had a bad reputation as a forbidden fruit since Eve plucked it from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden and deprived us - her descendants - of heavenly life. However, the careful reader should have noticed that nowhere in the Bible was the fruit called an apple. Of course, it could have been an apple. To the same extent as mango, or apricot, or any other fruit. But only the apple received the mark.
19. An apple fell on Newton's head
And again apples - it was this unfortunate fruit that managed to fall on the head of Sir Isaac Newton and inspire him to invent the law Universal gravity.. A nice fairy tale, but most likely it’s just a fairy tale. Voltaire first told it publicly in his essay on Newton. The only person who said this before Voltaire's publication was Newton's sister, Catherine Conduit.
18. Walt Disney drew Mickey Mouse
It is believed that the most famous cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, was drawn by Walt Disney himself. But that's not true. Mickey was drawn by Disney's No. 1 animator, Ub Iwerks, who was famous for being incredibly fast at drawing. The first Mickey movie (which required 700 drawings a day) was created in just two weeks. But later, when sound cartoons appeared, Disney was rehabilitated - it was in his voice that Mickey Mouse began to speak.
17. Marie Antoinette said: Let them eat cakes
In 1766, Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote about an event that supposedly happened 25 years earlier. When Marie Antoinette learned that people in the French village did not have enough bread, she suggested they eat cakes. The problem is that in those years Maria was 11 years old and still lived in her homeland in Austria. Most likely, these words were spread by revolutionary propagandists to show how far the people and those who rule them are from each other.
16. The Great Train Robbery was the first feature film
The film was made in 1903, but it was not the first Feature Film. Its duration is only 10 minutes. The first feature film was the 100-minute Australian film “The Story of the Kelly Gang”, filmed 3 years later. And a lot of films like “The Great Train Robbery” were made back in the late 1890s.
15. Van Gogh cut off his ear
Half-beggar great artist Van Gogh (who sold only one canvas in his entire life), shortly before his suicide, in a quarrel with his friend Gauguin, who was more successful in selling his works, cut off his ear - a piece of his left lobe. It hurts, but not as bad as it might seem.
14. Witches were burned in the city of Salem
In Salem (Massachusetts) in 1692, during the witch trials, 150 people were arrested, 31 people were sentenced, 20 of them to death. Of these 31 people, not all were women, 6 of them were men. At the same time, they were not burned at the stake - witches are not afraid of this; they were first stoned to death, then their bodies were hung on a rope.
13. Napoleon was short
Many are sure that Napoleon's exorbitant ambitions are a kind of compensation for his small stature. In fact, the Little Corporal's height was 5 feet 7 inches (168 cm) - taller than the average Frenchman of those years. So why was he called that? The nickname was a tease for his minor military rank. Napoleon became emperor, but the nickname remained the same.
12. King John the Landless signed the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta limited the power of the king of England and marked the beginning of democracy. Paintings from those times show how reluctantly King John signed the Charter in a meadow near Windsor in 1215. This is funny because John the Landless was most likely illiterate - look in the archives for the four surviving originals of the Charter - they all bear a seal. No signatures.
11. Walter Reilly brought potatoes and tobacco to England
Sir Walter Raleigh is an explorer, ladies' man and one of the most mysterious and mythological figures in English history. Modern portraits depict him as exceptionally handsome, although no real portraits of him have been found. He was considered a ladies' man and supposedly pleased Queen Elizabeth I of England. Is it true that he threw his cloak into a puddle so that the queen could cross it? Not true. It is true that he did not return from his trip to America with the first potatoes and tobacco in English history. Although Reilly is said to have introduced the potato in 1586, the first potato crop was actually harvested in Spain in 1585, after which it quickly spread throughout Europe and even “crossed” the English Channel. Tobacco was brought to France by Jean Nicot in 1560 (nicotine got its name from his last name). So smokers around the world are in vain accusing Sir Walter Reilly of spreading the bad habit.
10. Magellan circumnavigated the world
Everyone knows two things about Magellan: that he traveled around the world, and that during this trip he was killed in the Philippines. One excludes the second. In fact, Magellan went exactly halfway: Juan Sebastian Elcano, his deputy, completed the journey.
9. Emperor Nero played the violin while Rome burned, which he set on fire.
This story is known to everyone: 64 BC. Rome is burning and Nero is playing the violin. But this is impossible. Firstly, the violin was invented 1600 years later. But even if there was a violin, Nero could only play it at a distance of 30 miles from burning Rome, since during the fire he was not in the Eternal City, but in his villa in the suburbs.
8. Captain Cook discovered Australia
Of course, Australians don't even want to think that way. Long before 1770, the Dutchmen Abel Tasman and Dirk Hartog, and the English pirate William Dampier visited here. And this continent was discovered 50,000 years ago by its indigenous inhabitants - the Australians. The only thing for which Cook can be called the “discoverer” of Australia, and even then in quotation marks, is for the discovery of new lands, which later became the reason for the arrival of white settlers here.
7. Shakespeare wrote the story of Hamlet himself.
William Shakespeare is known as greatest playwright in the history of mankind. However, most of his plays were not his own creations - rather, creative adaptations of stories, histories and legends. The play “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” according to historians, was based on an ancient Scandinavian legend.
6. America gained independence on July 4, 1776
This is wrong. Yes, America's Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on this day. But the war for this independence continued for another 7 years, and only on September 3, 1783, a peace treaty was finally signed between America and English king George III.
5. Edison invented the light bulb
1093 patents: Edison is a great inventor. But most of his inventions were made by unknown members of his laboratory. And, besides, four decades before Edison was born, electric light was discovered by a certain Davey Humphrey. His lamp could only burn for 12 hours at a time, and Edison just had to find the right filament material to keep the lamp burning continuously. Yes, an achievement, but not a discovery.
4. Columbus proved that the Earth is round
Judging by the book of the American author Irving Washington, this was so. Everyone thought the Earth was flat, but Columbus convinced everyone otherwise. In fact, from the 4th century B.C. no one thought that the Earth was like a flat pancake. Columbus could not prove in any way that the Earth was round, since he himself did not believe in it! He believed that the Earth was pear-shaped. He had never been to America, but only got to the Bahamas, which are pear-shaped.
3. Gandhi liberated India
He is the most famous leader of the Indian independence movement. He called on the country to renounce violence. He was 16 years old (in 1885) when the Indian National Congress was formed. But even without Gandhi’s participation, India would have achieved independence by other, more effective methods than non-resistance to violence, and, perhaps, even earlier if it had followed the path indicated by Netahi Chandra Bose.
2. Jesus was born on December 25
December 25 - Christmas. But there is no evidence, in the Bible or anywhere else, that Jesus was born on this day. But why was December 25th made the birthday of Jesus? Maybe because on this day the Hellenes celebrated the day of the god Mitros, born of a virgin, and at the same time it was the Day of the Shepherd?
1. George Washington was the first US President
Everyone knows that George Washington was the first of 43 US presidents. But no! The first was Peyton Randolph - he was the one chosen by the revolutionary Congress. His first step in high office was the creation of the Continental Army to protect against British troops and the appointment of General Washington as commander in chief! Randolph was succeeded in 1781 by John Hanson, who sent a congratulatory letter to George Washington after his victory at the Battle of Yorktown and signed "I, John Hancock, President of America." And Washington became the first popularly elected US president - but the fifteenth in a row.
Slender Man, or Slenderman
According to legend, the Slender Man is a tall, thin man dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He has long thin arms and legs, and his face is completely featureless.
His arms can stretch, and tentacles grow from his back.
When the Slender Man appears, his victim loses memory, experiences insomnia, paranoia, a coughing fit, and blood flows from the nose.
If Slenderman is spotted in the area, it means that children will soon disappear. He lures them into the forest, deprives them of their minds and takes them away with him. Those children who were carried away by the Slender Man were never seen again.
In 1983, 14 children disappeared in Stirling City, USA. Their disappearance was linked to the Slender Man. Later, in the city library they found a photograph taken by an unknown photographer that day, and it allegedly showed a monster.
Both girls ended up in a psychiatric hospital: one for 25 years, the other for 40.
Black Dog of Meriden
The Meriden Black Dog, from the U.S. state of Connecticut, is a small ghost dog that leaves no marks and makes no sounds. According to legend, if you see the Black Dog three times, you will die. It appears silently, leaves no traces (even in the snow), and then just as suddenly disappears.
In the early 1900s, geologist Pynchon explored a Meriden mountain called West Peak. One day he saw a black dog among the trees. As Pynchon turned to head home, the dog disappeared into the trees.
The second time the scientist saw a black dog a few years later in the same place. One of his friends, with whom he was climbing the mountain that day, said that he had already seen the dog twice.
They wandered around and finally came to the top. But the enemy was waiting for them. The black dog stood in front. Pynchon only turned away for a second when he suddenly heard a terrible scream. His friend fell and hit the rocks.
In Meriden, local residents told Pynchon about the legend of the Black Dog, but he did not believe it. Several years passed, the geologist decided to visit the same mountain. He left his apartment at dawn and never returned. His dead body was later found at the bottom of a ravine.
Pisadeira
In Brazil there is a legend about a scary woman named Pisadeira. It comes to men who are afraid, or to those who have eaten a heavy dinner and lie down on their backs - in this position, Pisadeira’s victim is practically unable to escape.
Pisadeira is a bony and thin creature, she has short lower limbs and long dirty hair, a hooked nose, reddish eyes, thin lips, sharp teeth with a greenish coating. Her long fingers have wide yellow nails. But even more frightening is the laughter and mocking giggle of the monster. If a person hears characteristic laughter at night, it means that Pisadeira will soon come to him. It is the creepy laughter that precedes her appearance.
The monster tortures its victim until she suffocates from fright, but Pisadeira can also leave a person, having had enough of fear.
Phantom of Benito Juarez Park in Mexico
In the small Mexican town of Jaral del Progreso there is Benito Juarez Park. This is one of the city's attractions, but the park was laid out on the site of an old cemetery, so a bad reputation has spread about it. The city authorities landscaped the square as best they could. They installed benches and paved paths so that people could enjoy the beauty of nature. However, local residents believed that the authorities had awakened local spirits and a curse was placed on the place.
Every evening in the park someone destroyed the benches and disappeared. Authorities then hired security guards to patrol the area at night.
And then one evening the guard began duty. At first everything was calm. The riots began when the park was covered in thick fog. The security guard heard a woman scream and went to check what had happened. When he reached the place, standing in front of him was an elderly woman dressed in White dress. The watchman followed her, and she began to destroy and throw benches.
When the guard approached her, he saw that the woman had no legs, she was floating in the air. Suddenly the old woman pounced on him and began beating him furiously. The guard managed to escape, and the next morning he told about what he saw. Shortly after this incident, he fell ill with a mysterious illness and died. The city authorities forbade talking about this story in the media, but the rumor still spread throughout the city; no one else wanted to be on duty at night.
Locals called the ghost the phantom of the park.
Girl from the closet
One day, a 57-year-old Japanese man noticed that someone was rearranging things in his house, food was disappearing from the refrigerator, and strange noises woke him up at night. The man decided that he was going crazy because he lived all alone. Both the windows and doors in his house were always closed.
One day he decided to take action and installed hidden cameras in all the rooms.
The next day he looked at the footage. In the footage, an unknown woman crawled out of the Japanese man's cupboard. The man assumed that she was a robber. But police said no one broke the locks.
After a thorough search, the woman was found in a small locker. As it turned out, she lived in a Japanese man’s house for a year.
Maryland Goat Man
For many residents of the United States, Prince George's County in the American state of Maryland is associated with a bloodthirsty monster called the Goat Man.
According to legend, the monster used to be an ordinary goat breeder. One day his wife became seriously ill, and he had to work tirelessly to help his beloved. But the cruel teenagers decided to play a trick on the poor guy and poisoned all his goats. The family was left without their only source of income, and the woman died.
Grief turned the farmer into a terrible monster, he ran into the forest and began killing everyone who crossed his path.
According to another version, the goat man is a scientific experiment of the mad scientist Dr. Fletcher. Local residents believe that prohibited experiments on animals were carried out at the district's agricultural research center. Once, through an experiment, a scientist created a half-man, half-goat. The researchers decided to keep him alive for study. But the creature grew up and turned into a cruel monster. He killed several scientists and escaped from the center.
Whether this is true or a myth, strange events took place in the area in the 50s of the 20th century. In 1958, residents found a German shepherd dead: the dog had been torn to shreds, but its meat had not been eaten.
In the spring of 1961, two students were found dead in the northeastern Maryland town of Bowie. The girl and the boy went into the forest at night. In the morning, a local hunter found a car with broken windows and many deep scratches on the body. The teenagers' bodies, mutilated beyond recognition, were found in the back seat. The criminal was never found.
In 2011 he was born american film horror film "Deadly Detour", inspired by the Maryland monster.
According to Irish folklore, the banshee is a spirit from the other world. She appears in the form of an ugly woman to the relatives and friends of the one who is about to die. It is believed that if a banshee did not cry loudly enough before her death, then in the next world her screams will be several times worse.
Banshees look like scary screaming women, old women with flowing gray hair, a scary wrinkled face and skeletal thinness.
The legend of an American girl who took revenge on her lover
In the USA there is a terrible legend about a girl who took revenge on her lover for unrequited love. In the small town of Stahl, Texas, there once stood a small church surrounded by graves. Next to the church there was a cellar, which was very difficult to find, as it was overgrown with grass.
The priest's daughter fell madly in love with a neighbor boy, but he broke her heart by choosing another girl. They got married, his chosen one became pregnant. Soon after the birth of the child, the priest's daughter visited the couple. They greeted her cordially, but the girl herself looked at their child with hatred.
The priest's daughter suddenly attacked her parents and cut both their throats, then she dragged their bodies to the hill where the church stood. She left the dead in the cellar and placed the living child between them.
The priest's daughter closed the door to the cellar and soon died. The bodies in the cellar could not be found for three weeks.
Many believe that the voice of a crying child can still be heard near the church at night.
Corpse house in Mexico
In the Mexican city of Monterey there is a famous legend about an abandoned building called the "corpse house." The strange structure was built in the 1970s, but no one has ever lived in the building.
From the street, the house looks like a structure made of concrete pipes. According to legend, the house was built by a wealthy couple who had a sick, paralyzed daughter. My father wanted to build a special house that would be suitable for people with disabilities. The design of the house included ramps that led from one floor to another.
The family began construction. One day the girl wanted to look at the house. She began to ride on the ramps, her parents were distracted for just a moment, when suddenly her wheelchair flew down the ramp. The girl could not stop, as a result she flew out the window and fell to her death.
Years later, the unfinished building was put up for sale. But no one wanted to buy it for a long time. One day there were clients. They came to see the building with their little son. While the couple were examining the situation, the boy went upstairs, and a few minutes later they heard him scream. On the top floor he was fighting with a little girl. An unknown person grabbed their son and threw him out the window. The boy died, the girl could not be found.
After this story, the authorities fenced off the area.
In 1941, a certain Mary Shaw performed with her Billy doll in one of the theaters in the American city of Ravens Fair. One day one of the spectators - a little boy - called the woman a liar. He saw the woman's lips move as Billy spoke. A few weeks later, the unfortunate critic disappeared.
Residents of the city and the boy's parents blamed the ventriloquist for his disappearance. Mary Shaw was soon found dead. According to local legend, the Eshen family (the boy’s relatives) committed lynching against the woman. They burst into the dressing room, forced Shaw to scream, and then ripped out her tongue.
Before her death, the woman wished that all her dolls be buried with her, there were 101 of them.
After the ventriloquist's funeral, massacres began in Raven's Fair. And the victims of crimes were those people who raised their hands on the Show. They, like Mary, had their tongues pulled out.