Water is the basis of life not only for humans, but for our entire planet. It is the main component of living organisms. It would seem that we know everything about water, its properties and benefits. But the process of knowledge does not stop, and science is discovering more and more new facts.

Unfortunately, along with scientific evidence, there are a number of misconceptions and fictions that are firmly rooted in our heads. Let's figure out what's a myth and what's a fact.

1. A person should drink 8 glasses of water a day

It is a myth. It is not clear where this norm came from. Yes, that doesn’t matter anymore. The fact is that people with different weights and different muscle mass need different amounts of water. It is usually recommended to proceed from the average requirement: 30-40 ml per kilogram of weight. But these indicators are not accurate either. The daily norm directly depends on climate, age, work characteristics, and chronic diseases. If you play sports or work involves physical activity, the need for fluid increases.
However, don't forget that most of this water is found in the foods you consume. Back in 2007, the BMJ magazine included the idea of ​​eight glasses of water a day in its list of the main medical myths of our time.

2. Water flushes toxins from the body

It is a fact. Normal kidney function is ensured by drinking enough clean water. As you know, the kidneys are the body's natural filter, and water helps remove toxins from the body, mainly through the kidneys.

3. If you have swelling, drink less water

It is a myth. If swelling is not associated with serious diseases, then just the opposite. If there is little water in the body, it begins to store for future use. Especially if you regularly drink little water. As soon as you start drinking enough water, everything will return to normal, the body will stop making reserves.

4. Water will help keep your skin hydrated.

It is a myth. It is generally accepted that the main factor that plays a role in the state of skin hydration is the large amount of water consumed. Of course, if the body is severely dehydrated, this will worsen the condition of the body as a whole. But the water does not reach the epidermis (the top layer of skin). If you are healthy, the condition of your skin depends on external factors. This is both the environment and proper skin care. The number of sebaceous glands and their functioning also affects our dry skin.

5. Drinking water will help you lose weight

It is a fact. More precisely, water helps in this process. Please note that we are talking about clean drinking water, not carbonated drinks. Water speeds up the metabolic process and reduces appetite, or rather thirst, which we often mistake for it. The parts of the brain that control these two sensations are located nearby, so we often get confused.

6. Yellow urine is a sign of dehydration.

It is a myth. The normal color of urine is dark yellow transparent, light yellow transparent and yellow transparent. Many factors determine the color of urine. This includes taking medications, some food dyes, laxatives, and disrupting the body’s functioning. When dehydrated, the color of urine of course changes. The color becomes dark amber. This indicates an increase in the concentration of nitrogen and urochrome slags.

7. If you're thirsty, you're dehydrated.

It is a myth. Thirst does not mean you are dehydrated. Thirst is our body's signal that it needs more water. There is a certain amount of salt and water in our blood. Thirst is the result of an increase in salt relative to water. If the salt concentration increases by 2 percent, you feel thirsty. If it is 5 percent or more, you will become dehydrated.

8. When exercising, you need sports drinks, not water.

It is a myth. Sports drinks have good advertising, but not everyone needs them. Sports drinks contain electrolytes, which are essential for the proper functioning of the body's cells. People who run long marathons or whose training lasts for a long time may benefit from them, but for most people they are of no use. In addition, many drinks contain only water and sugar, and trainers advise against consuming them. Clean water is all you need during your workout.

9. You can drink a lot of water

It is a fact. Of course, people with certain medical conditions can put their health at risk by drinking too much water. These are some heart disease, high blood pressure, swelling of the lower extremities, kidney disease (transplant). In this case, they should consult their doctor. Otherwise, you can drink water as much as you want. Because if you drink little water, your kidneys are forced to produce more concentrated urine, which can cause the formation of kidney stones.

10. Plastic bottles should not be reused

It is a fact. By using a disposable water bottle a second time, you are putting yourself at risk. Even reusable bottles (made of polyethylene and polypropylene) are relatively safe if they are regularly disinfected. Well, who will do this? Plastic bottles are a suitable environment for bacteria to grow. The level of bacteria in such bottles often exceeds acceptable standards. Use reusable water containers with a wide mouth that can be washed well. You can use disposable drinking straws.

11. The existence of water “memory” has not been scientifically proven

It is a fact. At all times, people have endowed water with magical properties. Everyone knows the legends about “living” and “dead” water. People want to believe in miracles. Water was spoken of in order to endow it with healing properties. But this is all just a popular belief. Physicists firmly say that structured water is an anti-scientific fiction. There is no scientific evidence that would prove the existence of “memory” of water.

12. You cannot boil re-boiled water.

It is a myth. There is a popular horror story that supposedly you can’t boil water again. As a result, the crystal lattice is disrupted and the water becomes “heavy”. The fact is that such water actually becomes “heavy”, since the content of heavy hydrogen isotopes - deuterium - increases in it. And it's dangerous to health. Experts don't argue here. But the concentration of deuterium in boiled water is so insignificant that you should not be alarmed. There is no medical evidence that such water can be harmful to health.
Of course, water is not only a source of health, but also a source of disease, since it dissolves toxic substances well and is a carrier of pathogenic bacteria. Drink only clean water and stay healthy.

In ancient beliefs, this is water, the blood of the living Mother, the raw support, and the Earth on which the earth rests, and the watershed between the living and the afterlife.

Her name is otherwise called “mother”, “queen”. Even at the dawn of human history, people were clearly aware of the great significance of the water element. This is confirmed by the mythology of all countries and all peoples, and by later philosophical systems: just as there is no culture without water, there is no life and there cannot be life. In accordance with this understanding of the role of world water, pagan peoples invariably idolized this element as an inexhaustible source of life, eternally like a living spring, with the help of which another great element - the earth - was fertilized.

With the spread of later Christianity, the belief in the divine origin of water died, but on its ruins grew the belief in the miraculous and holy power of this element. One of the hoary legacies of antiquity is the ancient, inherent not only in Orthodox people, blind faith in springs and respect for, not only the sources of large rivers-nurses, but precisely the guardians and distributors of mysterious healing prehistoric ones. At times, instead of temples, streams and wells were dedicated to the gods. Such places were also entrusted to the merciful care of these creatures.

When the life-giving and holy cross is immersed, the devil is expelled from the water, and all impurity of water becomes immaculately pure and holy, that is, equipped with grace not only for healing bodily ailments, but also mental ones. “This Epiphany” in relation to water is everywhere given priority, and significance, as a shrine of the highest category, the Annunciation together with the prosphora and the Thursday candle, was placed in the main place in the dwellings, in the front right of the icons, in the corner. They drink this water only on an empty stomach. At the same time, there is a universal, unshakable belief that this water, saved year round until new, never spoils (it will not go stale, and not even if), but becomes cloudy and something like that happens, this is explained by the touch of someone’s unclean hand to the vessel. In the same way, the superstitious belief remains everywhere that in the upper layers of the bowls consecrated in water are contained the most beneficial powers, eliminating ailments and healing diseases.

Our people in the past greatly revered rainwater. the streets on Running out barefoot, with bare heads, villagers and townspeople stood under the blessed heavenly streams of the first spring rain, taking handfuls of water to wash their faces three times; They took out collecting cups of healing moisture, and in tightly sealed bottles they kept it all year round, until the next one. rain, the people revered the spring river water in the same way. As soon as the ice passed through the streams and rivers, as soon as the water cleared, everyone, like children, adults and old people, ran to scoop up: they took handfuls of water from the banks and washed their faces, heads and hands three times.

Water was of great importance to our ancestors. The most unbreakable vows - including vows of love - were made nearby in the water; she was their witness. Sometimes they tested it with Water in court: the plaintiff and the defendant were asked to enter the water seven steps, and the guilty person, who found himself in the face of a fair and wise river, was bound to be embarrassed and thereby give himself away. This is probably what happened often.

More than one is dedicated to healing springs. Some. Legends say that the waters have been used for healing since time immemorial. The ancients, for example, the Greeks, believed that Hercules gained his heroic strength by bathing in the magical spring Therefore. The mythical hero of the Caucasus was at one time even considered the patron of healing waters.

Water is an ancient universal symbol of purity, fertility and the very source of life. In all known legends about the world of origin, life arose from the primordial waters, a symbol of female potency, devoid of form. The book, describing the creation of the world in Genesis, uses a very ancient image - the animating penetration of the spirit of God into the waters of the world, depicted (in the Hebrew original) through the metaphor of a bird that hatches an egg. But at the same time fruitful - water is a male seed, forcing the earth This. The giving birth motif is characteristic, for example, of the Phoenician-Canaanite image of Balu (Baal-Haddad). symbolism This is noted in ancient Greek mythology, where river deities act as stallions and consorts of mortal women.

In a general sense, water is the emblem of all liquids in the material world, the principles of their circulation (sap, blood of plants), dissolution, mixing, adhesion, rebirth and birth. The Rig Veda praises water as the carrier of all things. It was believed that clean water, especially dew, spring and rain water has healing properties and is a form of divine grace, a gift from mother earth (spring or) water of the heavenly gods (rain and dew). A respectful attitude towards fresh water, as a particularly cleansing element, is characteristic of the religious traditions of countries where water supplies were scarce. These are Jewish demonstrations, Christian and Indian rituals of purification, baptism or. Baptism combines the cleansing, fertile and dissolving properties of water: the washing away of sin, the dissolution of old life and the birth of a new one.

Water was also compared to wisdom. So in Taoism, the image of water finding a way around obstacles is a symbol of triumph, a symbol of visible weakness over strength. In psychology it represents the energy of the unconscious and its mysterious depths and dangers. Tireless water is a Buddhist symbol of the turbulent flow of existence. On the other hand, the calm clarity of water symbolizes contemplative perception. In folklore and legend, lakes are two-way mirrors separating the supernatural and natural worlds. The deities of lakes and springs, traditionally young and often possessing the gift of prophecy and healing, spirits were pacified by gifts - hence the custom of throwing coins into fountains and making symbolism at the same time.

The desire for water as a transitional state largely explains the number of myths in which rivers and seas separate the worlds of the living and the dead. Many deities were born in water or could walk on water...

WALKING OF JESUS ​​CHRIST ON THE WATERS

miraculous After feeding the people with five loaves, Christ Jesus ordered His disciples to go to the other side of the Lake of Galilee in a boat, to Bethsaida Himself. The Galilean, having dismissed the people, ascended Mount Nastupala.

Pray at night. The boat with the students was in the middle of the lake, and it was hit by waves because there was a strong headwind.

Before Jesus dawned, Christ, knowing the distress of his disciples, walked to them on the water. When they saw Him walking along the water, they thought that it was a ghost, and they screamed in fear.

But Jesus Christ immediately spoke with calmness: “They, it is I, do not be afraid.”

Then the apostle Peter exclaimed: “Lord, if it is You, then command me to come to You on the water.”
The Lord said, “Peter.”

Go got out of the boat and walked on the water to approach Jesus Christ. But, seeing the strong, large and windy waves, he was frightened; then his faith disappeared from fear, and he began to drown and shouted: “Lord! save me.”

Jesus Christ immediately extended His hand to him, supported him and said: “Why, you of little faith, did you doubt?” And when they entered the wind, the boat became quiet.

The disciples came up, bowed to Christ Jesus and said: “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Matthew from the Gospel, ch. 14, 22-36; from Mark ch. 6, 45-56; from John, ch. 6, 16-21.

LEGEND OF MONKS Once upon a time

MAAS - long ago, when the Great Silk Road passed through the mountainous territory of the Caucasus, there was an ancient city of Meuse - the center of Christianity in the Northern Now. In the Caucasus, only the ruins of ancient temples remind of it, and one old legend about what happened in more than forty local monasteries.

What, they say several hundred years ago, novices of monasteries discovered in the mountains a certain source of water with an amazing taste. After a short time, however, they began to notice strange things in their behavior, not befitting the behavior of monks. Their masculine strength grew stronger and they, unable to fight with themselves, were forced to leave the monasteries and abandon the City.

Monasticism became empty, and the monks attributed the miraculous changes that occurred to the action of the water they drank. This water was called “honor” - in Arkhyz, the place where it was a LEGEND.

discovered ABOUT SOFIA WATERFALLS

A rare guest has not visited Arkhyz in the beautiful Sofia Valley, where you can see many of the most amazing creations leaving - nature in the heavenly blue, snow-capped crystal mountains, clear lake peaks, flowers that are only found here, at the border of early, still snowy spring and blooming hot summer . But, probably, the most remarkable thing in this corner of the Caucasus is the waterfalls of Mount Sofia, sparkling with a multi-colored rainbow of splashes, like ringing giant granite harps!

Once upon a time, it was here, on the top of Sofia, that the ancient deities and the spirits of the mountains, led by the mighty god Teyri, loved to rest. When Tairi flew over the Caucasus, he always rejoiced at the beauty of these commands. And the leader of the gods allowed his subjects to establish a sanctuary here, where he could spend the night and receive gifts from the people who worship him. The god of the mountains and earth, Daulet, raised an impregnable dome and decorated its peaks with a shining ice shell. forests God Myzetkho planted shady and silvery birch groves around the fir mountain, did not spare the most luxurious meadow flowers and scattered the patron saint on the slopes. And the good-natured and hospitable Aymush planted countless berries of sheep and goats in all the adjacent valleys so that the herds of none of the gods would ever need either skins or food for clothing. When the sanctuary was ready, Tairi decided to arrange a great feast with celebration and fun.

It was a fun and noisy holiday, it left no one indifferent. The golden bowls were full of nectar, the guests were dancing, the drums were beating. But the hosts and guests did not immediately notice that one of the most powerful gods, the lords of lightning Eple, was with them. Tairi and Eple argued for a long time about which of them was stronger and more terrible, they could not share power over one day for long, but all the gods gathered together in the world and decided that there was no other master on earth except Tairi. Apple had to submit to this soul, but he never came to terms with his decision. And now, Tairy, when he was drunk and tired of the fun, decided that Eple’s time had come. Swiftly to the top he descended the mountain on his black cloud and come out:

He exclaimed for a duel, Tairi, if you are not a coward, let’s fight fair! And after you are defeated, I will become the ruler of the world!
- You are too Apple, self-confident! First defeat me, and then you will triumph and boast,” answered Tairi.

He stood up and put on the armor that the Blacksmith-God had given him, and immediately picked up the heavy bronze one. But the sword pulled out its fiery spear and threw it at Teiri. In one fell swoop, Tairi cut the spear in mid-flight and struck Stagger himself. Eple's blow, stones and blocks of ice flew from under his feet like an avalanche, but he again threw lightning at the god of gods.

Nebo walked for a long time. The battle flashed with dazzling lightning, the mountains rumbled, thunder shook from the heavy steps of the two. Finally. rivals, the all-powerful Teiri threw his enemy from the top of the mountain with a mighty blow. Eple flew down defeated, but got caught in a thundercloud, sank powerless and, in anger, began to scatter heavenly fire around himself, so that the forests around him caught fire. And then the patron saint of the forest prayed:

We are my trees and grass, the mighty exclaimed!
And Teiri, goddess of the hunt Apsata:
- Don’t let defenseless animals and birds die, invincible Teiri!
Tairi heard them, scattered black clouds, which God drove lightning, and ordered the Sun to melt the ice shell lying on the top of the mountain. The hot rays of the sun quickly warmed up the ice, light streams of waterfalls gushed from the steep walls, rushed into the valley and pacified the fire that was raging at the foot of the...

From the mountain to this day, these waterfalls roar over the Sofia Valley, giving rise to the ringing Sofia River and preserving the life of the trees and growing herbs on its rocky banks.
And if you are ever caught by a thunderstorm in the Sophia Valley, and you see lightning strike the top of the mountain, you know that Eple is again trying to overthrow his eternal rival - the omnipotent god Teiri.

Http: Source://www.vita-arkhyz.ru

THE TALE OF THE INVISIBLE CITY KITEZH

In the Trans-Volga forests there is a lake called Svetloyar. The lake is small, but its depth is up to thirty meters, and the water level is always the same, whether in summer, spring or winter. The flood on the lake freezes over a special “lace” Svetloyarskaya. ice water is unusually clean, transparent and has healing properties. Local residents say: “Drink water straight from the lake - don’t be afraid, carry it for months - it will last home and won’t spoil.”

MM. Prishvin, having visited Svetloyar, wrote in the essay “Bright Lake”: “... a calm, clear eye looked at me from the forest. Lake Svetloye is a bowl of holy water in a green jagged frame.”
Here, on the shore of Lake Svetloyar, a legend arose about the invisible city of Kitezh. The legend says that in ancient times, Grand Duke Vsevolodovich Georgy built the city of Kitezh Maly or Gorodets on the banks of the Volga, and then, having crossed the rivers through Uzola, Sanda and Kerzhenets, he came to the Lyudna River, originating from Lake Svetloyar. There the places were beautiful, inhabited, and the prince, “at the request of the inhabitants,” built the city of Great Kitezh on the banks of Svetloyar, but he himself did not stay in it, but returned to Small Kitezh. At this time, “like dark clouds across the sky,” hordes of Tatars, under the Mongol leadership of Khan Batu, moved to Rus'. Maly's enemies approached Kitezh and took the city by storm, almost killing all its defenders.

Prince Vsevolodovich Georgy with the remnants of the army managed to hide in Tainye. He went through the forests along the paths to Kitezh the Great to gather new forces there. Batu could not find traces of the prince and began to “torture” the inhabitants of the captives of Small Kitezh, wanting to find out who, the prince went along the road. One of the prisoners “could not bear the torment” and led Batu through the forest to Kitezh the Great. The Tatars besieged the city, but suddenly, by God's permission, Kitezh became invisible. Frightened by the miracle that had happened, the enemies fled.
People tell different stories about how the Lord saved Kitezh from enemies. Some say that the city still stands in its place, but no one sees it, others say that the city has disappeared under the high hills surrounding Svetloyar. Writer V.G. Korolenko, who visited Svetloyar at the end of the 19th century, wrote down the story of a local old fisherman: “(...) brother, ours, this is not an easy place... No... It’s not easy... it seems to you: a lake, a swamp, mountains... And here the creature is completely different. He pointed to these mountains and hills, they say there are churches somewhere, this is a chapel - they have the Cathedral of the Most Pure Savior. And nearby, on another hill. - The Annunciation. For many years, a birch tree stood here, so it turns out, on the church dome.”

According to the third version, together the city and its inhabitants sank to the bottom of the lake. People still live in Svetloyar, and sometimes the ringing of Kitezh bells can be heard from the water below. invisible about the Legend of the city of Kitezh for a long time existed in oral form, passed down from generation to generation. In the 17th century, schismatic monasteries began to appear in the forests of the Trans-Volga region - secret settlements of adherents of the “old recognized” faith, not the official church. It was the schismatics in the 18th century who first recorded the legend of Kitezh in the Book of "works, called the Chronicler." As presented by the schismatics, the legend acquired a pronounced religious character. In their underwater view, the city is a monastery in which righteous elders live, and only people, truly time, can see Kitezh and hear the bells of Kitezh.

With believers, Lake Svetloyar has become a place of pilgrimage for believers.

V.G. Korolenko said: “Crowds of people converge on the Svetloyar shore, trying to shake off the deceptive vanity of themselves, at least for a short while, to look beyond the mysterious edges. Here, in the shade under the trees, in the open sky, day and night, singing can be heard, sounds (...) reading in a sing-song voice, they seethe with true debate about faith. And in the sunset twilight and in the blue darkness of the summer evening, lights flicker between the shores, along the trees and on the water. Pious people crawl on their knees three times around the lake, then let the remains of the candles fall onto the water, and fall down. to the ground, and tired.

They listen, between two worlds, in the sky on the lights and on the water, they give themselves up to the swaying of the shores and the indistinct distant ringing... And sometimes nothing, they freeze, no longer seeing or hearing from the surrounding. It’s as if the Eyes were blinded for our world, but for the otherworldly world they saw. The face cleared up, there was a wandering smile on the blissful “nim” and - tears... And those who strived, but did not deserve it out of fear, look around and stand in surprise... And they shake their heads in disbelief.

This means that it exists, this other world, invisible, but real. We didn’t see it ourselves, but we saw those who saw it...
“The belief in the real existence of an invisible city persisted in the vicinity of Svetloyar even in later times. In 1982, folklorists recorded a local story from a resident:

"People say that in the middle of where the lake there is a hole - not very much - well, it will be as big as a bucket. But it is very difficult to find it. In winter, the ice on Svetloyar is clean, clean. So you have to come, shovel the snow, and you can to see what is happening there at the bottom. And there, they say, there are all sorts of miracles: white stone houses stand, trees grow, bell towers, chopped-up churches, towers, living people walking... it just seems to everyone, not everyone will be able to find this hole.” At the end of the 1930s, the following story was recorded from a certain Markelov old man. They lived in a village, “a man who was so brave.” brave This man became interested in the hole, which he discovered under the roots of a fallen birch tree, and Lez climbed. “he climbed there, then he saw that place, and in a bright place the bright-faced elders were sitting and sorting out the affairs of the peasants. And he recognized his grandfather, and his grandfather threatened him with a stick, the Other did not order any more.” In 1982, a local resident told his father how he “was in the city of Kitizh - they fed him there and gave him money.” The narrator’s father “went as a carriage driver,” and one day he was contracted to carry sacks of grain with a convoy. "And the convoy set off. As soon as it got dark on the road, they got out. I don’t know how many hours they drove and all they saw was plank gates. It looked like a monastery. They drove in. Darkness, some houses. While they were standing there they unloaded the convoy, everyone was taken in and fed , house, they gave money - and generously. And before dawn the gates were opened, and the convoy drove back, empty... Where were they at night (...)
they judged While they dressed, they turned around - and there were no gates. Stories." There is no story about how the Kitezh residents bought bread from the peasants; local residents take it for granted. One storyteller Khleb: "specifies the Kitezh elders bought from the Vyatka." Another case is “with one Vyatichi” who “brought his rye from the Vyatka region to the market in the village of Voskresenskoye to sell. And so (...) a gray-haired old man came up to him, looked at the grain, tasted it and bought it: “I say you have a whole load of rye (...). Vladimirskoe. I’ll give you an extra sack each for payment.” Vyatich agreed. Near Vladimirsky (the nearest village from Svetloyar) he saw monks. The monastery met him and helped him empty the barn into grain. Having received the payment, Vyatichi drove off. “back some distance from the lake, I stopped and wanted to pray for the monastery for good luck with the sale. I looked back and there was no monastery.” (Recorded in 1974.) According to local residents, there are cases when Kitezh residents helped people in the most ordinary matters. “I remember, when I was a little boy, my grandmother told me that there was an old man who lived here in a village by the lake - in Vladimirsky Shadrin or something.

So he went, that old man once went into the forest. (...) I went looking for mushrooms, and it was all to no avail - not a single mushroom! The old man was exhausted and tired. And so he sat down on a stump, he wanted to rest. (...) It’s a shame that he cost him a lot, but there’s no collection here. no, and he thought something: “If only the Kitezh old men would help.” Before he had time to think, he fell asleep. (...) After some time, the old man woke up, opened his eyes, looked into the basket - and couldn’t believe his eyes: it was filled to the brim with mushrooms. Yes, what else - one to one, but all white! "The legend of Kitezh is often compared with the legend of Atlantis. The invisible historicity of the city (as well as Atlantis) has been repeatedly tried to prove or disprove.

From the middle of the 19th century, the legend of Kitezh became the object of Ono. research aroused interest among a variety of folklorists - specialists, literary scholars, historians, archaeologists. Scientific expeditions have never been sent to Svetloyar. In the 50-70s of the 20th century, it was established that Lake Svetloyar was formed as a result of a failure - a sudden, strong shift of the soil, and this happened approximately at the time to which the legend refers to the disappearance of Kitezh. At the bottom of the lake, a certain “anomaly” was discovered - a half-meter layer of semi-liquid rock, in which fragments of Expertise were present in abundance. wood showed that on these fragments there are “traces of cutting tools,” that is, they were processed by human hands. The poetic image of the city inspired many poets, artists, and composers from Kitezh. Maximilian Voloshin, Nikolai Klyuev, Sergey Gorodetsky wrote about Kitezh. ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the famous Legend "an opera about the invisible city of Kitezh and the Virgin Roerich", N.K. Fevronia created a picturesque panel-curtain of this for the opera - “The Battle of Kerzhenets”. The city of the Legend of Kitezh - miraculously saved by God from the enemies of destruction, sheltered and preserved until better times, again when it appears to the world, preserving the ancient ancient, the root of faith and truth - one of the most cherished legends of the Russian people, who for centuries have been subjected to invasions by external enemies.

THE LEGEND OF HIS OLD MAN AND BAIKAL'S DAUGHTER ANGARA

There are many lakes in the world - large and small, deep and shallow, picturesque and harsh, but not one of them can compare with Baikal, there is no other such body of water in the world that could compete with it in such wide, loud and famous glory. And about no other lake there are so many legends and tales, songs and poems, poems and stories. They sound not only great love and reverence, but also something that inspires respect and emphasizes the greatness inherent in Baikal only and sharply distinguishes it from all the lakes of the globe.

There is also an ancient legend about Baikal, which is known in those parts and is old and as if.

Mlad in ancient times, where the waters of Lake Baikal now splash and the Angara River begins its rapid flow, lived a stern hero named Baikal with his daughter Angara, who was no more beautiful in the world.
Baikal had 336 black ones. The old man held them in his sons' body. The day forced the night to work tirelessly. And the sons did not work tirelessly. They melted the snow and drove glaciers and crystal water from the mountains into a huge river.

Then, they mined the basin with hard work, the sister squandered Angara. She squandered the collected outfits on wealth and various whims.

One day I heard singers traveling from the Angara about the young Yenisei hero who lived beyond the mountains, about his beauty and strength, and fell in love with the stern one. But his old man predicted a different fate for her, deciding to marry her to the old rich Irkut. He also began to guard his daughter more strictly and hid her in a crystal palace at the bottom of the underwater kingdom. Angara grieved inconsolably, cried in the underwater dungeon, and asked the gods for help.
The gods took pity on the captive and ordered the streams and rivers to wash away the walls of the crystal palace and free the Angara. The girl broke free and ran along a narrow passage in the rocks.
I woke up from the noise of Baikal, got angry, and rushed in pursuit. But where can an old man, he, keep up with his young daughter? She kept running further from the Angara from her angry father. Then the old man grabbed a block of stone and threw it at the fugitive, but not like that. hit and since then this block has remained lying at the place where the river exits the lake, and people call it the Shaman Stone.

The enraged old man threw everything and threw fragments of a seagull after the fugitive. But the rocks shouted every time: Turn around, turn around, Angara! And the girl deftly evaded her father’s deadly messengers.
Angara ran to the Yenisei, embraced the stream, and together they went to the Icy Sea.

Legend is intertwined with reality. 336 sons of Baikal - tributaries are lakes, large and small rivers, collecting their waters from an area of ​​​​more than 550 square thousand kilometers, which is approximately equal to the area of ​​France.

The Angara River flows out of the lake - a deep, powerful artery that tirelessly renews the lake width. water stream about a kilometer. This is what the Buryats say about her: The daughter of Baikal is ruining the old man! (According to A.P. Muranov. Blue eyes of the planet.)

The Omsk region keeps the legend of the “Five Lakes”, one of which is the famous Lake Okunevo. And the village near it was considered the energy center of the earth. The village itself is a place where paranormal phenomena periodically occur.

Some saw a headless horseman here, others talk about a round dance of girls on the river bank that came from nowhere. The legend says that behind the girls’ backs translucent figures of enormous height appeared and disappeared.

There are five lakes around the village, which appeared when five meteorites fell. The water in each of the lakes is considered healing; the location of the fifth lake is still a mystery.

The following legend has also been preserved: in the old days, mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind, he deeply loved his only daughter Angara. She was the most beautiful - everyone could not stop looking at her. Even the birds, although they descended lower, never sat on it and said: “Is it possible to blacken something light?” Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart.

One day, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young man Yenisei. Baikal got angry and dropped a rock right on the Angara’s throat. Gasping, she asked her father to forgive her and give her at least a drop of water. Baikal shouted: “I can only give you my tears!”
Since then, for hundreds of years, the Angara has flowed into the Yenisei like tear-water, and the gray, lonely Baikal has become gloomy. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called the Shaman Stone. Rich sacrifices were made there to Baikal. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman’s stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.”

But in the south there was a legend about living and dead water. She talked about an old man who survived many generations, but his appearance remained unchanged. And he had enormous power. Healers and spirits from different lands often turned to him for help, and sometimes Mother Earth herself.

The old man had the gift of endowing water with life-giving power, a drop of such water could bring one back to life and get rid of illness, a sip could give a person the ability to see the truth of existence and be happy, three sips revealed a healing gift in a person, and a mug of such water brought a person the strength that they had only disembodied spirits. Understanding the value of this water, he distributed it carefully, because in the hands of an ignoramus a lot of misfortune could happen.

However, trouble happened: a man came to him, begging for help. His father was dying from a serious illness. The old man gave the man a glass vessel with water and told him to give the water to his father once a day at dawn for the whole week and forbade him to drink it himself, since it was not intended for him. But the man could not restrain himself and drank the water. He immediately saw an old man, who became angry with him and demanded that the water be returned.

But hatred filled the man. He carved a spear from dense wood and went back to the cave. He came there and killed the old man. As soon as the spear pierced the old man’s heart, his blood splashed onto the man’s eyes and cleared his mind and heart of black feelings and thoughts. The man fell to his knees, hugged the old man and cried with remorse and love, as if for his own father. And at this time his blood father regained his sight and became healthy. The elder's gift passed to the man...

Since time immemorial, water has remained one of the most unusual elements for people. There are many signs associated with it, many stories, myths and legends. For Russians, fire, earth and especially water have always been absolutely wonderful elements. They were sure that the water came from a magical source. In Russian folklore, water is inextricably linked with life and death. Thus, living water, according to legend, could heal a wounded body. The ancestors of modern South Americans, Africans and Europeans revered water no less, if not more, than we do. Myths and legends were different, but they all agreed on one thing - water was the meaning of existence, a deity. At many places of pagan worship near the water, chapels and temples were even erected, and sometimes the water bodies themselves became heroes of myths and legends.

1. First, let's look at Japanese mythology. Everyone knows the story of the Great Flood, described in the Bible. However, references to this “incident” are found in the myths and legends of different peoples. According to the Japanese version, for example, the first ruler of Japan settled on the islands immediately after the water began to recede.

2. And again about the Japanese: there is such a lake - Tazawa (or Tazawako) with a depth of 423 m. It is noteworthy that in winter the lake does not freeze, despite the cold weather typical for local winters. There are many legends associated with it, one of which says that a young and handsome fisherman, Hatirotaro, once lived in these parts. One day he caught a strange fish in the river. The young guy was hungry and ate it. Suddenly he felt a monstrous thirst. In an effort to quench it, he fell down to a spring gushing out from under the stones and drank water from it for 32 days without a break. On the 33rd day, Hachirotaro turned into a dragon. The fisherman could no longer return to his native shelter in this form. Therefore, he dammed the river, thus turning it into a deep lake suitable for the habitat of a water dragon. This is how, according to legend, Lake Tazawa appeared.

3. There is also such a legend among the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. According to Japanese mythology, the Dragon Ryujin is the god of the sea, the lord of the water element. According to legends, he lived at the bottom of the ocean near the coast of Japan, near the Ryukyu Islands (Nansei). One blow from Ryujin's tail causes huge tidal waves that completely wash away coastal villages. When Ryujin opens his huge toothy mouth and sighs, giant whirlpools appear in the water. The head of the noble dragon is crowned with stag antlers; the mustache indicates his wisdom; eyes see deep to the very bottom of the ocean. When Ryujin extends his terrible claws, floods occur. With the movement of its paw it can capsize several ships.

4. Another myth is associated with it, but this time it is almost historical. Deciding to attack Korea, Empress Jingu asked Ryujin for help. The dragon's messenger brought her two precious stones, one tidal and one ebb. Jingu led the Japanese fleet to Korea. At sea they were met by Korean warships. Jingu threw a low-tide stone into the water, and the Korean ships ran aground. As the Korean warriors jumped out of their ships to make a foot attack, Jingu threw a tidal rock onto the seabed. All the water rushed back and drowned the enemies.

5. The Japanese generally have a lot of myths and legends about water. And here's another one for you. The Japanese once believed in Kappa water demons, which look like small naked men with a turtle shell and a water-filled bowl for their heads. They scoured the water in search of the lost passenger and pulled him into the depths. There are only two ways to avoid them: the first involves writing a name on a cucumber and throwing it into the water. Kappas love cucumbers. The second way is to bow to the demons. In this case, the demon has to bow in response and thereby empty his cup-head. Without water in their heads, the Kappa are helpless.

6. Let's move to South America - to Ancient Mexico. Their legends about the Flood say this: “The sky approached the Earth, and instantly all living things perished.” They were sure that the mountains and rocks that we see now covered the entire earth, and the water boiled and seethed so much that the mountains turned red. They were also sure that the water destroyed the unnecessary, ugly race of giants, and all people turned into fish, except for one pair hidden in the trees.

7. The red man generally believed that the globe inhabited by people was created from silt that rose from the primordial waters. In their myths there are bisexual creatures known to the Aztecs as Ometecuhtli-Omesihuatl (lords of dual nature). They were depicted as deities ruling over the origin of all things, over the beginning of the world.

8. Around this time, the most famous hero of the myths of the ancient southern Europeans is Neptune (Poseidon). A lot of traditions, legends and myths are associated with it. It was he who inspired great fear in everyone, because all vibrations of the soil were attributed to Neptune (Poseidon), and when an earthquake began, sacrifices were made to the god Poseidon. It was enough for Poseidon to hit the ground with his trident for it to open up and shake. Poseidon (Neptune) was recognized and revered as a mighty and strong god by all sailors and merchants who erected altars to him and turned to him with prayers so that the god Poseidon would grant their ships a happy passage without storms and would patronize the success of their trade.

9. One of the most famous myths is associated with him. At the request of the hero Theseus, the god Poseidon summoned a monster, which caused the death of Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and the queen of the Amazons. Gloomy by nature, Ippolit loved nothing but hunting. He loudly expressed his contempt for women, never worshiped the goddess Aphrodite and brought all his sacrifices to the altar of the goddess Artemis. The angry Aphrodite decided to take revenge for such neglect. The goddess Aphrodite instilled in Hippolytus's stepmother Phaedra a mad love for Hippolytus. But Hippolytus turned away with disgust from his stepmother, who slandered Hippolyte to his father for this. Considering him guilty, Theseus invoked the wrath of the god Poseidon on him, and he ordered the sea monster to appear on the surface of the water, while Hippolytus approached the sea in a chariot. The horses, frightened by the monster, overturned the chariot, and Hippolytus died. Subsequently, this myth formed the basis of “Phaedra” and Rubens’ painting “The Death of Hippolytus.”

10. And at this time in Egypt, water is endowed with life-giving ability - heavenly waters irrigate the earth, helping to maintain life on it. One of the myths tells that God sat on the water, like a bird sits on eggs, and hatched life. In Egyptian graphics, the triple hieroglyph of water symbolizes the vast waters, i.e. the primordial ocean and primordial matter. The Vedas say that at the beginning of time everything was like a sea devoid of light. Water is compared to the life-giving fluids of the body. In accordance with this idea, in Ancient Egypt, water was added to the mummified body in order to replace the lost “vital juices”. The Nile was also given a divine image as the “breadwinner” of the people - without the floods of this river, life here would have been impossible.

11. Let's move to Rus'. There was a legend about Vodyanoy - the lord of waters. According to legend, this is an evil spirit personifying the water element. He lives in river whirlpools, in whirlpools or in swamps, he likes to settle under a water mill, near the wheel itself, which is why in the old days all millers were considered sorcerers. However, the mermen also have their own houses, built from shells and semi-precious river pebbles. In its native element, the water one is irresistible, but on earth its strength weakens. He lures a person into the water and drowns him, is able to destroy dams, can give fishermen a rich catch, or disperses all the fish and breaks the nets. Therefore, millers and fishermen tried to appease him: they threw bread into the water or sacrificed some black animal (rooster, cat, dog), the fishermen released the first fish they caught back into the water.

12. The Slavs also believed in Vodyanitsa - the wife of the water man, a former drowned woman. She was also called a cracker, a joke. Vodyanitsa preferred forest and mill pools, but most of all she loved the honeydews under the mills, where the rapids muddy the water and wash out the holes. Under the mill wheels, she seemed to usually gather for the night together with the waterman. According to legend, she has a harmful disposition: when she splashes in the water and plays with the running waves or jumps on mill wheels and spins with them, she breaks the nets and spoils the millstones.

13. The Omsk region keeps the legend of the “Five Lakes”, one of which is the famous Lake Okunevo. And the village near it was considered the energy center of the earth. The village itself is a place where paranormal phenomena periodically occur. Some saw a headless horseman here, others talk about a round dance of girls on the river bank that came from nowhere. The legend says that behind the girls’ backs translucent figures of enormous height appeared and disappeared. There are five lakes around the village, which appeared when five meteorites fell. The water in each of the lakes is considered healing; the location of the fifth lake is still a mystery.

14. The following legend has also been preserved: in the old days, mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind, he deeply loved his only daughter Angara. She was the most beautiful - everyone could not stop looking at her. Even the birds, although they descended lower, never sat on it and said: “Is it possible to blacken something light?” Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart. One day, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young man Yenisei. Baikal got angry and dropped a rock right on the Angara’s throat. Gasping, she asked her father to forgive her and give her at least a drop of water. Baikal shouted: “I can only give you my tears!” Since then, for hundreds of years, the Angara has flowed into the Yenisei like tear-water, and the gray, lonely Baikal has become gloomy. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called the Shaman Stone. Rich sacrifices were made there to Baikal. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman’s stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.”

15. But in the south there was a legend about living and dead water. She talked about an old man who survived many generations, but his appearance remained unchanged. And he had enormous power. Healers and spirits from different lands often turned to him for help, and sometimes Mother Earth herself. The old man had the gift of endowing water with life-giving power, a drop of such water could bring one back to life and get rid of illness, a sip could give a person the ability to see the truth of existence and be happy, three sips revealed a healing gift in a person, and a mug of such water brought a person the strength that they had only disembodied spirits. Understanding the value of this water, he distributed it carefully, because in the hands of an ignoramus a lot of misfortune could happen. However, trouble happened: a man came to him, begging for help. His father was dying from a serious illness. The old man gave the man a glass vessel with water and told him to give the water to his father once a day at dawn for the whole week and forbade him to drink it himself, since it was not intended for him. But the man could not restrain himself and drank the water. He immediately saw an old man, who became angry with him and demanded that the water be returned. But hatred filled the man. He carved a spear from dense wood and went back to the cave. He came there and killed the old man. As soon as the spear pierced the old man’s heart, his blood splashed onto the man’s eyes and cleared his mind and heart of black feelings and thoughts. The man fell to his knees, hugged the old man and cried with remorse and love, as if for his own father. And at this time his blood father regained his sight and became healthy. The elder's gift passed to the man.

16. In Yakutia, local residents have long believed in the existence of the Labynkarsky devil - something dark gray in color with a huge mouth. The distance between the eyes is equal to the width of a raft of ten logs. According to legend, it is very aggressive and dangerous, attacks people and animals, and is capable of going ashore.

Since time immemorial, water has remained one of the most unusual elements for people. There are many signs associated with it, many stories, myths and legends. For Russians, fire, earth and especially water have always been absolutely wonderful elements. They were sure that the water came from a magical source. In Russian folklore, water is inextricably linked with life and death. Thus, living water, according to legend, could heal a wounded body. The ancestors of modern South Americans, Africans and Europeans revered water no less, if not more, than we do. Myths and legends were different, but they all agreed on one thing - water was the meaning of existence, a deity. At many places of pagan worship near the water, chapels and temples were even erected, and sometimes the water bodies themselves became heroes of myths and legends.

(Total 16 photos)

1. First, let's look at Japanese mythology. Everyone knows the story of the Great Flood, described in the Bible. However, references to this “incident” are found in the myths and legends of different peoples. According to the Japanese version, for example, the first ruler of Japan settled on the islands immediately after the water began to recede.

2. And again about the Japanese: there is such a lake - Tazawa (or Tazawako) with a depth of 423 m. It is noteworthy that in winter the lake does not freeze, despite the cold weather typical for local winters. There are many legends associated with it, one of which says that a young and handsome fisherman, Hatirotaro, once lived in these parts. One day he caught a strange fish in the river. The young guy was hungry and ate it. Suddenly he felt a monstrous thirst. In an effort to quench it, he fell down to a spring gushing out from under the stones and drank water from it for 32 days without a break. On the 33rd day, Hachirotaro turned into a dragon. The fisherman could no longer return to his native shelter in this form. Therefore, he dammed the river, thus turning it into a deep lake suitable for the habitat of a water dragon. This is how, according to legend, Lake Tazawa appeared.

3. There is also such a legend among the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. According to Japanese mythology, the Dragon Ryujin is the god of the sea, the lord of the water element. According to legends, he lived at the bottom of the ocean near the coast of Japan, near the Ryukyu Islands (Nansei). One blow from Ryujin's tail causes huge tidal waves that completely wash away coastal villages. When Ryujin opens his huge toothy mouth and sighs, giant whirlpools appear in the water. The head of the noble dragon is crowned with stag antlers; the mustache indicates his wisdom; eyes see deep to the very bottom of the ocean. When Ryujin extends his terrible claws, floods occur. With the movement of its paw it can capsize several ships.

4. Another myth is associated with it, but this time it is almost historical. Deciding to attack Korea, Empress Jingu asked Ryujin for help. The dragon's messenger brought her two precious stones, one tidal and one ebb. Jingu led the Japanese fleet to Korea. At sea they were met by Korean warships. Jingu threw a low-tide stone into the water, and the Korean ships ran aground. As the Korean warriors jumped out of their ships to make a foot attack, Jingu threw a tidal rock onto the seabed. All the water rushed back and drowned the enemies.

5. The Japanese generally have a lot of myths and legends about water. And here's another one for you. The Japanese once believed in Kappa water demons, which look like small naked men with a turtle shell and a water-filled bowl for their heads. They scoured the water in search of the lost passenger and pulled him into the depths. There are only two ways to avoid them: the first involves writing a name on a cucumber and throwing it into the water. Kappas love cucumbers. The second way is to bow to the demons. In this case, the demon has to bow in response and thereby empty his cup-head. Without water in their heads, the Kappa are helpless.

6. Let's move to South America - to Ancient Mexico. Their legends about the Flood say this: “The sky approached the Earth, and instantly all living things perished.” They were sure that the mountains and rocks that we see now covered the entire earth, and the water boiled and seethed so much that the mountains turned red. They were also sure that the water destroyed the unnecessary, ugly race of giants, and all people turned into fish, except for one pair hidden in the trees.

7. The red man generally believed that the globe inhabited by people was created from silt that rose from the primordial waters. In their myths there are bisexual creatures known to the Aztecs as Ometecuhtli-Omesihuatl (lords of dual nature). They were depicted as deities ruling over the origin of all things, over the beginning of the world.

8. Around this time, the most famous hero of the myths of the ancient southern Europeans is Neptune (Poseidon). A lot of traditions, legends and myths are associated with it. It was he who inspired great fear in everyone, because all vibrations of the soil were attributed to Neptune (Poseidon), and when an earthquake began, sacrifices were made to the god Poseidon. It was enough for Poseidon to hit the ground with his trident for it to open up and shake. Poseidon (Neptune) was recognized and revered as a mighty and strong god by all sailors and merchants who erected altars to him and turned to him with prayers so that the god Poseidon would grant their ships a happy passage without storms and would patronize the success of their trade.

9. One of the most famous myths is associated with him. At the request of the hero Theseus, the god Poseidon summoned a monster, which caused the death of Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and the queen of the Amazons. Gloomy by nature, Ippolit loved nothing but hunting. He loudly expressed his contempt for women, never worshiped the goddess Aphrodite and brought all his sacrifices to the altar of the goddess Artemis. The angry Aphrodite decided to take revenge for such neglect. The goddess Aphrodite instilled in Hippolytus's stepmother Phaedra a mad love for Hippolytus. But Hippolytus turned away with disgust from his stepmother, who slandered Hippolyte to his father for this. Considering him guilty, Theseus invoked the wrath of the god Poseidon on him, and he ordered the sea monster to appear on the surface of the water, while Hippolytus approached the sea in a chariot. The horses, frightened by the monster, overturned the chariot, and Hippolytus died. Subsequently, this myth formed the basis of “Phaedra” and Rubens’ painting “The Death of Hippolytus.”

10. And at this time in Egypt, water is endowed with life-giving ability - heavenly waters irrigate the earth, helping to maintain life on it. One of the myths tells that God sat on the water, like a bird sits on eggs, and hatched life. In Egyptian graphics, the triple hieroglyph of water symbolizes the vast waters, i.e. the primordial ocean and primordial matter. The Vedas say that at the beginning of time everything was like a sea devoid of light. Water is compared to the life-giving fluids of the body. In accordance with this idea, in Ancient Egypt, water was added to the mummified body in order to replace the lost “vital juices”. The Nile was also given a divine image as the “breadwinner” of the people - without the floods of this river, life here would have been impossible.

11. Let's move to Rus'. There was a legend about Vodyanoy - the lord of waters. According to legend, this is an evil spirit personifying the water element. He lives in river whirlpools, in whirlpools or in swamps, he likes to settle under a water mill, near the wheel itself, which is why in the old days all millers were considered sorcerers. However, the mermen also have their own houses, built from shells and semi-precious river pebbles. In its native element, the water one is irresistible, but on earth its strength weakens. He lures a person into the water and drowns him, is able to destroy dams, can give fishermen a rich catch, or disperses all the fish and breaks the nets. Therefore, millers and fishermen tried to appease him: they threw bread into the water or sacrificed some black animal (rooster, cat, dog), the fishermen released the first fish they caught back into the water.

12. The Slavs also believed in Vodyanitsa - the wife of the water man, a former drowned woman. She was also called a cracker, a joke. Vodyanitsa preferred forest and mill pools, but most of all she loved the honeydews under the mills, where the rapids muddy the water and wash out the holes. Under the mill wheels, she seemed to usually gather for the night together with the waterman. According to legend, she has a harmful disposition: when she splashes in the water and plays with the running waves or jumps on mill wheels and spins with them, she breaks the nets and spoils the millstones.

13. The Omsk region keeps the legend of the “Five Lakes”, one of which is the famous Lake Okunevo. And the village near it was considered the energy center of the earth. The village itself is a place where paranormal phenomena periodically occur. Some saw a headless horseman here, others talk about a round dance of girls on the river bank that came from nowhere. The legend says that behind the girls’ backs translucent figures of enormous height appeared and disappeared. There are five lakes around the village, which appeared when five meteorites fell. The water in each of the lakes is considered healing; the location of the fifth lake is still a mystery.

14. The following legend has also been preserved: in the old days, mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind, he deeply loved his only daughter Angara. She was the most beautiful - everyone could not stop looking at her. Even the birds, although they descended lower, never sat on it and said: “Is it possible to blacken something light?” Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart. One day, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young man Yenisei. Baikal got angry and dropped a rock right on the Angara’s throat. Gasping, she asked her father to forgive her and give her at least a drop of water. Baikal shouted: “I can only give you my tears!” Since then, for hundreds of years, the Angara has flowed into the Yenisei like tear-water, and the gray, lonely Baikal has become gloomy. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called the Shaman Stone. Rich sacrifices were made there to Baikal. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman’s stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.”

15. But in the south there was a legend about living and dead water. She talked about an old man who survived many generations, but his appearance remained unchanged. And he had enormous power. Healers and spirits from different lands often turned to him for help, and sometimes Mother Earth herself. The old man had the gift of endowing water with life-giving power, a drop of such water could bring one back to life and get rid of illness, a sip could give a person the ability to see the truth of existence and be happy, three sips revealed a healing gift in a person, and a mug of such water brought a person the strength that they had only disembodied spirits. Understanding the value of this water, he distributed it carefully, because in the hands of an ignoramus a lot of misfortune could happen. However, trouble happened: a man came to him, begging for help. His father was dying from a serious illness. The old man gave the man a glass vessel with water and told him to give the water to his father once a day at dawn for the whole week and forbade him to drink it himself, since it was not intended for him. But the man could not restrain himself and drank the water. He immediately saw an old man, who became angry with him and demanded that the water be returned. But hatred filled the man. He carved a spear from dense wood and went back to the cave. He came there and killed the old man. As soon as the spear pierced the old man’s heart, his blood splashed onto the man’s eyes and cleared his mind and heart of black feelings and thoughts. The man fell to his knees, hugged the old man and cried with remorse and love, as if for his own father. And at this time his blood father regained his sight and became healthy. The elder's gift passed to the man.

16. In Yakutia, local residents have long believed in the existence of the Labynkarsky devil - something dark gray in color with a huge mouth. The distance between the eyes is equal to the width of a raft of ten logs. According to legend, it is very aggressive and dangerous, attacks people and animals, and is capable of going ashore.