For centuries, people have gazed at the mountains with awe. Human fantasy inhabited their snow-capped peaks with powerful gods and spirits. But even today, when the belief in the existence of higher forces is no longer as strong as in ancient times, many secrets of the stone peaks have remained unsolved.
There, on Bald Mountain …
At the words "Bald Mountain" many of our readers will certainly imagine the night sabbath of witches taking place in the light of the full moon. I must say that the witchcraft reputation behind these reserved heights (in Russia, Ukraine and other European countries there are several mountains with this name) was not fixed by chance. These mountains received the name "bald" (that is, devoid of vegetation) many centuries ago, when the priests of the pagan gods chose their peaks, considering them places of power. During the construction of sanctuaries and the creation of temples for the inhabitants of heaven, of course, all the trees on the mountains were cut down, and therefore they became "bald".
Undoubtedly, the most famous of these namesake is "Bald Mountain" in Kiev, about which there are many legends.
According to Slavic beliefs, it is located in the very place where a giant snake, encircling the earth, bites its tail. Long before the arrival of Christianity, several temples of the ancient gods were located here at once, in which they brought bloody sacrifices. Local legends say that after the baptism of Russia, the pagan priests hid for some time in caves under the mountain and hid their main shrines there. When the servants of the debunked deities left the mountain, they walled up the entrances to their vaults so that none of the uninitiated could find the sacred artifacts.
However, soon monks from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra settled on the mountain. They carefully explored the caves under the mountain and connected this sacred place with underground passages with their abode.
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According to modern esotericists, today "Bald Mountain" is hostile to people, and this is due to the two tragedies that occurred in these dungeons. The first took place during the invasion of Batu (1237-1240), when many Kievites took refuge here from the invaders. Having plundered the city, the khan ordered to fill up the exits from the dungeons, so as not to leave in his rear a living enemy capable of stabbing in the back. Thus, he condemned the unfortunate people to a terrible death.
The second tragedy happened several centuries later. At the beginning of the 18th century, according to the decree of Peter I, Lysaya Gora was supposed to become an impregnable fortress that protected Kiev from enemies. This fortification had a cunning layout: there were reservoirs in its undergrounds, which were filled with water from the Dnieper. It was assumed that in the event of the capture of the fortress, the fortress would hide under water together with the enemy. Peter's engineers were afraid that the workers would reveal the secret of the new fort, and therefore, after the construction of the catchment basins, almost three thousand people were drowned there. It is believed that since that time, the souls of ruined people wander the bald mountain and take revenge on everyone who wanders into their domain. In addition, from time to time they remind of themselves with a rumble that spreads around the area.
However, despite the terrible reputation of Bald Mountain, there are many who want to walk along its slopes. Someone is looking for ancient treasures here, someone celebrates pagan holidays, but the most desperate daredevils perform rituals on the mountain, which, in their opinion, should help in the fulfillment of cherished desires.
Stone Catherine
Crimean mountain Demerdzhi, located not far from Alushta, is no less famous for its ghosts and mysterious phenomena. Its "calling card" is a huge stone on one of the slopes, reminiscent of a woman's head.
They say that once upon a time an evil blacksmith settled on this mountain, who forged weapons here day and night, and the smoke that poured from his forge, exterminated wild and even domestic animals, destroyed plants. Because of this, people in the surrounding villages often suffered from hunger. They many times asked the villain to stop killing their herds and crops with poisonous smoke, but he threw down the negotiators who came to him.
And then one day the brave girl Catherine went to the blacksmith. This beauty liked the murderer so much that, barely looking at her, he invited her to become his concubine. The proud maiden rejected the unworthy offer and immediately paid for it with her life. However, apparently, the death of an innocent girl overflowed the mountain's patience, and she collapsed, burying the killer and his forge under her. But in the morning of the next day, Demerdzhi was reborn, and a megalith appeared on its slope in the form of the head of the brave Catherine.
Other bizarre stones appeared on the mountain. Their cluster was called the Valley of Ghosts. Numerous tourists who come here say that while walking among these unusual stones, someone's presence is felt. Also, according to the testimony of tourists, from time to time from somewhere in the distance strange sounds are heard, and sometimes at night silhouettes of people in strange clothes appear at the tents.
Esotericists believe that here, on Demerdzhi, there is a portal to another world, from which its inhabitants come to the slopes of the mountain. They do not harm their earthly neighbors, but their presence scares people, makes them feel uncomfortable. The arrival of guests from another world is accompanied by the appearance of fog that envelops the stones. And sometimes, eyewitnesses say, he even changes the landscape of the slopes, and sometimes this happens several times a day.
However, there is another hypothesis. According to some researchers, the culprit of all these mysterious phenomena in the Valley of Ghosts is a certain unique plant capable of emitting a hallucinogenic gas, whose habitat is exclusively on the slopes of Demerdzhi. But biologists have not been able to figure out this insidious plant, which means that the mysteries of the Crimean mountain have not yet been solved.
Keeper of Altai
The snow-capped peaks of the famous Belukha - the shrine of Altai, one of the highest mountains in Russia, keep many secrets. Several legends tell about its origin. According to one, the mountain grew at the site of the death of a giant killed by hunters. Another legend says that powerful gods threw her from heaven to earth in order to pinch people from an advancing glacier.
Whatever it was, but from time immemorial, the Altai believed that a powerful spirit dwelt on the peaks of the beluga whale, and therefore a lot of prohibitions were associated with this mountain 100 years ago. So, so as not to anger the mountain deity, for many centuries men came to Belukha and paid homage to the guardian spirit of Altai. Here it was impossible to talk loudly, to hunt on the slopes, and also to have iron objects with you. On the passes, they always left offerings to the spirit - special ribbons tied with horsehair, and tours - special structures made of stones. Similar gifts to the deity can be seen on the slopes of the mountain today.
And people come here not by chance. As noted by the famous artist, mystic and traveler Nicholas Roerich, Belukha is a place of power that fills a person with positive energy, bestows good spirits and health. In addition, in his opinion, it is here that the entrance to the legendary land of Shambhala is located. But only people with the ability to penetrate into another dimension can get there. Other Altai legends are also connected with Belukha. One of them says that when the peaks of the mountains fall to the ground, humanity will die. One can be skeptical about this prophecy, but in 1914 one of the peaks of Belukha partially collapsed, and soon the First World War broke out in Europe.
According to the following prophecy, at the end of our world there will be many wars and cataclysms, and people will die of "weapons and hunger." But a woman with a child, who will come out of the mountain, will not let humanity die, and then a golden age will come on earth.