Probably, many readers remember Selma Lagerlef's fairy tale "The Wonderful Journey of Niels with Wild Geese." The enchanted boy had to go through many adventures, for example, to meet with the revived monument to the king, walking along the streets of the sleeping city.
It would seem that the storytellers will not come up with anything! However, there is ample evidence that there is a fair amount of truth in Niels's story.
Statues and gods
The fact that the monuments leave their pedestals and stretch their legs, walking on rainy nights, have long been told by the urban legends of Northern and Central Europe. The ancient Greeks and Romans decorated their temples with statues of gods for a reason.
It was believed that it is easier for the inhabitants of heaven to communicate with people precisely through … their statues. So, during a holiday dedicated to one or another god, the spirit of the "hero of the occasion" temporarily infiltrated the stone statue in order to transmit its will to the faithful.
The priests were assigned to the statues, who knew how to guess the desires of God by the look, barely noticeable movements of the lips and eyebrows of the idol. They also decorated the statues, presented them gifts, made sacrifices. The famous myth of Pygmalion and Galatea tells that there is a grain of truth in these beliefs.
The sculptor Pygmalion, who created the statue of a beautiful girl, fell in love with his creation. Suffering from unrequited feelings, he turned to the statue of the goddess of love Aphrodite, created by him, displayed in the temple, with a request to save him from torment.
Promotional video:
According to the myth, the statue of the goddess reacted favorably to the prayer of its creator, and when he laid gifts at her feet, she smiled affectionately at the unfortunate. Inspired by this smile, Pygmalion hurried home to witness a new miracle - the statue of the beautiful Galatea created by him came to life at the behest of Aphrodite.
It must be said that the laws of that time strictly protected the "honor and dignity" of the gods. Thus, the famous Greek sculptor Praxitel was brought to trial for daring to sculpt statues of goddesses, using his mistress Phryne as a model. Such insolence was considered unheard of blasphemy, because a mortal woman could not compare with the beauty of the goddesses.
However, after centuries, these prohibitions have become a thing of the past. The streets of Ancient Rome were decorated with statues not only of gods, but also of mortal heroes and emperors. However, they were not devoid of a magical halo. It is known that the barbarians who seized Roman cities were horrified by the numerous statues. The Romans, who were not afraid of statues, were considered by the conquerors to be sorcerers who knew how to control their creations.
Over the centuries, these superstitions have been forgotten. Monuments to outstanding people adorn modern cities and villages in abundance. And only legends remind us that the legends of the past centuries were not so wrong.
Ride of the Bronze Horseman
It's no secret that most of the incredible stories are about the Bronze Horseman - a monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg. A. S. Pushkin composed a poem of the same name, in one of the episodes of which the main character is described as follows:
And it is empty by area
Runs and hears behind him -
Like thunder rumble -
Heavy-ringing galloping
On the shocked pavement.
The hero is trying to catch up with the revived royal horseman. It is worth noting that before starting work on The Bronze Horseman, Pushkin carefully studied the urban folklore of St. Petersburg.
However, it remains a mystery why the monument to Peter I is so "active". It turns out there are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, the unique Thunder-stone found in the village of Konnaya Lakhta serves as a pedestal for the monument to the great reformer. Delivery of the future pedestal to the capital took more than five months - the pebble weighed nearly 2,400 tons.
Legends say that the Thunder Stone was once part of an ancient sanctuary, and therefore contains magical power. And even the fact that the creator of the Bronze Horseman, Etienne Falcone, slightly hewn the ancient monolith, giving it the shape of a sea wave, did not reduce the magic power of the stone.
Secondly, the very personality of Peter I is full of magical mysteries. It is worth remembering that even during the life of the first emperor, the Russian people called the Antichrist. The tsar received this nickname not only because of radical reforms, but also because of the means by which he achieved his goals. Exorbitant taxes, curtailment of monastic property, removal of bells and many people who died on Peter's construction sites did not add to the popularity of the reformer. The people called the city on the Neva a "demonic creation".
Even before the installation of the Bronze Horseman on Senate Square in the northern capital, there were many "horror stories" about the deceased emperor. There were rumors that on rainy nights late passers-by on the banks of the Neva often saw a long-legged bruiser in an open caftan, boots, with an invariable club in hand. In this ghost, many recognized Peter I. The meeting with the king did not bode well. At best, it promised a quick death or illness of someone close to a passer-by, and at worst, an angry emperor would kill the poor fellow on the spot with his club.
After the Bronze Horseman took his place on the Senate Square on August 7, 1782, it was rumored that Peter was riding around his possessions at night. Legends say that most often the emperor can be seen on rainy autumn nights or during the flooding of the Neva - it is then that the equestrian statue leaves its pedestal to protect the peace of the city.
Drinking King
The real rival of the Bronze Horseman in terms of the number of urban legends is the monument to the Swedish king Gustav III in Stockholm. Gustav III can be called one of the outstanding rulers of Sweden, and in character he was in many ways similar to Peter I. The young king, just like his Russian "colleague", in his youth was fond of "amusing" troops, and then unexpectedly with the help of these troops harshly reined in the roaming nobility. In addition, Gustav III became famous for his battles at sea, and during one of them he utterly defeated the Russian fleet.
The sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel began work on the monument to the monarch even before his tragic death, in 1792. The majestic statue of the ruler was installed on the Sheppsbruck Cayenne only in 1808
Since then, rumors have spread throughout Stockholm that in the stormy twilight the massive figure of the ruler is walking along the water's edge. I must say that, unlike Peter I, the Swedish king does not harm passers-by. On the contrary, he is rather friendly towards his subjects. The following urban legend tells about it.
Somehow in the middle of the last century, a student decided to skip classes on a gloomy autumn day. Having bought a couple of bottles of beer and grabbing his favorite pipe, the young man went to the embankment to while away the evening in peace and quiet. Having admired the sea panorama, the truant nevertheless heard how soon someone next to him landed on the stones.
Monument to the Swedish King Gustav III in Stockholm
Having decided that it was one of his fellow students, the young man, without turning his head, handed the bottle of beer to the approached. He drank, announcing with a loud belch that he appreciated the taste of the drink, and returned the bottle. Then the student lit his pipe and again, without turning around, treated the drinking companion to tobacco.
After that, the truant finally decided to say hello to his classmate and, turning to him, froze in horror. Next to him, as you might have guessed, sat on the stones his Majesty Gustav III, clutching a student's pipe in his powerful hand. This meeting with the king-monument forever discouraged the young man from skipping classes, which later helped him graduate from university with honors.
Swearing Felix
However, not only the creations of famous masters are distinguished by paranormal activity. It happens that the hero of urban legends is a bust created by an unknown sculptor. It was such a monument to Dzerzhinsky in Krasnoyarsk that gave rise to a lot of rumors and chilling stories.
In the era of developed socialism, a small bust of Iron Felix was erected near one of the Krasnoyarsk schools. At first, this statue did not give rise to rumors, but a few years later strange events began to occur at the school. On bad evenings, obscene expressions began to be heard in the corridors, confusing the poor students, technicians and teachers left after lessons.
Often, the "dispersed" hooligan not only amazed with the wealth of knowledge of "folk sayings", but also made obscene proposals to young teachers. At the same time, the swearing was not visible, and it seemed that the curses were coming straight from the air.
But the fact that they were pronounced in Russian and Polish quickly helped to "figure out" the troublemaker. In addition, on rainy evenings, someone knocked loudly at the windows of the school overlooking the square where the bust of Dzerzhinsky stood, terrifying the teachers who had earned money. And there was something to be afraid of, because they knocked on the windows of the first, second and even third floors.
The following case helped Krasnoyarsk people to finally establish themselves in the idea that everything that was happening was connected with the bust of the creator of the Cheka. Somehow one man who had gone for a walk was returning home. Passing by the bust of Dzerzhinsky, the reveler decided to relieve himself by hiding behind the statue's pedestal.
What happened next, forever weaned the poor fellow from doing such things on the streets of the city. Felix turned his head to the defiler and, looking at him, bared his teeth, revealing fangs that Count Dracula himself would envy.
Similar stories about monuments that come to life from time to time can be heard in many cities of the world, which gives reason to assume that the sculptures familiar to us from childhood are not as simple as they seem at first glance.
Elena LYAKINA
