Vladimir works as an engineer in one of the Kostroma companies. In parallel, together with his wife Klara, he explores and learns the secrets of the mystical world: he examines the sites of ancient tribes, settlements, looking for signs indicating that an interesting object is located nearby.
- Kostroma people sometimes do not even realize that they live in fabulous places, in an amazing and mysterious world. Some have heard something about the Blue Stone on Lake Pleshcheyevo in the Yaroslavl Region, about the Blue Key in Shchelykovo. But there are many such mysterious and wonderful places on the territory of our region, - says Vladimir Shamov.
The Blue Key. Ostrovsky district
The most famous sacred place, which, perhaps, everyone knows about, is the Blue Key, located in Shchelykovo, Ostrovsky District.
According to legend, the Snow Maiden melted in this place. The spring water is really blue. People come to him to wash and, making a wish, hang ribbons on the trees. First of all, young couples go to ask for happiness from the one who did not receive it.
There is even a very creepy hypothesis. Allegedly in ancient times, people were very dependent on the cold, and in order to appease the demon of cold they sacrificed. A young, unmarried girl was tied to a tree and left to freeze. In the spring, the girl's blue body was burned at the stake. In the forest next to the blue key, sometimes a girl's silhouette is still seen.
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- This is just one of the versions. The mysterious natural site was worshiped and dedicated to a female deity. It is wonderful that he still gives people hope for happiness, - explains Vladimir Shamov.
Finger stone. Ostrovsky district
One gets the impression that the Ostrovsky district is full of wonders and secrets. Probably, if witches and sorcerers still lived in our world, they would like the place. So, according to Vladimir Shamov, there you can find the remains of an ancient pagan sanctuary. One of the stones lies in the tract behind the village of Ostrovskoye.
- Judging by the tremendous energy in this ravine, the sanctuary itself was located there. We searched for him from morning to evening, twice passed through the ravine and both times felt vibrations. But it never occurred to us that the stone was there. The object was seen by one of our friends quite by accident, - says Vladimir.
The rest of the stones of the pagan sanctuary with medieval graffiti on a Christian theme (a unique archaeological site) are in the courtyard of one of the local residents. They were dragged into the courtyard of the church located next to the man's house by order of his great-grandfather, the church rector, back in the summer of 1888. A face and inscriptions are engraved on a huge boulder. They are especially well seen in winter, when snow is cleared from the stone.
"Witch's chair". Krasnoselsky district
The Krasnoselsky district is also full of mysticism. A large stone was found in local forests, the so-called "witch's chair". It is believed that witches, werewolves and other mysterious personalities sit on them and are fueled by energy. Krasnoselsky stone is also called "shoe" or "bear". To the stone from the village passed "Marfina's path", named after a resident of the last house, from which it begins.
According to the stories of local residents, a stone was laid on a bed, and a hole was dug under it - again they were looking for treasure, but finding nothing, they threw it. It is believed that the stone has retained its original position and resembles a chair.
Legend. Pyotr Klinov went into the forest for mushrooms along the "Martha's path" past the stone. Suddenly he sees that an old man is sitting on him in little paws and with a long gray beard below the knees. He sits and smokes a "goat leg". Peter suddenly wanted to light a cigarette. He asked the old man. He reached into his pocket for a pouch and suddenly disappeared. When Klinov returned from the forest, he passed again by the stone and saw that a huge bear was sitting on it, and his skin seemed to be casting gray. This was the master of the forest.
- Village grandmothers remember that during their childhood games were still held near the stone. Ilyin's day was considered the most important, - says Vladimir Shamov. - According to our observations on the stone, the state of health improves. This is noted by many friends whom we took to the "witch's chair".
Holy Bochag. Krasnoselsky district
Saint Bochag is another sacred place located between the village of Zakharovo and the village of Malinovaya, Krasnoselsky district. It consists of a lake with “dead” water, in which a boulder lies, and a lake with “living” water. It is believed that having bathed in these waters: first in the "dead", then in the "living", then take off something from your clothes and leave it on the branches of trees growing nearby, you can be cured of the disease.
Legend. People say that a church stood on this place several centuries ago, around the village and a cemetery. Then the church sank, leaving only a large boulder. They called it a holy stone, and in the post-perestroika time - a bochag. They say that a treasure is buried under this boulder. Once the local residents decided to move the stone from its place, but only immediately heard the screams and saw a glow - like a fire.
However, all the houses in the village were unharmed, and, of course, there was no trouble. Visions happened every time someone tried to move the barrel into place. The water in the lakes is considered curative: no matter how much it costs, nothing is done with it.
According to rumors, under the stone, when he was lying in the middle of the lake, either Stenka Razin buried his treasure, or some other fighter for the people's happiness. Allegedly, 30 years ago, a local tractor driver decided to replenish his budget with the contents of the alleged treasure. I drove a tractor, hooked on a stone and dragged it … Yes, only heard a terrible howl. I looked around and saw a herd of angry fiery red bulls jumping out of the forest …
Vladimir Shamov believes that this stone is a cult boulder: “There is no hint that there was a church on this place. Perhaps there was an ancient pagan sanctuary of the Merya tribe here."
The place was consecrated by Priest George, and one of the entrepreneurs ennobled: he put up a canopy for icons and for some reason connected the lakes with dead and living water with a plastic pipe. However, even before that time, people went to the bochag to bathe.
Hot stone. Soligalichsky district
There is enough mysticism in the Soligalichsky region. A hot stone appeared several years ago in one of the villages on the site of a destroyed wooden church. It is believed that this is a fragment of the ancient Chud sanctuary. At first, no one paid attention to him: a stone like a stone, nothing special. However, the object's strange power showed itself in winter: the snow on the rock and around it melts. Why? The heating main does not pass under it.
They say that the first to notice the oddity were the ministers of the church. They began to look under the stone for the relics of the saint. In principle, this is at least some explanation of what is happening. However, there were no relics, no treasure, nothing else under the stone.
- This is an ancient artifact from the worship place of Chudi, on which a church was erected many centuries ago. We planned a trip to the miracle stone for about six months - we were waiting for winter. The information was confirmed. On the bright red stone, the snow is really melting. Moreover, we found worn petroglyphs on the stone - an oblique cross, an image of a shaman and some other signs. - Vladimir shows a confirming video: an ordinary flat stone lies among the snow, there are no traces to it, but there are no snowflakes on the object. - As for the church, it really stood on the ancient Peipsi sanctuary. If you stand on a hot stone, your feet feel very warm, but they feel cold to the touch.
“Why did this phenomenon appear to us? Scientists I know are already trying to explain, while a bit vaguely. I think this is a sign that the memory of the disappeared peoples, the Merya, Murom, Vyatichi, Meschera, Krivichi, Chud, Golyad, and all tribes is returning. Their shrines are making themselves felt more and more clearly, louder."
Tracer stone. Susaninsky district
The tracker is the stone on which the trail is imprinted. It is believed that the owner of the forest, the great werewolf God, left him. So in the Susaninsky district there is such a stone on which traces of a person, a hoof, a hare's paw and others are imprinted. There are drains visible on the stone. They say that the water descending through them becomes healing.
- It is impossible to make a trace artificially, the breed is hard and it will simply not work to scrape out the footprint with a primitive tool. Having a chisel and a hammer, you can only scribble something like "Vasya was here." Actually, a similar inscription from the Soviet era is also on the stone, - says Vladimir Shamov. - The stone itself is a cult object of worship of the Meri tribe, and later of the Slavs. Most likely, not so long ago, his grandmothers went to pray to him from the village. After all, the stone is so prayerful that if you stand on it, goosebumps go all over your body. Of course, there is a hole under the stone: apparently, they were looking for a treasure, but nothing was found.