Even the most inveterate cynic cannot remain indifferent to the beautiful landscape. Since ancient times, mankind, looking around, singled out certain areas in the surrounding area, and endowed them with unusual properties. A good example is Olympus, on which the gods of the ancient Greek pantheon live as a friendly family. And - according to the list: sacred groves and rivers, lakes, on the banks of which mermaids weave braids, forests, meadows, fields, swamps and, of course, mountains. Perhaps the latter aroused much more interest, because you could somehow dig through the swamp and find secret paths, swim along the lake, and in the forest with a local leshachon to agree to take them out. But in the mountains this will not work out, because few of the ancestors dared to climb the devil knows what height, and it is not clear why - there are no mushrooms, no cloudberries, and there is no hunting in the mountains either,it's easier to shoot squirrels in the near forest. Therefore, it is quite natural that gods, spirits and other amazing creatures settled on the snow-capped peaks. Today, there are practically no mountain peaks, whose peaks are still hidden from man: climbers climbed high, low ones were chosen by simpler tourists. It is difficult to believe in something supernatural when you go up the mountain, and there is “Vasya + Manya”, and a pile of rubbish nearby. But there is, there are still treasured places, the secrets of which are not revealed by man. And the mountains are among them.when you go up the mountain, and there is “Vasya + Manya”, and a pile of rubbish nearby. But there is, there are still treasured places, the secrets of which are not revealed by man. And the mountains are among them.when you go up the mountain, and there is “Vasya + Manya”, and a pile of rubbish nearby. But there is, there are still treasured places, the secrets of which are not revealed by man. And the mountains are among them.
As on Bald on the Mountain, over the steep, witches tormented the bald devil fiercely …
Where can the sabbath of witches take place? Of course, in a place strictly designated for these purposes - on Lysaya Gora! According to Christian beliefs, ladies flocked naked to the top of the Mountain, devoid of vegetation, parked vehicles of the "broomstick" type and indulged in unrestrained fun all night under the control of Satan and his ilk. I emphasize “Christianity”: Bald Mountain does not exist in one state of Europe (among others - Russia, Ukraine), and not in one copy. Legends of demonic rule appeared during the Inquisition, and have been safely preserved to our times. As for the pre-Christian period, now there are real horror stories about it, of which there is not a single confirmation - they say, the pagan priests brought their bloody sacrifices there. Well, nonsense. I admit that there were temples on the Bald Mountains,but with bloody sacrifices, the "chroniclers" clearly went overboard.
The most famous of the Bald Mountains is located in Kiev. Legends about her include a cart and a small cart. The most popular is the legend of an ancient snake that girdles the earth and bites its tail just at the place where the Mountain later appeared. The priests, whose temples are comfortably located on the top, for a long time lived and honored the gods under the protection of a serpent, but for some reason the scaly defender was unable to resist the arrival of Christianity, and the priests had to abandon their sanctuaries to take refuge in the Mountain. They took all their treasures to its caves in order to preserve them until better times and pass them on to their fellow believers, and walled up every entrance. Hoping that the serpent would not let strangers approach the shrines, the priests left. At least some of them.
Later, the Mountain was chosen by the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The legends about the treasures hidden in the bowels of the mountain were known to them, so they quickly climbed all the found storage facilities. Empty! Despite the failure, the monks decided not to throw the dungeons, and connected them with many moves with their abode.
The current esoteric specialists are sure that rumors about the devilry happening on Bald Mountain have real grounds. This is due to the bad energy of the place, which not only has been present there since ancient times, but also continues to grow. As they say, thoughts are material - what we think about is what we get. And if you take into account the incidents that happen on the Mountain, then you can understand where the legs of bad energy grow from. So, even during the siege of Kiev by Batu, many townspeople tried to hide in the caves under the Mountain. Khan, having ruined the city, ordered his soldiers to fill up the exits from the dungeons so as not to leave the enemy in the rear. Frankly speaking, I hardly believe it. It is unlikely that combat-ready men took refuge in the dungeons, most likely they were women, children and the elderly - those who should have been protected from invaders. And if the old people could well be buried under the rubble as unnecessary, then women and children are valuable prey that would hardly be left to their fate. Although, if we assume that the dungeons in their structure resemble a labyrinth, then the people of Batu, most likely, were simply afraid to go inside, risking not getting back. In this case, the blockage, and the tragic denouement that followed, is quite real.
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The second incident related to Bald Mountain happened later, several centuries later. Peter I considered that a fortress should appear in this place to protect the city. In addition to the ornate layout on the surface, no less intricate intricacies were assumed underground, in which there were reservoirs with water from the Dnieper. As planned by the builders, in the event of the capture of the fortress, it was supposed to hide under water together with the aggressors and the garrison. This did not happen - the tragedy took place in peacetime. The engineers feared that some of the workers would disclose the secret of the fort, and, fearing the imperial wrath, they buried more than three thousand people in the catchment. How true this legend is, I do not know, but it is she who explains the hum that periodically spreads around the area from Bald Mountain: it is believed that these innocently ruined souls remind of themselves,and warn the living - do not fall under the hot hand.
Despite such warnings from the other world, those who want to make a promenade on the Mountain are not decreasing, on the contrary: the number of revelers only increases every year. Here you can meet treasure seekers and pagans celebrating holidays, ordinary tourists, informals, and those who were not afraid to come to Bald Mountain at a certain time to carry out a secret ritual and with its help fulfill a secret desire.
Demerdzhi - mountain-blacksmith
On the mountains of Crimea there are yayly - such an interesting name is given by flat places, which are used by local residents as high-mountain pastures in the summer. These are relatively horizontal sections - they do not have sharp peaks, the yayls are dotted with paths, and even roads. One of the most famous places is Demerdzhi-yayla - “blacksmith plateau”. This one differs from other yayls in its rock: the rest are made of limestone, and in Demerdzhi there are impregnations of hard rocks. Due to this, moisture seeping from the surface gradually flushes out the yayla, reacts with carbon dioxide in the soil and, in fact, turns into a weak acid. Together with the weathering of the soft soil, this water destroys the rock, creating bizarre sculptures. They are all over Demerdzhi, but most of the figures are gathered in one place, called the Valley of Ghosts.
The total volume of the accumulation is more than 4 million m³. The size is very diverse, from babies to the Giant - a 25-meter pillar about 5 meters thick. Next to the Giant, his younger brothers are up to 20 meters high. In total, the stone family contains more than a hundred blocks of various shapes, reminiscent of people, animals, it is not clear who and familiar to the eye objects. Clouds over Demerdzhi only add to the thrill of sensations, creating an incredible play of shadows. But most of all, tourists fell in love with a boulder, which is clearly visible from the Simferopol-Alushta highway, nicknamed by them “Catherine II's Profile”. Like, they say. But there is a legend about the appearance of this boulder, associated with the name - but not with the empress.
They say he once lived on Demerdzhi, which then had a completely different name, a blacksmith. The character of this character was far from white and fluffy, and it is understandable - the craft is heavy, and the specialization, which was the creation of weapons, is rather narrow. In a word, the comrade went berserk. The smithy was a match for him: like a living creature, she felt the mood of the owner, and instead of the usual smoke that comes from "calm" smithies, she gave off a pungent, poisonous vapor that killed all living things on the yayla. And, as we remember, yayls were used for grazing livestock, so the locals drank a lot of grief with such a neighbor - the pestilence among the livestock often led to hunger in the surrounding villages. There was no government for the blacksmith: everyone who came to him with persuasion, he simply threw off the cliff down, where they found their last refuge. This went on untiluntil Catherine went to Demerdzhi. The brave beauty conquered an evil heart, and the blacksmith invited Catherine to become his … no, not his wife - a concubine. The proud beauty was offended by such an offer and refused, which led to a repetition of the route of the previous negotiators.
The mountain could not tolerate such treatment - the death of Catherine overflowed the stone giant's cup of patience, and the yayla collapsed, burying both the poisonous forge and its owner under it. But the next morning Demerdzhi stood in her place, as if nothing had happened, with the only difference that the forge disappeared from her, and instead a stone appeared on the rock, outlines strongly reminiscent of the profile of a dead girl.
As for the Valley of Ghosts, tourists often note that they feel someone else's presence while walking between the pillars, and moreover, they hear strange sounds coming from somewhere under the ground. During the fog in the Valley, you can see the silhouettes of people in unusual clothes … although, what can not be seen only during the fog. Fear has big eyes.
Esotericists suggest that Demerdzhi has one of the portals to other worlds, the “door” to which periodically loses its stability and becomes translucent. It is at this moment that human silhouettes can be seen. Of course, they cannot cause any harm, but the very fact of the presence of someone, so stranger and alien, makes you feel uncomfortable. Some researchers explain the silhouettes in a different way: they say, a certain plant grows on the slopes of Demerdzhi, which, under certain weather conditions (and, apparently, the position of the stars), emits a hallucinogenic gas, which slips extraterrestrial pictures into the human mind. True, no one knows what kind of plant it is, and therefore the secret of the Valley of Ghosts, and with it - and Demerdzhi, has not yet been revealed.
Altai mysticism
The highest point of the Altai Mountains, the crown of the Katunsky ridge is Mount Belukha. Its peaks are heroes of thousands of stories and legends. The myths about the appearance of Belukha are passed from mouth to mouth: they say that it was a giant overgrown with earth, killed by hunters, then, in another legend, it was the gods who threw Belukha to the ground in order to stop the glacier and protect the human world from it. You listen to such beauty, and somehow you want to believe in it.
Altaians since what times sincerely believed that a spirit lives on the top of Belukha, a powerful deity, whom it would be bad to anger. Therefore, even a hundred years ago, a visit to the mountain involved observing several dozen strict rules. Since the deity is angry quickly and for a long time, he should have been pleased with gifts, which people have done for many centuries. Honors soothed the spirit, and the people lived on, quietly and peacefully. Loud talk was forbidden on the mountain, it was impossible to climb it with iron objects, and the slopes were a reserved place in which any hunting was prohibited. If for some business it was carried to the top, then in the coveted places a special offering should be left - ribbons entwined with horsehair, or a small structure of a certain shape should be assembled from stones. Some of these gifts have survived to this day: they can be seen on the slopes of Belukha.
Nicholas Roerich believed that somewhere on Belukha there was an entrance to the sacred Shambhala, but not everyone could penetrate it. In general, people come to Belukha for a reason: the mountain itself chooses whom to let in and endow with vigor, health and positive energy. I'll leave it on Roerich's conscience: he thought so.
One of the legends says that according to the state of the Belukha peaks, one can predict the end of the world, that is, of humanity. One can believe in this, or be skeptical, but in 1914 one of the peaks partially collapsed, and the First World War soon swept Europe.
Another prophecy associated with the mountain says: the end of the world will be marked by many wars and natural disasters, people will cease to live to their natural death in old age, weapons and hunger will destroy them. But Belukha, the savior of Belukha, will release a woman with a child from her bowels, who will stop calamities and initiate a new Golden Age. It is noteworthy that there is a stone on Belukha, very similar to a woman holding a baby in her arms: let's hope that if life on Mother Earth finally rolls down to a negative scenario, the Altai Mountains will be able to stop it.