In ancient chronicles, there is a lot of evidence that many strange creatures were found on the territory of Russia in ancient times. I have already written about the evidence of how in 1719 a dragon knocked out by lightning fell from the sky, according to the description, very similar to the ancient pterosaur, and there is other evidence that real crocodiles were found in the rivers.
For example, in the Pskov chronicle there is such evidence - in the summer of 1582 crocodiles came out of the river and began to attack people. In panic, the people began to pray and cry to God, hid in the huts, but many were eaten by the crocodiles.
“In the summer of 7090 [1582] … of the same summer, the Corcodiles of the lutia came out of the river and the way of the shutter, a lot of people lived, and people were consumed by people and prayed to God all over the earth. And you will hide your packs, but you will have hid others. The same year, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich introduced himself, in Sloboda, December 14th. " Pskov Chronicle. Archival 2nd list.
In the chronicle of the legends of the Russian people at the end of the 16th century, there are such lines, - Crocodile, lives in the water, attacks people.
"Korkodil is an aquatic beast, always having a man of yasti, weeps and sobs, but the yasti does not stop." ABC of the late XVI, "Tales of the Russian people", vol. II. SPb., 1849
And in Lithuania crocodiles were found. Crocodiles are mentioned in the manuscript of Sigismund Herberstein, who visited Russia in 1526:
“This area (Zemaitija, Lithuania) is replete with groves and forests, in which you can sometimes see ghosts … There are still a lot of idolaters who feed in their homes (like Penates) some snakes on four (short) legs, resembling lizards, with black fatty body, no more than three spans in length; they are called giwoites … On the established days, they perform cleansing rituals in houses, and when the snakes crawl out to the supplied food, the whole family fearfully worship them until they are full and return to their place. If any misfortune happens to them, they attribute it to the fact that they did not feed well and accept a domestic deity (snake)."
In 1589, Jerome Horsey, an agent of the English Trading Company, was traveling from Poland to Russia and on the way encountered a strange beast:
Promotional video:
“I left Warsaw in the evening, crossed the river, where a poisonous dead crocodile lay on the bank, whose belly was torn by my people with spears. At the same time, such a stench spread that I was poisoned by it and lay sick in the nearest village, where I met such sympathy and Christian help that I recovered miraculously."
You can also read about crocodiles in "The Legend of the Princes of Slovenia and Ruse" "Chronograph" 1679:
“The big son of this prince of Sloven - Volkhov, a devilish and sorcerer, fierce in people then by demonic tricks and dreams, creating and transforming into the image of a fierce beast korkodel and lying in that river Volkhov the waterway. And devouring those who do not worship him, devouring them in the drowning. Our Christian true word … About this accursed sorcerer and sorcerer - as if evil was broken and strangled by demons in the Volkhov River and the demonic dreaming of the cursed body was carried up the Volkhov River and erupted on the bank against this magical town, which is now called Perynya. And with many weeping from that neveglas, the cursed one was buried with a great feast for the bastard. And the grave poured over him is high, as if he were filthy. And after three days of that accursed throne, the earth wakes up and devoured the vile body of korkodelovo. And his grave was waking up over him in the bottom of hell, like that to this day,as they say, the sign of the pit is worth not filling."
Dinosaurs, crocodiles … How many secrets are kept in the ancient history of Russia …