The mound, in which, according to legend, the legendary Varangian Sineus is buried, who arrived with Rurik to rule Russia, is located in the Vologda region, not far from Beloozero.
The historian NM Karamzin wrote in his work "History of the Russian State": "Rurik arrived in Novgorod, Sineus - to Beloozero, in the region of the Finnish people of Vesi, and Truvor - to Izborsk, the city of Krivichi".
In another Russian historian, S. M. Solovyov, we find the following: “Three brothers gathered with their relatives, took with them all of Russia, and came. And the eldest, Rurik, sat down in Novgorod, and the other, Sineus, in Beloozero, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk."
Sineus, who got his name from the bluish-black color of his mustache, was popularly loved. After he died, the locals remembered him for a long time and guarded the grave.
The body of the Varangian was specially brought to the shore of the White Lake, the water of which was considered sacred. According to legend, Sineus, as well as Rurik, was buried in silver chain mail and with a precious weapon in a gold coffin, along with a horse.
According to historical data, Tsar Ivan III tried to excavate the mound for the first time. By his order, 4 pits were dug, through which some objects were removed.
After making sure that the mound was indeed the grave of the famous Varangian, the tsar ordered to bury the pits so that the mound would remain intact, and to protect it from the encroachments of treasure hunters. Indeed, according to legend, it will be possible to open the mound only in the most difficult times for Russia.
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After the October Revolution, they tried to dig up the Sineus mound at first. So half of the hill was destroyed. In the center of the remaining part, it was decided to dig a cellar and arrange a vegetable store in it.
However, the potatoes in the new cellar deteriorated very quickly and began to emit a stench on the whole area, and the frame rotted and fell apart. A large pit was formed at the top of the mound.
It is popularly believed that the disturbed spirit of Sineus has been roaming the area ever since, trying to lure people into a hole at the top of the hill. They say that over the century that has passed since the revolution, dozens of corpses have been removed from there.
However, periodically there are daredevils who are trying to excavate the mound in search of untold treasures. However, as soon as, deepening the hole at the top, the treasure hunters began to dig, it immediately filled with water, covering the treasure hunters with their heads.
One of the witnesses of the incident, Pyotr Zakharovich, has not even approached the mound since then, calling it a cursed place. He said that all the time while he and his partner Nikolai were deepening the pit, he had a strange feeling that someone was watching them. And then the pit suddenly began to fill with water.
This happened with such speed that Pyotr Zakharovich barely managed to get out of the tunnel. His partner was less fortunate - he drowned. He showed the treasure hunter and the objects that he managed to find during the excavation of the mound. Most of all they looked like parts of some unknown mechanism.
In 2011, an expedition from the Kosmopoisk association, led by Vadim Chernobrov, was assembled to explore the mound.
To begin with, the researchers collected information about the mound from local residents. They also talked with Pyotr Zakharovich. After that, it was decided not to excavate the mound. On its top, with the help of iron pins, several holes about 1 m long were made, which were immediately filled with water.
Then the same procedure was done at the foot of the mound. The effect was the same. Water samples showed that it contains a high content of silver ions, that is, there is indeed a treasure inside the hill, consisting mainly of silver objects.
“This means that the silver inside the mound is apparently invisible,” says Chernobrov. - So, there are definitely some treasures. Whose are they, what exactly and how they got there, so far the question is open."