There are a huge number of places associated with mysticism on the water. Every nation has legends about this or that lake, river, pond. We will tell only about a few such anomalous bodies of water in our neighboring country, Russia. It's so easy to get there if curiosity gets the better of it.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is not only one of the most beautiful places on Earth, but also one of the most mysterious. Many legends and traditions are associated with various parts of the sacred lake. There are also numerous real testimonies of people who witnessed inexplicable phenomena on Lake Baikal.
Photo: The lake, located not far from Pereslavl-Zalessky, is called Dead for a reason: both the living and even … drowned people disappear there
Palace of the Celestials. One of the most mysterious Baikal places is the Shamanka rock on Cape Burkhan, consisting of white marble, granite and quartz. The ancient Buryat legend about the leader of the Tengrians - the people of celestials - Khan Guta-Babay is associated with the cave, which is located inside the rock. According to legend, having descended to earth, Khan Guta-Babai took the most beautiful girl from the human tribe as his wife and settled with her in his palace, arranged in the cave of the Shamanka rock. From the union of the leader of the celestials and an earthly woman, a family of great shamans came, who spread the sacred knowledge of the Tengri throughout the world.
According to the testimony of the inhabitants of the village of Khunzhir, located not far from Cape Burkhan, over the centuries the cave was visited by shamans of many peoples who inhabited ancient Siberia. The priests of pagan religions performed rituals in the cave related to the purification of ancestral karma and the removal of curses; falling into a trance, they got the opportunity to contemplate the pictures of the past and future.
Fiery Cape. Since time immemorial, Bogatyr, the cape of the largest Baikal island, Olkhon, has been a great attraction for the shaman cultists. The old name of the cape - Ognenny - is associated with the fact that the first Russian travelers who sailed to the island at the end of the 16th century, unexpectedly saw a huge column of fire that shot up in front of them from the Baikal waters to the sky. The wall of fire seemed to prevent foreigners from entering the sacred land of the island. A similar phenomenon on the cape was noted from time to time and later. In the mid-90s of the XX century, members of the Krasnoyarsk ethnographic expedition encountered an inexplicable element.
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Ethnographer Irina Kvastsova later recalled that the spectacle of a wave of fire shimmering with orange-blue shades was so mesmerizing that researchers at some point lost the sense of time and space. Many members of the expedition later confessed that in those moments they clearly experienced the feeling of flight, as if their bodies were rapidly flying upward, where the mysterious beam of light was beating. From the words of the Buryat shaman Uirbek it is known that it is customary to carry out rituals associated with the spell of the elements of force: fire, wind and water at Bogatyr Cape. Until the first quarter of the 20th century, it was customary among the leaders and elders of local tribes and villages to bring newborn male babies to the cape. It was believed that, once in this place, the future leader or warrior acquires special physical and spiritual strength and receives longevity.
Protective fang. With the northernmost point of Olkhon Island, Cape Khoboy, there is a legend about a dragon that, flying over the sacred lake, dropped its fang. Falling on Khoboy, the fang of the mythological animal went deep into the ground, leaving a characteristic trace in the outlines of the island. Some scientists suggest that this legend is associated with memories of the fall of a certain cosmic body (possibly a small meteorite) that happened many thousands of years ago. It is this local catastrophe that could have caused the strong geomagnetic activity manifested in this part of Olkhon.
Parapsychologists who often visit Khoboy note in the area of the cape a constant powerful release of astral energy, which is associated with numerous cases of the appearance of ghostly substances here. Locals claim that sometimes on the cape you can meet the spirits of your deceased ancestors or even see your own previous incarnations. The spirit of the White Shaman emerging from the waters of Lake Baikal was especially famous. It is believed that seeing a spirit is a great success.
The riddle of the Yellow Lake snake. Not far from Lake Baikal, on the way to the Tashkinei valley, surrounded by dense forest and hills, there is a small lake Shara-Nur, which means “Yellow Lake” in Buryat. It received a similar name for the cloudy color of water, which is extremely saturated with hydrogen sulfide. For this reason, these days, the reservoir attracts people suffering from joint diseases. They say that the disease disappears without a trace after several baths of the patient in the waters of Shara-Nur. In former times, the local population was afraid to dive into the lake, as they believed that a giant yellow snake - Shara-Kaaya - lived there.
Local legends say: once upon a time a brave hero lived in these parts, who angered the evil spirit Erkin, not yielding his beautiful sister to him as a wife. As punishment, the evil spirit turned the hero into a huge snake, commanding him to live forever in the waters of the lake and feed on carrion from the lake and human flesh. It is believed that this is why the bodies of drowned people are never found in Shara-Nur - they are eaten by Shara-Kaaya. True, according to scientists, Shara-Nur, located more than 100 meters above sea level, is connected to Lake Baikal by a network of underground tunnels, through which the bodies of drowned people leave together with the flowing water. However, even today, local hunters and fishermen claim that sometimes they hear sounds coming from the muddy waters, similar to the roar of an unknown giant creature.
Opening abyss. 30 kilometers southeast of Olkhon Island, in the deepest part of Lake Baikal, there is a place called "Devil's funnel". An unremarkable area of the lake with an area of two square kilometers is famous for the fact that sometimes, not more than once or twice a year, the waters of the lake begin to "riot" there. With good weather and complete calmness, an incredible rotation of water begins in this place, and soon a large funnel appears in its very epicenter, sucking everything around. Local residents assure that in this way the abyss opens, through which the souls of dead sinners go to the underworld.
In the summer of 2003, a resident of Irkutsk Igor Evlampiev, while sailing on a boat on Lake Baikal, witnessed the emergence of such a crater. The sun was already sinking when he saw in front of him a dark spot suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, which began to grow rapidly. Soon, according to Igor, a hole formed at the spot, the air above which suddenly turned into ominous dark purple tones. And soon a dull sound of a multitude of … human voices was heard, which moaned, cried and called for help. Guessing what danger loomed over him, Evlampiev hastily turned the boat in the opposite direction, sailing away at full speed away from the terrible funnel and terrible voices.
Everyone who has visited Lake Baikal at least once will never forget the amazing beauty and attractiveness of this place, which keeps many secrets and mysteries in its protected corners, which a modern man cannot yet reveal.
The Mystery of the Russian Dead Lake
The lake, located not far from Pereslavl-Zalessky, is called Dead for a reason: both the living and even … drowned people disappear there. Local residents do not bathe in it - they are afraid. Is that fishing. Quite often they come across either, in general, fish breeds unknown to scientists, or real mutants: one-eyed, three-eyed, with paws instead of fins, and even hairy. Representatives of the regional sanitary and epidemiological station repeatedly took the lake water for analysis: water is like water, closer in composition to mineral water. There are seven springs in the lake. The water level never drops, despite the fact that a river flows out of it and flows into the nearby Pleshcheyevo Lake, which feeds the city with water.
Every summer tourists drown in the lake, not paying attention to the numerous prohibition shields installed on the shore. However, until now no one has been able to answer: where do the drowned people disappear? Fishermen once saw how one of the swimming tourists swam into the middle of the lake, and then, with a cry, disappeared under the water. A moment later, an oil slick appeared at this place, spreading throughout the lake. In the evening, at the place of the death of a person, a light circle appeared, phosphorescent - a spot with a diameter of about 5 meters. Two daredevil fishermen swam on a boat to this place, and those watching from the shore suddenly saw how the whole boat immediately lit up with some greenish light. This lasted for several seconds, and then a four meter high fountain hit from the water. The fishermen immediately rushed to get out of the damn place so that, God forbid, they themselves would not drown.
Several cases were recorded when those who bathed in the lake fell ill with an unknown skin disease. Their bodies were covered with horny scales, their face completely changed, their hair fell out. In addition, long horn-like processes grew on the forehead, which subsequently fell off by themselves. All this lasted six months, then the disease slowly receded. Divers, who were conducting research on the bottom of the lake, discovered several strange cracks in the ground, where water is leaving at a tremendous speed. There is a depression in the middle of the lake. But where it leads, no one has determined: too deep.
Beautiful and mysterious Lake Svetloyar
Lake Svetloyar is known to almost everyone who is familiar with the story of the mysterious city of Kitezh, which went under water in order not to surrender to the Mongol-Tatar conquerors. The place is undoubtedly beautiful and mysterious, it is filled with power that attracts thousands of pilgrims to it. The debate about which forces prevail on the lake - Orthodox, Old Believers or pagan - have been going on for quite a long time. On July 6, in the afternoon, Christian pilgrims come to the lake and celebrate the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, walking in a procession around the lake. In the evening, bonfires are kindled in the vicinity of Svetloyar, girls put on wreaths, and the pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala begins, which attracts thousands of people from all over Russia and beyond. And the pagan holiday of life begins, full of fire and exuberant joy.
But in one thing, all opinions are similar: Svetloyar is a place energetically very strong, it is felt right away, even before the lake appears in plain sight. A beautiful birch alley goes to the lake, it seems to see off those who come here and tunes them in the appropriate mood. The motionless surface of the lake reflects the clouds, it seems that there is no bad weather here. On the hill to the left is the Church of Our Lady of Kazan, next to it there are crosses and a lantern, where candles are placed. There are two stones nearby, according to legend, the Mother of God left her mark on one of them when she saved the city of Kitezh from invaders. The stone is called "The Heel of the Mother of God", here you can see left candles and many ribbons tied to the trees around. A bizarre interweaving of pagan rituals and Orthodox beliefs.
According to legend, those who walked around the lake on their knees make the pilgrimage three times and receive a response to their innermost desire - the lake fulfills it. Around the lake there are wooden bridges, it is along them that people walk, bypassing the wondrous bowl of the magical lake Svetloyar. There is another cross not far from where the footbridges begin. Here, according to legend, you can occasionally see the Kitezh elders who appear in front of the pilgrims to change their lives for the better. The one who finds the way to the city of Kitezh, according to legend, will never live among people, the mirror surface of the lake is a mysterious Through the Looking Glass, from which there is no exit into our life.
According to those who believe that Svetloyar has pagan roots, the very name of the lake comes from the name of the main Slavic pagan god - Yarila, many legends and legends of the pre-Christian period in Russia are associated with the place itself, and this is also true. Before the baptism of Rus, a Slavic tribe of Berendeys lived around Svetloyar, and in the very city of Kitezh there was the center of the Yarila cult, for many Russian princes this place was sacred. After the baptism of Russia, Orthodox churches were built on the site of pagan temples, and people came here as if nothing had changed, the place retained its healing energy, and to this day, much is shrouded in mystery …
Svetloyar reflects the sky and clouds with a mirrored surface, and they say that sometimes you can hear the bell ringing coming from the bottom of the lake. And those who have been here leave with a tremendous feeling of joy and purification, and by and large it does not matter whose energy is stronger - pagan gods or Orthodox elders. The main thing is that Lake Svetloyar washes away negative energy, fatigue and disappointment from anyone who comes here - everything we want to get rid of in order to live happily and peacefully.
Secrets of dead lakes and bodies of water
Dead lake. 80 kilometers from St. Petersburg, in the vicinity of the town of Sosnovy Bor, local residents can show you the dead lake - Kaplischenskoye. The name of the lake probably comes from the old Russian word "temple", which meant the place where the ancient Rus made sacrifices to their gods. The forest surrounding the lake is full of small animals, birds and insects, but they prefer not to approach the water. There are no fish in the lake, and scientists cannot explain this mysterious fact. Locals say that near the lake, a person is seized with inexplicable fear, and sometimes this happens to whole groups of people at the same time. Occasionally, square pits with a cross section of one square meter are found on the shore. On clear nights, a slight glow can be observed over the lake. Experts explain this phenomenon by gases released from the bottom,although the glow is located a meter above the water.
Thunder of the Lord. The Yachensk reservoir, located in the Kaluga region of Russia, also has a bad reputation. Local residents nicknamed one of its sections the Thunder of the Lord and superstitiously avoid it. In early spring this cursed place is perfectly visible, as if outlined by an invisible circle. The fact is that for several years in a row there have been regular accidents here, and half of them are fatal. It is caused by a sudden electric shock of great intensity. One of the last victims of the Thunder of the Lord was a Kaluga resident, who together with his family at the beginning of last summer came to rest at the Yachensky reservoir. As soon as the family settled down on the shore, there was a crackling sound, accompanied by a flash, and the man's clothes immediately began to smoke and burst into flames.
Coaches from a nearby sports base helped to save the victim from imminent death. With severe burns affecting 50 percent of his body, the man was taken to the hospital. What is the mystical Thunder of the Lord? Locals say that ball lightning is to blame, which, like mosquitoes, circle over the same place of the reservoir. Ufologists add that the Thunder of the Lord is associated with UFOs that regularly land in the nearby Kaluga pine forest.
And experts say that anomalous fatalities in the area of the Yachensky reservoir are primarily due to man-made reasons. The fact is that a high-voltage line runs along the shore of the reservoir, the wires of which sag in places so that they almost touch the water. And from time to time, a favorable discharge environment is created, and the discharge from the power transmission line affects the gaping vacationer. The deadly spirit of the lakes is the result of the ecological crisis by barbaric or ill-considered human activities, many reservoirs are connected, even approaching them closer than a kilometer is categorically not recommended.
For example, the deadly lake, located in the town of Cherdyn, in the Perm region, has no name at all. Locals bypass it "the tenth road", And all because it is actually a trench filled with water, formed as a result …. three nuclear explosions! In winter it is almost impossible to reach it. The places around are deaf. The tests were carried out at a record minimum depth of only 270 meters, and the explosions were twice as powerful as the nuclear charge dropped on Hiroshima. The project was carried out under the code name "Taiga" and marked the beginning of the "epoch-making" transfer of northern rivers to the south. Fortunately, for nature and people, this was all over, there were only crumpled metal structures sticking out of the ground, heaps of cement and graphite turned into stone around a radioactive lake.
Karelian Lake Surzi. The Karelian Lake Surzi has also recently become famous. First, here in huge quantities fish began to float belly upwards. Then, under mysterious circumstances, two fishermen died, and 15 more were taken to the regional hospital with severe poisoning. A few months later - another tragedy. The fishermen had just settled on a small island in the middle of the lake, when suddenly two of them fainted.
“It was something inexplicable,” said later one of the victims, a resident of the Leshukonsky district, Aleksey Shitikov. - It seemed to me that some terrible force was creeping from the sky, my arms and legs immediately became heavy, the earth disappeared from under my feet. My friend Venya fell completely. I threw myself into the water and swam to the shore, began to call my father to help. But my father felt bad too. Venya died at night. The Shitikovs were sent to the regional hospital, and the corpse of Veniamin Rodionov was taken to the regional forensic medical examination bureau. The relatives and friends of the deceased were told that an unknown poison was found during a forensic chemical study.
“No natural anomalies have been identified on Surzi,” said after a medical and ecological study of the composition of lake water in the Department of Natural Resources of the Administration of the Arkhangelsk Region. “The only thing that was found was a significant excess of the fluorine content in the water.” However, fluorine is not some neutral element from the periodic table, and in no case can its danger be underestimated. On contact with the skin, scientists believe, it causes severe burns, and inhalation of it leads to severe inflammation of the airways and lungs, which can result in pulmonary edema and death. Penetrating into water and soil, fluorine can persist in them for many years and lead to the most unpleasant consequences for animals, plants and, naturally, people.
But how did fluoride end up in the lake? On this score, the experts involved in the investigation of accidents have so far only a guess. Surzi abounds in springs and underwater rivers. So the poison could get into the lake from Arkhangelsk or from the Komi Republic, where there are quite a few chemical industries. However, this is only a guess.
Glass water in the Ukrainian lake
At the end of last year, there was news that a unique lake was found in Ukraine, the water of which at depth turns into a kind of substance that resembles "liquid glass". It is almost impossible to swim in this substance. Scientists are planning to investigate a strange phenomenon. A small salt lake with a diameter of 100 meters is located near the city of Soledar and is just a collection of anomalies. The first thing that divers who explored the reservoir noticed was the change in temperature during diving.
The deeper the team descended, the hotter the water became. Anyone who has swam in lakes at least once knows that water is usually warmer on the surface than at depth. Here, on the contrary, in the upper waters the temperature was about 20 degrees, and five meters below it already reached 30-40 degrees. But most of all, the researchers were struck not by the temperature of the water, but by its consistency. At a depth of 4-5 meters, the water became simply impenetrable, like "liquid glass".
“I have met this only when I plunged into caves, where you can go from fresh water to salt water. This transition is visible visually. It looks like liquid glass and is called the halocline effect. But I have not seen a halocline in a situation - salty and even saltier water! The bottom layer of water turned out to be so dense that we just lay down on this “liquid glass”. We didn’t have enough equipment weight to move further,”said one of the dive participants. The divers did not dare to break through the dense layer - it is not known what dangers the strange consistency conceals. Let the scientists think about this mystery first.
Perhaps this anomaly is somehow related to the operation of a salt mine located near the city of Soledar. According to local residents, during the Great Patriotic War, the Germans kept something very important and very secret there. While retreating, they blew up this mine along with its contents. It is now completely flooded. Perhaps it is the key to the uniqueness of the lake.