There is a chronicle telling about the exploits of Vladimir Monomakh, the son of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavovich and the Greek princess Anna (according to other sources, Mary), who drove the Polovtsy from the Russian land. This chronicle tells that Vladimir Monomakh drank “Don's golden shell”. But where could the golden helmet in question be located?
Road acquaintance
This question is asked not only by historians and archaeologists, but also by numerous treasure hunters. I recently met one of these obsessions, who uses every vacation to look for treasures, on the St. Petersburg - Kiev train.
My neighbor in the compartment, the St. Petersburg engineer Victor S, was extremely frank. He said that a few years ago he bought an army mine detector on the occasion and went around with it almost the entire Leningrad region, paying special attention to old foundations and abandoned buildings. I also visited cemeteries. According to Victor, treasure hunting is not only exciting but also profitable.
We had to go for a long time, and while passing the time I listened with pleasure to the stories of my new acquaintance.
Antique chest at the bottom of Lake Kaban
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Victor told me about Lake Kaban, in which, according to rumors, the Tatar Khan, shortly before the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, drowned his treasures - one and a half hundred chests with gold jewelry and precious stones. Of course, many generations of treasure hunters have tried to find these treasures, but to no avail. However, shortly before the Great Patriotic War, Kazan militiamen found an old chest at the bottom of the lake. They hooked him with a hook and lifted him to the surface, but the hook broke off and the heavy chest sank to the bottom. And although then for many days the divers invited by the police searched the bottom, they did not find anything. The treasure was never given to people. No one has been able to find the treasures of the Tatar Khan to this day.
- And all because, - said Victor, - that they are looking wrong. The treasure is evidently charmed. The khan had strong magicians who spoke to his treasures, and now they will not be given to anyone for no reason.
- And you believe in such things? I chuckled.
- Any of ours believes, - my fellow traveler responded calmly. By “ours,” he, apparently, meant treasure hunters. And, seeing my skeptical attitude towards his words, he told another old legend.
Barbara Iron Forehead
Many years ago, dashing peasants robbed the banks of the Volga, and their leader was Barbara Iron Forehead. This woman was said to have an amazing instinct. Perhaps that is why the forays of her accomplices were extremely successful. And shortly before the gang was defeated by the Tsar's people, the chieftain ordered to hide the treasures. A cave was found in the forest thicket, and the treasures of robbers were placed there in three cauldrons. Axes were hung along the walls of the cave. Among Barbara's servants there was one old man who was said to be a sorcerer. Here is an old man, before the entrance to the cave was filled with boulders, and cast a spell over him. It is not difficult to find this treasure, but to take it is impossible. According to legend, even if someone penetrates into the cave, the axes left there by the robbers will fall from the walls and chop the silver lover into small pieces.
“Perhaps this is just a fairy tale,” Victor continued, as if not noticing my ironic grin, “but every fairy tale contains folk wisdom. Any treasure is someone's tears, broken hopes, someone's blood. By burying the treasure and casting a spell over it, a person believes that in this way he can protect him from encroachments.
Information mine
There are the latest scientific developments, according to which any living cell has a certain information radiation. And each person is inherent in the so-called spontaneous electromagnetic radiation, which affects the surrounding space, leaving a trace in it, or a field phantom. By the power of his thought, a person is able to impart certain properties to this phantom. If the robber, burying the treasure and casting a spell over it, sincerely believed that in this way he would be able to protect him from encroachments, then the treasure hunter cannot but perceive such an "information mine." He will be gripped by fear, he may become a victim of hallucinations. Someone, already almost reaching the coveted treasures, suddenly sees that a herd of horses is rushing at him, someone in horror rushes away from the bloody corpse that has risen above the dug-out old chest. But you never know … It is not without reason that treasure hunting is always associated with a risk to health and even life. Treasures charmed many years ago can upset the psyche of the person who found them.
Frost scratches the skin …
Victor took a notebook out of his travel bag:
- Take a look - I am writing down the legends about the conspired treasures.
“So show yourself to me: there is a chest on a slope, all bound with iron, about an arshin wide and an arshin one and a half long,” I read. - This chest is all covered with human bones on the sides. So they stick out in different directions. I was scared here, but nothing, the frost is tearing my skin, and I - all one look. Suddenly show me a pig's snout from behind a chest. This pig bared its teeth and looked at me, and from its mouth there was a bloody drop of saliva. Dumbfounded me here, I did not become myself, I looked once more at the snout, but what is hurry - home. I come running - there is no face on me. What, they ask, with you? I am in tears. Barely calmed down, well, and told what had happened. The next day I went to look at that place again, but I didn’t find a place either, there’s nothing like it.
The blue background is fraught with mortal danger
- In one old book I read how to search for treasure with a candle, - continued my fellow traveler. - I tried it - and it worked! True, then I did not find a treasure, but a thing hidden by my friends. On a bet. Treasure is more complicated, because you need to know at least approximately where it is. And about the thing I knew for sure that the guys had hidden it in my own room.
- How is it - with a candle? - I was surprised.
- It's very simple. You need to set a candle in a walnut candlestick and mentally tune in to search. You walk around and hold a burning candle in a candlestick in front of you. Not far from the place where what you are looking for is hidden, it will begin to flicker. If we are talking about treasure, where it is buried, the candle will go out.
Treasure hunters have many signs by which they supposedly can find a hidden treasure. For example, the so-called blue background. It happens that people notice that a bluish glow is flickering over some abandoned house, or lights are flashing. Experienced treasure hunters know that the blue background is deadly. People who went to where he appeared without special training were later found dead. It seems that some unknown force beckons the person, showing where the treasure is, but does not give it, ruthlessly destroying the daredevil.
Treasure in the ancient part of the city
… Time passed unnoticed during the conversations. We were already approaching Kiev, when I asked why the St. Petersburg engineer was heading to the capital of Ukraine?
- Actually, I'm going to Chernigov, - explained Victor. - Maybe you've heard about the golden helmet of Vladimir Monomakh? If you remember from history, this prince at the age of sixteen ascended the throne of the appanage Chernigov principality. This was in 1078. I have read a lot of literature and I know for sure that this helmet is not an invention. This means that he must lie somewhere in the ancient part of Chernigov. And if it really does lie, I will definitely find it.
On that we parted.
As they say, the road will be mastered by the walking one. And I, perhaps, will not be too surprised if after some time I read in the newspapers that one of our Russian treasure hunters found a unique historical relic - the golden helmet of Vladimir Monomakh, with which he, having completed his military campaign, scooped up water from the Don.
Yuri SEREBROV. Magazine "Secrets of the XX century" No. 20 2008