Legends and myths of Siberia. The legend of the great Siberian river. Gold feeds, gold feeds, gold leads naked

The lands of the Siberian regions contain centuries-old legends and secrets, little known to the west of the “Stone” (Ural Mountains) - for many centuries civilizations existed here, little known to the Russian state, and almost unknown to distant Europe. One of the most ancient and famous myths, which gives chances to almost all regions of Siberia, is the legend of the “Golden Woman”.

However, recent centuries have left many stories about the events of these places - although not very distant, they are already quite forgotten.

Omsk region attracts with its legendary and “Navel of the Earth” not far from one of the lakes.

There are a lot of material assets in the Omsk region that were left in the Omsk lands by many generations:

Pioneers, Cossacks of Ermak's squad and Kuchumov's warriors;

First settlers, servicemen and civilians of the Tobol-Ishim fortified line;

Wealthy people, mainly from the urban population, who left Omsk before the arrival of the Red Army;

Guardians of the valuables of Admiral Kolchak and the treasures of the imperial family of Nicholas II..

Some of the hidden wealth of the Omsk region is already allocated to lucky people.

In Omsk itself, a treasure of the “house of Kabalkins” (1980) and a “Zubarevsky” treasure of gold coins of royal minting (1964) were found.

The demolished house of the merchant Elizarov revealed a whole bucket of gold and silver coins.

In the Omsk region - a treasure of silver and bronze beads in Krasnoyarsk (1999), a hundred-kilogram cache of copper coins of the 18th century in the village of Gornaya Bitiya, Ulyanovsk region (1954).

A similar find was made in the area of ​​the pioneer camp near the holiday village of Chernoluchye (1956)

It is unknown how many more treasures the Omsk land hides, but there are plenty of legends about undiscovered riches.

The most desirable find is the treasure of Admiral Kolchak. But not the remains of the “gold reserve”, but the relics of the Holy Synod and the treasures of the royal family. Its expected location is the lands along the Irtysh from Omsk to Surgut, where the valuables were allegedly sent for preservation. There is a version that this treasure is hidden under the ruins of a blown up monastery.

No less interesting are the treasures of Khan Kuchum - his treasury, hidden from the advancing troops of Ermak Timofeevich. Legends say that Kuchum’s treasures are reliably hidden from human eyes under water in the border areas of the Tyumen and Omsk regions. These treasures are stored in lakes - Bolshoi Uvat in the Vagai district of the Tyumen region and Lake Teka in the Tevriz district of the Omsk region.

And at the bottom of Lake Zhivoe, near the village of Koshkul, Tara region, Kuchum’s “golden carriage” may still lie. Another place to search for the “golden carriage” is the swampy source of a small river near the village of Imshegal, which is also located in the Tara district of the Omsk region.

Another of the coveted treasures - the gold of Admiral Kolchak - is not actively sought in the Novosibirsk region, its estimated location is within the Kemerovo and Irkutsk regions. But even there, as nowhere else in Siberia, traces of this mysterious treasure have still not been found - so maybe the Novosibirsk region has a chance?

But the region is rich not only in hidden treasures - the Novosibirsk lands retain many secrets and legends of Siberia.

In the Zdvinsky district, a unique archaeological discovery was recently made - the oldest (IX-VII centuries BC, transitional time from the Bronze to Iron Age) urban-type settlement was discovered. There are very reasonable assumptions that the inhabitants of Chichaburg were people of the same Caucasian race, but of different cultures - as if they had gathered in the city from different places.

And to the southeast (near the village of Mamontovoye, Kargatsky district) there is a habitat of prehistoric animals - the last Siberian mammoths. Local residents have more than once found petrified tusks of ancient giants during the construction of cellars and wells. So the ancient fossils here are no longer a legend, not a myth, but an everyday reality.

In the Kyshtovsky district of the Novosibirsk region, bordering the neighboring Omsk region, there is one of the Siberian mythical lakes - Lake Danilovo (Danilino). Three of the remaining ones are located in the Omsk region, but the fifth, “Hidden” - the most mysterious - is still hidden from people. So it is quite possible that it is hidden somewhere in the north-west of the Novosibirsk region. According to legend, any of the “Five Lakes” gives a person health and long life.

Another lake, located at the junction of five districts of the region (Barabinsky, Zdvinsky, Kupinsky, Chanovsky, Chistoozerny), has been endowed by popular rumor with an unusual secret - the life of an unusual creature, a huge Siberian snake-like predator, mercilessly devouring people and animals.

Tomsk region remembers the mysterious old man Fyodor Kozmich.

The Kemerovo region keeps ancient legends of the ancient Shors. It is believed that Mountain Shoria is one of the probable places of existence of the “Bigfoot”. The years of civil war left hope that Admiral Kolchak’s treasure (“gold reserve”) was safely hidden in the northern taiga forests of the region.

The Altai region still does not forget the legends about the abandoned Demidov mines and the “Demidov caches”, but so far these treasures have not been found. There are also more ancient legends about the “Chudi” - the people who went underground “from the white king” along with all their treasures.

The Altai Republic hides many fabulous legends and secrets of the old zaisans, and some of them remained in the ancient writings of the Altai rock climbers. The 20th century brought new secrets - perhaps it is in the Altai Mountains that part of the “gold reserve” of the detachments of Admiral Kolchak’s army that left for Mongolia is still located.

The Krasnoyarsk Territory may also become the location of the treasure of Admiral Kolchak - there are suggestions that the “gold reserves” were transported along the Ob-Yenisei Canal. And somewhere in the northeastern taiga the palace of the golden taiga emperor Gavrila Masharov was lost.

The Republic of Khakassia is rich in legends of ancient history, which left behind a large number of burial mounds, the secrets of which have not yet been revealed. Menhirs stand silently here - guards of the mounds, and independent witnesses of a long-standing culture.

The Irkutsk region also gives hope to seekers of the treasure of Admiral Kolchak, and in the Tunkin Valley the golden “Dyominsky treasure” is still waiting for the successful treasure hunter.

In the Republic of Buryatia, a large number of legends are associated with religions - shamanism and Buddhism, and their priests - shamans and lamas, as well as with datsans - the centers of Buddhism in Buryatia. Genghis Khan also left his mark - his grave, along with a precious treasure, may well be located on the territory of Buryatia. The history of Buddhism in Buryatia intersects with the times of the Civil War, when the troops of Baron Ungern were defeated by the Red Army on the territory of Buryatia. However, the fate of Ungern's treasury is still unknown.

Novosibirsk region. Treasures and robbers
SmartNews collected legends and myths of the Novosibirsk region

Almost every city in our large country is fraught with legends and traditions that local residents have been passing on to each other by word of mouth for dozens, or even hundreds, of years. They are told to children and grandchildren, travelers, guests, collected in collections, and songs written about them. We have collected the most interesting and meaningful legends of Russian regions, on the basis of which we can create an alternative history of the country.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Last year Novosibirsk turned 120 years old. Not much even by Siberian standards. The neighbors are much older than him. Krasnoyarsk is 385 years old, Tomsk is already 400. However, the territory on which the Novosibirsk region is located today has a much richer history. These lands have never been uninhabited. Before the arrival of Ermak, other peoples lived here. They left, giving way to immigrants from the European part of Russia. And yet legends and myths have brought the memory of them to this day.

Treasures of Khan Kuchum

In the 16th century, the legendary Khan Kuchum ruled alone over the vast lands of Western Siberia. This descendant of Genghis Khan was famous for his adherence to Islam and his incredible wealth. It seemed that the Siberian Khanate, which he ruled, was destined to exist for many more centuries. The Khan was calm and happy, until one day strange events began to occur on his lands.

Khan Kuchum

— The chronicles contain a mention of an unusual phenomenon. At the place where the Tobol River flows into the Irtysh River, there was a small sandy island. And then two strange animals began to periodically emerge from the waters of these two rivers towards him. A large white wolf appeared from the Irtysh, and a black dog, similar to a hound, appeared from Tobol. And each time these animals entered into a mortal battle with each other. The black dog always won the fight, although he was inferior in size to his opponent. After the fight, the animals again plunged into the dark waters of the rivers.
Ivan Silantiev, historian, local historian

Confluence of the Irtysh and Tobol

Then Khan Kuchum called on the soothsayers to explain to him what these strange events signified. They consulted and explained to the ruler that the white wolf was himself, the rich and glorious Khan Kuchum. And the black dog is the Russian invaders who will come to conquer Siberia. There are fewer of them, but they pose a mortal threat to the Siberian Khanate.

Kuchum became terribly angry and ordered the execution of the interpreters - to tear them apart with horses, as the chronicles write. And yet he believed their prediction. Therefore, when in 1582 Ermak’s squad came to the capital of the Khanate, the city of Isker, it was empty. Khan Kuchum fled along with all his entourage, taking with him his untold wealth. Chronicles say that he went to the territory of what is now the Novosibirsk region.

For fifteen years he accumulated strength, strengthening the possessions remaining under his rule. The Moscow kings knew that the rebellious khan intended to return his lands. They tried to come to an agreement with Kuchum, sending ambassadors to him, but in vain. Khan refused to lay down his arms. Then Tsar Boris Godunov ordered to finally put an end to the rebellious ruler.

— In the summer of 1598, governor Andrei Voyekov set out on a campaign against Khan Kuchum at the head of an army of 700 archers and 300 Tatars. After a long chase, he overtook Kuchum near the confluence of the Irmen River and the Ob River. Now the gateway of the Novosibirsk Hydroelectric Power Station is located at this place. The Siberian Khan was completely defeated. Kuchum's brother and grandchildren died in battle, his sons and wives were captured. However, Kuchum himself managed to escape along with a detachment of 50 soldiers.
Ivan Silantiev, historian, local historian

They say that shortly before his death, Khan Kuchum hid all his wealth near the village of Chemy. There, among the impenetrable swamps, the Golden Horn Island, overgrown with centuries-old pine trees, is hidden. There is a stone passage on the island that goes deep down. If you walk along it, you can get into the dungeon, which once housed the khan’s secret forge. Slaves chained in chains forged armor and weapons for the warriors day and night. And nearby was a treasury in which the khan’s incalculable wealth was hidden. When Kuchum was defeated by Voyekov, he returned to his underground palace and died there. And his faithful comrades walled up the entrance to the treasury. And now no one can find the secret door. Moreover, according to rumors, a terrible spell has been cast on the island itself. Anyone who has visited it once will never be able to return.

- All these, of course, are beautiful legends. However, there are people who believe them. They say that several decades ago, residents of the village of Khudyakova went to the island and managed to dig a huge chest out of the ground. But they abandoned him and ran away, because a huge figure in black rose from the ground, which in a thunderous voice ordered to leave the treasure alone. And the old-timers of the village of Takhtair say that their fellow villager once brought a huge copper ring, which he allegedly removed from the door to Kuchum’s underground palace. It would probably make sense to conduct excavations in this area to separate truth from fiction, but so far they have not been carried out. About 25 years ago, an expedition of professional historians and journalists set off for the island, but suddenly a fire started and they were forced to leave.
Sergey Astanin, history teacher

The territory of the Novosibirsk region in the X-XIII centuries was part of the Golden Horde. Some historians believe that it was from these lands that Mongol horsemen set out to conquer Rus'. But much more interesting is another story that happened much earlier.

When the great conqueror Genghis Khan returned from his campaign in China, he became mortally ill. According to legend, before his death, he bequeathed his body to be cut into four parts and buried in the west, east, north and south of his empire. The right hand of the conqueror was buried under a mound near the village of Chingis, Ordynsky district, Novosibirsk region. It is believed that this settlement received its name directly after this event.

Dam on the Ob River leading to the island part of the village of Chinggis

— This area is replete with ancient mounds. In the vicinity of the village, a number of burials from the second half of the 1st millennium AD were found. One of them was especially rich. In the grave were found the remains of a warrior with a huge sword in his hands, a quiver full of arrows with iron tips, and a lot of copper jewelry. The remains of two horses were buried nearby. In addition, traces of a rich funeral feast were discovered. However, there is no reason to believe that these could be the remains of Genghis Khan. All found burials date back to an earlier period.
Ivan Silantiev, historian, local historian

The next two legends also appeared long before the founding of Novosibirsk, but are already associated with the Russian population of these lands.

Siberian Robin Hood

Near the village of Chingis there is the famous Karakansky forest. Many historians call it the Siberian version of Sherwood Forest. The mythological robber Afanasy Seleznev, a local version of Robin Hood, once lived and hunted here. Robbery fishing is recorded by the names of the rivers: there are the rivers Razboynaya and Atamanikha.

Legends say that Afanasy Seleznev robbed the rich and shared his treasures with the poor. Several times he was captured and imprisoned. However, he immediately escaped from custody because he was a werewolf. They say that Seleznev asked the guards for a spoonful of water and a coal. They, suspecting nothing, gave them to him. The robber drew waves on the wall and splashed water on them from a spoon. The waves became real, the arrested person turned into a drake and swam across them to freedom.

They also say that Seleznev once hid a treasure at the bottom of Lake Glubokoe in the central part of the Karakansky forest. He sank a boat loaded with gold into the lake. This boat is under a spell: only a virgin named Anna can find it. The rest have no chance of getting to the treasure.

— When I was still a teenager and came to visit my grandmother in the summer, I often heard this legend. All the locals encouraged me to go to the lake at night and call the enchanted boat - it would suddenly float up. But in the end we didn’t decide to do it. And now it's too late. My niece’s name is Anna, when she grows up, let her take risks. Maybe she'll get lucky.
Anna Begisheva, resident of Novosibirsk

In the village of Krivoshchekovo, Novosibirsk region, according to legend, the Belousov brothers-robbers once lived. They could penetrate through any locked door, caught bullets on the fly, and once even entered into battle with the famous Kolyvan snake, who lived in the Altai mountains.

— The tale of the Kolyvan Serpent and the Belousov brothers was recorded by the famous collector of Siberian folklore Alexander Misyurev in the 30s of the 20th century. It says that this snake had terrible power. Whoever he looks at is doomed to death. One of the 12 Belousov brothers managed to cut off the snake’s head, but the snake still squeezed him tighter and would have crushed him if the other brothers had not come to help. Only together they were able to cope with the monster.
Irina Artemyeva, philologist, folklorist

History of Siberia: Siberian Khanate

Polina Vinogradova, Nelli Shestopalova,
Marina Alekhina, Tatyana Leonova
SmartNews, February 1, 2014

Altaians (self-named Altai-Kizhi) are divided into ethnographic groups: Altai-Kizhi, Telengits, Teles, Teleuts, Tubalars, Chelkans, Kumandins. The believers are Orthodox, some are Baptist; Traditional beliefs are also preserved. The Altai language (obsolete Oirot) belongs to the Turkic languages. Writing based on the Russian alphabet...

Tuvinians (self-named - Tuva, outdated names - Soyots, Uriankhians, Tannu-Tuvians) are the people, the main population of the Republic of Tuva. They also live in China and Mongolia. Believers are Buddhists. The Tuvan language belongs to the Uyghur group of Turkic languages. Writing based on the Russian alphabet...

Khakass (self-name - Khakas, outdated name - Abakan or Minusinsk Tatars) - people in Khakassia. Believers are Orthodox; Traditional beliefs are also preserved. The Khakass language belongs to the Uyghur group of Turkic languages. Writing based on the Russian alphabet...

Evenki (self-name - Orochon, outdated name - Tungus) - a people settled on the territory of the Evenki Autonomous Region. env. (Krasnoyarsk Territory) and in other regions of Siberia and the Far East. Small groups of Evenks live in China and Mongolia. Believers are adherents of traditional beliefs. The Evenki (Tungus) language belongs to the Tungus-Manchu languages...

Buryats (self-named Buryaad) are a people in Russia, the main population of Buryatia. They also live in northern Mongolia and northeastern China. Believers - Buddhists, shamanists. The Buryat language belongs to the Mongolian group of languages...

The Nanais (self-named by us, outdated by the name Golds) are settled mainly along the banks of the Amur and its tributaries (Khabarovsk Territory), along the right tributaries of the Ussuri (Primorsky Territory), in China, between the Sungari and Ussuri rivers. Preserve traditional beliefs. The Nanai language belongs to the southern branch of the Tungus-Manchu group of languages...

The Udege (self-named Udee, Udehe) are a small people inhabiting the mountainous regions of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. Traditional beliefs prevail. The Udege language belongs to the southern branch of the Tungus-Manchu languages. There is no writing.

Kalmyks (self-named Khalmg) are the people, the main population of Kalmykia. Believing Kalmyks are Buddhists. The Kalmyk language belongs to the Mongolian group of languages. Ancient writing is based on the Mongolian alphabet, modern writing is based on the Russian alphabet.

For example, interesting legends can be heard from local residents about the mouth of the Lena River, that there is an underground city there, which is now empty. The entrance to this city is known to few, but even they prefer to remain silent about its location. The streets of this city are supposedly still illuminated by “eternal lamps” of an unknown design, which have continued to work for thousands of years.

Here is what Russian traveler, biologist, anthropologist G. Sidorov says about this and other legends of the peoples of Siberia: "There is an underground city, and maybe even this city is connected with the deep voids of the Earth. This is the mouth of the Lena River. Some people have been there, and they entered through the upper holes. What’s interesting: there were several Yakuts there - they later died out - and there were Russian geologists - they also died out. Their names are known, but this happened before the war.

What happened here? Once underground, they were shocked that everything inside was glowing (This is described by Shemshuk in the book “How can we return paradise”). Some eternal lamps stood, huge ones, they illuminated the streets of a huge city. Where these streets led is unknown. It's good there, in the North. There is ice on top, and underground the climate is such that you can live, and everything is illuminated, but there are no people, and there are not even traces, but it is obvious that these places were once inhabited by someone. This is all known, the special services are well aware of the underground labyrinths of the Lena River mouth, but now no one is allowed there. There is a border there, and the border guards are guarding it and foaming at the mouth, demanding that everyone leave. They have their own laws. Although, what is the border there?! The territory to the Pole is ours. This is all done to keep people out.

I was not there, but I was at the mouth of the Kolyma, at the mouth of the Indigirka, at the mouth of the Khrom. It's about the same there. Everywhere there are legends, stories - eyewitnesses speak in a whisper, in the ear, with caution, but underground labyrinths, giant underground cities stand along the entire perimeter of the Arctic Ocean. How to explain this? Very difficult. It’s not clear, but all this can be found.

Why did the ancient Arctic civilization need such underground cities? Obviously for the same purpose for which underground cities were built for the “elite” of our civilization around the world: to use them as a refuge in the event of a global natural disaster or a world war with the use of destructive weapons of mass destruction of people.

Here, by the way, is an interesting fragment of an interview between journalist D. Sokolov and writer, paleoethnographer V. Degtyarev, who is confident that the retreating ice of the Russian North will inevitably reveal the remains of the cities of the previous Arctic civilization, preserved under the ice in all their pristine state:

"- Vladimir Nikolaevich, in ancient myths and legends there is often a mention of Hyperborea as a territory of wealth and grace. If I’m not mistaken, we are talking about the circumpolar zone of Russia?

- Absolutely right. Thousands of years ago, the circumpolar territory of Russia and Scandinavia was not only developed, people lived there and enjoyed bliss, of course, until the last Great Flood, followed by the great glaciation of a territory with a diameter of 6,000 kilometers. Exactly the same picture emerged at the South Pole of the Earth. A planetary catastrophe literally occurred in one day and one night, after which the fourth civilization ceased to exist.

- What killed her?

- Among extraordinary, independent researchers, three points of view prevail on the origin of this catastrophe. I support the Sumerian cosmogony, which states that the Earth's poles shift every 12,500 years due to the precession of the Earth's axis. The earth's crust moves, and every 12,500 years we “travel around the globe” to another part of the world relative to the fixed stars.

Tomsk researcher N. Novgorodov, on the contrary, believes that crustal movement does not occur, but local glaciation of some territories occurs. With simultaneous warming in other places on the globe. This is a hypothesis recognized by the scientific world.

But the third researcher, the author of the “Fabric of the Universe” theory V. Kondratov, strongly advocates that the gods-colonizers of the Earth are constantly carrying out huge large-scale work on the planet to improve the surface of the globe: “The gods are constantly flooding, drying, raking out or adding that required in different parts of the planet.”

- So, after all, the gods are to blame. It turns out that the Bible describes real events?

- By the way, yes, confirmation of this fact is in the Bible. I rarely refer to it, but here I will refer to the text of the apocryphal Syriac Bible. It says that, having learned about the approaching planetary catastrophe, the gods destroyed their “houses and temples” and flew to heaven. And from there they watched what was happening. There, in the orbit of the Earth, a huge “Golden House of God” rotated. Jonathan Swift wrote about this, calling it “The Flying City.” And a large number of evidence of the presence of cities, workshops, and laboratories of the gods can be found in the folk epics of almost the entire population of the Earth.

For example, in the Finnish epic Kalevala there is an incomprehensible “Mill of the Gods”. This is a global concept (see the myths of Hindustan). But this is not the Galaxy, as this image is now interpreted. Here, I believe, we are talking about the so-called “Fabric of the Universe”. If we comprehend this ancient knowledge and develop it in a practical way, we will be able to obtain energy literally from thin air. This is why, by the way, researchers do not find internal combustion engines, nuclear power plants, state district power plants, hydroelectric power stations, and so on among the artifacts of ancient civilizations. The ancestors did not need them.

- So there were cities in the Arctic?

- Yes! There were huge cities there. The Altai epic Maadai-Kara describes majestic buildings and structures with glass windows.

It is curious that the epic rarely mentions the use of wood and metal in building structures. Apparently, the nomadic descendants who retold the epic could not find an appropriate image. This is how they talked, for example, about glass: “We walked on thin, transparent pieces of ice, they crunched loudly, broke, but did not melt.”

The center of the Siberian (trans-Ural) territory of that civilization was the Taimyr Peninsula, in ancient syllabary - Ta Bin. This great name is “Heart”. That is, Taimyr was the center of civilization. (Well, for example, as the Moscow region is now for Russia.) There, even with the naked eye, you can see the foundations of settlements of a huge area. Ten years ago I talked in Novosibirsk with people who annually visited Taimyr and the surrounding areas. They found a prehistoric workshop there. The Sumerians called such “God’s” workshops Bad Tibir, that is, “metallurgical plant”. My acquaintances did not leave Taimyr without copper and gold. And no matter who talks about Taimyr, or Yamal, or the mouth of the Lena River (the city of Tiksi), they all unanimously talk about clear traces of the buildings of an ancient civilization that were subjected to destruction of unprecedented force.

- But this destruction was brought about by the waters of the Flood, wasn’t it?

- Water could have done something similar if there had been a somersault of the Earth, which happens on the planet (according to the Sumerians and Egyptians) once every 25,900 years. Last time, in the obligatory middle of this period, 12,500 years ago, the North Pole gently and smoothly (on a planetary scale) “crawled” from Hudson Bay to its current location. Independent researchers V.Yu. Coneles, G. Hancock, S. Kremer and many others confirm the “softness” of the cataclysm. At the same time, they are amazed at the force of destruction. The Bible says that “it just rained and the waters rose.” A hundred other earthly flood myths also describe a rapid rise of water. But even now the water level in the World Ocean is rising, this is constantly being recorded. It will become especially noticeable when water floods the lowlands and people have to climb to higher ground.

- So how, then, were the ancient cities destroyed?

- According to V. Kondratov’s hypothesis, the gods destroyed the city of Machu Picchu with water, and it is located at an altitude of three kilometers above sea level! The flood did not reach there, but the destruction there was of a water nature. I believe that to destroy their high-altitude laboratory, the gods used the “Inhuma” - an amazing cigar-shaped aircraft capable of taking 600,000 cubic meters of water, sand, stones - anything - into its “belly” at a time. Imagine, if you launch five Inhuma devices, they will throw three million tons of water onto a strong stone structure (city) in five seconds. And water is far from a soft material when falling from a height.

But the picture is completely different with the destruction of coastal facilities along the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean! A proton strike was used there. And not alone. I will say that if they hit the shores of the Mediterranean Sea (Arctic Ocean) from the “Golden House of God”, then the diameter of the impact is 500 kilometers. It is not for nothing that in the beds of former Siberian rivers, distorted, intertwined, frozen bodies of animals are still found - mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and prehistoric hippos, people, deer and twisted trees. And the force of the flood has nothing to do with it. The animals escaped the rising water level by climbing to higher ground, and they were hit with a beam from above and turned like in a meat grinder.”

There is nothing supernatural in the existence of underground cities among ancient highly developed civilizations, especially since many of the ancient technologies remain inaccessible to us. But this does not prevent our “elite” from creating cities of refuge for themselves and their “servants” all over the globe.

This means that ancient myths and legends do not lie. Oral legends, passed down word for word from generation to generation by the keepers of these traditions, are generally impossible to falsify, unlike written sources. And oral mythology can only be destroyed together with the people. Fortunately for us, the falsifiers of history did not bother to “clean up” folk tales and legends.

Consequently, this is where one of the sources of information about the true history of mankind is located. So, it turns out that the myths of many peoples talk about the ancient “war of the gods”. And it is possible that the destruction of many ancient megalithic structures is associated with it. Considering the scale of these destructions, we can conclude about the destructive power of the “weapons of the gods.” It was to protect against this destructive force that ancient underground cities were created.

BAIKAL-LAKE TALES I / 1

LEGACY OF THE SIBERIAN PEOPLES

Between the high mountains, in the endless taiga, lies the world's greatest Lake Baikal - the glorious Siberian Sea.

In ancient times, Siberia was an unknown and mysterious country - wild, icy, deserted. A few tribes of Siberian peoples - Buryats, Yakuts, Evenks, Tofalars and others - roamed the vast Siberian expanses. For their nomads, the most attractive and generous were the coastlines of sacred Baikal, the taiga and steppes between the mighty rivers Angara, Yenisei, Lena, Lower Tunguska and Selenga, the white tundra all the way to the Arctic Ocean.

The fate of the indigenous inhabitants of Siberia was not easy. The harsh climate, dependence on natural conditions, vulnerability to disease, inability to conduct subsistence farming, oppression of petty princes, merchants and shamans - all this formed the special character and spiritual makeup of the Siberian peoples.

The peoples of Siberia did not have writing. But the thirst for knowledge of the world, its imaginative understanding, the thirst for creation irresistibly pulled people towards creativity. Siberian craftsmen created wonderful crafts from wood, bone, stone and metal. Songs and epics, fairy tales and legends, myths and legends were composed. These creations are the priceless heritage of the Siberian peoples. Passed from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, they carried enormous spiritual power. They reflected the history of the people, their ideals, their desire for liberation from centuries-old oppression, the dream of a free and joyful life, of the brotherhood of peoples.

Siberian folklore is unique and original. Worldly wisdom, national color, and artistic expressiveness are characteristic of Siberian fairy tales, legends and traditions.

The collection presents various genres of oral creativity of the peoples inhabiting the shores of Lake Baikal and the valleys of the surrounding rivers: fairy tales, legends, traditions and oral stories; social and everyday tales and about animals. Along with old, traditional fairy tales, the collection also includes tales about new life in Soviet Siberia.

The texts of the presented works are not equivalent. Some of them are given in literary adaptation, others were created by writers based on folk tales and legends, others are printed in their original form, as they were written down from the storytellers, with only minor amendments. Some fairy tales may seem unassuming and even primitive. However, this apparent primitiveness conceals living spontaneity, naturalness and simplicity, which constitute the true originality of unique folk art. Of course, no one says that the Evenks gathered from all over the taiga and pushed a mountain into the sea, this only happens in a fairy tale, but this contains great truth: the people are a huge force, they can move mountains; no one will believe that Lenin flew to the Far North to the Evenks on a red deer, rallied them and they defeated their enemies. Lenin never visited the northern tundra. However, the fairy tale inspired, gave birth to faith, and called for fight.

Most of the tales in this collection - Buryat, Evenki and Tofalar - are the work of peoples who have long lived in close proximity to Lake Baikal.

Russians appeared in Siberia more than four hundred years ago. They brought with them everyday experience, their culture, made friends with local peoples, taught them to cultivate the land, grow bread, raise cows and sheep, and build good houses.

Along with the settlers, Russian folk tales also took root in Siberia.

The heroes of Siberian fairy tales, legends and traditions are unique and colorful. In fairy tales, this is Siberian nature itself, lakes and rivers, mountains and forests, which are animated by the people's imagination; These are usually powerful national heroes, gifted with supernatural strength and intelligence, fighting with monstrous or evil heroes for the freedom of the people, for truth and justice. In fairy tales about animals, the heroes are Siberian animals and birds, fish and even insects endowed with human qualities. The characters in social fairy tales are ordinary people, residents of the taiga, engaged in hunting, fishing, cattle breeding, fighting poverty and their eternal enemies - the rich.

An interesting and important phenomenon in Siberian folklore were new tales about a free and happy Siberia, a new, revolutionary time, the fresh breath of which reached the most remote corner of the Siberian taiga, to the very extreme point of Russia.

This time truly made people happy, inspired them with a dream of a near bright future, of universal equality, brotherhood and justice. All this could not help but stir up and transform traditional folk art. All those events and moods were undoubtedly reflected in the folk tales of the Siberian inhabitants. Fairy tales were told about the great Lenin, about the Russian revolutionary batars who came to the taiga, to the tundra and helped people find the key to happiness and light the sun of a new life.

“Baikal Lake Fairy Tales” is a two-volume publication designed by famous Soviet artists, the Traugott brothers.

Each book has three sections. The first book contains tales about Baikal (“Magic Dreams of Podlemorye”), heroic tales glorifying folk heroes (“Eternal People and Living Water”), toponymic legends and traditions (“This is how rivers and mountains were born”). The second volume includes fairy tales about animals (“Heavenly Deer”), social and everyday tales (“Happiness and Sorrow”) and today’s, modern fairy tales (“The Sun of the Undersea”).

Compiled by N. Esipenok Drawings by G. A. V. Traugot

MAGICAL DREAMS OF THE UNDERSEA

BOGATYR BAIKAL

In the old days, mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind. He deeply loved his only daughter Angara.

There was no more beautiful woman on earth.

During the day it is light - brighter than the sky, at night it is dark - darker than a cloud. And no matter who drove past the Angara, everyone admired it, everyone praised it. Even migratory birds: geese, swans, cranes descended low, but the Angaras rarely landed on the water. They spoke:

Is it possible to blacken something light?

Old man Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart.

One day, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young man Yenisei.

The father woke up and splashed his waves angrily. A fierce storm arose, the mountains began to weep, forests fell, the sky turned black with grief, animals scattered in fear all over the earth, fish dived to the very bottom, birds flew away to the sun. Only the wind howled and the heroic sea raged.

The mighty Baikal hit the gray mountain, broke off a rock from it and threw it after the fleeing daughter.

The rock fell right on the beauty's throat. The blue-eyed Angara begged, gasping and sobbing, and began to ask:

Father, I am dying of thirst, forgive me and give me at least one drop of water...

Baikal shouted angrily:

I can only give you my tears!..

For hundreds of years, the Angara has been flowing into the Yenisei like tear-water, and gray, lonely Baikal has become gloomy and scary. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called the Shaman Stone. Rich sacrifices were made there to Baikal. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman’s stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.”

Only it was a long time ago, now people are brave and are not afraid of Lake Baikal...

ANGARA BEADS

Who in ancient times was considered the most glorious and powerful hero, whom everyone feared, but also revered? Gray-haired Baikal, a formidable giant.

And he was also famous for the countless, priceless riches that flocked to him from all sides from the surrounding heroes who were conquered by him and subject to tribute - yasak. There were more than three hundred of them. The yasak was collected by Baikal's faithful comrade-in-arms, the hero Olkhon, who had a tough and cruel disposition.

It is not known where Baikal would have put all its production over the years and how much it would have accumulated if not for his only daughter Angara, a blue-eyed, capricious and wayward beauty. She greatly upset her father with her unbridled extravagance. Oh, how easily and freely, at any moment, she spent what her father had collected for years! Sometimes they scolded her:

You are throwing good things to the wind, why is that?

It’s okay, it will come in handy for someone,” Angara said, chuckling. - I love that everything is in use, doesn’t sit stale and ends up in good hands.

Angara was the heart of kindness. But Angara also had her favorite, cherished treasures, which she cherished from an early age and kept in a blue crystal box. She often admired them for a long time when she remained in her little room. Angara never showed this box to anyone or opened it for anyone, so none of the palace servants knew what was stored in it.