Akhtamar (Armenian legend).
A long time ago, in time immemorial, King Artashez had a beautiful daughter named Tamar. Tamar's eyes shone like stars in the night, and her skin turned white like snow on the mountains. Her laughter gurgled and rang like the water of a spring. The fame of her beauty spread everywhere. And the king of Media sent matchmakers to king Artashez, and the king of Syria, and many kings and princes. And King Artashez began to fear that someone would come for the beauty with war, or that an evil vishap would kidnap the girl before he decided who to give his daughter as a wife.
And then the king ordered to build a golden palace for his daughter on an island in the middle of Lake Van, which has long been called the “Sea of Nairi”, it is so great. And he gave her only women and girls as servants, so that no one would disturb the beauty’s peace. But the king did not know, just as other fathers before him did not know, and other fathers after him would not know, that Tamar’s heart was no longer free. And she gave him not to the king or the prince, but to the poor azat, who had nothing in the world except beauty, strength and courage. Who remembers now what his name was? And Tamar managed to exchange a look and a word, an oath and a kiss with the young man.
But then the waters of Van lay between the lovers.
Tamar knew that by order of her father, guards were watching day and night to see if the boat was sailing from the shore to the forbidden island. Her lover knew this too. And one evening, wandering in longing along the shore of Van, he saw a distant fire on the island. Small as a spark, he fluttered in the darkness, as if trying to say something. And looking into the distance, the young man whispered:
Distant fire, are you sending me your light?
Isn’t it you, dear beauties, hello?
And the light, as if answering him, flashed brighter.
Then the young man realized that his beloved was calling him. If you swim across the lake at nightfall, not a single guard will notice the swimmer. The fire on the shore will serve as a beacon so as not to get lost in the dark.
And the lover threw himself into the water and swam to the distant world, to where the beautiful Tamar was waiting for him.
He swam for a long time in the cold dark waters, but the scarlet flower of fire instilled courage in his heart.
And only the bashful sister of the sun Lusin, looking out from behind the clouds from the dark sky, witnessed the meeting of the lovers.
They spent the night together, and the next morning the young man set off again on his way back.
So they began to meet every night. In the evening, Tamar lit a fire on the shore so that her lover could see where to swim. And the light of the flame served the young man as a talisman against the dark waters that open the gates to the underground worlds at night, inhabited by water spirits hostile to man.
Who remembers now how long or short the lovers managed to keep their secret?
But one day the king's servant saw a young man in the morning returning from the lake. His wet hair was matted and dripping with water, and his happy face seemed tired. And the servant suspected the truth.
And that same evening, shortly before dusk, the servant hid behind a stone on the shore and began to wait. And he saw how a distant fire was lit on the island, and heard a light splash with which the swimmer entered the water.
The servant saw everything and hurried to the king in the morning.
King Artashez was fiercely angry. The king was angry that his daughter dared to love him, and even more angry that she fell in love not with one of the powerful kings who asked for her hand, but with a poor azat!
And the king ordered his servants to be ready at the shore with a fast boat. And when darkness began to fall, the king’s people swam to the island. When they had sailed more than half the way, a red fire flower bloomed on the island. And the king's servants leaned on the oars, hurrying.
Coming ashore, they saw the beautiful Tamar, dressed in gold-embroidered clothes, anointed with fragrant oils. From under her multi-colored cap, curls as black as agate fell onto her shoulders. The girl sat on a carpet spread on the shore, and fed the fire from her hands with branches of a magical juniper. And in her smiling eyes, small fires burned like in the dark waters of Van.
Seeing uninvited guests, the girl jumped to her feet in fright and exclaimed:
You, your father's servants! Kill me!
I pray for one thing - don’t put out the fire!
And the royal servants were glad to take pity on the beauty, but they were afraid of the wrath of Artashez. They roughly grabbed the girl and dragged her away from the fire, into the golden palace. But first they let her see how the fire died, trampled and scattered by rough boots.
Tamar cried bitterly, breaking free from the hands of the guards, and the death of the fire seemed to her the death of her loved one.
And so it was. The young man was halfway along the path when the light that had beckoned him went out. And the dark waters pulled him into the depths, filling his soul with cold and fear. There was darkness in front of him and he did not know where to swim in the darkness.
For a long time he struggled with the black will of the water spirits. Every time the exhausted swimmer’s head emerged from the water, his gaze pleadingly searched for a red firefly in the darkness. But he did not find it, and again he swam at random, and the water spirits circled him, leading him astray. And finally the young man was exhausted.
“Ah, Tamar!” - he whispered, last time emerging from the water. Why didn’t you save the fire of our love? Was it really my fate to sink into the dark waters, and not fall on the battlefield, as a warrior should!? Oh, Tamar, what an unkind death this is! He wanted to say this, but he couldn’t. He only had the strength to exclaim one thing: “Oh, Tamar!”
“Ah, Tamar!” – the echo picked up the voice of the kaji, the spirits of the wind, and flew over the waters of Van. “Ah, Tamar!”
And the king ordered the beautiful Tamar to be imprisoned forever in her palace.
In grief and sorrow, she mourned her lover until the end of her days, without removing the black scarf from her loose hair.
Many years have passed since then - everyone remembers their sad love.
And the island on Lake Van has been called Akhtamar since then.
Very interesting legends and parables!
One day, little Fish heard a story from someone that there was an Ocean - a beautiful, majestic, powerful, fantastic place, and she became so eager to go there, to see everything with her own eyes, that it actually became the goal, the meaning of her life. And only The fish grew up and immediately set off to swim and search for that same Ocean. The Fish swam for a long, long time, until finally when asked: “How far is it from the Ocean?” they answered: “Darling, you are in it. It’s all around you!” “
“Ugh, nonsense,” Rybka grimaced, “there’s only water around me, and I’m looking for the Ocean...
Moral: sometimes in pursuit of certain “ideals” we do not notice obvious things!!!
And do you believe?
Believing Child: No, no! I don't know exactly what our life will look like after giving birth, but in any case, we will see mom and she will take care of us.
Unbeliever baby: Mom? Do you believe in mom? And where is it located?
Believing baby: She is everywhere around us, we abide in her and thanks to her we move and live, without her we simply cannot exist.
Unbeliever baby: Complete nonsense! I didn't see any mother, so it's obvious that she simply doesn't exist.
Believing Child: I can’t agree with you. After all, sometimes, when everything around is quiet, you can hear her sing and feel how she strokes our world. I firmly believe that our real life will begin only after childbirth. And do you believe?
And do you believe?
Two babies are talking in the belly of a pregnant woman. One of them is a believer, the other is an unbeliever. Unbeliever baby: Do you believe in life after childbirth?
Believing Child: Yes, of course. Everyone understands that life after childbirth exists. We are here to become strong enough and ready for what awaits us next.
Unbeliever Child: This is nonsense! There can be no life after childbirth! Can you imagine what such a life might look like?
Believing Child: I don't know all the details, but I believe that there will be more light there, and that maybe we will walk on our own and eat with our mouths.
Unbeliever Child: What nonsense! It’s impossible to walk and eat with your mouth! This is absolutely funny! We have an umbilical cord that nourishes us. You know, I want to tell you: it is impossible for there to be life after childbirth, because our life - the umbilical cord - is already too short.
Believing Child: I'm sure it's possible. Everything will just be a little different. One can imagine this.
Unbeliever baby: But no one has ever returned from there! Life simply ends with childbirth. And in general, life is one big suffering in the dark.
PRICE OF TIME
The story actually has a subtext: instead of dad there can be mom, and instead of work there can be the Internet, and the telephone and... everyone has their own!
Let's not repeat the mistakes of others
One day, one man returned home late from work, tired and nervous as always, and saw that his five-year-old son was waiting for him at the door.
- Dad, can I ask you something?
- Of course, what happened?
- Dad, how much do you get?
- It's none of your business! - the father was indignant. - And then, why do you need this?
- I just want to know. Please, tell me, how much do you get per hour?
- Well, actually, 500. So what?
“Dad,” the son looked up at him with very serious eyes. - Dad, can you borrow me 300?
- Did you ask just so that I would give you money for some stupid toy? - he shouted. - Immediately go to your room and go to bed!.. You can’t be so selfish! I work all day, I’m terribly tired, and you’re acting so stupid.
The kid quietly went to his room and closed the door behind him. And his father continued to stand in the doorway and get angry at his son’s requests. How dare he ask me about my salary and then ask for money?
But after some time, he calmed down and began to think sensibly: Maybe he really needs to buy something very important. To hell with them, with three hundred, he’s never even once asked me for money. When he entered the nursery, his son was already in bed.
-Are you awake, son? - he asked.
- No, dad. “I’m just lying,” the boy answered.
“I think I answered you too rudely,” said the father. - I had a hard day and I just lost it. I'm sorry. Here, have the money you asked for.
The boy sat up in bed and smiled.
- Oh, dad, thank you! - he exclaimed joyfully.
He then reached under the pillow and pulled out several more crumpled bills. His father, seeing that the child already had money, became angry again. And the baby put all the money together and carefully counted the bills, and then looked at his father again.
- Why did you ask for money if you already have it? - he grumbled.
- Because I didn't have enough. But now that’s just enough for me,” the child answered.
- Dad, there are exactly five hundred here. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early from work tomorrow, I want you to have dinner with us.
BEING A MOTHER
We were sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentioned that she and her husband were thinking about “starting a full-time family.”
- We're conducting a survey here. public opinion“, she said jokingly. - Do you think maybe I should have a child?
“This will change your life,” I said, trying not to show my emotions.
“I know,” she responded. “And you won’t sleep on the weekend, and you won’t really go on vacation.”
But that was not at all what I had in mind. I looked at my daughter, trying to formulate my words more clearly. I wanted her to understand something that no prenatal class would teach her.
I wanted to tell her that the physical wounds of childbirth would heal very quickly, but motherhood would give her a bleeding emotional wound that would never heal. I wanted to warn her that from now on she would never be able to read a newspaper without asking herself, “What if this happened to my child?” That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her. That when she looks at photographs of children dying of hunger, she will think that there is nothing worse in the world than the death of your child.
I looked at her manicured nails and stylish suit and thought that no matter how sophisticated she was, motherhood would lower her to the primitive level of a mother bear protecting her cub. What an alarmed cry of “Mom!” will make her throw away everything without regret - from the soufflé to the best crystal glass.
I felt like I should warn her that no matter how many years she put into her job, her career would suffer significantly after having a baby. She can hire a nanny, but one day she will go to an important business meeting, but she will think about the sweet smell of a baby's head. And it would take all her willpower not to run home just to find out that her baby was okay.
I wanted my daughter to know that the bullshit everyday problems will never be bullshit to her anymore. What is the desire of a five year old boy to go to? men's toilet at McDonald's will be a huge dilemma. That there, among the rattling trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender will stand on one side of the scale, and the fear that there may be a child rapist in the toilet will be on the other.
As I looked at my attractive daughter, I wanted to tell her that she could lose the weight she gained during pregnancy, but she would never be able to shake off motherhood and be the same. That her life, so important to her now, will no longer be so significant after the birth of the child. That she will forget about herself at the moment when it is necessary to save her offspring, and that she will learn to hope for fulfillment - oh no! not your dream! - the dreams of your children.
I wanted her to know that a C-section scar or stretch marks would be badges of honor for her. That her relationship with her husband will change and not at all in the way she thinks. I would like her to understand how much you can love a man who carefully sprinkles powder on your baby and who never refuses to play with him. I think she'll learn what it's like to fall in love again for a reason that now seems completely unromantic to her.
I wanted my daughter to be able to feel the connection between all the women on earth who tried to stop wars, crimes and drunk driving.
I wanted to describe to my daughter the feeling of delight that a mother gets when she sees her child learning to ride a bike. I wanted to capture for her the laughter of a baby touching the soft fur of a puppy or kitten for the first time. I wanted her to feel a joy so intense it could hurt.
My daughter's surprised look made me realize that tears were welling up in my eyes.
“You will never regret this,” I finally said. Then I reached across the table to her, squeezed her hand and mentally prayed for her, for myself and for all mortal women who devote themselves to this most wonderful of callings.
The achievements of the ancient Greeks in art, science and politics had a significant impact on the development of European states. Mythology, one of the most well studied in the world, also played an important role in this process. For many hundreds of years it has appeared for many creators. History, myths Ancient Greece have always been closely intertwined with each other. The realities of the archaic era are known to us precisely thanks to the legends of that period.
Greek mythology took shape at the turn of the 2nd-1st millennium BC. e. Tales of gods and heroes spread throughout Hellas thanks to the Aeds - wandering reciters, the most famous of whom was Homer. Later, during the period of Greek classics, mythological subjects were reflected in works of art great playwrights - Euripides and Aeschylus. Even later, at the beginning of our era, Greek scientists began to classify myths, compose family trees heroes - in other words, to study the heritage of their ancestors.
Origin of the Gods
Ancient myths and legends of Greece are dedicated to gods and heroes. According to the ideas of the Hellenes, there were several generations of gods. The first couple to have anthropomorphic features was Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They gave birth to 12 titans, as well as one-eyed Cyclops and multi-headed and multi-armed giants, the Hecatoncheires. The birth of monster children did not please Uranus, and he cast them into the great abyss - Tartarus. This, in turn, did not please Gaia, and she persuaded her titan children to overthrow their father (the myths about the ancient gods of Greece are replete with similar motives). The youngest of her sons, Kronos (Time), managed to accomplish this. With the beginning of his reign, history repeated itself.
He, like his father, was afraid of his powerful children and therefore, as soon as his wife (and sister) Rhea gave birth to another child, he swallowed it. This fate befell Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hades. Nose last son Rhea could not part ways: when Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on the island of Crete and instructed the nymphs and curetes to raise the child, and brought a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to her husband, which he swallowed.
War with the Titans
The ancient myths and legends of Greece were filled with bloody wars for power. The first of them began after the grown-up Zeus forced Kronos to vomit the swallowed children. Having enlisted the support of his brothers and sisters and calling upon the giants imprisoned in Tartarus for help, Zeus began to fight his father and other titans (some later went over to his side). The main weapons of Zeus were lightning and thunder, which the Cyclops forged for him. The war lasted a whole decade; Zeus and his allies defeated and imprisoned their enemies in Tartarus. It must be said that Zeus was also destined for his father’s fate (to fall at the hands of his son), but he managed to avoid it thanks to the help of the titan Prometheus.
Myths about the ancient gods of Greece - the Olympians. Descendants of Zeus
Power over the world was shared by three titans, representing the third generation of gods. These were Zeus the Thunderer (he became the supreme god of the ancient Greeks), Poseidon (lord of the seas) and Hades (master underground kingdom dead).
They had numerous descendants. All the supreme gods, except Hades and his family, lived on Mount Olympus (which exists in reality). IN ancient greek mythology there were 12 main celestials. Zeus's wife Hera was considered the patroness of marriage, and the goddess Hestia was considered the patroness of the home. Demeter was in charge of agriculture, Apollo was in charge of light and the arts, and his sister Artemis was revered as the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The daughter of Zeus Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, was one of the most respected celestials. The Greeks, sensitive to beauty, also revered the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite and her husband Ares, a warlike god. Hephaestus, the god of fire, was praised by artisans (in particular, blacksmiths). The cunning Hermes, the mediator between gods and people and the patron of trade and livestock, also demanded respect.
Divine Geography
Ancient myths and legends of Greece are created in the mind modern reader very controversial image God. On the one hand, the Olympians were considered powerful, wise and beautiful, and on the other, they were characterized by all the weaknesses and vices of mortal people: envy, jealousy, greed and anger.
As already mentioned, Zeus ruled over gods and people. He gave people laws and controlled their destinies. But not in all areas of Greece the Supreme Olympian was the most revered god. The Greeks lived in city-states and believed that each such city (polis) had its own divine patron. So, Athena favored Attica and its main city - Athens.
Aphrodite was glorified in Cyprus, off the coast of which she was born. Poseidon guarded Troy, Artemis and Apollo guarded Delphi. Mycenae, Argos and Samos offered sacrifices to Hera.
Other divine entities
The ancient myths and legends of Greece would not be so rich if only people and gods acted in them. But the Greeks, like other peoples of those times, were inclined to deify the forces of nature, and therefore other powerful creatures are often mentioned in myths. These are, for example, naiads (patrons of rivers and streams), dryads (patrons of groves), oreads (mountain nymphs), nereids (daughters of the sea sage Nereus), as well as various magical creatures and monsters.
In addition, goat-footed satyrs lived in the forests, accompanying the god Dionysus. Many legends featured wise and warlike centaurs. At the throne of Hades stood the goddess of vengeance Erinnia, and on Olympus the gods were entertained by muses and charites, patroness of the arts. All these entities often argued with the gods or entered into marriage with them or with people. Many great heroes and gods were born as a result of such marriages.
Myths of Ancient Greece: Hercules and his exploits
As for heroes, in every region of Greece it was also customary to honor their own. But invented in the north of Hellas, in Epirus, Hercules became one of the most beloved characters of ancient myths. Hercules is known for the fact that, while in the service of his relative, King Eurystheus, he performed 12 labors (killing the Lernaean Hydra, capturing the Kerynean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, bringing the belt of Hippolyta, delivering the people from the Stymphalian birds, taming the mares of Diomedes, going to the Kingdom of Hades and other).
Not everyone knows that these acts were carried out by Hercules as atonement for his guilt (in a fit of madness, he destroyed his family). After the death of Hercules, the gods accepted him into their ranks: even Hera, who plotted intrigues against him throughout the hero’s life, was forced to recognize him.
Conclusion
Ancient myths were created many centuries ago. But they have by no means primitive content. The myths of Ancient Greece are the key to understanding modern European culture.
According to statistics from the British Royal Society of Ghosts, on average every square meter At least 3 ghosts live on the inhabited surface of the Earth. We managed to photograph some of them, and even talk to some of them. We present the most famous myths and legends.
10th place: Argonauts. The myth of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece is very old. The very first recorded version of this myth is already a reworking of it, very far from the original story. Argonauts (literally "sailing on the Argo") - participants in the voyage on the ship "Argo" for the Golden Fleece to the country of Colchis. The journey of the Argonauts is described in most detail in the poem "Argonautica" by Apollonius of Rhodes.
9th place: Beowulf. The only existing manuscript of Beowulf dates back to around 1000. But the epic itself dates back, according to most experts, to the end of the 7th or the first third of the 8th century. Beowulf, a young knight from the Gaut people, having learned about the attack of the monster Grendel on the Danish king Hygelac, goes to help the king.
8th place: The legend of the fern flower. According to ancient folk legend Those who find a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will find happiness. By the way, this myth exists not only in Russia. The legend of the fern flower was also believed in Lithuania and Estonia.
7th place: The Legend of King Arthur. Italian researcher Mario Moiraghi claims that the legendary sword of King Arthur really exists and is located in a rock in the Abbey of San Galgano in Italy. By the way, in his book, Moiragi states that the legend of King Arthur is Italian, although it was traditionally assumed that King Arthur and the Holy Grail were invented in northern Europe or in France.
6th place: Poltergeist. Some claim that poltergeists (“noisy spirit” in German) terrorized our ancestors for thousands of years. During a poltergeist, objects can appear and disappear out of nowhere, for example, fire can pour out or appear out of thin air, pipes can burst, plugs can burn out, dishes can break, etc. Events of this kind usually last about 2-3 months, and only sometimes for several years.
5th place: Loch Ness monster. The first mentions of Nessie begin in 565. A monster is described as resembling a giant toad, “only it wasn’t a toad.” Seventh-century Latin accounts of Nessie noted the appearance of a dragon "cum agenti fremitu", meaning "violently shaking",
4th place: No one has really seen Bigfoot yet, but Nepalese mountain tribes still believe in the existence of the terrible Mi-Go or “Abominable Snowman” lurking among the icy and mountain spiers.
3rd place: Flying Dutchmen. Legend has it that there once lived a Dutch captain, Van der Decken. He was a drunkard and a blasphemer. And then one day, near the Cape of Good Hope, his ship got into heavy storm. The navigator advised him to take refuge in one of the bays, but instead of heeding the advice, Van der Decken shot the navigator. This act angered God, and since then Van der Decken’s ship has been wandering the seas. With a rotten hull, it nevertheless holds up well on the waves. The damned captain recruits his crew from drowned men, and the more vile and vile their deeds in life were, the better.
2nd place: Bermuda Triangle. The literature on the Bermuda Triangle describes in detail 50 cases of disappearances of ships and aircraft. In almost all cases, ships and planes disappeared without a trace along with their crews. By the way, about 140 thousand people were nevertheless rescued from shipwrecks in the Bermuda Triangle area by the US security service.
1 place: Aliens. On this moment Various organizations have recorded about 1-0 thousand evidence of UFO sightings and communication with aliens. The myth about aliens is especially widespread throughout the world: aliens from outer space who visited the earth a long time ago. Some people consider the ancient Egyptians and Maya Indians to be aliens. By the way, the image of a green man with big eyes and in silver clothing was recognized as the most common idea of aliens on Earth. The drawing of the “little green man” was sealed in one of the “time capsules”, which should be opened in three thousand years.
A modern legend.
Mark Zuckerberg says for a long time negotiated a connection between Facebook and WhatsApp. And the negotiations did not produce results.
For reference. WhatsApp appeared in 2009. It was founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton. In 2014, when WhatsApp had 400 million monthly active users, Facebook wanted to acquire WhatsApp. Both WhatsApp and Facebook were expected to benefit from this merger.
Mark Zuckerberg invited Jan Koum to his home to once again discuss the terms of the acquisition of WhatsApp.
At some point in the conversation, Jan Koum said that he needed to take a break and just think, and a tense silence hung in the room.
And then a miracle happened. Here's what Mark Zuckerberg said later:
“My dog Beast came into our room with a puzzled look. With all his appearance he shows that he does not understand why we are sitting in silence. After looking at everyone, he walked towards Ian and jumped into his lap. Ian began stroking Bist and after a few seconds suddenly said: “Okay, deal.”
In one city they held a competition for the best artist.
And in the end, the jury chose the two best. But the judges could not decide which artist was the best. Then they turned to the Sage for advice.
The sage addressed the finalists with a question:
– How many shortcomings do you see in your paintings?
One artist said:
– If I saw a flaw in the picture, I would correct it immediately. This picture is flawless.
Salvador Dali was surrounded by legends and secrets. For example, he could tell buyers that he used a large amount of bee venom mixed with paint to paint the painting. That's why this painting is so unusual and should cost at least a million.
Salvador Dali. Oil painting. A dream caused by a bee flying around a pomegranate. Here is one of the legends. Salvador Dali often visited restaurants that were new to him, inviting him to lunch different people: rich buyers, art connoisseurs, critics and just friends. He treated everyone at his own expense. Dali ordered the most expensive dishes for his guests.
When the time came to pay the bill, the artist signed the check with a generous hand, and then... turned the check over and wrote a few warm words of gratitude to the owner of the establishment, completing the gratitude with his sweeping signature.
Dali was sure that the owner of the restaurant would never dare to cash such a check with the original signature of Salvador Dali himself!
That’s exactly what happened: restaurant owners did not cash such a check. After all, they understood that they would be able to help out much more over time. more money for this check than just the invoice amount. Essentially, Dali paid for an expensive lunch with a piece of paper with his signature.
But such a receipt under glass hung in the most visible place in the restaurant, saying: “Salvador Dali himself eats with us!”
Well, the artist saved a lot of money, acquired new customers and gained fame as a generous friend.
/ Legends / Historical legend/ The Legend of Salvador Dali /
Urban legends are often exciting stories containing many folklore elements, and they spread quite quickly in society. Stories are told dramatically, as if true stories related to real people- although in fact they may be 100% fictitious.
Local touches are often added to the legend, so it will be quite strange to hear the same story in different versions in different countries. Urban legends often carry a warning or some meaning that motivates society to preserve and spread them. One thing is for sure - some of these creepy urban legends have kept many people awake. Below are ten of the best urban legends:
10. Choking Doberman
This urban legend comes from Sydney, Australia and tells the story of a Doberman pinscher who choked on something. One night married couple went out for a walk and sat in a restaurant, when they returned home, they saw their dog choking in the living room. The man panicked and fainted, and the wife decided to call her old friend, a veterinarian, and arranged to bring the dog to the veterinary clinic.
After she took the dog to the clinic, she decided to return home and help her husband go to bed. This takes her some time and meanwhile the phone rang. The veterinarian screams hysterically into the phone that they need to quickly get out of their house. Without understanding what is happening, the married couple leaves the house as quickly as possible.
As they descend the stairs, several police officers run towards them. When the woman asks what happened, one of the officers replies that their dog choked on a man's finger. There is most likely still a burglar in their house. Soon, former owner finger was found unconscious in the couple's bedroom.
9. Suicidal guy 
This story, also known as "Death of the Boyfriend", is told in many variations and is considered a general warning not to stray too far from the safety of your home. Our version will focus on Paris in the 1960s. A girl and her boyfriend (both college students) kiss in his car. They parked near the Rambouillet forest so that no one could see them. When they finished, the guy got out of the car to take a breath. fresh air and smoke a cigarette while the girl waits for him in the safety of the car.
After she waited five minutes, the girl got out of the car to find her boyfriend. Suddenly she sees a man hiding in the shadow of a tree. Frightened, she gets back into the car to quickly leave - but while she was getting in, she heard a very quiet creaking sound, followed by several more creaking sounds.
This continues for several seconds, but the girl eventually decides that she has no other choice and decides to leave. She presses the gas pedal, but can’t go anywhere - someone tied a cable from the car’s bumper to a tree growing nearby.
As a result, the girl presses the gas pedal again and hears a loud scream. She gets out of the car and finds her boyfriend hanging from a tree. As it turned out, the creaking sounds were made by his shoes dragging along the roof of the car.
8. Woman with a torn mouth 
In Japan and China, there is a legend about the girl Kuchisake-Onna, also known as the woman with the torn mouth. Some say she was the wife of a samurai. One day, she cheated on her husband with a young and handsome man. When the husband returned, he discovered her betrayal, and in a rage he took his sword and cut her mouth from ear to ear.
Some say that the woman was cursed - she will never die, and still walks around the world so that people can see the terrible scar on her face and feel sorry for her. Some claim that they saw a beautiful young girl who asked them: “Am I beautiful?” And when they answered positively, she tore off her mask and showed a terrible wound. Then she repeated her question - and anyone who stopped considering her beautiful would face a tragic death.
There are two morals to this story: it costs nothing to give a compliment, and honesty is not the best approach in all situations.
7. Bridge of the Crying Child
According to this legend, a couple was driving home from church with their child and arguing about something. It was raining heavily, and soon they had to cross a flooded bridge. As soon as they drove onto the bridge, it turned out that there was much more water than they thought, and the car was stuck - they decided that they had to go for help. The woman remained waiting, but got out of the car for a reason that one can only guess about.
When she turned away from the car, she suddenly heard her child crying loudly. She returned to the car and discovered that her child had been swept away by the water. According to the same legend, if you are on the same bridge, you can still hear a child crying there (the location of the bridge, of course, is unknown).
6 Alien Abduction of Zanfretta 
The story of the kidnapping of Fortunato Zanfretta has become one of the most famous urban legends in Italy over the past few decades.
According to his own stories (originally made under hypnosis), Zanfretta was abducted by aliens Dragos from the planet Teetonia, and over the course of several years (1978-1981) he was repeatedly abducted several times by the same group from another planet. No matter how terrifying and creepy this story may sound, if we take into account the words of Zanfretta, spoken by him during a hypnosis session, we can evaluate the intentions of the aliens from an optimistic point of view:
“I know that you want to fly more often... no, you can’t fly to Earth, people will be scared of what you look like. You can't become our friends. Please fly away."
Zanfretta probably provided more details about his alien abduction than any other person in history - his detailed stories can make even the most ardent skeptic wonder if there is some truth there. Until this day, the Zanfretta case remains one of the most interesting and mysterious "secret files".
5. White Death
This story is about a little girl from Scotland who hated life so much that she wanted to destroy everything connected with her. Finally, she decided to commit suicide, and soon after, her family discovered what she had done.
In a terrible coincidence, all members of her family died a few days later, their limbs torn off. Legend says that when you hear about the White Death, the ghost of a little girl may find you and knock on your door many times. Each knock gets louder until the man opens the door, after which she kills him so that he will not tell anyone else about her existence. Her main task is to make sure no one knows about her.
Like most urban legends, this story is most likely the product of the unbridled imagination of a modern Aesop.
4. Black Volga
According to rumors, on the streets of Warsaw in the 1960s, a black Volga was often spotted - in which people who kidnapped children were sitting. According to legend (no doubt aided by Western propaganda), Soviet officers rode around Moscow in the black Volga in the mid-1930s, kidnapping young, pretty girls to satisfy the sexual needs of high-ranking Soviet comrades. According to other versions of this legend, vampires, mystical priests, Satanists, human traffickers and even Satan himself lived in the Volga.
By different versions legends, children were kidnapped with the aim of using their blood as a treatment for rich people from different parts of the world suffering from leukemia. Naturally, none of these versions were ever confirmed.
3. Greek soldier
This one is less famous legend tells the story of a Greek soldier who returns home after World War II to marry his fiancée. Unfortunately for him, he was captured by his compatriots with enemy political beliefs, tortured for five weeks and then killed. In the early 1950s, mainly in northern and central Greece, stories circulated of an attractive Greek soldier in uniform who would appear and quickly disappear, seducing beautiful widows and virgins with one goal - to give them a child.
Five weeks after the child was born, the man disappeared forever - leaving a note on the table in which he explained that he was returning from the world of the dead so that he could have sons who could avenge his murder.
2. Elisa Day
IN medieval Europe There lived a young girl named Eliza Day, whose beauty was like the wild roses growing by the river - bloody and red. One day a young man came to town and instantly fell in love with Eliza. They met for three days. On the first day he came to her house. On the second day, he brought her one red rose and asked her to meet where wild roses grow. On the third day, he took her to the river, where he killed her. The terrible man waited until she turned away from him, after which he took a stone and, whispering “All beauty must die,” killed her with one blow to the head. He put a rose in her teeth and pushed her body into the river. Some people claim to have seen her ghost wandering along the river bank, holding a single rose in her hand and blood streaming from her head.
Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave have very beautiful song on the theme of this legend - "Where The Wild Roses Grow":
1. Well to Hell
In 1989, Russian scientists drilled a well in Siberia to a depth of approximately 14.5 kilometers. The drill fell into a cavity in the earth's crust, and scientists lowered several devices into it to figure out what was going on. The temperature there exceeded 1000 degrees Celsius, but the real shock was what they heard on the recording.
Only 17 terrifying seconds of sound were recorded before the microphone melted. Many of the scientists, convinced that they had heard the cries of the damned from hell, quit their jobs - or so the story goes. Those who remained were even more shocked that night. A stream of luminescent gas shot out from the well, transforming into the shape of a giant winged demon, and then the words “I have won” could be read in the lights. Although the story is currently considered fiction, there are many people who believe it actually happened - the urban legend "The Well to Hell" is told to this day.
