A photo from open sources
There is a mass of amazing creatures in world folklore, only remotely similar to those known to modern science: centaurs, lapifs, griffins and others. Many of them, having outstanding appearance, while not possessing any outstanding abilities. Of incomparably greater interest are mythical creatures endowed with some supernatural properties that scientists sometimes find quite convincing explanation. Winged horses are common! Besides that Pegasus flies, not even children are surprised – if they mounted a horse wings, he is supposed to fly around the state. Centaurs – a wonderful cross between of a man with a horse, of course, quickly jump through the fields and forests – with with four legs what should they overtake on foot? Mermaids are swimming where they want, and generally live under water – on land with fish tail instead of legs, by definition, they have nothing to do. Legendary characters synthesized from two, and sometimes even three kinds of real creatures found in the myths of many peoples of the world and special issues do not call. Transfer to a creature formed by folk fantasy those qualities that are inherent in its components – a common thing. FROM the causes of unicorns and dragons appearing in myths, scientists, in general, also figured out. According to a number of paleontologists, ancient people could catch endangered dinosaurs, and skeletons of giant dinosaurs allowed to imagine terrible dragons in the flesh, in all their glory and relics. The claim that the prototype of a unicorn is a rhino, by no one not seriously disputed, but a find in one of the ancient settlements people skull bull with horns fused into one, suggests that myths about unicorns could be such a source. It is worth noting that in the end of the last century in one of the American laboratories was an experiment was conducted, as a result of which an ordinary bull turned into one-horned due to splicing is not fully hardened horny processes. According to scientists, the operation is not represents a special work, and ancient people could well spend her for ritual purposes. Many-headed, poisonous and other reptiles. An interesting mixture of creatures is the Lernean Hydra, with which Hercules had to fight. Unlike the Nimean Lion, with with which he dealt during the first of his 12 exploits, only and the remarkable fact is that his skin turned out to be stronger than stone. Hydra was deadly poisonous, and in place of a severed head in her a couple of new ones grew up. Indeed, the imagination of the ancient Greeks fused qualities inherent in a viper, an octopus constrictor and a lizard having amazing ability to grow a new tail in return for the lost, in such a monster, which is worse than a little found in the world folklore. An equally amazing creature is the Gorgon Medusa. – a creature whose head instead of hair was decorated with poisonous snakes, and kind turned to stone all living things. Perhaps here again could not do without vipers, squid or octopus, but here’s how to deal with a property turn living creatures into stone? Although previously it was believed that snake the gaze is also able to fascinate and paralyze birds and small animals … With this analysis, many amazing properties mythical creatures are borrowed by the ancients storytellers and myth-makers from the surrounding life. Even skill legendary dragons spew flame with a stretch can be explained the ability of some snakes to spit poison at a distance of 2-3 meters. However, there are creatures – for example sirens – virgins, sweet singing lured seafarers on reefs. Their paranormal abilities strongly defy simple explanation and prompt researchers put forward completely unexpected versions. Primordially Russian wonder. There are no miraculous creatures to look beyond the sea, they are in Russian folklore, perhaps the most mysterious whose character is the Nightingale the Robber. 19th century scientist F.I. Buslaev wrote about him: “The very name of the character allows us to introduce him both bird and man. Direct descriptions of the Nightingale’s appearance were not gives, its appearance is revealed only in action, and throughout the whole plot Nightingale the robber turns to us now in bird the human side. “First, the Nightingale the Robber sits in “nest” on the oaks, which is why we immediately have the image of a giant birds. Secondly, upon seeing Ilya of Muromets, the Nightingale is trying to destroy him with his deadly whistle. This also suggests feathered monster. However, “being a defeated hero, he casts off non-human, fantastic forms, “- writes folklorist B.N. Putilov, and further acts as a person, with the ability to kill and maim whistle. Form human bird does not shine with special novelty. The man who managed to do wings and flying with their help, like a bird, is also not new and makes you recall the ancient Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus, as well as Scandinavian legend of the blacksmith Velound. But here is the ability mutilate and kill with a whistle nowhere else to be found, and where took – it is not clear. The traditional version. Easiest accept the version that the epic Nightingale was a simple robber, among which it was customary to give nicknames. Robbers often set up observation posts and ambushes on trees, and in 1890 the newspaper “Moskovskiye Vedomosti” published a resident’s correspondence the city of Karachev, who wrote: “Local old-timers landowners indicate even the place where the “nest was located The Nightingale the Robber. “And now on the bank of the Currant huge stump, which, according to legend, has survived from huge nine oaks, near which lived the Nightingale the Robber. Sounds convincingly, but how to still be with a whistle, the most characteristic a nightingale-robber trait? The whistle of a robber is described in the epic thrice. First, Ilya is warned about the terrible consequences of a whistle Chernihiv, then Nightingale whistles, trying to stop the hero in the forest and, finally, its victims are the people of Kiev. Effects whistles are always destructive, but scientists have never received a clear idea of the nature of its action. Crushing the nightingale’s whistle. Historian G.I. Bosov, who studied the language of whistle, which many peoples used for long-distance communication, suggested that some vague reflected in the image of the Nightingale the Robber memories of the “whistling” forest tribes that once lived in Murom forests. The scientist believes that the whistle issued by representatives of these tribes, was heard at a distance of 14 km and a person standing nearby caused pain. But how did they make that crushing sound? Perhaps the answer should be sought in an incident several years ago on Royal Horse Racing in London. During one of the jockey races, confidently leading in the race, rushed to the finish His victory was obvious, but then he suddenly panicked and began to clutch his hands his head Later it turned out that at that moment he felt powerful sound impulse. The horse under him jerked sharply and the rider collapsed to the ground. As the British police found, a mysterious sound came from the stands. The investigation quickly found the culprit incident, and with it the instrument of crime. It turned out a supernova ultrasonic weapon that was mounted in ordinary binoculars. To the surprise of the cops, it possessed quite powerful effect, and the radius of damage reached 15 meters. It wasn’t whether the Nightingale the Robber and the comfort of the “whistling” tribes have such weapons, which G.I. wrote about Bosov? Creating it can be attributed aliens or people from Atlantis, but it’s more logical to assume that at the time it lived in the Murom forests a certain talent who managed to build an amazing device, which, however, turned out to be incapable confront the warrior armed with a bow and sword, no matter what became willing to drive to Kiev on the forbidden road … G. Chernov
Time Dragons Stones Birds
