The Black Sea covers an area of ​​442 thousand square meters. kilometers, the greatest depth is 2.245 meters. The sea is almost 90% lifeless, since at depths exceeding 150–200 meters, the water is highly saturated with hydrogen sulfide, which kills almost all living organisms.

In ancient times, local tribes called the sea Temarunda, which translated means “Dark Abyss”. The ancient Greeks first gave the sea the name Pont Aksinsky - “Inhospitable”. But after the founding and flourishing of the Greek colonies, they began to call it Euxine - “Hospitable”.

D it was just like that. So long ago that even counting time went backwards. There lived in Taurida a proud and peace-loving tribe of mountaineers. They lived quietly and peacefully. No one was attacked, and no one attacked them. They cultivated the land and raised children. The clever hands of the mountaineers learned to grow fragrant sweet grapes and roses on the mountain slopes. The mountain range is stubborn, but the mountaineers are a patient and hardworking people. They brought earth from the seashore in baskets and filled the crevices with it. And the mountains grew, covered with grapevines, fruit trees, dogwood and walnut bushes.

There was a lot of game in the mountain forests, and the mountaineers were sharp shooters. But they did not abuse weapons and pulled the bow string only when they needed food. The village of the mountaineers grew richer every year... They heard about Tauris in distant Hellas, and the Greeks decided to conquer this rich land.

Many ships appeared off the coast of Taurida. Armed Hellenes sat in them. They wanted to approach the shore under cover of darkness and attack the sleeping mountaineers. But the sea suddenly lit up with a bluish flame, and the mountaineers saw the newcomers. The Greek ships walked as if on silver. The oars splashed water, and the spray twinkled like stars in the sky. Even the foam near the shore glowed with a blue, dead glow.

The village of the mountaineers was alarmed. Women and children hid in caves, and men prepared to repel the onslaught. They realized that the battle would be life and death: there were countless Greeks.

But then it was as if clouds covered the stars. These giant vulture eagles took off from the cliffs and rushed to the sea. Spreading their huge wings, the eagles began to circle over the Greek ships. The Hellenes screamed in fear and covered their heads with shields. But then a menacing screech of the leader vulture was heard, and the birds began to peck at the wooden shields covered with leather with their iron beaks.

The mountaineers rejoiced when they saw support from the sky and began pushing huge boulders into the water.

The sea rebelled, it became stormy, and huge waves rose. So huge that the salty spray, breaking through the darkness of the night, reached the sun and caused rain. There was a continuous groan and roar over the sea.

In fear, the Hellenes turned their ships back. But few returned to their shores.

Since then, the Greeks began to call this sea Pontus Aksinsky - the Inhospitable Sea. And they punished their children so that they would never raise arms against the inhabitants of Taurida and never try to pass along the Aksinsky Pontus.

You never know, how much time has passed since then, but the Greeks once again began to be drawn to the sunny shores of rich Taurida. But they remembered well the order of their ancestors, and not thousands of ships sailed to Pont Aksinsky, but only five. And it was not armed warriors who sat in them, but peaceful ambassadors with rich gifts for the mountaineers.

And the mountaineers agreed with the Greeks and swore that they would never take up arms against each other.

Since then, the Hellenes settled far from Hellas and lived happily under the sun of Taurida. They began to grow grapes and roses. They traded with the mountaineers and were surprised: why was such a gentle sea called Aksinsky - Inhospitable?

No, this is a kind and hospitable sea. And the Greeks called the sea Pontus Euxine - the Hospitable Sea...

This is how it has been since then. Whoever goes to the Black Sea with an open heart and a flag of peace, it is always hospitable - Pont Euxine. And for our enemies - Pont Aksinsky. Inhospitable.

Twin rocks near Gurzuf

Rocky islands stand some distance from the seashore opposite Artek.

D Once upon a time, a majestic castle stood on the top of Bear Mountain. Twin brothers Peter and George lived there. They lived together and fought side by side in battle, protecting each other. The princes had a faithful servant - old Nympholis. One day Nympholis gave his brothers a mother-of-pearl casket and said:

You will comprehend the mystery of the living, you will learn how the world works. But remember, never use this gift for personal gain! Only for the joy of learning.

In one casket there was a bone staff with the inscription: “Raise it - and the sea will part; lower it - you will learn about everything that is in the abyss,” and in the other casket there were two silver wings, also with the inscription: “Tie them - and they will carry you.” wherever you want, you will find out everything you want there.”

The brothers began to live interestingly and began to recognize the world...

But then the brothers heard that one prince had two sisters - beauties, twin girls.

The brothers should have gone in peace and affection, to earn love and respect, but they did it differently, in a bad way. They brought the sisters to their castle by force, but violence and love will never get along together. And in the “cage” the souls of the sisters became dead and there was nothing left in it except contempt and hatred for the brothers.

And the brothers wanted to buy the love of the beauties at any cost. And they decided to surprise the sisters with Nympholis’ gifts.

“He won’t judge us,” said Georgy. - After all, he knows how much we need the friendship of these women. No, not for the sake of self-interest, but for the sake of happiness, we decide to take advantage of the old servant’s gifts.

The next day, George tied the wings of the horse, the brothers and sisters sat on the horse and rose up. Suddenly the voice of old Nympholis was heard:

Georgy trembled, turned pale for the first time in his life and turned his horse.

And the sisters spoke mockingly and impudently:

He didn’t lift us up to the sun, he ran like a cowardly hare.

The next day, Peter harnessed the horses to a chariot and took his sisters and brother to the stormy sea. He raised the rod, the abyss parted and they rushed along the bottom into the depths. Not far from the shore, Nympholis, invisible to the beauties, appeared to Peter and said:

Peter, you have descended into the depths with an impure plan. I order you to return if you do not want to die yourself and destroy everyone.

Peter did not answer, but whipped the fast horses. The King of the Deeps became angry, struck his trident once and killed the brothers, struck a second time and killed the sisters. But they didn't die. Their bodies floated up and were united forever in stone.

And people saw the twin rocks of Adalara in the sea. These rocks tell the story of how sadly attempts to take something from the human soul by force end.

Twin rocks near Gurzuf

(humorous version)

Gurzuf jokers, heirs of the famous Balaklava humorist and prank lover of the early 20th century. Sasha Argiridi, glorified in A.I. Kuprin’s story “Listigons,” explains the origin of the name Adalara somewhat differently, telling a legend that does not claim to be historically accurate.

According to this legend, at the beginning of the 20th century. A rich American woman was passing through Gurzuf. She was very impressed by the Gurzuf rock-islands, and she wanted to sail to them by boat. Local fishermen agreed to fulfill her wish. When they were already approaching the islands, a storm suddenly arose in the sea. The boat rocked violently, and at some point her purse, which contained a large sum of money, fell from the American woman’s hands into the sea. In desperation, the lady loudly exclaimed: “Oh, dollars!”, and emphasized the second syllable. And the purse with dollars drowned in the sea. No matter how much the fishermen dived, they could not get it. Many years have passed since then, and no one has managed to find this handbag, although many daredevils tried to do it. Only occasionally does the sea wash up dollar bills on the shore opposite Adalar. Since then, the islands have been called Ai-Dolar. By the way, in the book “Toponymy of Crimea” the name Ai-Dolary is the second option after Adalary for naming two rocky islands in the Gurzuf Bay.

Crimea is shrouded in legends and traditions. The history of the peninsula consisted of cultures of different peoples, so it is colorful and multifaceted.

Holidays in Crimea significantly expand the horizons of tourists. The history of the Crimean peninsula is shrouded in secrets and legends.

Each attraction is associated with some mysterious story involving living or fictional characters.

Local residents believed most of the stories that were written down by ancient authors or passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.

The legend about the appearance of the Scythian tribe on the Crimean lands is inextricably linked with the name of the demigod Hercules. It is part of the history of Crimea, intertwining fiction and reliable facts.

Majestic stone sculptures that are visible from afar in the Karalez Valley of Crimea, a natural monument that attracts tourists. They resemble mountain guards, which is why they were called sphinxes.

In many legends and traditions of Crimea there is a mention of female warriors called Amazons. In Taurida (the ancient name of Crimea) they are mentioned as independent tribes taking an active part in decisive battles.

• Myth or reality?

  For many centuries, unique historical events and natural disasters took place in Crimea, reminders of which remain in bizarrely shaped rocks, cathedrals, deep gorges, palaces and other monuments of the material and spiritual culture of the people. Poets described them in their works, endowing them with miraculous powers and images. This was the impetus for the emergence of legends about Crimea, the reality of which raises many disputes.
  Crimean legends in most cases are local history. They have a pronounced historical flavor, although in a transformed form. Legends convey facts in an artistic way to interest the reader and listener.
  Every nation that stopped in this fertile land changed the names of cities and populated streets, fortresses and defensive structures, cathedrals and monuments. They left behind a piece of culture, which became part of the history of the Crimean peninsula.
  The same event, after being transmitted orally to different people and nations, was described in completely different ways as a result. Sometimes it resembles a fantastic fairy tale, which is difficult to believe, and sometimes the legend sounds very plausible, causing mixed feelings of mistrust and readiness to admit a miracle. An example of this would be the legend of Bear Mountain, presented in two versions.

  Tatar folklore

  The folklore of the ancient inhabitants of the peninsula - the Crimean Tatars - is world famous. Their poetic works are reminiscent of oriental fairy tales, with characteristic plots and characters. In them, geographical realities are mixed with fictitious events and personalities; stories about sultans and khans, fantastic monsters and hardworking people are often found.
  Many legends about Crimea are collected in books, which are in every home of local residents. They read them to their children and pass them on from generation to generation so as not to lose touch with the historical past of their native land.
  Crimean legends are designed to awaken interest in the peninsula among tourists. Many vacationers want to see the Fountain of Tears or the Maiden Tower, take a walk to Mamayev’s Grave and hear the legend of Dzhanyk. All stories glorify the valor, courage and hard work of the Crimean people; they inspire faith in the victory of good forces over evil, and humanity over selfishness and indifference. The legends of the peninsula still inspire many writers, composers and artists.

Annotation

9th edition. Compiled by Filatova Maria Semenovna

The book includes well-known legends, allowing the reader to become better acquainted with the numerous monuments of material, spiritual culture, history and nature of Crimea.

Legends of Crimea

Preface

About the rock of the appearance of St. George

Blacksmith from Mount Demerdzhi

Gold placer near Chatyrdag

Thousand-headed cave on Chatyrdag

The Legend of Queen Theodora

The Legend of Bear Mountain

Twin rocks near Gurzuf

About the writings on the stone near Nikita

How Yalta came to be

The Legend of Golden Beach

About the mermaid and the fountain at Miskhor

About the source near Ai-Petri

Ruins of the fortress on Krestovaya Mountain

Bird of Happiness from Sokolinaya Mountain

About the rocks Diva, Monk and Cat in Simeiz

Gykia - the heroine of Chersonesos

About the cradle hidden on Mount Basman

About the origin of Bakhchisarai

Fountain of Tears at Bakhchisarai Palace

The Legend of Dzhanyk from Kirk-Ora

Stones mother and daughter in the Kachi valley

About the Mangup wall

About the daring Cossack and the greedy Turk from the Mangup citadel

About the Maiden's Tower in Sudak

Mountain of two hoopoes - Opuk

Legend of the Seven Wells

Iphigenia in Tauris

Perekopsky ditch

Death of Mithridates

Mamai's grave

Stone sailboats

Kara-Dag - Black Mountain

Khan and his son

Proud Aishe

Eagle flight

Dogwood - Shaitan berry

Why is the Black Sea stormy?

Spring of Svyatoslava

Poplar, Garnet and Cypress

Long Fortress

About healing lakes

Seagull Maiden

sea ​​heart

Samoilo Cat

Kutuzov fountain

Petrified ship

Devil's bathhouse

Echkidag - Goat Mountain

Holy grave

Shaitan-shed

holy blood

Letter to Mohammed

Robber's Cave

Father Samson's mushrooms

Soldatkin Bridge

Karadag ringing

Keterlez

Karasevda

Gulyash Hanim

Death of Giray

Musk-Jami - Musk Mosque

Sultan-Sale

Kemal Babay

Quiet ringing

Chershambe

Kurban-kaya - sacrificial rock

Delikli-kaya

Bravlin's hike

Legends of Crimea

Preface

Crimea is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful places. And almost every stone here is covered with a poetic legend. This is no coincidence. For many centuries, the Crimean land was shaken by turbulent historical events that left indelible marks on it. The people connected these events with numerous monuments of material and spiritual culture available in Crimea, and reflected them in a unique way in various poetic works.

But it was not only history that fueled this kind of creation. In Crimea, as in other parts of southern Ukraine, there are many original natural monuments. Bizarre contours of rocks, deep gorges overgrown with forests, and mysterious cave openings often evoked fantastic images and scenes and also served as a source of legends and tales.

In the past, Crimean legends were published several times.

This edition includes widely known Crimean legends. Some legends are, so to speak, local history. Others have a clear historical flavor. They feature specific individuals, reflect authentic events, and quite accurately convey the general historical situation against which the plot unfolds. But legends are, first of all, poetic works, and the historical content in them is conveyed in a purely transformed form.

Legends are intended to help better knowledge of the region, to arouse interest and love for Crimea - this fertile corner of Ukraine, dearly loved by workers. They glorify the courage and fearlessness of the people. Legends inspire faith in the inevitable triumph of good over evil, in the victory of the high principles of philanthropy over inhumanity, acquisitiveness and selfishness.

The collection presents works with Ukrainian motifs. This is natural: the connection between Crimea and Ukraine goes back centuries. Legends of the Crimean Tatars are included in the collection.

The works in the collection are heterogeneous in genre, manner of presentation, language and origin. I think there is nothing wrong with this. There was no need to make the collection uniform in language, style, genres, artificially process it, or level its content.

The collection is illustrated with drawings and photographs of those remarkable places mentioned in legends. This will give the reader an additional opportunity to become better acquainted with the historical monuments and nature of Crimea.

At the end of the collection there are brief explanations of the legends. Explanations are separated from the main text in order not to clutter it with all sorts of footnotes. [Explanations in italics appear at the end of each legend. - lenok555 ]

About the rock of the appearance of St. George

Not far from Cape Fiolent, a small rock rises into the sea. This rock doesn’t seem to be remarkable for anything, but this is what the legend tells about.

The crew of a small merchant ship of the Tauride Greeks, while sailing in the Black Sea near the steep shores of Cape Fiolent, was caught in a storm unprecedented for these places. A terrible storm hit the small ship of the courageous Greeks. A fierce squally wind tore all the sails to shreds, broke the slender masts and tore off the reliable rudder. Dark and heavy clouds descended low over the raging waves, covering the entire horizon. Giant angry waves crashed onto the deck in uncontrollable fury and began to carry the ship to a high, invisible rocky shore.

Seeing the inevitable death, the ship's crew threw themselves on their knees with faith and prayer. They raised their hands to the sky and began to pray fervently, turning to the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious: “Oh St. George, our patron, help us, save us from inevitable death.” Hearing the heartfelt cries of the dying, Saint George appeared before the worshipers, all in radiance, from the pitch darkness on a small rock in the sea near the shore. He, raising his hands to heaven, turned to God himself, and his call was heard - the storm immediately subsided. Delivered from certain death, the Greeks climbed this rock and there they found the icon of the Great Martyr St. George. They saw a high rocky shore not far away and climbed over from the cliff, taking the icon with them.

In gratitude for their lucky salvation, they founded a cave temple in the nearest cave on the shore opposite the rock where St. George appeared and installed the purchased icon there. The most devout Greeks settled here forever, forming a brethren. Having settled down to live, they did not forget about their faithful savior, prayed to St. George every day and worked tirelessly, erecting residential buildings, utility rooms and leading an exemplary household.

The incident described in the legend took place in 891. Over time, indeed, a monastery was built in honor of St. George. The St. George Monastery (later the monastery in the name of the Great Martyr St. George) was governed by the Bishop of Chersonesos. From 1304 - bishop of the Gothic diocese. Under the rule of the Turks, the monastery was ruled by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and after the annexation of Crimea to Russia - by the Holy Synod.

In 1891, in celebration of the millennium of the monastery’s existence, on the same rock in the sea where in 891 the entire radiant Saint George appeared and the icon of Saint George was acquired, a huge gilded cross was erected with an inscription about the time of the miraculous appearance, and for the ascent from the sea and visiting this significant place, steps were carved into the rock. The Monastery of St. George flourished for many centuries, in addition to the ancient cave temple in the name of St. George.

Blacksmith from Mount Demerdzhi

Descent from the Angarsk Pass to the South Coast... The road twists like a snake. On the left side, Mount Demerdzhi is visible all the time from the bottom to the top.

After Chatyrdag, this is the most beautiful mountain in Crimea, local residents say. How many hours does a day have, so many times its color changes. It’s as if a rainbow is shimmering across its slopes.

During the day, when everything is flooded with sunlight, you can see a cluster of boulders on the mountain, as if a giant was tearing them off the top and putting them in a heap. On the side facing the valley, stone columns and fabulous figures are visible - either people or animals. These bizarre sculptures stand next to ordinary rocks and seem to ask: “Find out who we are, how we got here.”

Old-timers tell many legends about them. Here is one such legend.

In distant, distant times, hordes of nomadic conquerors poured into the Crimean land. They were stocky, long-armed, round faces, small eyes, and fierce in their gaze. Like fiery lava, they spread across the steppes and mountains, smoke, smoke, and stench trailed behind them.

The Crimean residents did not submit to the aliens and bravely met their enemies. They destroyed a lot of uninvited guests and reduced their arrogance. And the further the conquerors moved into the peninsula, the more they needed weapons.

And they reached the mountain, which the local people called Funna - the Smoking One. A column of smoking fire rose from its top; it was always light around the mountain.

The surrounding residents were famous for their blacksmithing art; many craftsmen lived in the village at the foot of the mountain, working in their small forges.

People lit the first forge in these places from a fire from the top of Funna. And people often called this mountain differently - Demerdzhi, which means “blacksmith”.

Abstract on the topic:

Legends and myths of Crimea

Introduction

The history of the Crimean land goes back thousands of years. Some peoples came to this fertile land, others disappeared, cities changed their names and populations, and the language people spoke changed. It is very difficult, and often impossible, to restore how things really were. The Greeks were replaced by the Genoese, the Genoese by the Turks, Tatars, Russians, and Ukrainians. Each people who came left their part of the culture here, creating a piece of the history of Crimea. Myths and legends are very common in Crimea, because every rock, every pebble and every grain of sand in Crimea has a long history, told and retold many times by different people and different nations. One and the same event or phenomenon may have several legends describing it. Sometimes these are completely implausible fairy tales that only cause a slight smile in a modern person, and sometimes they are so similar to the truth that I am ready to believe the legend told as the truth. But they all have the right to life: after all, the main thing in legends and myths is not the factual, but, namely, the artistic component. The same fiction that paints even the most gray and boring phenomenon with bright colors. Let us also touch upon the Crimean legends and Crimean myths, no matter how old they are, no matter who composed them, and no matter how fantastic, or, conversely, reliable they may seem.

GOLDEN SUITCASE

PRICELESS treasures - the gold of the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum was in this black suitcase. It disappeared under mysterious circumstances during the last war. But his search continues to this day.

In January 1926, a peasant in the Crimean village of Marfovka, Nashev, found a rich treasure on a plowed mound - the burial of a Gothic king dating back to the 3rd-5th centuries: a golden diadem decorated with carnelians and pomegranate seeds, several gold buckles and ear pendants. Such excellent, high artistic quality Gothic monuments have never been found. They were transferred to the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum and received the name “Marfa treasure” in the literature. It was an important part of the museum's famous gold collection.

Yes, yes, she was really famous, of universally recognized importance, included in all special reference books and catalogs. Consisted of 719 gold and silver items. Among them are seventy Pontic and Bosporan coins from the Mithridatian time, that is, the 2nd-1st centuries BC, from the Tiritakov treasure, discovered during excavations at the end of 1935. Particularly famous were golden plaques depicting Scythians drinking wine from a horn, plaques depicting a young man holding a horse, as well as depicting a sphinx, medallions depicting Aphrodite and Eros, golden masks, beads, belts made of gold and silver plates, golden needles and petals. A collection of medieval buckles consisting of seventeen items, a collection of all kinds of bracelets, earrings, rings, rings, pendants with images of a griffin, sphinxes and lions was considered rare. Finally, it contained Panticapaean coins of red gold, gold Bosporan, Greek, Roman Genoese, Byzantine, Turkish, Russian coins, medals, ancient icons in gold frames decorated with precious stones, and much more. In a word, these were priceless monuments of world culture.

The war turned into a terrible tragedy for the collection. When the Nazis broke into Crimea in the fall of 1941, the most significant exhibits were packed into 19 boxes and prepared for evacuation. The gold collection was placed in a large plywood suitcase, upholstered in black dermantine. In the inventory it was listed as "location #15". But most often, even in official documents, it was called the “golden suitcase.” They treated him with special care. All items were placed in it not only in the presence of the director of the museum, the outstanding archaeologist Yuli Yulievich Marti, and the chief curator, but also in the presence of the chairman of the city council and the secretary of the city party committee. They locked the suitcase, tied it with a belt, and sealed it with the wax seal of the Kerch City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.

On September 26, 1941, Marty and the instructor of the city party committee, Ivanenko, set off with the museum cargo to the deep rear, on a distant and dangerous journey that turned out to be irrevocable, tragic, and in many ways still mysterious. In the mid-seventies, in search of the “golden suitcase,” I also made the same journey from Kerch.

But let's go back to September '41. First, the boxes were transported by boat across the Kerch Strait. They were not bombed, which was considered a good omen. In Taman, the boxes were loaded onto trucks. The road passed through open terrain, which was clearly visible by fascist planes. During raids, they jumped out of their cars and hid wherever they could. Marty and Ivanenko had the hardest time of all, as they were carrying a heavy suitcase. He should always be with them under any, even the most extreme circumstances. Even at the cost of their own lives, they were obliged to save it.

So we got to Krasnodar, and then moved to Armavir. Here Marty and Ivanenko handed over their cargo. Their dangerous mission was over, and they moved further to the rear. But they hardly imagined that for “place #15” the worst was yet to come. It is unlikely that the leaders of the Krasnodar Regional Executive Committee, Pashkova and Markov, were aware of this, and they telegraphed to Moscow, to the People's Commissariat for Education, about the safe evacuation of the valuables of the Kerch Museum. Who could have known then that the fascist invasion would reach the Krasnodar region...

Soon the bombing of Armavir began. During the next raid, a high-explosive bomb hit the building where the boxes with Kerch exhibits were located, and they all died under the ruins and in the fire. And the "golden suitcase"? For a long time I thought so too.

However, after a long search in the archives, lengthy correspondence, inquiries, which took several months, I managed to contact the person from whom I learned the further fate of the Kerch gold. It was Anna Moiseevna Avdeikina. I met her in Armavir, in her tiny house. In 1941-1942, she was in charge of the so-called special unit of the city executive committee. It was here that Marty and Ivanenko brought the “golden suitcase”.

The chairman of the city executive committee, Vasily Petrovich Malykh, ordered to open the suitcase, - said Anna Moiseevna, - to check its contents with the presented inventory. Everything came together exactly. Then the suitcase was closed and the Armavir City Executive Committee stamped. He was left for preservation in the “special unit”, which is why he survived the bombing.

In the summer of '42, I became very ill - typhus and pneumonia. My mother barely left me. I got out of bed weak and weak. But on August 3, my worried mother told me that the Germans were very close and it looked like they were leaving our city. I decided to go to the House of Soviets, where my “special unit” was located. The building greeted me with open doors and complete desertion. Everyone has already left. With difficulty I climbed to the fourth floor, entered my room and... immediately saw that same suitcase! I couldn’t believe my eyes! But it was him. In the chaos they simply forgot about him.

What to do? I couldn’t carry the suitcase alone - after all, it contained eighty kilograms. I’m returning home and asking my sister Polina and nephew Shura to help. The three of us drag a heavy suitcase along the deserted streets. The bombing began - explosions, fires, pieces of brick and glass fragments flying. Still, they brought him home. What's next? I remember that they told me a place to evacuate “just in case.” I'm running there. Thank God, I see a completely exhausted Malykh. He wanted to brush me off, but when he found out about the suitcase, even his face changed. He immediately sent a truck after him, ordered him to go as fast as he could to the village of Spokoinaya and there to give him to the head of the State Bank, Yakov Markovich Loboda.

On the way, we were fired at from a maize machine. The tires were flattened. Somehow we got to the village on the slopes. I gave the suitcase to Loboda, and I decided to make my way to my people. But she was detained by a fascist patrol and taken to a camp for identity verification. I understood that if the Germans found out that she was the head of the “special unit”... In a word, she escaped from the camp and crossed the front line with many adventures.

After the liberation of Armavir from the occupiers, Anna Moiseevna returned home in February 1943. She learned from her mother that the Gestapo came for her, asked about... the suitcase, and demanded to know where it was hidden. It seems that someone saw Avdeikina with him and reported it to the Germans. The Gestapo searched the house, even bayoneted the haystacks in the yard.

Anna Moiseevna did not know then that a special Sonderkommando, which included Berlin archaeologists, was behind this suitcase from Kerch itself. They had a complete inventory of the contents of the “golden suitcase”, which was given to them by a traitor - an employee of the Kerch museum.

By the way, I found a copy of it in the files of the German city administration, which they kindly showed me at the Kerch KGB.

The Sonderkommando reached Spokoinaya. Thirty years later I also visited the village. I asked old-timers and museum workers. Local historian Mikhail Nikolaevich Lozhkin especially helped me - many thanks to him. Here's what I learned.

On August 6, 1942, Loboda loaded the suitcase onto the chaise, covered it with various household belongings, and began to make his way to the rear. But he ran into the Nazis. The soldiers, however, did not check what the tired, unshaven and frightened man was carrying, and sent him back to the village. Yakov Moiseevich turned into the forest and reached the partisans. He remained there as an ordinary soldier.

In December of the forty-second year, the Spokoinensky partisan detachment found itself in an extremely difficult situation. Its food bases were plundered by the Nazis, food and ammunition ran out. The soldiers were starving, suffering from disease and severe frosts. The detachment was surrounded by punitive forces, and it suffered serious losses. Therefore, his command decided to break out of the encirclement in small groups, some of them scattering to nearby villages.

One of the most beautiful places on earth - Crimea - is covered not only with rich historical events, but also with all kinds of legends. Every piece of Crimea is literally imbued with history.

Unfortunately, many historical documents are so confusing that they do not fully reveal to us the origin of this or that object, and then the people come to the rescue. It is the legends passed on from mouth to mouth that allow us to look far into the past in order to relive some moments of Crimean history.

The famous Little Mermaid is one of the most popular and famous sculptures on the south coast. How the sculpture was erected, what it experienced during its stay off the coast of Miskhor can be determined reliably, but how true the legend about this girl is is completely impossible to say.

We can say grateful words to those writers, philosophers, painters, whose traces of activity introduce us, travelers and ordinary readers, to the amazing and sometimes incredible stories of the formation and formation of this beautiful peninsula. Even if some of the legends are just fiction and do not really relate to reality, we will probably never know this.

Each legend is inextricably linked by the people with some object or specific hero. And as always, most of them feature the ancient Greeks, all-seeing gods, evil sorcerers and good wizards. In almost every city, in every distant corner of Crimea, there are monuments that have been preserved in different guises and remind us of this.

How true these legends are is up to you, dear reader, to judge, and we will just try to more reliably present everything that we could find about the Crimean legends and what our ancestors were able to preserve for us.

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