We are sure that many of you still believe in unicorns. It seems wonderful to imagine that they still exist somewhere, and we just have not found them yet. However, even the myth of such a magical being has a very prosaic and even somewhat frightening explanation.
The Great Flood
Scientists believe that the basis for the legend of the Great Flood lay the memory of a major flood , the epicenter of which was Mesopotamia . At the beginning of the last century, the excavation of the Ur tombs was followed by the bedding of clay, which separated two cultural layers. Only the catastrophic spill of the Tigris and the Euphrates could lead to the appearance of such a phenomenon.
According to other estimates, for 10-15 thousand years BC. e. an incredible flood happened in the Caspian Sea , which spilled over an area of about 1 million square meters. km. The version was confirmed after the discovery by scientists in the territory of Western Siberia of sea shells, the nearest distribution area of which is located in the zone of the Caspian Sea. This flood was so powerful that in the place of the Bosphorus there was a huge waterfall , through which about 40 cu km per day flowed. km of water (200 times the volume of water passing through the Niagara Falls). The flow of such power was at least 300 days.
This version seems insane, but in this case, blame the ancient people for the hyperbolization of events really can not!
Giants
In modern Ireland, legends about people of giant growth that can create an island, just throwing a handful of earth in the sea, still tell. Endocrinologist Marta Korbonitz came up with the idea that ancient legends can have a scientific justification. Incredibly, the researchers found what they were looking for. A huge number of residents of Ireland showed mutations in the AIP gene . It was these mutations that became the cause of the development of acromegaly and gigantism. If in Great Britain there is a carrier of mutation 1 per 2 000 people, then in the province of Mid-Ulster - every 150th.
Legends, of course, endow the giants with immense power, but in reality everything is not so rosy. People with acromegaly and gigantism often suffer from cardiovascular diseases, they have vision problems and frequent joint pain. Without treatment, many giants may not live up to 30 years.
Werewolves
The legend about the werewolves at once several sources. First, people's lives have always been connected with the forest. From the deepest antiquity, rock carvings of hybrids of humans and animals have reached us. People wanted to be stronger, they chose a totemic animal and wore its skin . On the basis of these beliefs, narcotic drugs were also used, which the warriors took before the battle and imagined themselves to be invincible wolves.
Secondly, the belief in the existence of werewolves was also supported by the presence in humans of a genetic disease, such as hypertrichosis - a profuse growth of hair on the body and face, which was called "werewolf syndrome". It was not until 1963 that physician Lee Illis gave the disease a medical justification. In addition to the genetic disease, there was also a mental disease, known as lycanthropy , during attacks of which people lose their reason and lose human qualities, considering themselves wolves. In addition, there is an exacerbation of the disease in certain lunar phases.
By the way, the wolf from the world-famous "Little Red Riding Hood", according to the original sources , was nothing but a werewolf. And he did not eat his grandmother, but fed his granddaughter .
Vampires
Porphyria is a rare form of genetic disorder: 1 person is sick from 200 thousand. If one of the parents has porphyria, then with probability of 25% it will be passed on to the child.
The disease is characterized by the fact that the pigment metabolism is disturbed and the decomposition of hemoglobin begins under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Such sick sunlight brings incredible torment , so they are forced to hide in the closed premises during the day, and only go out at night.
In severe forms (it is better not to go through a hyperlink in reference!), The tendons are deformed in patients, which leads to the crook of the fingers. The skin around the lips and gums dries out, the incisors are exposed to the gums and get a reddish color. In a word, all the signs of vampirism are evident. In addition, garlic in patients causes an exacerbation. Particularly actively prosecuted patients with porphyria in the Middle Ages, at the peak of the Inquisition - they attributed terrible wickedness and burned.
Dragons
The theory of the connection between the bones of dinosaurs and dragons is confirmed in Mongolia . There, in various geographical names, the word "dragon" is present. This is due to the fact that in some areas of the Gobi Desert, dinosaur bones can easily be found by any person, because they lie on the surface of the earth's layers . There are many of them even now, so much so that all the time the excavations are being carried out illegally .
An important detail: in Africa, there are no such myths, as well as access to the remains of dinosaurs.
But why do human dragons appear in the image of reptiles, with scales and claws? This issue is explained by the observance of people. The external appearance of the skeleton is similar to the bones of modern lizards , snakes, crocodiles. Increased these animals many times - and the dragon turned out. And, by the way, lizards and snakes sometimes form not one but two heads, just like some fairy dragons.
Centaurs
The image of the centaur was known in the II millennium BC. e. Presumably it originated in Greece as a figment of the imagination of representatives of civilized but not yet ridden peoples who first encountered equestrian riders of certain northern nomadic tribes: Scythians, Kassites or Taurians. This explains the ferocious nature of the centaurs. The nomads actually lived in the saddle, skillfully fired from the bow and galloped very quickly. The hyperbolized fear of a farmer who first saw a man who so skilfully drove in the saddle could well turn into a story about a hybrid of man and horse.
However, Pliny the Elder , who lived in the 1st century AD E., wrote that he had seen with his own eyes a hippocenter, preserved in honey and sent from Egypt as a gift to the emperor. It was believed that the centaur is the result of the gene experiments of the Egyptian priests .
Due to the fact that scientists managed to cross a man and a pig, the answer to the question, is it possible, becomes less unambiguous.
Labyrinth of the Minotaur
According to the ancient Greek legend, under the palace of King Minos there was a huge labyrinth in which a formidable monster, a half-human half-human Minotaur, was imprisoned. The thirst for blood torments the monster so much that its roar shakes the earth.
The island of Crete, on which the monster lived, is very interesting for its seismic activity. Part of the island is on the continent under the name of the Aegean plate , and the other part - on the oceanic Nubian plate, which moves directly under the island. This geological phenomenon is called the subduction zone . It is in these zones that there is an increased risk of earthquakes. In Crete, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the African Plate is pushing the oceanic Nubian plate (and you can imagine how huge it is), and a phenomenal thing happens: under the interaction of plates, the island is simply pushed to the surface.Since the beginning of the civilization, Crete has experienced several such ascents, some of them were already up to 9 meters. It is no wonder, that to ancient people it seemed, that in bowels there lives the furious monster, after all each earthquake was accompanied by terrible destructions.
Cyclops
in ancient Greek mythology, cyclops are groups of characters, in different versions they are divine beings (children of Gaia and Uranus) or a separate people. The most vivid representative was the son of Poseidon Polyphemus , whom Odysseus deprived of a single eye. One-eyed Scythian people were also considered the Arimasps .
As for the scientific substantiation of these myths, in 1914 the paleontologist Otenio Abel suggested that the finds in ancient skulls of dwarf elephants became the cause of the birth of the myth of cyclops, since the central nasal hole is easy to take for a giant eye socket . It is interesting that these elephants met on the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus, Malta, Crete.
Sodom and Gomorrah
We do not know how you are, but we always thought that Sodom and Gomorrah are a very large-scale myth and, rather, some embodiment of evil cities. However, this is quite a historical fact.
Already for a decade in the town of Tell el-Hammam in Jordan excavations of the ancient city are underway . Archaeologists are sure that they found the biblical Sodom . The approximate location of the city was always known - the Bible described the "Sodomite Pyatigrad" in the valley of the Jordan River. However, his exact location always raised questions.
In 2006, excavations began, and scientists found a large ancient settlement surrounded by a powerful rampart. According to researchers, people lived here between 3500 and 1540 BC. e. There is no other variant for the name of the city, otherwise the mention of such a large settlement would remain in written sources.
Kraken
Kraken is a legendary mythical sea monster of giant size, a cephalopod, known by descriptions of sailors. The first extensive description was made by Eric Pontoppidan - he wrote that kraken is an animal "the size of a floating island." According to him, the monster is able to grasp the tentacles large ship and drag it to the bottom, but much more dangerous whirlpool, which occurs when a quick dipping of the kraken to the bottom. It turns out that a sad end is inevitable - and in the event that the monster attacks, and in when it escapes from you. Really creepy!
The rationale for the myth of the "terrible monster" is simple: giant squid exists until now and reach 16 meters in length. The spectacle they really are impressive - in addition to suckers in some species there are still claws-teeth on the tentacles, but they can threaten someone only by crushing it from above. Even if a modern person, having met such a creature, is very frightened, what can we say about medieval fishermen - for them the giant squid was exactly a mythical monster.
Unicorn
When it comes to unicorns, we immediately have an elegant creature with an iridescent horn in its forehead. It is interesting that they are found in the legends and myths of many cultures. The very first images are found in India and are over 4,000 years old. Later, the myth spread across the continent and reached the Ancient Rome, where they were considered absolutely real animals.
The main "candidate" for the role of the prototype of the unicorn is the elasmotheria - the rhinoceroses of the Eurasian steppes that lived in the glacial period . Elasmotheria was somewhat reminiscent of a horse (albeit with a stretch) with an extraordinarily long horn in its forehead. He died out at the same time as the main megafauna. However, according to the materials of the Swedish encyclopedia and the arguments of researcher Willie Leah , some representatives could exist for a long enough time to have time to get into the legends.
Extra: Moses trail
For sure, each of us heard about the plot of the Bible, which tells how the sea parted before Moses. But few people know that such a phenomenon can be seen near the island of Chindo in South Korea. Here the waters between the islands part for an hour, opening a wide and long road ! Scientists explain this miracle by the difference in time of ebb and flow.
Of course, many tourists come there - apart from simple walks, they have the opportunity to see the sea inhabitants who stayed on the land. Surprisingly in the "Moses track" is that it leads from the mainland to the island.
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