World famous sights shrouded in the most interesting legends

Modern man is unlikely to believe in myths and legends. However, despite the many reliable facts available, legends still do not lose their popularity. Each guide uses the most vivid stories to attract the attention of listeners. After all, legends evoke a feeling of surprise and admiration, especially when the topic concerns unique and unlike places.

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1. Road of the Giants, Northern Ireland

Despite the fact that scientists claim that the Giant's Road was formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption, there is a legend about the Celtic hero Finn McCool, who decided to fight the one-eyed giant Goll. To do this, he drove a lot of columns into the bottom of the Irish Sea, from which a kind of bridge turned out. Having worked hard, the hero lay down to rest, and in the meantime, Goll himself crossed the bridge to Ireland. Finn's wife, sensing danger, ran out to meet the giant and assured the monster that the sleeping Finn was a baby. Then she treated the uninvited guest with cakes, in which the frying pans were hidden, and her husband with the usual ones. The first broke his teeth, and the second, without even grimacing, ate his portion. Frightened Goll, seeing the power of such a child, imagined his father and fled the country, breaking the bridge behind him. (Photo: Jonathan Tweed)

2. Forbidden City Palace Complex in Beijing

This palace complex is considered the most extensive of its kind - 720 thousand m². If you went back in time, you couldn't get inside without losing your head. To date, everyone has the opportunity to visit here and learn the legends that envelop this place. One of the most popular is that Emperor Zhu Di dreamed of four watchtowers never seen before. When he woke up, he ordered that the structures he had seen in a dream be erected at the corners of the walls of the Forbidden City within three months. In case of failure to comply with the order, the builders were threatened with the death penalty. After a month, the chief architect could not manage to develop a construction plan. Out of desperation, he went for a walk around the city, during which he came across a seller of cages with grasshoppers. For fun, he bought one of the cages and was amazed. It was her design that was the ideal model for towers. The emperor was more than ever pleased with the result; The old man who sold the grasshoppers turned out to be the god of carpenters, Lu Ban. (Photo: Sam Gao)

3. Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar

The island is famous not only for lemurs, but also for giant trees. The alley of baobabs is located in its western part. According to one of the legends, one day the god was in a bad mood and a baobab fell under his arm. Throwing out anger, he uprooted the tree and inserted it back into the ground, crown down. (Photo: Gavinevans)

4. Niagara Falls

The facility is located on the border between the US and Canada. The guides' favorite legend is the Maid of the Mist. According to one version, the daughter of the leader of the Seneca tribe named Lelavala was chosen as a sacrifice to the god who lived in the abyss of the waterfall. Thus, the inhabitants of the tribe wanted to appease the angry god who poisoned the water. The selfless girl voluntarily set off in a canoe to meet her death, but was saved by the god Khan, who told about a terrible snake that settled in the river and was the cause of all troubles. Lelavala returned to the village and told her father about the monster. Gathering the warriors, the leader entered into a fight with the serpent and defeated him. (Photo: Kiril Strax)

5. Great Sphinx, Egypt

The sculpture, towering over the Giza plateau, is considered one of the oldest surviving to this day. It is a figure lying on the sand with the body of a lion and the head of a man. The history of the Great Sphinx is shrouded in many legends and speculations. One of the most widespread is the legend of Crown Prince Thutmose, the son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. Once, while hunting in the desert, Thutmose recalled his guards in order to pray alone at the pyramids. Tired of the midday sun, he lay down to rest in the shade of the Sphinx, which in those days was covered in sand up to his shoulders. However, the statue came to life and spoke to the man. She told Thutmose about the future reign and ordered to clear her paws of sand. Then she looked at the prince with huge bright eyes, and he lost consciousness. Waking up, the heir swore an oath to fulfill the request. Having become pharaoh Thutmose IV, he ordered the statue to be dug up and a granite stele to be installed. (Photo: Clark & Kim Kays)

6. Great Wall of China

One of the most romantic and heartbreaking legends about the construction of the Great Wall of China is the legend of Meng Jiang Nu. There lived in the neighborhood two married couples named Meng and Jiang, who did not have children. One day, Consort Jiang planted a lagenaria, which sent its vine over the wall to the neighbors. Over time, the plant gave a harvest in the form of a huge pumpkin. Friendly neighbors decided to divide it in half. After cutting open the fetus, they found a child inside. The girl was named Meng Jiang Nu and began to be brought up together. She grew up to be a real beauty that the world has never seen, and married Fan Xiliang, who was hiding from the government, forcing all young people to build the Great Wall of China. The happiness of the young did not last long; Fan Silyan was found and forcibly sent to the construction site. The girl waited for her beloved for a whole year, without receiving any news. Then she went in search of him, but they were in vain. No one knew where her husband was, and later it turned out that he died from exhaustion and was buried in the wall. Meng Jiang Nu, unable to stop her pain, cried for three days and three nights. The part of the wall she was standing against collapsed. For the damage, the emperor intended to punish the widow, but, seeing her beautiful face, he offered to marry. Meng Jiang Nu agreed, but on the condition that her ex-husband be buried properly. The emperor complied with the demand, but after that Meng Jiang Nu committed suicide by drowning herself in the sea. (Photo: Michael McDonough)

7. Mount Etna, Sicily

The volcano is one of the highest and most active in Europe. It has erupted more than 200 times throughout its history. In 1669, Etna erupted for four months, destroying 12 villages. According to legend, this eruption was caused by none other than the hundred-headed monster Typhon (son of Gaia), who was imprisoned by Zeus inside Etna. Every time Typhon got angry, there was an earthquake and an eruption. (Photo: Alessandro Baffa)

8. Mount Fuji on the island of Honshu, Japan

The mountain is considered one of the country's most recognizable natural landmarks. She is a popular theme in Japanese art; it can be found in songs, movies and, of course, legends and myths. One of the legends tells of a married couple who lived near Mount Fuji. The husband was a bamboo collector. One day, while slicing raw materials, he found in bamboo a girl the size of a thumb. Rejoiced, the couple took the child to their upbringing, since they had no children of their own. Then, continuing to work, the man found an ingot of gold in the bamboo. The suddenly wealthy family lived happily ever after. The girl, who was named Kaguya-hime, grew up to be a beautiful girl. Many tried to win her hand, even the emperor himself, but the beauty refused everyone, wanting to return to where she came from - to the moon. One full moon, the subjects of the moon finally came to Kaguya-hime to take her home. The girl left the emperor a gift in the form of an elixir of life and a letter. He, in turn, ordered the gifts to be taken to the mountain and burned, as he did not want to live forever without love. So the flame of the elixir and the letter made Mount Fuji a volcano. (Photo: Reginald Pentinio)