Crocodiles, dragons and dinosaurs in Russia. On the question of the reliability of the annals

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In the archives of the city of Arzamas (Russia) there is one amazing document, the report of the zemstvo chief Vasily Shtykov to higher authorities. In a document dated 1719, it is reported that a great storm broke out in the district, tornadoes and hail fell on the ground and many livestock and other animals died, and in addition a dragon fell from the sky. This dragon was burnt and smelled very much, spreading a foul smell throughout the area. Apparently lightning struck the dragon flying across the sky.

The district authorities were afraid to bury this dragon, since there was a decree of Tsar Peter the Great that any unusual creatures should be soaked in alcohol and sent to the Cabinet of Curiosities. A dead dragon that fell from the sky was placed in a barrel of alcohol and sent to St. Petersburg.

This monster is described by witnesses as follows, - This monster from head to tail had a length of 7 meters 64 centimeters. The teeth are sharp, like those of a pike, but much longer and curved, and in front there are two canines, each 8.8 centimeters long. On the back, the dragon has two wings made of dense skin, similar in structure to the wings of bats. Straightened from the back, the wings are 6 meters 92 centimeters long. The creature has a long tail 3 meters 10 centimeters long. Hairless feet with large nails. The eyes are faded, but they look very scary.

In the summer of 1719 June 4 days. There was a great storm in the district, and a tornado and hail, and many cattle and all living creatures died … And a serpent fell from heaven, scorched by God's wrath, and stinked disgustingly. And, remembering the Decree of God's grace of our Sovereign Peter Alekseevich from the summer of 1718 about Kunshtkamor and the collection for her of various curiosities, monsters and all kinds of freaks, heavenly stones and various miracles, this serpent was thrown into a barrel with strong double wine.

This monster is ten arshins and five vershoks in length from the mouth to the end of the tail burned, and the teeth in that mouth, like that of a pike, but, moreover, are crooked, and in front even more two inches, and the wings, like a bat have leather, and one wing from the Zmiyev ridge is as long as nine arshins and ten vershoks, and the tail is extremely long, already four arshins and five vershoks, bare paws, with claws, like an eagle, and more, and paws on the wings are four-fingered with claws. and the eyes are faded, but very ferocious."

Arshin. Old Russian measure of length. In the 16-17 centuries. was divided into 4 quarters and was equal to 72 cm. / 27 eng. inches /. Vershok. An old Russian measure of length, equal to 1/16 of an arshin or 4, 4 centimeters.

In the ancient chronicles there is a lot of evidence that many strange creatures were found on the territory of Russia in ancient times.

For example, in the Pskov chronicle there is such evidence - in the summer of 1582 crocodiles came out of the river and began to attack people. In panic, the people began to pray and cry to God, hid in the huts, but the crocodiles ate many of them.

"In the summer of 7090 [1582] … of the same summer, the Korkodil lutia came out of the river and the path of the shutter, there were many people who were eating, and people were sucking and praying to God all over the earth. And he hid his packs, and hid others. The same year, Tsarevich Ivan presented himself. Ivanovich, in Sloboda, December 14 day. " The Pskov Chronicle. Archival 2nd list.

In the chronicle of the legends of the Russian people at the end of the 16th century, there are such lines, - Crocodile, lives in the water, attacks people.

"Korkodil is an aquatic beast, always having a man of yasti, weeps and sobs, but the yasti does not stop." ABC of the end of the XVI, "Tales of the Russian people", vol. II. SPb., 1849

Crocodiles were also found in Lithuania. Crocodiles are mentioned in the manuscript of Sigismund Herberstein, who visited Russia in 1526:

This area (Samogitia, Lithuania) is replete with groves and forests, in which you can sometimes see ghosts … There are still a lot of idolaters who feed in their homes (like Penates) some snakes on four (short) legs, resembling lizards, with black bold body, no more than three spans in length; they are called giwoites … On the established days, they perform cleansing rituals in the houses, and when the snakes crawl out to the food supplied, the whole family fearfully worship them until they are full and return to their place. If any misfortune happens to them, they attribute it to the fact that they fed poorly and accepted a domestic deity (snake).

In 1589, Jerome Horsey, an agent of the English Trading Company, was traveling from Poland to Russia and on the way encountered a strange beast:

I left Warsaw in the evening, crossed the river, where a poisonous dead crocodile lay on the bank, which my men tore the belly of with spears. At the same time, such a stench spread that I was poisoned by it and lay sick in the nearest village, where I met such sympathy and Christian help that I recovered miraculously.

You can also read about crocodiles in the "Legend of the Princes Slovenia and Ruse" "Chronograph" 1679:

The big son of this prince of Sloven - Volkhov, a devilish and sorcerer, fierce in people then by demonic tricks and dreams, creating and transforming into the image of a fierce beast korkodel and lying in that river Volkhov the waterway. And devouring those who do not worship him, and devouring those who are drowned. Our Christian true word … About this accursed sorcerer and sorcerer - as if evil was broken and strangled by demons in the Volkhov River and the demonic dreaming, the cursed body was carried up the Volkhov river and erupted on the bank against this magical town, which is now called Perynya. And with many weeping from that neveglas, the cursed one was buried with a great funeral bastard. And the grave poured over him is high, as if there is a rotten one. And for three days of that accursed throne, the earth wakes up and devoured the vile body of korkodelovo. And his grave was waking up over him in the bottom of hell, like and to this day, as if they say, the sign of the pit is not worth filling.

See also: Are all mammoths extinct?

Climate 200 years ago: Pineapples, peaches and grapes

Miracle of St. George about the serpent; Russia. Old Ladoga. St. George Church; XII century: