Earthly giant Kara-dag

The land of brandies is rich in legends. From generation to generation ancient Tavrija people passed on the history of the strongest eruption of Kara-dag volcano that happened in prehistoric times.

There was it when the Earth was inhabited only by beasts and the leg of man did not step on it yet. At that time gods often went down from skies to wander in the boundless forests, and sometimes sent their light-winged servants-angels for fruit and nectar. The Earth was warm and flowering. Blown with easy wind the boundless forests made noise with foliage of age-old trees, and enormous many-headed animals fed on a juicy green grass.

But once infuriated with an earthly idyll underground gods sent down an icy whirlwind to the sun. And it went out as a flame inundated with a thundershower. Cold and darkness concealed the earth. Green meadows and branchy trees were completely covered with ice and snow. Hungry and frozen beasts perished day after day.The Earth endured long. But the earthly giant of Kara-dag rose in a revolt once, and erupted streams of hot lava. 12 days and 12 nights they flowed down on its slopes warming the frozen earth.

And the gods of skies sent on earth angels with gold amphoraes. Angels began to ladle Kara-dag lava and to warm the Sun. A going out star was inflamed again. And ices thawed, meadows effloresced and all forests and fields stretched to the sky again.

Majestic Kara-dag calmed down and lava hardened. And in memory of unity of the mountain and the sun a vine grew on its slopes. Many centuries after people appeared on these lands. By years they served to the grapevines having absorbed in itself the sun and the fire of the earth. Tilling the rich earth people reared delightful benefits. And then began to make out a drink of them similar to warming earth lava. Name to this drink is brandy. In gratitude for its rescue the sun sanctified it and now twinkles in every its drop warming people.

Saving an ancient consuetude, angels still go down on Koktebel land with gold amphoraes taking away the share of sparkling brandy nectar to the sky. Because exactly it many millenniums does not give to go out a bright sun of Koktebel.

The Black Mountain Kara-dag

By evenings spilled bewitching trills of girlish voices in Otuzska valley. They sang the marvelous songs returning from the vine fields. Sent home girls always looked back on the Black mountain Kara-dag with dread hanging over a valley and covering the blue sky. In its bowels lived a frightful monster the one-eyed giant ogre.

He slept in the daytime but even his peaceful snoring looked like the rolls of thunder and when he turned a mountain had trembled to foundation. By a late evening when it was quite dark a giant woke up and got out from a den. Sparkling with an eye he began deafening roar so that an echo was rolled on the Crimean mountains.

The habitants of the country hid where they could found and men took bull or some sheep to the Black mountain. Tying an animal on prominent position they were deleted and the giant calmed down till the next evening. But in the month of weddings a cannibal required the greater victim. Even tens of sheep and bulls were not sufficient. He roared the whole night and windows tingled with his roar and a fire went out in hearths. Then he seized many stones and threw down in a valley. Rolled on the slopes of mountain they grew into an avalanche which crashed off everything on their way.

And then frightened people chosen one of fiancees and gave her as  a victim to the giant.
A lot of years he ruled above Otuzska valley but people suffered silently. Nobody knew how to get out from him. But once a strong and brave young man decided to gave a dare to the monster. The habitants of the country laughed at him because nobody believed that this giant could be exterminated.

Have waited till the month of weddings young man grunted the oath. When the sun sat down he turned his steps to the mountain giant. Twilights got down on navy blue sky and the large moon appeared and covered a silvery scale marine surface. In the settlement human voices, bleat of sheep, mooing of cows calmed down and evening lights flashed up and down. Admiring the beauty of settlement young man remembered about his beloved El'bis and began to the sing an old ditty:

Love is a birdie of spring,
Came now its time to arrive.
I asked an old woman-greek,
How can I catch the birdie of love?

A greek answered so:
«By eyes you should catch the birdie,
It on mouths will fall
down And  your will get it to  the heart».

And then a giant appeared from a canyon. Charmed with the singing he asked young man to bring him the birdie of love and the young man agreed. On a next evening young man visited Kara-dag again and took his intended wife.

Having seen the giant El'bis stopped at horror. But giving a glance on the darling she overcame fear and bravely took a step to meet the danger. She asked the cannibal to open an eye broader to see a birdie. The beauty of El'bis was so blinding that a giant widely exposed his only eye from amazement. And the girl drew a bow and shot a stone poisonous arrow in the luminous eye of the giant. The giant howled and tried to get the dare-devils to squash them but seeing nothing he stumbled at a stone and broke away in the deep burrow.

From anger of giant a mountain moved as living being: enormous stones and even whole cliffs broke away from it and fallen in the sea with noise. From his angry breathing the earth melted and flowed down from slopes by fiery streams through cracks. Whole night a continuous hum stood above Kara-dag mountain the top of mountain erupted fire, smoke and ash. An ominous black cloud closed the sky, lightnings’ sparkled and thundered.

Then a rain fallen out and all calmed down. When people went out from the refuges they stopped because of surprise. There was no black mountain. In its place new cliffs rose to the sky and there were whimsical form rocks reminding wild beasts. The sea was already no longer vexed and affectionately washed the sheer walls of rocks inundated numerous bays and caves and mumbled something gladly.