Modern legend.
Mark Zuckerberg says that for a long time negotiated the connection of Facebook and WhatsApp. And the negotiations didn't work.
For reference. WhatsApp appeared in 2009. It was founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton. In 2014, when WhatsApp had 400 million monthly active users, Facebook wanted to take over WhatsApp. Both WhatsApp and Facebook were to benefit from this merger.
Mark Zuckerberg invited Jan Koum to his home to once again discuss the terms of the acquisition of WhatsApp.
At some point in the conversation, Jan Kum said that he needed to take a break and just think, and a tense silence hung in the room.
And then a miracle happened. Here is what Mark Zuckerberg later said:
“My dog Bist came into our room with a puzzled look. With all his appearance, showing that he does not understand why we are sitting in silence. After looking at everyone, he went to Yang and jumped on his lap. Jan started stroking Bist and after a few seconds suddenly said: “Okay, deal with it.”
In one city they held a competition for the best artist.
And, in the end, the jury chose the two best. But the judges could not decide which of the artists was the best. Then they turned to the Sage for advice.
The sage addressed the finalists with a question:
– How many shortcomings do you see in your paintings.
One artist said:
- If I saw a flaw in the picture, I would immediately correct it. This picture is flawless.
Salvador Dali was surrounded by legends and mysteries. For example, he could tell buyers that he used a large number of bee venom mixed with paint. Therefore, this painting is so unusual, and should be worth at least a million.
Salvador Dali. Oil painting. A dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate. Here is one of the legends. Salvador Dali often visited restaurants new to him, inviting him to dinner various people: wealthy buyers, art connoisseurs, critics and just friends. He treated everyone at his own expense. Dali ordered the most expensive dishes for his guests.
When it came time to pay the bill, the artist signed the check with a generous hand, and then… turned the check over and wrote a few kind words in gratitude to the owner of the establishment, completing the gratitude with his sweeping signature.
Dali was sure that the owner of the restaurant would never dare to cash such a check with the original signature of Salvador Dali himself!
That's exactly what happened: the owners of the restaurants did not cash such a check. After all, they understood that they could help out much over time more money for this check than just the amount on the account. In fact, Dali paid for an expensive lunch with a piece of paper with his signature.
But such a check under glass hung in the most prominent place in the restaurant, saying: “Salvador Dali himself eats with us!”
Well, the artist saved a lot of money, acquired new customers and received the glory of a generous friend.
/ Legends / historical legend/ The legend of Salvador Dali /
According to statistics from the British Royal Society of Ghosts, on average each square meter The inhabited surface of the Earth is inhabited by at least 3 ghosts. We managed to photograph some of them, and even talked to some of them. Introducing the most famous myths and legends.
10th place: Argonauts. The myth of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece is very old. The very first recorded version of this myth is already its processing, very far from the original story. Argonauts (lit. "sailing on the Argo") - participants in the voyage on the ship "Argo" for the Golden Fleece to the country of Colchis. The journey of the Argonauts is described in most detail in the poem of Apollonius of Rhodes "Argonautica".
9th place: Beowulf. The only existing manuscript of Beowulf dates from around 1000. But the epic itself belongs, according to most experts, to the end of the 7th or the first third of the 8th century. Beowulf, a young knight from the people of the Gauts, having learned about the attack of the monster Grendel on the king of the Danes Hygelak, goes to the aid of the king.
8th place: The legend of the fern flower. According to ancient folk legend who found a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will find happiness. By the way, this myth exists not only in Russia. The legend of the fern flower was also believed in Lithuania and Estonia.
7th place: Legend of King Arthur. Italian explorer Mario Moiraghi claims that the legendary sword of King Arthur really exists and is located in a rock in the Abbey of San Galgano in Italy. By the way, in his book, Moiragi states that the legend of King Arthur is Italian, although it was traditionally assumed that King Arthur and the Holy Grail were invented in northern Europe or in France.
6th place: Poltergeist. Some argue that the poltergeist ("noisy spirit" in German) terrorized our ancestors for thousands of years. In the case of a poltergeist, objects can appear and disappear from nowhere, for example, a fire can pour or start fire directly “out of thin air”, pipes burst, corks burn out, dishes break, etc. Events of this kind usually last about 2-3 months, and only sometimes for several years.
5th place: Loch Ness monster. The first mention of Nessie begins in 565. A monster is described that looks like a giant toad, "only it was not a toad." In the Latin chronicles of Nessie of the seventh century, the appearance of the dragon "cum agenti fremitu", which means "strongly shaking", was noted.
4th place: Bigfoot, too, so far no one has really seen, but the Nepalese hill tribes still believe in the existence of the terrible Mi-Go or "Abominable Bigfoot" lurking in the midst of ice and mountain spiers.
3rd place: Flying Dutchmen. Legend has it that the Dutch captain Van der Decken once lived. He was a drunkard and a blasphemer. And then one day near the cape Good Hope his ship was caught in a violent storm. The navigator advised him to take refuge in one of the bays, but instead of heeding the advice, Van der Decken shot the navigator. This act angered God, and since then Van der Decken's ship has been wandering the seas. With a rotten hull, it nevertheless holds up well on the waves. The damned captain recruits his team from the drowned, and the more vile and vile their deeds in life were, the better.
2nd place: Bermuda Triangle. In the literature on the Bermuda Triangle, 50 cases of disappearances of ships and aircraft are described in detail. In almost all cases, ships and planes disappeared without a trace, along with their crews. By the way, about 140 thousand people were still saved in the crash of ships in the area bermuda triangle US security service.
1 place: Aliens. On the this moment in different organizations recorded about 1-0 thousand evidence of UFO sightings and communication with aliens. The myth of aliens is especially widespread throughout the world: aliens from outer space who visited the earth a long time ago. To aliens, some include the ancient Egyptians and Maya Indians. By the way, the image of a green man with big eyes and in silver clothes was recognized as the most common representation of aliens on Earth. The drawing of the "green man" was soldered into one of the "time capsules", which should be opened in three thousand years.
The achievements of the ancient Greeks in art, science and politics had a significant impact on the development of European states. Not last role mythology also played in this process - one of the most well-studied in the world. For many hundreds of years, it has been for many creators. History, myths Ancient Greece have always been closely intertwined. The realities of the archaic era are known to us precisely thanks to the legends of that period.
Greek mythology developed at the turn II-I millennium BC e. Tales of gods and heroes spread throughout Hellas thanks to the Aeds - wandering reciters, the most famous of which was Homer. Later, during Greek classics, mythological subjects reflected in works of art great playwrights - Euripides and Aeschylus. Even later, at the beginning of our era, Greek scientists began to classify myths, to compose family trees heroes, - in other words, to study the heritage of their ancestors.
Origin of the gods
Ancient myths and legends of Greece are dedicated to gods and heroes. According to the ideas of the Hellenes, there were several generations of gods. The first couple to have anthropomorphic features were Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They gave birth to 12 titans, as well as one-eyed cyclops and many-headed and many-armed hecatoncheir giants. The birth of monster children did not please Uranus, and he threw them into the great abyss - Tartarus. This, in turn, did not please Gaia, and she persuaded her children-titans to overthrow their father (myths about the ancient gods of Greece abound with similar motives). This was managed by the youngest of her sons - Kronos (Time). With the beginning of his reign, history repeated itself.
He, like his father, was afraid of his powerful children, and therefore, as soon as his wife (and sister) Rhea gave birth to another child, he swallowed it. This fate befell Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hades. Nose last son Rhea could not part: when Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on the island of Crete and instructed the nymphs and Kurets to raise the child, and brought her husband a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed.
War with the titans
The ancient myths and legends of Greece were filled with bloody wars for power. The first of these began after the grown-up Zeus forced Kronos to regurgitate the swallowed children. Enlisting the support of his brothers and sisters and calling for the help of the giants imprisoned in Tartarus, Zeus began to fight his father and other titans (some later went over to his side). The main weapons of Zeus were lightning and thunder, which were forged for him by the Cyclopes. The war lasted for a whole decade; Zeus and his allies defeated and imprisoned the enemies in Tartarus. I must say that Zeus was also destined for the fate of his father (to fall at the hands of his son), but he managed to avoid it thanks to the help of the titan Prometheus.
Myths about the ancient gods of Greece - the Olympians. Descendants of Zeus
Power over the world was shared by three titans, representing the third generation of gods. These were Zeus the Thunderer (he became the supreme god of the ancient Greeks), Poseidon (the lord of the seas) and Hades (the owner of the underworld of the dead).
They had numerous descendants. All the supreme gods, except for Hades and his family, lived on Mount Olympus (which exists in reality). AT ancient Greek mythology There were 12 main celestials. The wife of Zeus Hera was considered the patroness of marriage, and the goddess Hestia - hearth. Demeter was in charge of agriculture, Apollo was in charge of light and the arts, and his sister Artemis was revered as the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The daughter of Zeus, Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, was one of the most respected celestials. Sensitive to beauty, the Greeks also revered the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, and her husband Ares, the warlike god. Hephaestus, the god of fire, was praised by craftsmen (in particular, blacksmiths). The cunning Hermes also demanded respect - an intermediary between gods and people and the patron of trade and livestock.
Divine geography
Ancient myths and legends of Greece create in the mind modern reader very controversial image god. On the one hand, the Olympians were considered powerful, wise and beautiful, and on the other hand, they were characterized by all the weaknesses and vices of mortal people: envy, jealousy, greed and anger.
As already mentioned, Zeus dominated the gods and people. He gave people laws and controlled their destiny. But not in all areas of Greece, the supreme Olympian was the most revered god. The Greeks lived in city-states and believed that each such city (polis) had its own divine patron. So, Athena favored Attica and its main city - Athens.
Aphrodite was praised in Cyprus, off the coast of which she was born. Poseidon kept Troy, Artemis and Apollo - Delphi. Mycenae, Argos and Samos offered sacrifices to Hera.
Other divine entities
The ancient myths and legends of Greece would not be so intense if only people and gods acted in them. But the Greeks, like other peoples at that time, were inclined to deify the forces of nature, and therefore other powerful creatures are often mentioned in myths. These are, for example, naiads (patrons of rivers and streams), dryads (patrons of groves), oreads (mountain nymphs), nereids (daughters of the sea sage Nereus), as well as various magical creatures and monsters.
In addition, the goat-footed satyrs who accompanied the god Dionysus lived in the forests. Many legends featured wise and warlike centaurs. The goddesses of vengeance Erinnia stood at the throne of Hades, and on Olympus the gods were entertained by muses and charites, patrons of the arts. All these entities often argued with the gods or married with them or with people. Many great heroes and gods were born as a result of such marriages.
Myths of Ancient Greece: Hercules and his exploits
As for the heroes, in every region of Greece it was also customary to honor their own. But invented in the north of Hellas, in Epirus, Hercules became one of the most beloved characters ancient myths. Hercules is known for the fact that, while in the service of his relative, King Eurystheus, he performed 12 labors (the murder of the Lernean Hydra, the capture of the Kerinean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, the bringing of the belt of Hippolyta, the deliverance of the people from the Stymphalian birds, the taming of the mares of Diomedes, a trip to the Kingdom of Hades and other).
Not everyone knows that these deeds were carried out by Hercules as an atonement for guilt (in a fit of madness, he destroyed his family). After the death of Hercules, the gods accepted him into their ranks: even Hera, who throughout the life of the hero plotted against him, was forced to recognize him.
Conclusion
Ancient myths were created many centuries ago. But they are by no means primitive. The myths of Ancient Greece are the key to understanding modern European culture.
Greece and myths- the concept is inseparable. It seems that everything in this country - every plant, river or mountain - has its own fairy tale passed down from generation to generation. And this is no coincidence, since the myths in allegorical form reflect the whole structure of the world and the philosophy of life of the ancient Greeks.
And the name Hellas () itself also has a mythological origin, because. the progenitor of all Hellenes (Greeks) is considered the mythical patriarch Hellenes. The names of the mountain ranges that cross Greece, the seas washing its shores, the islands scattered in these seas, lakes and rivers are associated with myths. As well as the names of regions, cities and villages. About some stories that I really want to believe, I will tell you. It should be added that there are so many myths that even for the same toponym there are several versions. Because myths are oral creativity, and have come down to us already recorded by ancient writers and historians, the most famous of which is Homer. I'll start with the name Balkan Peninsula on which Greece is located. The current "Balkans" is of Turkish origin, meaning simply "mountain range". But earlier the peninsula was named after Aemos, the son of the god Boreas and the nymph Orithinas. The sister and at the same time the wife of Amos was called Rhodope. Their love was so strong that they addressed each other by the names of the supreme gods, Zeus and Hera. For their insolence, they were punished by turning into mountains.
The history of the origin of the toponym Peloponnese, a peninsula on a peninsula, no less brutal. According to legend, the ruler of this part of Greece was Pelops, the son of Tantalus, in early years offered by the bloodthirsty father as a supper to the gods. But the gods did not begin to eat his body, and, having resurrected the young man, they left him on Olympus. And Tantalus was doomed to eternal (tantalic) torment. Further, Pelops himself descends to live with people, or is forced to flee, but later becomes the king of Olympia, Arcadia and the entire peninsula, which was named after him. By the way, his descendant was the famous Homeric king Agamemnon, the leader of the troops that besieged Troy.
One of the most beautiful islands in Greece Kerkyra(or Corfu) It has romantic story the origin of its name: Poseidon, the god of the seas, fell in love with the young beauty Korkyra, the daughter of Asop and the nymph Metope, kidnapped her and hid her on a hitherto unknown island, which he named after her. Korkyra eventually turned into Kerkyra. Another story about lovers remained in the myths of the island Rhodes. This name was borne by the daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite (or Aphrodite), who was the beloved of the sun god Helios. It was on this newly born island of foam that the nymph Rhodes was married to her beloved.
origin of name the Aegean sea many are known for their good Soviet cartoon. The story is this: Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus, went to Crete to fight the monster there - the Minotaur. In case of victory, he promised his father to raise white sails on his ship, and in case of defeat, black ones. With the help of the Cretan princess, he slew the Minotaur, and went home, forgetting to change the sails. Seeing his son's mourning ship in the distance, Aegeus, out of grief, threw himself off a cliff into the sea, which was named after him.
ionian sea bears the name of the princess and at the same time the priestess Io, who was seduced by the supreme god Zeus. However, his wife Hera decided to take revenge on the girl by turning her into a white cow and then killing her with the hands of the giant Argos. With the help of the god Hermes, Io managed to escape. She found refuge and human form in Egypt, for which she had to cross the sea, which is called the Ionian.
Myths of Ancient Greece they also tell about the origin of the universe, the attitude to the divine and human passions. For us, they are of interest, primarily because they give us an understanding of how European culture was formed.
Who doesn't love entertaining stories? When the world is in a state of turmoil, it's good to have a little distraction. fiction, cinema or video games. However, it should be remembered that many fantasy stories were actually a reflection of very real events.
Even some myths and legends, oddly enough, turned out to be true, and in many cases the reality, quite provable by scientific means, managed to surpass fantastic stories.
In the south of France, there is an ancient Chauvet cave (Chauvet-Pont D "Arc), in which our ancestors lived 37 thousand years ago. At that time, mankind did not yet have advanced technologies and there were no highly developed civilizations. Ancient people were mostly nomads, hunters and gatherers who had just lost their close relatives and neighbors - the Neanderthals.
The walls of the Chauvet Cave are a real treasure trove for archaeologists and anthropologists. Pigmented prehistoric art that adorns the walls of the cave depicts an array of wildlife, from giant deer and bears to lions and even furry rhinos. These animals are surrounded by images Everyday life of people.
Because of the amazing rock art Chauvet Cave is called the Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
In 1994, quite a unusual picture, similar to jets rising into the sky and overlapping images of animals.
For several decades, most scientists considered this an abstract image, which in itself is extremely unusual, because all the drawings in the cave basically depicted quite literal things.
Explanation
Asking the question: “what if a volcanic eruption is depicted on the cave wall?”, Scientists traced volcanic activity in the region during the creation of cave paintings.
It turned out that just 35 kilometers from Chauvet, the remains of a powerful eruption were discovered. Surely the eruption of a large volcano, which occurred in the immediate vicinity of the dwellings of people, led them to the idea that such an incident should be captured for future generations.
Residents of the Solomon Islands willingly share the legend of an ancient leader named Roraimenu, whose wife decided to secretly elope with another man and settle with him on the island of Teonimanu.
In anger, the chief sought out the curse and went to Theonimanu in his canoe, decorated with the image of the waves of the sea.
He brought three taro plants to the island, planted two on the island, and kept one with him. According to the rules of the curse, as soon as his plant starts to grow, the place where the other two were planted will disappear from the face of the earth.
The curse worked. Standing on top of a mountain, Roraimenu watched as a neighboring island was swallowed up by huge sea waves.
In real
Theonimanu Island really existed and really disappeared as a result of seismic activity. The only thing scientists can't say for sure is exactly when strong earthquake destroyed the underwater foot of this volcanic island and forced it to sink under water.
The strong waves that the leader observed from the top of the mountain turned out to be not so much the cause of the disappearance of the island as the result.
At that time, the peninsula was not divided into two states and was home to a developed empire with excellent science.
That spring night in 1437, several astronomers recorded a noticeable flash in dark sky. According to them, this outbreak did not go out for two weeks. Someone considered this phenomenon a divine sign, and someone - the birth of a new star.
scientific explanation
In 2017, a team of researchers solved the mystery. Scientists have linked this event with activity in the constellation Scorpio. It turned out that the flash did not indicate the birth of a star, but rather a death dance, in astronomy called Nova.
Nova is the result of the interaction of a white dwarf - the dead core of an ancient star and a companion star. The dense core of a dwarf steals its partner's hydrogen gas until it reaches a critical mass. After that, the dwarf collapses under the influence of gravity. It is this explosion that can be seen on the surface of the Earth.
The indigenous tribes have a rich oral tradition that passes the history of peoples from generation to generation. One such story has been passed down through 230 generations of the indigenous Australian Gugu Badhun tribe. This fascinating history is seven thousand years old and older than most of the world's civilizations.
An audio recording from the 1970s captured a tribal chief talking about a huge explosion that shook the earth and created a huge crater. Thick dust rose into the sky, and people who went into this darkness never returned. The air was unbearably hot, and the water in the rivers and seas boiled and burned.
The research team subsequently discovered the dormant but once strong Kirrara volcano in northeastern Australia. About seven thousand years ago, this volcano erupted, which could well be accompanied by the consequences described.
Initially, the Chinese dragon played the role of an antagonist in Japanese folklore. However, in the 18th century, this role went to the giant sea catfish Namaz, a mythical monster of enormous size that lived in sea waters and capable of causing violent ground tremors simply by slapping the bottom with its tail. Only the god Kashima could immobilize Namaza, but as soon as the god turned away, the catfish took up the old and shook the earth.
In 1855, Edo (today Tokyo) was almost completely destroyed by a magnitude 7 earthquake that killed 10,000 people. At that time, people blamed Namaza for the catastrophe.
In reality, the earthquake was caused by a sudden rupture along the junction of the Eurasian and Philippine tectonic plates. According to scientists, a similar earthquake could happen again, but now we have scientific evidence the causes of such disasters and it would never occur to anyone to blame the sea monster for the movement of tectonic plates.
Pele is the name of the Hawaiian goddess of volcanic fire. It is said that she chose Hawaii as a refuge from her older sister. She hid under each island until she found a place for herself in the depths of the main island, forming the Kilauea volcano.
This is why the legends say that Kilauea is the fiery heart of Hawaii. And this is scientifically confirmed: at least on the surface of the islands, Kilauea is the volcanic center of the archipelago.
The legend also says that Pele's tears and hair can often be found around the volcano. However, the presence of frozen "tears" and "hair" is easily explained by physics.
When lava cools rapidly, especially in water or cold air, it turns into volcanic glass. When lava cools while in motion, its splashes sometimes form tear-shaped droplets; in other cases, the jets solidify into thin glass tubes that look like hairs.
That is why people passing by an active volcano can easily find the petrified tears and hair of the ancient fiery goddess living in the depths of Kilauea.
