Have you ever heard of the Seven Giants?
It a famous rock formation in Russia, the colossal rocks are also tied to a legend about a wizard.....
All seven stand between 98 and 138 feet tall...
There are a few different ways to get to them, you can go by road from the Komi Republic, hiking or skiing over the Dyatlov Pass from the Sverdlovsk region, or helicopter.
Up until 2004, a car route from the Sverdlovsk Region was also available, with a visit to the Dyatlov Pass, the Otorten Mountain and the source of the Pechora River. It was officially banned to preserve two protected areas.
All seven stone pillars are located west of the Ural Mountains in the Troitsko-Pechorsky District of the Komi Republic in the Pechoro-Ilychski Reserve on the mountain Man-Pupu-nyor, between the Ilych and Pechora rivers.
They are also known as the Seven Strong Men Rock Formations and the Poles of the Komi Republic.
These massive stones are a popular tourist destination and have been given the title of one of the Seven Wonders of Russia.
They were even commemorated on a stamp.
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...The Legend...
The legend comes from folklore of the Mansi people.
According to myth, the pillars were once a group of giant Samoyeds marching through the mountains to conquer the Mansi people. When the giant warriors reached the holy Mansi mountains and laid eyes upon them, a powerful shaman (sometimes called Yallingner) confronted the group.
The shaman used his ceremonial drum and magical powers to stop the invading giants in their tracks and turning them into stone. However, the shaman himself was unfortunately also affected by his own magic and turned to stone as well. Now they all stand as giant pillers of stone forever.
This myth explains why six of the stone's stand close together in a line, while the seventh stands slightly separated from the rest, representing the petrified shaman.
In the Mansi language, Manpupuner (or Man-Pupu-Nyor) translates literally to "Little Mountain of the Gods".
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Also, in case you're wondering, these are the Seven Wonders of Russia..
1. Lake Baikal, in Irkutsk Oblast, Buryatia.
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2. Klyuchevskaya Sopka and the Valley of Geysers located in Kamchatka Krai. Is a massive active volcano and the second-largest collection of geysers in the world, right after Yellowstone in the United States.
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3. Mamayev Kurgan, in Volgograd, Oblast.
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4. Peterhof in Saint Petersburg.
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5. Saint Basil's Cathedral, in Moscow.
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6. Manpupuner Roc Formation (The Seven Giants), in Komi Republic.
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7.Mount Elbrus, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Caucasus Mountains just north of the Georgian border.
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