Crimean Legend - Bear Mountain

In far-off days, right on the coast, a herd of enormous beasts settled. An old and formidable bear was their leader. Once the bears returned from a raid and found the wreckage of a ship on the coast. Among it lay a bundle. The leader unwrapped it and saw a little girl. The girl began to live among the bears.

The years went by, she grew up and became a beautiful young woman...

Once, not far from the bears' lair, a boat with a handsome youth was washed ashore. The storm had carried the boat over the waves for a long time before it cast it onto the Crimean shore. The girl carried the youth to a secluded spot. Many times she brought him food and drink. The youth told her how people lived in his own country. The girl sang him her favourite songs. And ardent love came into their hearts.

The youth had already recovered his strength and made a mast and a sail - the loving couple decided to leave the bears' coast. And the wide blue expanse had already stretched between the boat and the coastal rocks.

Then the bears returned from a distant expedition and did not find the girl. The leader looked at the sea and bellowed furiously. He lowered his huge maw into the blue water and began drawing it in with force. The other bears followed his example. The current was carrying the boat back to the shore. Then the girl began singing. The bears tore their heads away from the water and listened to the singing with delight. Only the old bear did not want to leave the coast, he kept lying there, peering into the distance, where the boat with the creature he had become attached to was vanishing.

And for a thousand years now the bear has been lying on the coast. His powerful body turned into stone. His strong sides turned into sheer precipices, the head turned into the sharp rock, thick hair - into the dense forest.

The old bear leader became Bear Mountain.

Bear Mountain (Ayu-Dag) is situated on the Southern Coast of Crimea, to the east of Gurzuf. The height of the mountain is 565 meters.

Crimea is temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. For now it is not a place for tourism.