Crimean Legend - Rocks the Wonder

Once upon a time when the South coast was covered by thick forest but the villages were already joined by narrow paths there.

Among lonely rocks of Simeiz lived a solitary hermit. This man did much harm to other people in his time. For many years he burned towns and villages, killed helpless old men, women and children. Especially there were a lot of girls he raped and saled in slavery.

Dreadful dreams haunted him for a long time. But years have passed and people have forgotten his past. They have reputed him to be wise now. The old man himself forget much of his past. He thought that he had never did any crime in his life and should not feel guilty hence.

The evil one and the wicked one could not calmly bear with undeserved fame of the old man. Wasn't he the very murderer and robber as they were?

They took offence and decided to tempt the old man in order to show people that he had not changed his habits. So, the evil one turned into a cat. And one night when the weather was nasty cat began to mew pitifully near the cave of anchoret.

The old man took pity on cat and let her in the cave to have a warm. It happend that cat stayed on there with the old hermit.

But once he got angry with her. He took her by tail and throw out from the cave.

The evil one and the wicked one have laughed their pleasure. They have made the old man to show his heart.

Then the wicked one turned into a beautiful girl. And once when the hermit throwed his fishing-nets at sea the wicked one plunged in them. When an old man pulled the fishing-nets out on shore he saw a girl. She breathed deeply, clasped in her arms round the old man's neck and kissed him. The past revived in the anchoret's mind and he cuddled her lustfully...

The evil one and the wicked one have laughed again. They were satisfied.

But the Holly spirit could not stand that such saint for all people things as home and pure love were befouled. In punishment he turned all of them in stones.

Since that stands out of the sea rock the Wonder and rock the Monk faces it, rock the Cat is behind them as if watching over.

In winter 1931 when there was a violent storm the upper part of rock the Monk was destroyed by surf and there were left only shapeless stones.