Labinkyrsky devil. Legend of Lake Labynkyr

In the world there are many mysterious phenomena, which scientists can not yet explain, prove or disprove. In the jungle there are mysterious tribes that avoid meeting with civilization, in the Himalayas, someone is looking for evidence of the existence of the Yeti, in Scotland they go to the photohunt for the Loch Ness monster, and on Lake Baikal come to await the strange mirages.

Labynky devil - one of those phenomena that someone seems to have seen, someone heard, but to find evidence of its existence can not.

Lake Labyrkyr

Only a few hundred kilometers from the cold pole in the Oymyakonsky district of Yakutia is a lake known for its anomalies. The reservoir, located at an altitude of 1020 m above sea level in the Sordonokh plateau at the site of the moraine amphitheater in the upper course of the Indigirka, has a rectangular shape, a width equal to 4 km and a length of 14 km.

The crack at the bottom of the lake increases its depth to 80 meters, so if there is a Labykyrsky trait here, scientists do not know how to catch it at such a depth or at least detect it. The reason for believing that there is a huge marine animal or a prehistoric lizard, unknown to science, became evidence of local hunters and fishermen back in the 19th century.

In fact, they saw it or not, it is unknown, but the strength of their faith in its existence is such that near the lake there are not only settlements, but also ordinary fishing on a pond full of fish, local people do not go. In addition to legends, there are other anomalies that scientists studying Lake Labynkyr can not explain. Labyrky devil, even if he exists, could not survive without them.

Lake anomalies

The nearest settlements Tomtor and Kuidusun are more than a hundred kilometers from the lake and are well known as places of the cold pole, so no one is surprised by the average air temperature in winter (-50 degrees). Scientist Obruchev recorded here once her decrease to -71.5 degrees Celsius.

Naturally, all the nearby reservoirs, which in Yakutia have a great variety, are covered in winter with such strong ice that it is driven by cars. It does not happen only on the lake, where, according to the legend, there is the Labyrki devil. Scientists can not answer why it starts to freeze much later than others and is never completely covered by ice, leaving large polynyas in the middle of the reservoir.

No thermal springs were found near, under, or on its bottom. Another nearby lake, Gates, is not freezing, in which a strange animal named Labykyrsky features was also observed.

The fault at the bottom is tunnel type tunnels, one of which is horizontal, and the rest are vertical. Scientists suggest that these underwater "corridors" connect both lakes, so the water in them does not freeze completely, they do not have other, more scientific explanations.

Description of an unknown animal

As scientists say, for a long time studying the life and culture of the Yakuts and Evenks, these people are absolutely incapable of telling lies, they are very naive and straightforward. Therefore, many of them took the stories of local old-timers about the huge creature living in the waters of the lake, as having at their core real facts.

Where to catch the Labynkyr line to fix its existence, no one will say today, but the fact that strange phenomena occur on this lake and strange sounds of animal origin are heard are confirmed by modern researchers.

According to the numerous descriptions given by local residents, it is a large animal with a flattened dark gray body and a large head with a mouth like an avian beak with huge teeth. In general, the stories of different people were similar, but the most reliable is the description given by the head of the geological expedition of the East Siberian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1953.

The Story of Soviet Scientists

Geologist Boris Bashkatov and academician Viktor Tverdokhlebov in July 1953 observed the lake's waters from the shore when they saw that some animal was swimming along it. That this particular creature was visible by the way it moved - rose slightly above the water and, as it were, threw its torso forward.

Above the surface was partially visible a large dark-gray carcass, on which two bright symmetrical spots, similar to the eyes, were clearly distinguished. From the back of an unknown beast, something protruded, something like a stick, or a bone outgrowth.

Proceeding from what they saw, scientists determined that the animal has a rather large massive body, and its head then appeared above the water, then disappeared, making squelching sounds. According to them, observers suggested that the beast hunts underwater, and its movements were caused on the surface of the wave.

The observation, recorded in the scientific diary, caused a lot of noise in the scientific circles, so from the 60s to the end of the 70s several expeditions visited there, the purpose of which was to catch the Labykyrsky line.

Local legends

Since there are no roads to the lake and you can get to its shore either by cross-country vehicle, horses, or by helicopter, there were few visitors. Among the local population for some, these places were considered sacred, for others - damned.

There are several stories about the incidents in its waters.

Once upon a halt near the shore a family of Evenki-nomads stopped moving with their herd of deer to summer pastures. While the adults were preparing everything necessary for a night's lodging, their child went to the water, and soon his cry was heard. When the adults came running, they saw a huge animal with a mouth like a bird's beak with a lot of teeth, grabbed the boy and dragged him under the water. According to legend, the grandfather made from deerskin skins stuffed with rags, straw and grass, into which he put a smoldering chip, a bait that the beast swallowed. The next morning his carcass was thrown ashore, and the old man, ripping his belly, took out of him the body of his grandson, who was buried on the shore. The animal was 7 m long, had short fins and powerful jaws. For a long time his bones lay on the shore of the lake.

And the fishermen, who decided to go fishing on a large ten-meter long boat, insisted that suddenly the bow of the ship tilted, as if someone huge, swam under it, lifted it.

Was it a mysterious Labynky devil, just an accident on the water or a collision with a large log, no one knows, but the legends have survived to this day.

Expeditions in the Soviet era

The first scientific expedition to Lake Labynkyr was organized in 1961 after the publication of the diaries of the head of the geological party Viktor Tverdokhlebov. They could not find anything, probably because they did not know what to catch the Labykyrsky line.

They did not find traces or the presence of an aggressive lake predator. In the period from the 60s to the 70s, several divers were dived, during which they saw something in the muddy water. Some scientists suggested their versions of those who live in mysterious waters, but they had no scientific justification.

So some assumed that this huge five-meter catfish, weighing 300 kg, ignoring the fact that catfishes in this lake are not found. Others have hypothesized that this is a century old pike of large sizes, although there has never been a confirmation that pikes can live so long. The only thing that Soviet researchers discovered was submarine tunnels in which a "monster" could easily escape from curious scientists.

Expeditions in the 90s

Interest in anomalies was especially pronounced in the late 20th century. There were not only special newspaper publications and books devoted to UFOs, Yeti and relic animals, but also departments in scientific institutes that sent their expeditions to strange and mysterious places.

In the hands of the researchers there was now a special equipment to help them scan the bottom of the lake and thereby give an answer to who is there. As noted by the commander of one of the teams, Vadim Chernobrov, on the shores of Lake Labynkyr they discovered ice build-ups formed by drops that flowed from the trunk of some animal that had come out of the water.

Judging by the distance between the ice outgrowths, the carcass of the animal had up to 1.5 meters in width and stayed on the shore for about a minute, after which the monster crawled back under the water. The experiment helped to determine the time: it was during this time that the drops that scientists sprayed onto the ground turned into ice-like growths of the same size.

Expeditions in our time

Interest in the elusive animal living in Lake Labyrinkyr does not cease today. After using echo sounders to detect large moving objects under its waters, scientists do not give up hope that the next scientific Russian "fishing" will give the result. Labinkyrsky devil it was or just a big school of fish, the sounder did not show, but warmed up the curiosity of the researchers.

With the help of a telescope capable of working at great depths, the remains of animals, representing bones, vertebrae and jaws, possibly deer or domestic cattle, were found on the bottom of the lake.

The last expedition, conducted in 2013, also found no anomaly.

Fauna of Lake Labyrkyr

While the mystery of this reservoir is not disclosed, but it in itself is of interest, since it is very rich in fish, among which there are rare enough specimens. So, here it feels like a master burbot, and besides it there are whitefish, mammoth, marsh, alimba, grayling, pike, char and lenok.

Despite the abundance of fish, neither local nor visiting fishermen here fish, preferring ponds more calm and safe.

Lake in the computer game

For real fans, a version of the game "Russian fishing, Labynkyr" was created. Labinkyrskiy features is one of its levels, which many beginners can not pass. To get a monster, it is required not only to find the desired pit or several, but also to wait patiently, feeding the chosen place.

"Catch" a virtual trait you can bait or donka. It is a pity that this does not work in the real world, otherwise the secret of the Labykyrsky line would have been solved long ago.