5 Places With Fantastic Legends

There are many places in the world that are surrounded by fantastic legends. These, in general, speak of the origin of these sites and give them a magical character. These stories are an additional attraction in different parts of the planet.

These are traditional stories that come from a long time ago. Almost all of them were created by the original peoples of each place. It doesn’t matter if they are true or not, what makes them so valuable is the poetic way in which different peoples interpret nature and the great works of culture.

1. Mount Fuji, Japan

Mount Fuji is not only the great emblem of the Japanese, but also one of those places with fantastic legends that is worth knowing. The most traditional tells that in ancient times there was a bamboo cutter who found a little girl on a branch.

The man took the little girl, named Kaguya, and raised her as his daughter. The girl grew up and became a beautiful young woman, who captivated hundreds of suitors. But she explained to her father that she came from the Moon and that her dream was to return. That is why she rejected all suitors, even the emperor, who also wanted to conquer her.

The girl explained one day that on the next full moon they would go looking for her and her adoptive father told the emperor. He wanted to avoid it by leading his army, but a powerful glow overcame him.

Anyway, the young woman left him a letter with the secret of eternal life. Saddened by the loss, the emperor went to the top of a mountain and there he set himself on fire, thinking that being smoke he would reach the Moon. It did not succeed and in its place was an eternal fire that never extinguishes: that of Mount Fuji.

2. The Great Sphinx of Egypt and one of its fantastic legends

Shrouded in mystery, the Great Sphinx is also the protagonist of fantastic legends. One of them tells of the envies that Prince Tuthmosis, the Pharaoh’s favorite, aroused among his brothers  . So great was this jealousy that they even planned to get rid of it.

Aware of this, Tuthmosis spent most of his time outside the palace, either hunting or meditating in the desert. In it he found the sphinx, which was then very small. Desperate, he asked her to rid him of his problems and she came back to life. She assured that she would help him in exchange for a small favor: removing the sand that covered her.

The prince then promised that if he became pharaoh he would not only remove the sand from the statue, but would make it of stone. It is a beautiful legend that is known thanks to a stele that collects it and that was discovered at the foot of the Great Sphinx.

3. The Giant’s Causeway, Ireland

The Giant’s Causeway owes its name to another of those traditional fantastic legends. It tells of the rivalry that existed between two giants. One of them lived in Ireland, while the other lived in Scotland.

To settle things once and for all, the Irishman built a pass so that the Scotsman could reach his grounds and thus confront him. The work was exhausting and when it was finished he fell asleep from exhaustion. At night, the Irishman’s wife heard footsteps approaching: it was the Scottish giant.

The wife hastened to wrap her husband in blankets and put a hat on his head. When the Scotsman arrived, she asked him not to make noise and, pointing to her husband, said that their baby was asleep. The Scotsman thought that if the baby was that big, surely the Irish giant was huge. So he fled and broke the road in his wake. Thus the Giant’s Causeway was formed.

4. The Great Wall of China and one of its fantastic legends

The Great Wall of China is a work full of fantastic legends. One of them says that in the days when it was being built, two young people fell in love and got married. They lived immensely happy, but the young man was recruited to work on the construction of the wall.

Time passed and he did not return, so the woman decided to look for him. They told her that she had died of fatigue and she began to cry. So great was their cry, that the floors were opened and the corpses of the workers appeared.

She cut her finger and let the blood run over the remains. Surprisingly, all the blood went to one, the one she knew was her husband. Tormented, she threw herself into the void to die and rejoin him.

5. Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and Peru

Legend has it that in ancient times men lived in an extremely fertile valley. The Apus, who were the gods of the mountain, protected them and they all lived harmoniously. They only forbade them one thing: to climb the mountains.

Unfortunately, an evil god tempted them and they disobeyed the Apus. These, angered by the disobedience, filled the valley with wild pumas that attacked the villagers. Upon seeing the massacre, Inti, the Sun God, could not contain his tears.

He cried so much that he flooded the entire valley. The cougars drowned and turned to stone. That is what the only couple who had survived their attack saw at dawn.