Brosno dragon from Russian folklore.
Rumors of a strange, giant creature living in Lake Brosno have existed for several centuries. One legend says that the lake monster scared off the Tatar-Mongol army that headed for Novgorod in the 13th century. Batu Khan stopped the troops on the sides of Lake Brosno to rest and the horses were allowed to drink water from the lake. However, when the horses ventured down to the lake, a huge roaring creature emerged from the water and started devouring horses and soldiers alike. Batu Khan's troops were so terrified that they turned back, and Novgorod was saved. Old legends describe an "enormous mouth" devouring fishermen. According to another legend, some Varangians wanted to hide stolen treasure in the lake. When they approached the small island, a dragon came to the surface from the lake and swallowed the island.
It was rumored in the 18th and 19th centuries that the giant creature emerged on the lake surface in the evening, but immediately submerged when people approached. It is said that during World War II the beast swallowed up a German airplane. There are witnesses who say they saw Brosnya walking in the water. Locals say that the creature turns boats upside-down is responsible for the disappearances of people.
Many people treat the existence of Brosnya skeptically and say that the creature may be a beaver or a pike. Another hypothesis is a gas version saying that the "sightings" are in fact ripples caused by release of hydrogen sulfide from the bottom of the lake. Another version says that there is a volcano in Lake Brosno that releases gases, which cause ripples to appear. It is known that there are several fractures at the bottom of the lake, the depth and the direction of which hasn't been measured. It is not ruled out that the fractures are of volcanic origin. Another idea is that the lake's shoals are reflected on the water surface through refraction of light, creating the effect of a huge reptilian head.
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