It is common for human imagination to endow unusual objects and phenomena with magical properties. Colonies of coral, flies in amber, sparks of gold in charoite, the remains of living organisms and shells in rock - all this causes extraordinary interest and has overgrown with many legends and myths.
Why is the finger “damn”?
“Fucking a finger” - in this case, this is not a dirty expression. It has nothing to do with cursing, because so-called special stones - belemnites. In shape, they really resemble a rod or finger with a pointed end - a “nail”. These could be, perhaps, among cinematic bloodthirsty villains: monsters, witches, vampires and werewolves. The “Fucking Finger” is similar to this part of the human hand: elongated phalanges, slightly twisted, sometimes cone-shaped claws ... Neither give nor take the attribute of any Koshchei! A gloomy impression makes this miracle of nature! By the way, as this mineral was also called: the ancient Greeks - the arrow of Zeus, and the Slavs - the arrow of Perun, as well as the thunder arrow.
Origin of the phenomenon
Where does the "damn finger" come from in nature? What is the genesis of the phenomenon? Most often, it can be found in pieces of marble or ancient sedimentary marine rocks, which formed a huge period of time ago. They get a relic by special purification. “Devil's stone” is a shell of an invertebrate cephalopod mollusk that lived in terrestrial reservoirs in the era of coal, Cretaceous and extinct at the end of the Mesozoic. In shape and structure, the animals were somewhat similar to current squids. All of their body parts were hidden in very durable shell covers made of calcite. Shells of belemnite mollusks were small, from 30 to 40-45 cm in length. Stone “bloody finger” has a fairly wide variety of colors - it is light gray, yellow, different shades of brown and cherry. The luster of the
shells is glass, resembling crystalline.
Go to Altai!
In the Altai mountains there is an amazing lake. Its origin is fanned by romantic legends, and the place itself is fabulously beautiful. It is called Aya, which means “moon” in translation. Near it is a high stone ledge - the Devil's finger. Altai is a popular tourist route. With special pleasure, lovers of outdoor activities stop on the banks of Aya. Comfortable camp sites, good beaches, clear water, which also warms up in the summer to a pleasant temperature - all this attracts people who want to sunbathe, swim, climb the mountain slopes, including climbing the Devil's finger. Photos with this unique attraction will become an adornment of any collection!
In the world of fairy tales and legends
And now we turn to folklore to find out why the protrusion has such an ominous name. The once peaceful, hardworking Altai fell under the brutal power of a cannibal named Delbegen. However, frightened people simply called him Devil. The cannibal forced the Altai to work for themselves from the early dawn to the dark night. And everyone who tried to murmur, he simply ate. This bondage lasted more than one century. And no one could cope with the villain - not a single daredevil. In despair, people rushed for help to the Sun clear - that it would protect, burn the Devil. However, the Sun was silent - to see, there were no tearful requests. Then Altai people prayed to the bright moon. And she heard them. Going down from heaven, she hit the cannibal and drove him down to the top of the head. Fiercely resisting, the evil spirit tried to break out of the bowels of the earth. But he could squeeze only his finger to the surface. The light of the moon turned it to stone. And at the place where the skirmish occurred, a lake appeared with the purest, like a mirror, water, near which the Devil's finger sticks out. Or Claw Devil - there is such a name.
Health attraction
Were all the events set forth in reality or not - this, as they say, is unknown to us. But first, by local residents, and then by visiting guests, it was noticed: these places are distinguished by special energy. Either the climate here is healthy, or the ecology is less polluted than in the surrounding area, but people suffering from various ailments get relief and even healing here. They gather stone for health not only from all over Altai, but also from the Urals, Siberia, and other regions of Mother Russia. And even from neighboring countries they rush here, having heard or read about the miraculous power of lake water and rock.
Earthly beauty
What is the Devil's finger, what charm does he possess, can be understood only there, in the mountain Altai. Already at the approaches to the ridge, a person feels an incomprehensible attraction - the mountain beckons to itself, calls, as if it wants to share with people the secrets that are known to it alone, and to attach to the unspeakable beauty of the lake landscape. Most likely, it is a combination of nature-caressing pictures of nature, pure sweet air, calm and harmony that creates that charm, that amazing aura that is inherent in these places. If you climb a rather steep path up to the site of the Devil's Claw, then the breathtaking view from the picturesque panorama. Below lies the valley of the Katun River, fresh green meadows, a prickly cap of pine forest. And the Altai mountains, with their snowy peaks supporting clouds. Nature itself took care of the ideal viewing platform, so that a person, having got here, feels himself in a fairy tale. It is not surprising that tourists, once there, once, definitely want to return. Therefore, the slopes of the Devil's finger are dotted with coins!
ethnoscience
But back to the "damn claws" in miniature. They are also used in folk medicine to treat many diseases. We mean belemnites. The "Fucking Finger", as already written, consists practically of one calcium carbonate. In addition, it includes sodium and magnesium salts and organics, which are close in properties to ozokerite. We all know how much calcium is needed for the human body and what serious problems with bones, joints, and spine its deficiency turns into. It is calcium salts of animal origin that play a huge role for the normal growth and development of our muscle tissues, teeth, hair, etc. Belemnite has long been used as a source in the people. In ancient times, not only healing, but also magical properties were attributed to the bloody fingers. For example, Lithuanians believed that if a snake bit a human or animal, it is necessary to sprinkle the wound with powdered belemnite powder. The poison is neutralized, and the stung one will be saved. The inhabitants of Scotland also used the powder to treat various kinds of poisoning. The Slavs sprinkled them any, even the most serious and hopeless wounds - and man survived! Later, scientists have confirmed that the mineral is indeed an excellent antiseptic, has wound healing, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Scope of application
Belemnite powder has found widespread use in modern official and traditional medicine. We list only some of the ways. For colds, diseases of the upper respiratory tract inhalation on the basis of the "damn finger" is wonderful. Injuries, bruises, even chronic ones, are less painful, reminiscent of oneself, if several times a year to undergo treatment in the form of baths, applications. Genitourinary sphere, skin diseases, cosmetology, peripheral nervous system - in the treatment of all of the above, belemnite is successfully used.