Bronze Horseman – monument to Peter the Great

Bronze Horseman, monument dedicated to Peter the Great, became one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. There are a lot of myths and legends about it. Opponents of Peter and his reforms warned that the monument depicted the “Horseman of the Apocalypse”. Supporters of Peter said that the monument symbolized grandeur and glory of the Russian Empire, and that Russia would remain so as long as the rider did not come down from his pedestal. As history has shown, the apocalypse has not arrived, but the legends associated with the majestic monument, are still alive…
The opening ceremony of the famous monument more than 200 years ago was extremely solemn. Magnificent bronze Peter I on horseback appeared before the astonished crowd. The right hand of the king majestically pointed to the Neva, the Academy of Sciences and the Peter and Paul Fortress, symbolically indicating the main objectives of his government: education, trade, and military power. Under the hooves of the horse there is a snake – a symbol of evil, the resistance of the Peter’s reforms.
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Falcon – great hunter

Falcons are birds of prey. They are swift, powerful fliers. There are 39 species of true falcons. Some common kinds of falcons include the peregrine falcon, the merlin, and several types of kestrels.
These birds are found nearly all over the world, except Antarctica. They live in forests, arctic tundra, deserts, grasslands, prairie and savanna, and even cities.
Falcons range in size from about 15 to 61 centimeters. Usually the female is larger than the male. The gyrfalcon is the largest of the falcons.
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Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican

During the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero there was persecution of Christians. The apostle Peter was crucified on the cross and put his head down to die. In 324 follower of the Christian faith, Roman Emperor Constantine ordered to erect the majestic Basilica on the place of his execution. The Emperor took out 12 baskets of earth, exactly the number of apostles, from excavation for the foundation.
Until that time, the basilica had undergone numerous reconstructions, but it did not become better. In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered to build the world’s largest Christian church on the place of the former basilica. He wanted to invite thousands of pilgrims from around the world and thereby contribute to the spread of Catholicism. Architect Donato Bramante led the construction. Prominent artists and sculptors of the time, Raphael, Peruzzi, Michelangelo, took part in the creation of the church.
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Swans – Birds of Beauty, Grace, and Speed

Swans are waterbirds with heavy bodies and long necks. Along with ducks and geese, swans belong to a family of birds called waterfowl in North America and wildfowl in Europe.
They are fast flyers. Their oily feathers stay dry in the water and their webbed feet make them strong swimmers. Swans are among the larger flying birds. They feed on plants seeds, small water creatures, and fish eggs, but don’t dive for food.
There are seven species of swans, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The whistling swan and the trumpeter swan are found in North America, the mute swan lives in Europe and Asia. The black-necked swan lives in South America, and beautiful black swan lives in Australia. The black swan is the state emblem of Western Australia.
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Dome of the Rock – Islamic shrine

One of the most important shrines of the Muslim world is Dome of the Rock, located in the ancient city of Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. This mount has special significance for the three world religions – Jewish, Christian and Muslim. The golden dome of the mosque symbolizes the sacred rock, located in the center of the world, and the Muslim crescent on the dome is the main symbol of the religion of Islam. The peak of the sacred rock, the “witness” of many historical events, is inside the temple.
The Temple Mount is a special place of pilgrimage for believers of the three religions. In the first millennium before Christ there was the temple of the biblical king Solomon (built in 1007 BC) on the mountain. According to legend, in prehistoric times, sacrifices were made on this mountain to stop epidemics. In memory of the survival of the Israeli people, God commanded to erect a temple on the mountain. It was built and contained the most precious sacred gifts for Jews – The Ark of the Covenant and Tablets of the Covenant, handed by God to Moses. Many Jews and Christians revered this mountain as the center of the world, where the religion originated.
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Pumpkin – interesting fruit

Pumpkins are fruits that are commonly grown for food. It is used to make breads, soups, and pies. Pumpkins are related to squashes, gourds, cucumbers, and melons.
It is grown throughout North America and Europe. The plant has rough, heart-shaped leaves and large yellow flowers.
Pumpkins usually weigh 4 to 8 kilograms; however, the largest varieties may weigh 34 kilograms and even more. They are picked in autumn and can be stored for a few months in a dry place.
In some countries a carved pumpkin, called a jack-o’-lantern, is a familiar Halloween decoration.
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Unicorn – mystical beast or real creature

At the end of 2012, the North Korean news agency (only one in the country) made a strange statement, even for North Korea, that state archaeologists discovered a unicorn lair in the north of the country. According to the Koreans, the unicorn was a domestic animal of the ancient Korean king. The structure dates back 918-1392 AD (Kingdom of Korea). Nothing surprising in the news, archaeologists do their work, find antiquities. The main “but” is that unicorns never existed. The Guardian managed to find out that this was a subtle Sesame-Korean irony. Nevertheless, the message became an indicator of how firmly the myth of unicorns penetrated into the cultural code of the inhabitants of both Asia and Europe.
If you dig deep into the myth, the first documented mention of the unicorn was the epic Natural History of the Roman naturalist Pliny, written in 77 AD. The book was the first attempt to classify all living beings that lived on the planet. Pliny did not check the facts and included not only those animals that he saw with his own eyes, but also those about whom he was told. So, the unicorn came to the pages of a serious scientific publication.
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