Alatyr

by Cyril Korolev

 
In Russian folklore Alatyr is a magic stone, “father of all stones”, a holy omphalos possessing healing properties.
This stone is placed in the center of the Booyan Island. As a legend says, healing rivers flow from beneath Alatyr and on it stands the World Tree (it could be oak, apple tree or cypress). This stone is guarded by mythical monsters – Gagana-bird and Garafena the snake.