Seydozero Lake

Seydozero lies in the Lovozero tundra of the Kola Peninsula: eight kilometres long, up to two and a half wide, with a maximum depth of 35 metres. 'Seid' means 'sacred' in Sami — in the Kildin dialect the lake is called Seitjavvr, and for the indigenous Sami it was forbidden ground: seid stones stood here, receiving their offerings. The main attraction is the cliff bearing the giant figure of Kuiva, a fabulous giant whom, according to legend, lightning struck down when he attacked the Sami. The outline of the figure, tens of metres long, reads on the smooth wall; the image is natural in origin but was meaningful to the Sami. In the 20th century the lake grew a mystical aura: in 1922 an expedition of the physician-occultist Alexander Barchenko claimed to have found 'Hyperborean artefacts' — a hypothesis derided by Academician Fersman; searches continued in 1997–2001, but part of the 'artefacts' could not be found. Today trails lead to the lake from Revda and Lovozero, and it remains a place where Sami sacral tradition and tourist curiosity meet on the same shore.