Case file · Sacred site
The Anastasia books and the dolmens of the Caucasus
Vladimir Megre's book 'Anastasia' (1996), about a forest-dwelling Siberian woman with supernatural powers, said that the Bronze Age dolmens of the western Caucasus hold the living souls of ancient sages; pilgrims began to flock to the dolmens around Gelendzhik.
1996 CE · 44.56, 38.08 · status: claim
The account
The North Caucasus has around 3,000 dolmens from about 3000–1300 BC. The 'Ringing Cedars' movement built family estates and rituals around Megre's books, and some dolmens were damaged by visitors. Russia's courts have ruled some movement literature extremist, but the dolmen tourism continues.
The sceptical view
The 'living sage' claims come from a novelised book; the dolmens are tombs.