Tatiana Edel
Ancient Legends
2025г
This is a book of unusual fairy tales and legends that I wrote for children while gazing at the paintings of the great Russian artist, Nicholas Roerich.
Modern children love fantastic and magical stories, so I decided to create illustrations using generative artificial intelligence.
If you enjoy these tales and legends, I hope you will also want to learn more about the man who inspired them – Nicholas Roerich. Over the course of his life, this remarkable artist created more than seven thousand paintings. His name is known around the world, and in India, where he lived for nearly half his life, he is revered as a sage. And that is no surprise. Nicholas Roerich was not just a painter – he was also a writer, a scholar, a philosopher, and a great traveler.
He journeyed through ancient Russian cities, Scandinavia, America, and Europe. But his most extraordinary expedition was through many countries of Central Asia – the oldest region of our planet. There, Roerich studied the customs, beliefs, and way of life of the peoples who lived in these lands, marveling at their profound wisdom and centuries-old cultural treasures.
Roerich’s expedition crossed the dense Siberian taiga, the blooming meadows of Altai, the scorching steppes of Mongolia, the highlands of Tibet – called the “Roof of the World” – as well as China and the towering mountain passes of the Himalayas, the highest peaks on Earth. In his paintings, filled with vibrant colors, he captured an indescribable beauty – the sacred lands of our world bathed in golden and crimson sunrises and sunsets, fiery clouds and pearlescent mists, breathtaking northern lights, and the crystal-clear blue of the sky.
I am deeply inspired by the work of Nicholas Roerich, and I want you to love his paintings with all your heart, too. And as you grow older, I hope you will take an interest in his spiritual revelations and his thoughts on the role of beauty in our lives. After all, Beauty is what fills a person with qualities such as Heroism, Kindness, and a Love for all that is noble and sublime.
Read, discover, and enjoy.
Yours,
Tatiana Edel
Contents
– The Buried Treasure ………………………………………………….
– The Tale of the Varangians …………………………………………
– The Waterfall’s Song ………………………………………………….
– The Life-Giving Spring…………………………………………………
– The Flying Carpet ……………………………………………………….
– The Guardians of the Desert ……………………………………….
– Buddha the Victor……………………………………………………….
– The Legend of the Maid of Orléans……………………………….
– The Tale of Geser Khan ……………………………………………….
– The Bear Groom ………………………………………………………….
– The Legend of Atlantis …………………………………………………
– The Emperor’s Love …………………………………………………….
– The Fire Enchanter ………………………………………………………
– The Lonely Wanderer ………………………………………………….
– The Messenger of the White Burkhan ……………………………..
– Sacred Shambhala…………………………………………………………
– The Hidden Treasure …………………………………………………..
– The Mountain of Gems ……………………………………………………
– The Legend of the Book of Life …………………………………………
– Above the Mountains ………………………………………………………
– Beyond the Seas, Great Lands ………………………………………….
– Drops of Life …………………………………………………………………….
– Snezhana ……………………………………………………………………….
– Svyatogor ……………………………………………………………………….
– The Wise Woman …………………………………………………………….
– The Lord of the Night ………………………………………………………
– Nastasya Mikulichna ……………………………………………………….
– The Song of the Morning …………………………………………………….
– Ilya Muromets …………………………………………………………………
In ancient times, people survived by what they could gather in the forest or the fields, in the mountains or the rivers. Centuries passed, and much changed in human life. People learned to tan leather and furs, build grand houses, craft machines, paint masterpieces, and sculpt statues. There was no limit to the skill of human hands.
But people valued these achievements differently: some admired and cherished the creations of great masters, while others bought and collected them merely for prestige and profit. And some cared nothing for them at all. Yet there was one thing that captivated everyone – gold, jewels, and wealth. The more people amassed, the stronger their hunger for riches grew. Wars began, not for honor or justice, but to plunder prosperous cities and nations. And in their greed, people cared little for preserving the treasures of art and culture. Palaces burned, taking with them the paintings of great artists, destroying the spiritual wealth of entire peoples.
One wise old man decided to bury a message for future generations. In it, he entrusted them with a truth – one hidden from the world. This treasure was a symbol of all human knowledge and the spiritual wealth of a true creator.
He took a boat and rowed to the center of a mountain lake. There, with great care, he lowered a small chest into the water, entrusting this legacy to those who would one day be ready to receive it.
That lake lay in a deep mountain gorge, guarded by an evil sorceress. She set many perilous traps for those who dared seek the hidden treasure. Yet, adventurers came, climbing treacherous mountain paths, hoping to claim the prize – only to find their final resting place instead.
