The Giant Stone Mushrooms of Beli Plast
by R J Evans on 14/03/10 at 11:31 am
Local legend has it that the giant stone mushrooms of Beli Plast are in fact the severed heads of four sisters, who after fleeing an oppressor were pursued. He beheaded them as punishment for daring to run and here they remain to this day.
Of course, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and the origins of these peculiar rock formations tell a story much older than that provided by the locals. Far from being the horrific remnant of a Bulgarian folk tale, however, these bizarre rock formations are the result of millennia of weathering. Although a natural occurrence – and nothing to do with mushrooms either – the severed heads of the sisters are made all the more remarkable by human imagination. Their own story is, however, just as remarkable.
The stone mushrooms of Beli Plast are just a little larger than your average shroom. The biggest is over three meters in height and they were formed thousands of years ago. They are made from lime stone which can be eroded by water. Over many centuries the water of a lake or a river can undercut limestone – and sometimes it can have bizarre results, especially when the water responsible for the erosion has disappeared. Alone like mushroom shaped islands it is little wonder that supernatural tales spring up around them.
It was not until the nineteenth century that the science behind the mushroom stones – or wave stones as they are sometimes called – was verified. Then it was discovered that this strange natural phenomenon was the result of huge limestone boulders which have been exposed to water for frequent and prolonged intervals. It was also discovered at that time that they were what are now known as glacial erratic. That is they are huge boulders that have been pushed downwards (geographically) by the sheer force of a glacier and so may not even have any similarity to the stone where they eventually remained.
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17 Comments
koko
Mar 11th, 2010
Welcome to Bulgaria
We have many nice stones.. Well, that’s all we have..
Annette Keachie
Mar 15th, 2010
Wow I liked this article awsome job! I would love to find myself standing next to one of these! Awsome!
johnnydod
Mar 15th, 2010
Really strange, yes like Annette I would like to see these as well
Anuradha Ramkumar
Mar 15th, 2010
Wow…incredible. Excellent research and well presented article. I would love to visit this place.
Glynis Smy
Mar 15th, 2010
Interesting article, I have not seen these before. Very strange freaks of nature.
Lauren Axelrod
Mar 15th, 2010
Geology is always astounding.
RS Wing
Mar 15th, 2010
The legend has so much more to offer in terms of folklore. These glacier erratic’s are pretty incredible and a natural wonder evolved through time. Very interesting article with an ancient tale of terror.
CaSundara
Mar 15th, 2010
You always write about such strange and interesting things! I love these (I love all shrooms, hehehe) and their accompanying mythology, too – another cool story.
I bought some degree level ancient history books recently and the first is all about prolegamena and prehistory. I’m finding all the geological info concerning how the earth has changed over the years, and how mountain ranges etc are created fascinating. Great article!
Pam Stushnoff
Mar 15th, 2010
Excellent. Wonderful supporting pictures and you covered the topic in depth. I liked the local legends it really adds to the facts.
sambhafusia
Mar 15th, 2010
Nice Share…keep work on..
Butterfly Dreaming
Mar 15th, 2010
How perculiar!
MartineP
Mar 15th, 2010
Nice article. Funny how folklore tales often are made on how the landscape is shaped.
twincapes
Mar 15th, 2010
Pretty neat, I had never heard of these before – thanks for sharing.
overwings
Mar 15th, 2010
Nature always surprises us
Louie Jerome
Mar 17th, 2010
This appears to have two publishing dates. March 7 on HC list and March 15 after you left Triond on top of this…very odd.
Great article
A W H
Mar 17th, 2010
Wow… I love nature sometimes.
This is a great article. Great photos too! When I first saw it I though: “There must’ve been water there, and the top of the mushroom must’ve been the tpart of the rock that was over water”.
Thanks,
A W H
Nosa
May 4th, 2010
Very stony piece of work! I once saw something similar in northern Nigeria-I thought it was caused by wind erosion.These once are very defined-they actually look like proper mushrooms…haha! Nice pics.
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