As if the Legend of Bride’s Rock in the province of Giresun reflects the grandiosity of the Black Sea region of Turkey, which is apparent in its wavy sea, vast wild forests, dense vegetation, huge mountains, and unending rains. The geography is, however, so prolific in terms of natural beauties and nutritional goodness that people living in the Black Sea Region are considered highly smart. In fact, a vast majority of the witty jokes of the country are born there and spread across the country.
There are legends and stories, for sure. When it comes to legends and stories, we can associate a significant portion of them with nature or natural forces. The Legend of Bride’s Rock that you will hear below is one of them.
The Bride’s Rock is located in an area called Tashan area of the village of Mesudiye. The road people call Kemaliye would take us to the Bride’s Rock.
According to the Giresun Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the natural landmark has become the center of attraction for tourists in recent years because of its extraordinary positioning and the legends circulating among the populace.
Sources say the area where the formation is situated is 25 km to the center of the province of Giresun. Nevertheless, the road of Kemaliye would take us to it in about an hour, as it was a quite winding one.
They say the area is usually foggy, as in many places in the Black Sea Region. If you visit it one day, you must be ready for lots of fog and maybe rain.
The rock’s stance is notable: it makes one feel that it is ready to roll off to storm onto the town anytime.
The Legend of Bride’s Rock
The Giresun Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism publishes the story of the Bride’s Rock on its website. We had it translated into English and narrated it in our own fashion.
The Legend of Bride’s Rock tells us the story of a beautiful young girl who was wanted to be married to a man she did not love, through an arranged marriage. Very respectful to her parents, the kind-hearted girl was unable to object to her elders. In fact, she, by heart, wanted to merge her life with another lad in the village and marry him but he was also afraid to share her wish with her family, particularly her father. She could not prevent the marriage with a man she did not know and love, imposed on her. When the day of the wedding arrived, she was finally sent as a bride to the husband’s house. While she was being taken on horseback in front of the procession, she prayed and begged God in her heart and said, 'My God, do not let me fall into the possession of a bad husband; freeze me, turn me into a stone. The prayer of the kind-hearted bride was accepted at that moment and she turned into stone astride in front of the bride procession.
The provincial authority highlights the fact as another feature of it that the Bride’s Rock invites attention with its facial silhouette when looked at from a side.
Article and Photographs: Osman Karacan
Comments
Post a Comment