CITY LEGENDS

Jacob Bruce

A legend about Jacob Bruce - one of Peter I the nearest colleagues long time lived among the city inhabitants. "The magician, the wizard and a Black Book man" as it named in the Petr' Petersburg.

Bruce has died in ten years after death of the great sovereign. However folklore, neglecting this historic fact, asserts that before death Bruce has handed over to Peter a bottle with wonder-working water.

If the tsar, has told Bruce, will wish it to recover, let pour his corpse by this water. Some years has passed, and Peter has recollected about that bottle.

He ordered to open Bruce's tomb. People present at opening have seen with horror that the dead man lies as live, and at his long hair on a head and a beard have have even grown.

Ostensibly, the tsar was so amazed by the view that ordered to bury more likely a tomb, and a bottle with the magic water has broken.

Source: N.A. Sindalovsky "Legends of St. Petersburg"