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For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII

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A

Amir0x

Banned
She will not leave. But we must leave her, seen through the eyes of Yerofei on the day of her father's funeral:

I looked back to wave at Agafia. She was standing by the river break like a statue. She wasn't crying. She nodded: 'Go on, go on.' We went another kilometer and I looked back. She was still standing there.
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Jesus that last line is probably the most depressing mental image I've ever had reading an article.



This ancient lady, weathered by generations of torture in the wilderness, standing alone after everyone she spent every waking second trying to survive with have faded away and died.

Fuck
 
C

cat litter

Member
Dmitry's dying words, a man lives for howsoever god grants,.........so epic. I would definitely buy a book about or based on the Lykovs.

Thanks for posting this.
 
I

IceCold

Member
I wouldn't be surprised if Agafia forgot how to speak (well the bastardized version of Russian she speaks) at this point. I can't imagine living 25 years of my life without hearing another human voice.
 
T

Tuck

Member
Boerseun said:
Thank you for posting this. It's an amazing story. Where there's a will, there's a way. And this family's will to survive (and cling to their beliefs) is truly mind boggling and impressive to behold.
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And also, I'm afraid.... kind of sad.

EDIT: As in its a sad story full of a ridiculous amount of hardship.
 
P

Pakkidis

Member
Yet the Lykovs lived permanently on the edge of famine. It was not until the late 1950s, when Dmitry reached manhood, that they first trapped animals for their meat and skins. Lacking guns and even bows, they could hunt only by digging traps or pursuing prey across the mountains until the animals collapsed from exhaustion. Dmitry built up astonishing endurance, and could hunt barefoot in winter, sometimes returning to the hut after several days, having slept in the open in 40 degrees of frost, a young elk across his shoulders. More often than not, though, there was no meat, and their diet gradually became more monotonous. Wild animals destroyed their crop of carrots, and Agafia recalled the late 1950s as "the hungry years." "We ate the rowanberry leaf," she said,
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Nobody will ever achieve that level of manhood ever again.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Pakkidis said:
Nobody will ever achieve that level of manhood ever again.
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I wonder exactly how he ended up killing the elk without weapons as such

this story is so amazing to read. I've been sharing it with friends and family because it's such an engaging tale
 
I

IHaveIce

Banned
Wow amazing, just read all of it. Really good stuff.

I wonder who else or what else is anywhere hidden and didn't have contact with the rest of the world for many years.
 
S

SteveWD40

Member
Yet the Lykovs lived permanently on the edge of famine. It was not until the late 1950s, when Dmitry reached manhood, that they first trapped animals for their meat and skins. Lacking guns and even bows, they could hunt only by digging traps or pursuing prey across the mountains until the animals collapsed from exhaustion. Dmitry built up astonishing endurance, and could hunt barefoot in winter, sometimes returning to the hut after several days, having slept in the open in 40 degrees of frost, a young elk across his shoulders.
Click to expand...

PsoWC.gif


What a fucking beast that guy must have been.
 
D

despire

Member
cat litter said:
Dmitry's dying words, a man lives for howsoever god grants,.........so epic. I would definitely buy a book about or based on the Lykovs.

Thanks for posting this.
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There is a book about this. It came out in 1992 I think and written by that Peskov dude. Though I'm not sure if there is an english translation.


I learned about the family a week or so ago. Amazing story and amazing people.
 
Z

zoukka

Member
I knew that they would perish as soon as their isolation would end even before reading the story :(

Should've let them be.
 
Kiraly

Kiraly

Member
There were also Japanese officers gathering intel and shit for like 40 years after the war had ended on the islands in the pacific.
 
S

Secret Fawful

Member
I am so in awe of this family it's not even funny. Dmitry...I'm just imagining him chasing a massive bear across the snow, walking barefoot to the Django theme song, and staring it in the eyes as it dies of exhaustion.

Seriously, the will and determination that kept these people alive seems like such a foreign and impossible idea to me. Makes even the strongest fictional characters seem like wimps.

Dmitry! Dmitry...
Have you always been alone?
Dmitry! Dmitry...
Have you never loved again?

Love will live on, whoa oh
Life must go on, whoa oh oh
For you can not spend your life regretting

Dmitry! Dmitry...
You must face another day...
Dmitry! Dmitry...
Now your love has gone away...

Once you loved her, whoa oh
Now you've lost her, whoa oh oh
But you've lost her forever Dmitry

When there are clouds in the sky
And they are grey
You may be sad but remember
They'll all soon pass away

Oh, Dmitry!
After the showers, the sun
Will be shining
 
U

UncleSporky

Member
Is there any truth to rumors I've heard that there are some pretty isolationist people in America too, like in the Appalacians? Not like this family of course, but people who are essentially Amish for non-religious regions and aim guns at the census takers until they leave?
 
M

Mael

Member
When there's a will there's indeed a way.
It shines a light on so many things it's not even funny.
They really were survivors.
 
C

Cimarron

Member
Parch said:
Fascinating, and also a little disturbing. Even when it's entirely by choice, it's unfortunate that such a level of hardship should be experienced by anyone.

I saw a doc about african tribesmen who would chase prey until exhaustion wins. It's an amazing battle of marathon endurance you'd think a human would never win.
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Actually no. We are custom built for it. Don't let our current lifestyle fool you.
 
M

McSpidey

Member
Am I the only one who finds it hard to believe the coincidental "random" kidney failure wasn't in any way actually influenced by exposure to new people or their gifts?
 
M

Mael

Member
McSpidey said:
Am I the only one who finds it hard to believe the coincidental "random" kidney failure wasn't in any way actually influenced by exposure to new people or their gifts?
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Well if they ate too much food that they couldn't process that's definitely the case though, heck they went all their lives without salt after all.
 
U

UncleSporky

Member
McSpidey said:
Am I the only one who finds it hard to believe the coincidental "random" kidney failure wasn't in any way actually influenced by exposure to new people or their gifts?
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I didn't get that implication that they were trying to deny responsibility. They didn't go into detail but I assumed it was due to new foods they hadn't been exposed to in ages.
 
gimmmick

gimmmick

Member
I'm lit. surprised how they lasted that long without medicine and the basic necessities we all take for granted.
 
Z

zoukka

Member
After reading this you can go and watch Derzu Uzala by Akira Kurosawa. Not the same but very similar story and based on siberia.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071411/

gimmmick said:
I'm lit. surprised how they lasted that long without medicine and the basic necessities we all take for granted.
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Eh I can look only 2-3 generations back in my family and the living conditions weren't all that different back then for peasants :b
 
F

Frankenstrat

Member
Oh wow. This is like the japanese soldiers still fighting WWII decades after it ended, but on another level. Fascinating yet a little crazy at the same time to think about.
 
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