6 Incredible Ancient Legends That Are Inspired by Real Historic Events

6. Sri Lanka and the Ape-Men Army

In the Indian Sanskrit epic Ramayana, Sita, the wife of the god Rama, is kidnapped and taken to the Demon Kingdom on the island of Lanka. An army of ape-like men, along with Rama’s brother Lakshman, built a floating bridge between India and Lanka. They used this bridge to cross over and defeat the demon king Ravana.

The bridge mentioned actually exists. Aerial surveys show a 48-kilometer-long submerged stretch of limestone shoals and sand. This bridge, said to be the inspiration for the Ramayana, was reportedly above the water until it was sunk by a 15th-century storm surge.