In another version of the tale, fishermen brought a great bell up from the lake in winter. They set the heavy discovery directly on the ice of Svitiaz and began deciding its fate.
The fishermen wanted to give the bell to the church. The lake’s leaseholder disagreed and insisted that it should be sold. The quarrel grew ever sharper while the bell stood between the men on the frozen lake.
Suddenly the ice beneath it cracked. The bell fell into the water and sank before anyone could hold it. No one ever saw it again.
The tale does not end with the discovery’s complete disappearance, however. From time to time a muffled toll is said to rise from beneath the waters of Svitiaz, as though the sunken bell were still reminding those on shore of its presence.