In Vladimir Obruchev’s novel “Sannikov Land,” the writer uses the political exile Goryunov as the main character. Together with several companions, he reaches this oasis amid the ice, where the tribe of free Onkilons lives. Obruchev builds his plot on an assumption: such a warm island in the ice could have formed as a result of volcanic activity. The volcano on the island has already gone out, but has not yet cooled. So there you have a resort. The main part of this book is devoted to a detailed description of the surrounding nature, the structure of the soil, and the animal world of the discovered land.
Fossil creatures were also discovered on Sannikov Land: mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, prehistoric bears, and rhinoceroses. Alongside the Onkilons, tribes of primitive people—the Vampu—also lived on this island. They were constantly at war with the Onkilons, stealing their domestic animals and women.