The Battle with Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi The Eighth Branch

He who went to the places he intended
With fortune and destiny,
He whose fortune and good luck
Added to his prosperity,
The hero Abai Geser,
Who lived by the Muren River,
By the shores of the black lake,
Who lived by the Hatan River,
By the shores of the eternal lake,
Became reconciled with his wife Alma Mergen.
Feeling sorry about the loss
Of his seven year old daughter,
Looking downward he cried,
When he looked up he was crestfallen.
After this had happened he said:
“I have grown tired of eating beef,
I miss the taste of wild game.”
He assembled his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers,
He prepared his steed powerful in body,
With wisdom in his bones,
Beligen the bay horse.
This having happened,
Those who had descended from the high white heavens
Went riding over the sacred level earth.
They hunted among the thirteen ranges
Of the Altai Mountains,
They made sport among the twenty three ranges
Of the Huhii Mountains.
The hunters drove the animals to the edge of the taiga,
The animals were gathering in the clearings.
The many brave beautiful steeds
Crowded together ear to ear,
Carrying loads of game on their fine backs,
Going on forward as the hunt continued.
This having happened,
When Geser was going back toward home,
When he was galloping toward his homeland,
He met Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
A rather small demon,
A runt of a monster,
Who said he was hunting in the Altai,
Who said he was tracking game in the Huhii taiga.
“You little sloppy black monster,
Did you come to hunt deer and game
In the lands of the Altai?
Did you come to sneak and steal
In the rich Huhii taiga?”
He grabbed the right hand of
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Squeezing it hard,
He snatched up his left hand,
Having done this
He bent him over,
Beating him with fresh branches,
He almost broke him
Beating him with dry branches.
He beat him until red blood was gushing,
Until black blood clotted,
He thrashed him mightily,
He hit him very hard!
He said to the little demon:
“Stop hunting in the Altai Mountains,
Do not chase game in the Huhii taiga!”
He then left Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi lying there,
Unable to say a single thing,
His life hanging by a string!..

When life returned to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
When his body became complete again,
When he looked up he laughed,
When he looked down he cried,
Hatred and revenge fled away,
Anger and hate crossed the threshold!
He went back to the very beginning of the east,
To a wrong looking land,
To a meager land,
To a land withered and full of grief,
To a place of three marshy rivers,
To a place of slippery slopes,
To the land of evil spirits and demons,
To a scorching hot country,
To a dark sunless land,
To a dry land devoid of plants,
Geser having taken his meat and furs,
He returned from the Altai Mountains
Bringing nothing but an empty mouth.
He was very angry,
His mouth gaping in fury.
His hate and gall was boiling,
The crucible of his rage was overflowing.
He made a foolish noise,
Causing the heavens to tremble,
He shouted and cried,
Causing the earth to quake!..
This having happened
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Jumped on the back
Of his iron-blue horse,
He turned it toward the house
Of his older sister Big Yonhoboi.
When he arrived at the house
Of his older sister Big Yonhoboi,
He sat for three days,
Talking about how he had been offended,
Asking for advice on what to do,
He recounted what happened in a loud voice:
“He who lives on the shores of the eternal yellow lake,
Who grazes his herds by the Muren River,
Abai Geser who has a body as big as a house,
Has mocked me since my childhood,
He beat me when I was a youth,
He has hurt me three times,
He has threatened to do it a fourth time.
I would like one time to do something
To get even for all the hate and anger!..
If from among Geser’s three wives
I cannot take Urmai Goohon,
Who is as beautiful as the red sun,
I will ruin the lovely crystalline earth
By overrunning it with snakes and worms,
I will suppress its people
With hunger and thirst,
If that is not enough,
The hate and anger I have suffered will stop,
The crucible of my fury will be poured out!..”
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi spoke
As if he were greatly offended.
When he had said these things
His sister Big Yonhoboi said:
“What you have said is true,
What you think is right!”
Saying it in a way that
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi could understand,
She began telling him what to do:
“Abai Geser is great in magic power,
Mighty in sorcerous power,
He is on a mission from the high heavens,
He has come to protect the earth,
Happily taking care of this three wives,
Eating three satisfying meals a day,
Celebrating three festivals a year,
Even having these things
He has no child to dandle on the knee,
He has no boy to lay in the cradle,
Because of this he looks down and cries,
Because of this he looks up and is sad,
He lives unhappy and with regret.
What you want to do
Can fit with what he wants.
If you do this you can go and do what you want!
I will work together with you,
It is within my power,
You have your hatred and anger,
From me you will have your help!”
When she said this she took off her right sock,
Turning it into Manzan Gurme Toodei’s silver cup.
When she had done this she said:
“On the green slopes of the sandy Manhan mountain
There is a building made of gold and precious stones.
Since Abai Geser has no child to dandle on the knee,
Because he has no son to lay in the cradle,
He goes to this building once a year
To do worship asking the gods for a child.
Go to that building and be there when he comes.
Turn yourself into a white zayaasha and be sitting there.
When Geser is worshipping
Asking for children
For his three wives,
Come to him and say you come
To change his fate for having children,
That you have brought the silver cup
Of Grandmother Manzan Gurme Toodei
Down to the broad wide world.”
When Big Yonhoboi was saying these things
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi heard them gladly,
He listened to them most intently.
Big Yonhoboi gave him further instructions:
“When Abai Geser is going to come,
Cause his wife Urmai Goohon to have a dream.
When he comes sit in a place where you cannot be seen,
Throw the silver cup onto the crown of his head!
I will work with you,
I will give you the power to do it!”
Big Yonhoboi gave him the silver cup
That she had prepared from her right sock,
Having done this she sent him away.

Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi was very excited,
He rejoiced very much.
He then went quickly
To his other sister Middle Yonhoboi,
Sitting for the duration of three days,
Talking about how he had been offended,
Desiring that she make judgment
He recounted all that had happened:
“When I went hunting
In the lands of the Altai Mountains,
When I chased game
In the great Huhii taiga,
There was the warrior Abai Geser
Who has a body as big as a house,
Who had mocked me in my childhood,
Who beat me up when I was youth.
From the very first
When I was angry and hateful
I have wanted to get even,
I go now to marry his wife Urmai Goohon.
My sister Big Yonhoboi
Gave me a silver cup
Made from her right sock,
When I throw it on Geser’s head
I will pollute and defile him.”
When Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Had told her these things
Middle Yonhoboi liked what she heard,
She listened most earnestly:
“What you have said is true,
What you think is right.”
Saying that what he wanted was possible,
She told him how to do it:
“Abai Geser is strong in magic powers,
He is mighty in sorcerous power,
He has come on a mission
From the fifty five tenger,
He has come by the destiny
Of the five wise gods.
Watch and listen to all things,
Remember your hulde and soul.
When you throw the silver cup
Onto the crown of Geser’s head,
When he is polluted and defiled
He will turn into an ass!
When this has happened
Put on a saddle and saddle blanket,
Bind him with iron chains,
Fetter him with iron fetters,
When you have done this
The lady Urmai Goohon
Who is as beautiful as the red sun,
Must be made to ride
On the back of the ass,
Going back quickly
To your own homeland.
His soldiers that are left behind
We can handle ourselves,
I am working with you,
My powers are enough!”
After his sister gave these instructions
She sent Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi away.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi was very excited,
He rejoiced very much.
He then went to the house
Of his sister Little Yonhoboi,
For the duration of three days,
He told of how he was offended,
As if throwing sticks and stones:
“I have gotten hate and anger
From the warrior Abai Geser,
When the waxing moon rises
I will gather up gold and silks!
I go to take Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon
To take as my own wife.
I will turn Geser into an ass.
When I have made him an ass
I will bring him back with me.
My sister Little Yonhoboi
How will you help me?”
When Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi asked this
He spoke very happily and excitedly.
His sister Little Yonhoboi
Listened to what he said doubtfully,
She did not believe what she heard,
She replied very directly:
“You say I will attack, I will attack,
But you cannot attack him,
You say you want this, you want that,
But you cannot do what you want.
Abai Geser is born from the skies
Of the fifty five tenger,
He is supported by the highest
Of many rich tenger,
He has come by the favor of
Grandmother Manzan Gurme,
Who is protected by a thousand gods,
Who brought up ten thousand tenger,
Who is the bearer of the silver cup.
He has thirty three warriors,
Three hundred leaders of the army,
And three thousand soldiers.
Your hair is most unsightly,
Your bones are like cartilage,
If Geser comes with his thirty three warriors,
You would be unable to do battle with him.
Know the strength of your own body,
I am powerless to help you,”
Saying this Little Yonhoboi went outside,
She went to hide herself.

When Little Yonhoboi,
The sister of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Went and hid herself in fear,
When she backed away from him,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Was most surprised,
He was most astonished…
This having happened,
Two of the three sisters,
Having agreed to help him,
Saying to himself that
How could he not go where he intended,
He thought many stupid thoughts,
Deciding many things in his pinched chest,
He headed back to his home.
When he arrived at his house,
When he stood at his hitching post,
He called for his two winged warriors,
He summoned his two warriors bearing staves.
He put a rawhide saddle on his iron-blue horse,
He made quick preparations,
He made wise preparations.

This having happened
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Started on his journey
To the eternal yellow lake,
With the two winged warriors
Watching behind and before him,
The two warriors with staves
Watching to either side.
He headed for the valley
Of the Muren River,
He traveled toward
The country of Abai Geser.
He journeyed using a road
Below three layers of the earth.

If Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
May have been traveling far,
He still continued on,
Even if the river was wide,
He crossed and rode on.
Coming to the Muren River,
To the shores of the eternal lake,
To the valley of the Hatan River,
By the shores of the black lake,
He sent the two winged warriors
To the heavens to watch from above,
He sent the two warriors with staves
To watch and observe on the earth.
When he had done this,
The two winged warriors in the sky
Appeared as a new star near the horizon.

The hero Abai Geser
Who lived happily with his three wives,
Did not notice what had happened,
Because Geser did not see this
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Who lived in a white valley,
Who rode a mighty buckskin horse,
Who had a head of whitish grey hair,
Who had his path among the white clouds,
Who carried a great white bow,
Geser’s princely uncle Sargal Noyon
Came to his nephew’s house as a guest.
He said to Abai Geser:
“My nephew Abai Geser,
My powerful great hero,
What have you seen far away
With your keen eyesight,
What have you heard from far away
With your keen hearing?”
When he asked this Geser replied:
“I have not seen anything in the distance,
I have not heard anything from far away.
My benevolent uncle Sargal Noyon,
What new thing have you heard,
What interesting thing have you seen?”
After he had answered his uncle
Sargal Noyon told of what he had seen:
“On the horizon of the lovely heavens
A star glitters as an omen,
In the heights of the lovely sky
A new star has appeared.
What is this a manifestation of?
What is this an incarnation of?
Is this not a creation of
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi?”
From far away
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Heard the words of
Benevolent Sargal Noyon,
Knowing what this meant,
Understanding what happened,
He made the star disappear.
He turned his two winged warriors
Into a plant growing on the earth.

When Geser looked for the
Omen that appeared in the sky,
When he looked for the
Star that appeared in the heavens,
He was not able to find it.
When this had happened,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon said
To his nephew Abai Geser:
“On the surface of our blue world
A new plant has appeared,
On our wide great earth
A new type of grass is growing.
What is this a manifestation of?
What is this an incarnation of?
Is this not a creation of
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi?”
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Heard these words from far away,
Knowing what they meant,
Understanding what had happened,
He made the plants
Dry up and wither away,
He made the grass disappear.
When Geser went to look
For the strange plant,
When he tried to find
The new kind of grass
He could not find anything.
This having happened
He did not follow the advice of
Benevolent Sargal Noyon,
He did not give any thought
To what his uncle had said:
“You are making all kinds of trouble,
You do not trust how the world is.
There is no new star twinkling in the sky,
There is no new plant growing on the earth.”
In his innocence and naiveté
Geser did not heed the words
Of his uncle Sargal Noyon.
When Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Heard what had happened
He said to himself:
“In his heart Geser does not think about the future,
His intelligence and wisdom has become dull,
The reins of his mind have grown thin!”
Thinking these black thoughts
He became very excited,
He rejoiced very much.

The night after this happened
Urmai Goohon being overcome by sleep,
Remembering what happened during the day
Dreamed an unusual dream that night:
“On the green slopes
Of the sandy Manhan mountain,
In the building made of gold and precious stones
A white zayaasha old man has come,
Sent from the white tenger of fate.”

This having happened,
When the first light of the dawn was shining,
When people awakened to the new day,
Abai Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon
Awakened from her slumber and
Went out to milk the cows.
When she had gone out
On the green slope of the sandy Manhan mountain
The building made of gold and precious stones was shining,
It gleamed looking like it was suspended from the heavens by a cord,
It glittered looking as if it were connected to the navel of the earth.

Abai Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon,
When she saw what had happened
Was greatly surprised,
She was most astonished.
When she saw the omen that appeared in her dream
She turned around and ran to speak to Geser:
“On the green slopes of the sandy Manhan mountain,
In the building made of gold and precious stones,
There is a zayaasha old man
Sent by the white tenger of fate.
When the day had dawned,
When I awoke from my sleep,
When I went out to milk the cows,
On the green slopes of the sandy Manhan mountain
The building made of gold and precious stones was shining,
Gleaming as if suspended from the sky by a cord,
Glittering as if it were connected to the navel of the earth.
We live without a child to dandle on the knee,
We live without a son to lay in the cradle,
He has come on a mission from the fifty five tenger,
He has come by the command of the five wise gods,
Let us go and worship the white zayaasha of fate,
Let us go and ask the gods to give us a son.”
Thus Urmai Goohon spoke to her husband.

While Urmai Goohon was happy and excited
Abai Geser was puzzled and astonished:
“If this is something sent from the white tenger of fate
It is contrary to custom for the gods to send
Someone down to earth without telling me?…
Perhaps if is a manifestation of an evil spirit,
It may be the incarnation of a demon,
May it not be trying to deceive us with your dream?
When I was hunting in the Altai Mountains,
When I chased game in the Huhii taiga,
I beat Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi with green sticks,
I thrashed him with dry sticks,
This poisonous little monster,
Who is jealous with his father’s jealousy,
Who hates with his mother’s hatred,
May he not be the one who is causing this?”
When he had told her this
Urmai Goohon cried and carried on
Making a great noise, saying:
“We have no child to dandle on the knee,
We have no son to lay in the cradle.
You doubt this thinking it is carrion,
You reject this thinking it is trash.”
She was most offended
She cried and wept.

This having happened,
Geser called Buidan Ulaan Baatar
To go with him as a companion,
He jumped on the back of
Beligen the bay horse,
Riding off to the sandy Manhan mountain,
To where on its green slopes
There stood a fine building
Made of gold and precious stones.
It gleamed as if suspended from the heavens by a cord,
It glittered as if it were connected to the navel of the earth.
When Geser had reached this beautiful building
He gave instructions to Buidan Ulaan Baatar:
“My warrior Buidan Ulaan
Go inside and worship.
Watch and observe this
Zayaasha old man.
I am going to yell with the voices of a thousand stags,
I will shout with the voices of ten thousand stags.
I will yell so loud it would break mountains,
I will shout so loud it will fracture cliffs,
I will yell so loud that waves will splash on the shore of the Milk Sea,
I will shout so loud that the world mountain Humber Uula will tremble.
If he is truly the zayaasha old man he will sit there unperturbed,
If he is a manifestation of a demon he will fall down in fright!”
He then sent Buidan Ulaan Baatar into the building.
When Buidan Ulaan Baatar had gone in,
When he watched and observed the zayaasha old man,
Geser yelled with the voices of a thousand stags,
He shouted with the voices of ten thousand stags,
He yelled loud enough to break mountains,
He shouted loud enough to fracture cliffs,
He yelled so loud that waves splashed on the shore of the Milk Sea,
He shouted so loud that the world mountain Humber Uula trembled.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi fell down in fear, lying on the ground.
When this had happened Buidan Ulaan Baatar ran outside,
He hurried to tell Abai Geser what had happened.
When he tried to speak
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s magic
Turned his tongue around,
Distorting his words.
He said “zayaasha” instead of
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.
Abai Geser said to Buidan Ulaan Baatar:
“Let us see a second time,”
And sent him back in.
Abai Geser yelled again,
He shouted once more,
Yelling with the voices of a thousand stags,
Shouting with the voices of ten thousand stags.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi fell down again in fear and lay on the ground.
When Buidan Ulaan Baatar ran outside,
When he hurried to speak to Geser,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s magic
Turned his tongue around again,
His words were distorted,
Buidan Ulaan Baatar said “zayaasha”
Instead of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.
Abai Geser was very surprised,
He was most astonished.
He went into the building
To greet the “zayaasha old man,”
Abai Geser said to him:
“My white zayaasha of fate,
You of destiny and fate,
I had not heard about you,
Were you sent to meet me?”
When Geser had asked this
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“I come on a mission
From the fifty five tenger,
I come by the command
Of the five wise gods.
She who gave birth to fifty five gods
On the Milky Way of the high heavens,
She who brought up many rich gods,
She with a thousand gods and protector spirits,
She who has ten thousand white tenger,
She of the silver cup,
Manzan Gurme Toodei
Has sent me by her grace
Down to the earth.
She said her grandson Abai Geser
Who lives down on the earth,
Who lives happily with three wives
, Has stopped raising the dead,
Has stopped bringing prosperity to the poor.
He has no child to dandle on the knee,
He has no boy to lay in the cradle.
Because her grandson has asked for her blessing,
She sent me down with her silver cup.”
When the old man sat and said this
Abai Geser was still full of doubt,
He was surprised and astonished,
But when he saw the silver cup
Of grandmother Manzan Gurme Toodei
He recognized it and his doubts vanished.
Accompanied by Buidan Ulaan Baatar
Geser rode Beligen the bay horse back to his home.

When Geser returned to his home,
He told his wife Urmai Goohon,
Who was as beautiful as the red sun,
About meeting the zayaasha old man.
“When he showed me the silver cup
Of Manzan Gurme Toodei
My doubts were dispelled.
When I had seen that
Everything was as in you dream
I became very excited.
Let us go worship
The white zayaasha of fate
And ask him for a son;
Let us go in to ask the gods
To give us a child,”
When he said this his body felt weak,
When spoke his body became feverish.

When this had happened
Abai Geser had his wife Urmai Goohon make preparations,
She made wise preparations for going to worship.
They went to the green slopes of the sandy Manhan mountain,
They entered into the building made of gold and precious stones,
They went intending to ask for a male child,
They went to ask the gods for a boy.
Abai Geser and his wife Urmai Goohon
Stood before the “zayaasha old man”
They bent their lovely heads in worship,
They bent their lovely knees as they bowed and prayed.
When this had happened
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said
That he would give Abai Geser his blessing,
Taking Manzan Gurme Toodei’s silver cup
He threw it on Geser’s head:
Geser fell down having been defiled,
He was turned into an ass.
When Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon
Has seen what had happened,
She was greatly surprised,
She was most astonished.
She regretted her foolish naiveté
In being deceived by the black deceit
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.

Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi was very excited,
He rejoiced very much,
Calling down his two winged warriors from the sky,
Calling his two warriors with staves from below the earth,
He bound up the ass with iron chains,
He shackled his feet with iron shackles.
Abai Geser was disgraced,
He was humiliated.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Took Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon,
Who was as beautiful as the red sun,
For himself as plunder.
This lovely ass who never got tired or exhausted,
Had an iron halter placed on his head,
He was led away quickly.
They went away so quietly
That none of the cattle were disturbed,
They went so stealthily
That a fox would not pick up their scent.
Traveling on a road beneath three layers of earth,
They went to the most distant east,
To a wrong looking country,
To a meager land,
To a land withered and full of grief,
To a country with three marshy rivers,
To a land of slippery slopes,
To the land of evil spirits and demons,
To a scorching hot land,
To a dark and sunless country,
To a land dry and devoid of plants…

Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi boasted:
“I have just defeated an indefatigable enemy,
“I have just conquered an unconquerable foe!
Having poured out the crucible of my wrath,
I have plundered fine silks,
Acting on my jealousy and hatred,
I have gone up to the moon!”
He took an iron whip with three iron tails,
Beating the ass around the legs,
Lashing him until the bones were showing.
He walked their horses toward his home,
They galloped toward his native land.
Even if his homeland was far away they traveled on,
Even if the rivers were wide they crossed and rode on.

When they had left Abai Geser’s land behind,
When they entered into the land of the demons,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“I am indifferent to fear and life,”
He fortified the border of his country,
He put up barriers to keep out intruders.
He made a forest grow that was so dense
That even a snake could not slither between the trees,
He created a great red fire
The flames of which reached to the heavens.
Beyond these two barriers he created a yellow lake,
That was crawling with poisonous snakes and worms.
He sent the two winged warriors up in the sky to keep watch,
He left the two warriors with staves on the earth to stand guard.

When he had done this Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“If Abai Geser’s thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers
Come and try to enter my country,
They will not be able to overcome these barriers,
If they come to try to rescue Geser,
They will not be able to pass these obstacles.”
Thus he left the three barriers behind,
Traveling beyond that place,
He returned to his home.
The three Yonhoboi sisters made a celebration,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi and Urmai Goohon
Were joined as man and wife.
He became as if ten years older as he frolicked,
He became as if twenty years older as he talked in a carefree way.
When this happened,
The man who was turned by magic into an ass
Was harnessed with and iron harness,
He was made to pull and iron wagon.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said to him:
“Your head and body are for punishment
, Your legs and body are for the whip!”
On the far side of a forested mountain
He was made to haul black stones,
Until he was covered with black sweat,
Until he was covered with white foam,
He was greatly disgraced,
He was greatly humiliated,
He was made to suffer greatly,
He was tortured excessively!…

This having happened
The sons of Zasa Mergen Baatar,
Who was the white oldest son of
Han Hormasta Tenger,
Leader of the fifty five tenger
Of the western skies,
The two little grandsons,
Aizai and Muuzai,
While playing on the Milky Way
Of the white heavens,
Walking on the edge of the sky
Of the sacred broad earth,
They opened the door
Of the high serene heavens,
Looking for the protector of the wide world,
They looked in the mountainous taiga
Of the Altai and Hangai Mountains,
They were unable to find
Their uncle Abai Geser.
They looked three times around the earth,
They looked around the world four times,
Still they could not find him.
They then looked in the land at the beginning of the east,
The wrong looking land,
The meager country,
The land withered and full of grief,
The land of three marshy rivers,
The land of slippery slopes,
The land of evil spirits and demons,
The scorching hot country,
The dark and sunless land,
The land that was dry and devoid of plants.
There they found their uncle Geser,
Having been turned into an ass by
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi who rode an iron blue horse,
Beyond a forested mountain
He strained hauling black stones,
His body covered with black sweat,
His body flecked with white foam,
Being lashed with an iron whip,
Blood and clots were flowing,
He was suffering greatly,
He was being tortured excessively.
While they looked beyond there
Abai Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon,
Who was as beautiful as the red sun,
Was living with Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Who aged ten years and was frolicking,
Who aged twenty years and talked happily.

When they had seen what had happened,
Aizai and Muuzai ran to their home.
Because they could not go fast enough
They cut down a golden red willow
And rode it swiftly back to their house!..
They ran in to meet their grandfather,
They told Han Hormasta Tenger what they had seen:
“When we were playing on the Milky Way of the white sky,
When we were walking on the sky of the sacred earth,
We opened the door of the serene high heavens,
When we looked for the protector of the broad earth
We were not able to find our uncle.
We looked in the mountainous taiga
Of the Altai and Hangai Mountains,
We still could not find Abai Geser.
We went around the earth three times looking for him,
We went around the world four times looking for him,
We finally found our uncle Abai Geser
At the very beginning of the east,
In the wrong looking country,
In the meager land,
In the land withered and full of grief,
In a country with three marshy rivers,
In a place of slippery slopes,
In the land of evil spirits and demons,
In the scorching hot country,
In a dark and sunless land,
In a land that is dry and devoid of plants.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi who rides an iron blue horse
Has turned Abai Geser into an ass,
Beyond a forested mountain
He is straining hauling black stones,
He is covered with black sweat,
He is flecked with white foam,
He is being lashed with an iron whip,
Blood and clots run from his wounds,
He is suffering greatly
He is being tortured excessively.
We looked beyond that place
And saw Geser’s wife Urmai Goohon
Who is as beautiful as the red sun,
Married to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
He aged ten years and frolics while she suffers,
He aged twenty years and rejoices while she cries.”
Aizai and Muuzai spoke quickly and breathlessly.
When Han Hormasta Tenger
Heard what had happened,
He was very surprised,
He was greatly astonished.
He called his white oldest son,
Zasa Mergen Baatar,
Who lived on a lofty mountain peak,
Who rode a hawk-brown horse
That could overtake a tornado,
When he summoned his son he said:
“Your younger brother Abai Geser
Who is a hero great in magic power,
Has been turned around by the sorcery
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
He was been turned into an ass.
Beyond a forested mountain
He is straining hauling black stones,
He is covered with black sweat,
He is flecked with white foam,
He is suffering greatly,
He is being tortured excessively.
His wife Urmai Goohon,
Who is as beautiful as the red sun,
Was plundered and stolen,
She was married to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Who aged ten years and is being intimate with her,
Who aged twenty years and is rejoicing and playing.
My oldest son Zasa Mergen Baatar,
When will you save your brother Abai Geser!
Go and defeat Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi!
Go and rescue Abai Geser and his wife Urmai Goohon!”

The white oldest son of Han Hormasta Tenger,
Zasa Mergen Baatar,
Made quick preparations,
He made wise preparations.
He galloped down from the heavens
As fast as his horse could go.
He came down to the broad earth,
Standing with the strength of his body.
He went to the valley of the Muren River,
To the shores of the eternal lake,
He went to the valley of the Hatan River,
To the shores of the black lake.
He entered into the gate of Geser’s home,
He went into the house of Geser’s wife Alma Mergen.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Greeted her brother in law as a guest,
She brought a golden table and served delicious food,
She brought a silver table and honored him with beautiful food.
Zasa Mergen was completely satisfied,
He ate so much he could not complain.
Zasa Mergen assembled the thirty three warriors,
The three hundred leaders of the army,
An the three thousand soldiers,
They made quick preparations,
They made wise preparations.
When they had done this
Zasa Mergen led them to the beginning of the east,
To the wrong looking country,
To a meager land,
To a land withered and full of grief,
To a land with three rivers,
To a land of slippery slopes,
To a land of evil spirits and demons,
To a scorching hot land,
To a dark sunless land,
To a dry land devoid of plants,
They rode to do battle
With Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.
They went to rescue Abai Geser
And his wife Urmai Goohon!
Even though their destination was far,
They galloped onward,
Even though the rivers were wide,
They crossed and continued on.
They passed the border
Of their nurturing native land,
They crossed the border
Of a strange and foreign land.

This having happened
They came to a forest
At the border of the lands
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.
The trees were so close together
That a snake could not slither between them.
The forest stood blocking the road,
When Zasa Mergen looked up
The forest was so tall an eagle could not pass through,
When he looked down
There was not a single hole they could pass through.

When he had seen this
He pulled out his mighty black bow,
He loosed an arrow from his heroic yellow bow!
It sang the song of the arrowhead,
It whistled the song of the arrow.
It tore its way through the dense forest,
Where even a snake could not slither through
The arrow had opened up a path
So wide a fully loaded ox could go through,
So wide a fully loaded camel could pass through.
They passed through to the far side of the forest,
There was a great red fire flaming and crackling,
The flames reaching up to the blue heavens.
Even a giant bird could not fly above it,
Even a strong brave steed could not go through it,
Once again their road was blocked.
The white oldest son of Han Hormasta Tenger,
Zasa Mergen Baatar
Looked up at the barrier,
Not even an eagle could fly past it,
When he looked down,
There was no hole through which they could pass.
When he saw this he was very angry,
His mouth gaped in fury.
He took his red zadai stone
That could stop a thousand storms,
He chewed it between his forty white teeth,
Then spit toward the serene high heavens!
When he did this a thousand storms were loosed,
The storms of nine days storms at one time,
Snow and hail fell deep enough to reach the treetops!
The nine days’ storms extinguished the red fire,
Zasa Mergen Baatar was able to travel onwards.
When this had happened
He came to a rippling yellow lake,
On its dirty muddy shores
It was crawling with poisonous snakes and worms.
It was impossible for men to cross,
It was impossible for horses to cross.
This last barrier to their road
Lay splashing before them.
The white oldest son of Han Hormasta Tenger,
Zasa Mergen Baatar,
Looked up and saw not even an eagle could pass through,
He looked down and saw no path to pass beyond it.
He was very worried,
He was most disappointed.
He had no ability to continue the journey,
He had no powers to pass the last barrier.
This having happened
He rested his yellow book of fate
On the horn of his Yakut silver saddle;
He turned the pages of the book,
Asking the gods for an answer,
He read aloud the advice in the book,
He spoke what the book commanded:
“If you cross the barrier
Of the poisonous yellow lake,
If you walk into those polluting lands
You will be defiled and will die!
Even if all of the fifty five tenger
Of the western skies would come
They could not rescue Abai Geser
And his wife Urmai Goohon.”
Thus the great yellow book of fate
Forbade their continuing their quest.
The white oldest son of Han Hormasta Tenger
Zasa Mergen Baatar,
Was very surprised,
He was most astonished.
“We have to stop what we came here to do,
“We have to give up what we had intended,”
When he had said this
He looked up and he was crying,
He looked down and was crestfallen.
He had to turn around
Halfway on the way to where he was going,
He had to say to them
That they were unable to save Abai Geser,
He was full of regret,
He was very disappointed.
This having happened,
Abai Geser’s thirty three warriors,
The three hundred leaders of the army,
And the three thousand soldiers,
All of them turned around,
Going back on the road
On which they had traveled.
Even though their homes were far away
They rode and continued on,
Even though the rivers were wide,
They crossed and traveled on.
When they reached the Muren River,
When they came to the eternal lake,
When they reached the Hatan River,
When they came to the black lake,
When they came to the waters
That his brother Abai Geser would drink,
When they came to the country
Where his younger brother was born,
Zasa Mergen and the thirty three warriors,
The three hundred leaders of the army,
And the three thousand soldiers,
All went to their respective homes.
Zasa Mergen traveled to the upper world
, To the home of the western fifty five tenger!..
When Zasa Mergen Baatar
Rode up into the heavens
He went to the home of Manzan Gurme Toodei
Who was the bearer of the silver cup,
Who had swaddled a thousand white gods,
Who had raised up ten thousand tenger,
He entered and said to the mother of the gods:
“My thirteen khans have turned on me in jealousy,
My seventy three allies have betrayed me in hatred.
My younger brother Abai Geser
Has been turned into an ass
By Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
His wife Urmai Goohon has been stolen,
She was taken away as plunder.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Is causing great suffering
To my two younger relatives,
He is inflicting cruel torture
On Geser and his wife.
I had gone to rescue Abai Geser
But was forbidden by the great yellow book,
The book of fate commanded me to return.”
Manzan Gurme Toodei,
Who gave birth to the fifty five tenger
On the Milky Way of the white sky,
Who watched over the heads
Of the many rich tenger,
Who protected a thousand gods,
Who supported ten thousand tenger,
Who bore the great silver cup,
Opened her great book of fate,
She looked at it and read aloud:
“Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Has come into the strength of a man,
Your brother Abai Geser
Is like a mere baby compared to him,
Your brother is powerful in magic,
But he has met with disaster!”
When Manzan Gurme Toodei read this
She was very frightened,
She was very worried.
When this had happened,
The serene high heavens moved,
A cloudburst rent the skies,
The wide broad earth shook,
The skies swirled with great black clouds,
Rain and hail fell on the lands of the east,
Gathering up his magic powers,
Abai Geser who had become an ass
Drank up the rain sent from the upper world,
The strength of his body was restored,
Drinking the rain from the high heavens
His body became strong as that of a foal.
After this had happened
When he was pulling the black iron cart
He stumbled and threw Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi to the ground.
Manzan Gurme Toodei then said
To Zasa Mergen Baatar:
“They has never been a son born
In the serene high heavens
Who can defeat Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
There has been only one person born
On the sacred broad earth
Who can fight Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.”
She then quickly summoned
Geser’s three pretty older sisters,
She sent them to go down to earth…
The three sisters became ongoli birds,
Flying from the serene high heavens
Down to the sacred broad earth.
When they reached the Muren River,
When they came to the eternal lake,
When they reached the Hatan River,
When they came to the black lake,
They opened the golden door and entered
The house of Geser’s wife Alma Mergen.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Greeted her three pretty sisters in law,
She embraced her three relatives,
She brought a golden table and served delicious food,
She brought a silver table and honored them with beautiful food.
Abai Geser’s three pretty older sisters
Honored their younger brother’s wife
By making her drink milk liquor:
“For many days and nights,
For many years to come,
Bring the essence of your cattle to your mouth!”
They kept on urging her to drink more,
Making her taste the essence of the milk
They made her get drunk.
When this had happened
Abai Geser’s three pretty older sisters
Told her what they had to say,
They recounted what had happened:
“Our hero Abai Geser,
Our warrior mighty in magic,
Is at the beginning of the east,
In the wrong looking land,
In the meager land,
In the land withered and full of grief,
In the land with three marshy rivers,
In the land of slippery slopes,
In the land of evil spirits and demons,
In the scorching hot land,
In the dark and sunless land,
In the dry land devoid of plants,
Day and night he is oppressed and helpless,
For year after year he will be oppressed by trash.
There has never been a boy born
In the serene high heavens
Who can fight Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
There in only one person born
On the sacred broad earth
Who can defeat Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi!
Manzan Gurme Toodei,
Who has the great silver cup,
Who watches over a thousand gods,
Who supports ten thousand tenger,
Says that only one person can save
Abai Geser and his wife Urmai Goohon
From the curses and sorcery
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
She says that only Alma Mergen
Is able to rescue them!”
When her three sisters in law said this
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen said:
“Abai Geser is three times as strong
As his wife Alma Mergen,
His magical powers are three times greater
Than my magical powers.
If Abai Geser can be enchanted
By Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
My courage and powers will not be enough,”
Alma Mergen argued with them.
This having happened
The three pretty older sisters
Poured out arza and horza for Alma Mergen,
Making her drink one cup after another.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Became very red in the face,
She talked as loud as ten men,
She danced around like twenty men.
Becoming intoxicated by the arza,
Becoming confused by the horza,
Her resistance was weakening,
Her blood was becoming hot.
She then said to them:
“My three pretty sisters in law
You had begged me until now to do something,
My strong and round body
Now regrets and realizes I was wrong to refuse.
I will go to the land of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
I will try out my powers in battle,
I will go to rescue my great hero Abai Geser,
I will go to save his wife Urmai Goohon!”
Saying this she had the thoughts of a wolf,
Saying this she made her heart as hard as stone.
This having happened,
She started to prepare her blood-red horse…

Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Made quick preparations,
She made wise preparations.
She dressed herself for the journey
, Turning around before a mirror the size of a saddle blanket,
She dusted off dirt from her clothes,
Turning around before a mirror the size of a door.
She put on the clothes that she wore in battle,
She put on the weapons she carried on the warpath.
After she had done this
She said to her three sisters in law:
“May you always gather up happiness,
May you ever live spreading blessings.”
The three older sisters replied:
“May you go where you intend
With destiny and fortune,
Going with destiny and luck
May you travel with success!”
Having given her their blessing
They flew back up into the heavens.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Opened the massive pearly door in a beautiful way,
She stepped over the granite threshold in a pure way,
Without stumbling she went down the silver steps
Over which a mare and her foal could run,
Without erring she went down the silver walkway
Over which a mare and her colt could run.
When she stood at the silver hitching post
She pulled loose the lovely silver reins,
Taking her black handled quirt in her right hand,
Taking her horse’s red reins in her left hand,
She put her foot into a massive silver stirrup
And swung into her Yakut silver saddle.
She turned her horse sunwise
From the golden shaft of the serge,
Followed by Buidan Ulaan Baatar
Who she took as a companion on the road.
They rode toward the very distant east,
They trotted toward the demons’ country!..
Jumping and flying like hawks,
Making a noise like flying arrows,
Trotting over the tops of mountains,
Galloping above the treetops,
They passed the border
Of their nurturing homeland,
They crossed the border
Of a strange and foreign land.
After this had happened
Alma Mergen began to sober up
From her drunkenness,
She was very surprised,
She was most astonished,
She asked Buidan Ulaan Baatar:
“Where did we come from,
Where are we going,
What is the destination
For which we left home?”
The white oldest son
Of Buuluur Sagaan Tenger,
Buidan Ulaan Baatar replied:
“We are traveling to the very distant east,
We left home to go to the land of the demons.
We are going to fight and defeat
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi!
We are journeying there to rescue
Our hero Abai Geser!
We left with the instructions and blessings of
Your three sisters in law!”
When he told here these things
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen’s
Red heart began to pound in her chest,
Her short ribs contracted in.
When this had happened she said:
“Ai! What fate has been dealt to me!..
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi is
Three times greater in ability
Three times stronger in magic
Than Geser’s wife Alma Mergen.
How will I defeat a manifestation of a powerful demon?
How will I overcome an incarnation of a powerful monster?!”
She made her heart brave,
She had no peace of mind…

This having happened
Abai Geser’s warrior Buidan Ulaan said:
“My lady Alma Mergen
When will you help and rescue Geser,
What of your promise
To your three sisters in law?”
He blamed and scolded her.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Remembered the promise she made
To her three pretty sisters in law,
She became very embarrassed,
She was filled with regret…
She thought the thoughts of a wolf,
She make her heart hard as stone.
She then replied to Buidan Ulaan Baatar:
“When I travel beyond this place
I will be going by myself.
Go back on the road we have traveled,
Go back to your home!”
When she had said this
She gathered twelve magicks on her palms,
She made twenty three magicks dance on her fingers:
She turned her lovely steed into a flint,
Putting it in her pocket,
She turned herself into a meadowlark,
And flew up into the sky.
Going upwards and upwards
She twittered like the lark of the heavens,
She flew like the lark of the skies,
She flew to the beginning of the east,
To the wrong looking land,
To the meager land,
To the land withered and full of grief,
To the land of three marshy rivers,
To the land of slippery slopes,
To the land of evil spirits and demons,
To the scorching hot land,
To the dark and sunless land,
To the dry land devoid of plants…

Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Soaring like the lark of the heavens,
Flying up like the lark of the skies,
Tricked the eyes of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s
Two winged warriors,
She distorted the hearing of his two guards.
Flying past them she came down to the ground,
She tricked the eyes of the two warriors with staves
That lurked under three layers of the earth,
She distorted the hearing of the two warriors
Who stood watch as the border
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s country.
She flew to the north side of the palace
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Testing his magical powers,
She flew to the south side of the palace,
Becoming familiar with his sorcery.
She saw Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Who had a face black as coal,
Who had teeth like spades,
Whose head was like a pot,
Whose belly was like a tub,
A manifestation of a demon,
An incarnation of a monster.
She saw her husband Abai Geser,
Who had been turned into an ass,
Who was chained with iron chains,
Who was shackled with iron shackles,
Who hauled black stones on the far side of a forested mountain,
Who had an iron halter on his head,
Who was lashed with an iron whip.
She saw Urmai Goohon
Who paced back and forth,
Who screamed and cried,
Who went in and out of the house,
Who wept and mourned…
When Alma Mergen had seen this
Her blood boiled with anger and hatred,
She wanted to wring the scrawny neck
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.

The brown spotted lark
Flitted about here and there,
She soared above the house
Of her enemy’s older sister Big Yonhoboi.
She tested the magic of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s sister,
She became familiar with her sorcerous powers.
She saw the face of the demonic older sister:
Her two eyelids drooped down to her cheeks,
Her two cheeks drooped down to her breasts,
Her two breasts dropped down to her belly,
Her belly drooped down to her knees,
Her kneecaps drooped down to her feet,
She rode a black iron wagon pulled by a joroo horse,
She carried an iron scraper ten thousand ells long.
She then flew over the house
Of the second oldest sister Middle Yonhoboi,
She tested the magic of Middle Yonhoboi,
She came to know her sorcerous powers.
She saw the ugly face of the demonic sister:
Her eyelashes hung down to her lips,
Her lips hung down to her chest,
Her breasts hung down to her knees,
Her kneecaps hung down to her feet.
The brown spotted lark flew on further,
To spy on the house of the youngest sister Little Yonhoboi,
She tested her magical powers and abilities,
She saw the face of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s sister:
Her two eyebrows drooped down over her nose and cheeks,
Her two cheeks hung over her mouth,
Her mouth drooped down over her breasts,
Her breasts hung down to her belly button,
Her belly drooped down to her shins.
She was no less than the other two Yonhoboi sisters,
They all looked the same and had similar powers.
The brown spotted lark flew up into the sky,
She thought about what she would do,
She spoke many words to herself.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Returned to the house of Big Yonhoboi,
She gathered twelve magicks on her palms,
She made twenty three magicks dance on her fingers.
When she had done this
She made brought down the heat of three years in one day,
It became so hot that horse shit would catch on fire.
The oldest sister of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Big Yonhoboi, could not tolerate the heat.
She went to the big white lake to wade and swim,
She waded and swam until she was tired,
She stretched her body out on the beach,
She fell asleep in the shadow of a tree.
As she was overcome by sleep
She lay there as bulky as a mountain,
She loomed as big as a hill.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Used her magic on Big Yonhoboi
So that she would not awaken from her sleep:
Saying “May you not awaken for eight days!”
She cast her spell on Big Yonhoboi,
She made her fall into a deep sleep.
After she had done this
Alma Mergen took on the shape of Big Yonhoboi,
She hitched the joroo horse to the black iron wagon,
She took the iron scraper ten thousand ells long.
She scraped a fresh moose skin noisily,
She scraped a fresh deer skin until it was smoking.
She went to the house of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Stopping her cart before his gate.
Urmai Goohon with the face like the red sun
Came our to greet her sister in law,
She tied the joroo horse to the hitching post,
They left the black iron cart by the serge.
The oldest sister of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Greeted her “sister in law,”
Greeting with the greetings of the khan,
Greeting with the greetings of the queen,
Urmai Goohon brought her “sister in law”
Inside Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s home.
She brought out liquor and wine,
She poured out arza and horza,
“Big Yonhoboi” ate up all the food,
She got drunk from the liquor,
She became confused smoking her pipe.
When this was happening
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Rode on the back of Abai Geser
Whom he turned into an ass by his magic,
He hauled black stones on the north side of the forested mountain,
He lashed him with his iron whip,
When the red sun of evening was setting
He rode back to his house.
Urmai Goohon came out and embraced
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi, saying:
“Our oldest sister Big Yonhoboi
Has come to visit us.”
When he heard this
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“If my sister Big Yonhoboi
Comes to visit our house,
She would not have come
Without telling me first.”
He was very doubtful,
He was very thoughtful,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“Maybe, maybe, maybe,
Are you sure this is not a manifestation
Of Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen?
You go inside and watch her,
I will stay out here and shout:
I will yell with the voices of a thousand stags,
I will shout with the voices of ten thousand stags,
If she is truly my oldest sister
She will sit there unperturbed,
If she is Alma Mergen
She will fall over in fright.”
When he had said this
He sent Urmai Goohon in his house to watch her,
Having done this Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Shouted with the voices of a thousand stags,
Yelled with the voices of ten thousand stags,
The noise knocked over standing stones,
The noise cracked rocks lying on the ground,
Waves splashed on the shores of the Milk Sea,
The world mountain Humber Uula was trembling.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Was frightened by the shouts
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
She fell face down on the ground.
When this had happened,
Urmai Goohon with a face like the red sun
Ran outside and said to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi:
“It is Alma Mergen!”
When Urmai Goohon rushed out to tell him
Alma Mergen used her magic on Urmai Goohon
, Distorting the way her words were heard,
Turning her tongue around in her mouth.
When Urmai Goohon said “Alma Mergen”
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi heard “older sister.”
When he heard this
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi was worried
That he had offended his older sister,
He went quickly into his house,
He bowed his head and knelt
Before his oldest sister,
Greeting her with the greetings of the khan,
Greeting her with the greetings of the queen.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Spoke with the words of Big Yonhoboi:
“How angry you are,
How wrathful you are,
When you come back from your journey
Why do you come shouting and yelling?”
After she had said this
She became drunk and red in the face,
She sat together with her “brother”
Talking about things from the earliest times,
They talked together in a friendly way
Reminding each other of what happened in the past…
When this had happened
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Had become very drunk,
She began to lose her senses,
She was very intoxicated,
She slept after becoming an idiot.
When his “sister” had passed out drunk
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Said to his wife Urmai Goohon:
“My wife Urmai Goohon,
Have a good look at her.
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Has a birthmark in her right armpit
That is as big as a palm,
My sister Big Yonhoboi
Has a mole in her left armpit
The size of a thumb!”
He showed her where
Alma Mergen lay sleeping.
Urmai Goohon lifted her right arm,
She looked at her right armpit–
There was a birthmark the size of a palm.
Urmai Goohon was very frightened,
When she said to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
“I found Alma Mergen’s birthmark,”
He heard her say that
She found Big Yonhoboi’s mole.
When the sun had risen the next morning
Alma Mergen awoke from her sleep,
She went to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
And told him she was very offended:
“Before you had gotten a wife
You would greet your sister Big Yonhoboi
When she was three haraa away!
Now that you have gotten married
You think badly of your sister Big Yonhoboi
You greet her with screaming and yelling!
When you got married by whose power was it done?
When you found love who made it possible?
Who provided the ability to turn Geser into an ass
So that you could bring him back here?
Who made it possible for you to marry Urmai Goohon
And bring her into your household?”
She spoke blaming and criticizing him,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi could say nothing,
He tried to assuage her anger,
Bringing a golden table he served delicious food,
Bringing a silver table he served beautiful food.
He brought out liquor and wine,
He poured out arza and horza,
He spoke many words,
He honored her greatly.
His “sister” Big Yonhoboi
Was warmed by the liquor,
She was red in the face,
She gave a blessing
To her “sister in law” Urmai Goohon:
“My sister in law Urmai Goohon,
Who is as beautiful as the red sun,
May you live for a hundred years,
May you never have true happiness!”
When she said this strange blessing
Urmai Goohon was very surprised
She was most astonished…
After this had happened
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Said to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi:
“Your jealous enemy in the north,
That hateful demon in the south,
Abai Geser with the body as big as a house,
Was enchanted by you and turned into an ass!
You chained him with iron chains and brought him home.
How do you ride him?
How do you abuse him?
How do you make him suffer?
How do you torture him?
Have you made his black blood boil?
Have you spilled his red blood?
Have you made him sweat black sweat?
Have you made him flecked with foam?”
Since his sister kept pestering him about it
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Showed the ass to “Big Yonhoboi.”
When “Big Yonhoboi” saw the ass
She became very angry,
Her mouth gaped in fury:
“You ride this pitiful thing,
You abuse this poor thing?..
This demon of an ass never tires,
Its head is so fat it cannot open its eyes,
Its mane is thick and its body is fat.
Grab its ears and twist them,
Let us see how strong he is,
Let us see how fit he is…”
When she had said this
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Grabbed the ass by the ears.
The ass bucked and shoved him,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Fell down on his knees,
His head banged against the wall.
When she had seen this happen
His “sister Big Yonhoboi” said:
“Give me the ass that you ride,
Let me have him for one month!”
When she had demanded this
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi replied:
“I will not promise something I cannot do,
I will not say something I cannot fulfill,
I cannot let you ride that ass,”
He answered very sharply.
His “sister Big Yonhoboi” said:
“Abai Geser who had a body as big as a house
Draws his power from the heavens above,
He is supported by the earth below,
Every day he thinks about breaking off evil,
Every night he thinks of how to suppress his enemies.
If you do not trust me
You will not live to see another summer,
I will make your blood clot in your veins,
I will turn your hard bones into jelly!
If you can remember how I saved you
And you still cannot trust me,
I can do without you,
You can fend for yourself!”
After she spoke as if she were very offended
She took out her scraper ten thousand ells long,
She held it in her hand and went out,
Acting like she had been gravely insulted
She jumped back toward her house,
She traveled with the power of her feet.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“If I do not do something now
I will never be able to repair the damage
Caused by my insult to my sister!…”
He shouted after her,
He yelled very excitedly
He promised to give her the ass…

His “sister Big Yonhoboi”
Returned to him at once,
She hitched the joroo horse
To her black iron wagon.
She brought the black ass
Out of his iron stall.
When she led the ass out of his stall
He neighed when he recognized Alma Mergen,
All of his doubts went away.
After she had done this
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Lashed him with the iron whip,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s ass neighed,
Many thoughts were stirring in his mind!..
She tied the black ass to her iron wagon,
She starting driving it toward home,
She galloped away from Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s home.
When “oldest sister Big Yonhoboi”
Led the black ass beyond a tall red hill,
Where they were hidden from sight,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi called
His two winged warriors,
He summoned the two warriors with staves.
He had been thinking,
He spoke to them of his idea:
“My sister Big Yonhoboi
Is riding back to her home
Leading my black ass,
She gallops toward her lands.
My two winged warriors,
My two warriors with staves,
My four demons,
Be watching the skies,
Be watching below the ground.
We will soon know what is truth
We will quickly know what was a lie.
I have been thinking a lot,
I have come up with this idea!…
If she is my older sister Big Yonhoboi
She will be whipping him back to her home,
She will be riding in the direction of her house,
She will be galloping back to her homeland.
If she is Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
She will be riding toward the Muren River,
She will be galloping toward the Hatan River,”
Having said these things
He quickly sent away the two winged warriors,
He dispatched the two warriors with staves.

The two winged warriors stood watch in the heavens,
The warriors with staves stood guard underground.
These four evil demons spied in heaven and earth,
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Headed for the Muren River,
She galloped toward the Hatan River.
When the four evil demons saw what had happened,
They told the black mangadhai Lobsogoldoi what they had seen.

Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Knew what had happened,
She understood very well,
She used her magic
To turn around the tongues
Of the two winged warriors,
She used her powers
To distort the words
Of the two warriors with staves.

When the four evil demons stood
Before Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Their tongues spoke the wrong thing,
Their words were all distorted
They had meant to say
“Alma Mergen went to the Muren River,
She galloped toward the Hatan River,”
Instead Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi heard
“Your oldest sister Big Yonhoboi
Was leading your black ass,
Riding toward the land of the demons.”
Abai Geser’s wife Alma Mergen
Rode in the direction of the Muren River,
She traveled toward the Hatan River.
While they were traveling
She stopped and dismounted
At the edge of the great taiga.
She found the sources of nine springs,
For the duration of three days
She led Geser into the waters of nine springs,
Making him wade while she washed him.
She smudged him and did ariulga
With juniper gathered from the great taiga.
She slapped him on the right cheek,
Making him vomit up a black substance;
She slapped him on the left cheek,
Making him throw up a shiny black substance.
She was still not satisfied, saying:
“You are not clean enough from the waters of nine springs,
You are not pure enough from juniper of the great taiga,”
She did ariulga on the foods he ate three times a day,
She cleansed him for three more days,
She restored Abai Geser to his true body,
His round face showed once more,
She restored him to his original appearance,
His red face showed once more.

When the hero Abai Geser,
Who had a body as big as a house,
Was restored to his true body,
When his round face showed once more,
When he resumed his original appearance,
When his red face showed once more,
He said to his wife Alma Mergen
Who was as beautiful as the golden sun:
“You have restored my life,
You saved my amin and hulde,
You came at the right time,
You rescued my hulde and my spirit!”
He hugged her around her lovely neck,
He kissed and stroked her beautiful right cheek.
After this had happened
Abai Geser and his wife Alma Mergen
Returned to the Muren River,
They came back to the eternal lake,
They returned to the Hatan River,
They came back to the black lake,
They returned to the water they drank,
They came back to their homeland.
After they had arrived Geser said:
“What woman’s son comes to plunder and steal?”
The white hairs on the crown of his head bristled,
The white teeth in his mouth were grinding.
He then said:
“The bones of an ox
Go from the back to the chest,
The bones of a man
Are wasted here and there!”
He called for his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers, saying:
“Mend what is ripped,
Fix what is broken,
Sew up what is torn,
Weld what is broken!”
They made quick preparations,
They made wise preparations,
When they were doing this Geser said:
“I need my fiery steed,
My companion on the road!”
He sang a song of twelve notes,
He stood by the golden shaft of the serge,
He sang a song of twelve tones,
Calling his horse from the Altai Mountains.
He chanted a song of thirteen notes,
He stood by the silver hitching post,
Calling Beligen the bay horse from the Huhii taiga.

When he heard Geser’s song of twelve notes,
When he heard his chant of thirteen tones,
Beligen the bay horse,
The steed mighty in body,
With wisdom in his bones,
Was out on the white steppe,
Rolling in the grass
In the shade of five pine trees.
He knew what was happening
He understood very well.
He trampled the ground in three places,
His one ear pricked up to listen to the serene high heaven,
His other ear pricked up to listen to the sacred broad earth.
Beligen the bay horse thought to himself:
“My mighty hero Abai Geser calls me,
Did his keen hearing hear an enemy from far away?
Did his keen eyesight reveal an enemy nearby?
When my brave and mighty master calls me
I have no ability to resist going,
When he is summoning and beckoning me
It is impossible not to return.”
He told the thirteen does that grazed with him:
“Graze and become fat in the Altai Mountains,
Graze and become fat in the Huhii taiga.
I was a foal born with a destiny,
I am the fiery steed of a great hero!”
When he had said these things
The thirteen does replied:
“If we are separated from you
We will become prey for hunters.
Let us go together with you
Let us be your companions on the road.”
When Beligen the bay horse was leaving
The thirteen does followed behind him.
When Beligen the bay horse saw this
He gave instructions to the thirteen does:
“If you follow after me,
If you come to my homeland,
You will be chased by dogs with tails,
You will be attacked by dogs without tails,
Stay here and graze in the Altai Mountains,
If I am doing well the grass of the Altai
Will grow even higher than before,
Go and graze among the twenty three ridges
Of the great Huhii taiga,
If I am in good health its springs
Will flow with even more cold clear water;
If I am cut off during my journey,
If I die in a foreign country,
The grass of the Altai Mountains will wither,
The spring of the Huhii taiga will dry up.”
He sent the does back to the Altai Mountains,
Beligen the bay horse galloped toward home.
He laid his round head on his back,
He lashed his bobbed tail on his back,
When he ran at a gentle pace
He left tracks the size of cups,
When he ran very swiftly,
He kicked up trail like a trench;
His two front hooves struck red fire as he ran,
His two back hooves kicked up dust as he ran,
His four hooves struck sparks as he galloped,
His forty teeth ate dust as he trotted,
He arrived at his home,
Standing at the silver hitching post with eighty rings,
He raised his handsome round head and neighed.
Abai Geser ran out of his house,
He hugged Beligen the bay horse and kissed him.
He put a silver halter on his head,
He put a silver bit in his mouth,
He put a silk-edged saddle blanket on his back,
He put a saddle of chased silver on his back,
He laid a silver crupper over his flanks,
He laid silver breast straps over his shoulders,
He adjusted a girth of ten straps,
He tightened a girth of twenty straps;
He hung a black handled quirt from the saddle,
He tied his lovely reins to the saddle horn.
Abai Geser then said:
“My horse’s preparations are done,”
He took the lovely red reins
Of Beligen the bay horse
And tied him to the silver hitching post.
Abai Geser then said:
“I will now prepare my own body,”
And he went into his house.
He pulled on his black pants
Sewn from the skins of seventy deer,
He tugged on his black fishskin boots,
He pulled on the silk deel
That he always wore in battle,
He buttoned its seventy brass buttons
With the strength of his thumb,
He took his sash ten ells long
That was decorated with gold and silver
And wound it around his waist.
While he dressed he said:
“Is sleeping with a lover a woman’s game,
Is sleeping with a lover a man’s game?”
He was unable to contain
His anger and hatred.
While he prepared himself
He could hardly tolerate
The hate and desire for revenge
That boiled inside his heart.
The white hairs on his crown were bristling,
The white teeth in his mouth were grinding.
Abai Geser placed black armor on his back,
He put beaten iron armor on his chest,
He hung his silver bowcase on his right side,
He hung his silver decorate quiver on his left side,
He put seventy five arrows in his quiver,
He put ninety five arrows in his quiver,
So that they would be like shade in the heat of summer,
So that they would be of help in the cold of winter.
He took his heroic yellow bow of seventy laminations
And put it in its bowcase hanging at his side.
He donned his mink fur hat
That was as big as a haystack,
That was decorated with thick red tassels.
He strapped on his silvery steel helmet,
He was gleaming like the sun,
He rustled like a tree in full leaf.
He turned around in front of a mirror
As big as a door,
Brushing off dust and dirt,
He dressed in front of a mirror
As big as a saddle blanket,
Dusting off dirt and trash.
He melted spider oil in his mouth
So he would not be hungry for ten years,
He anointed his nose with worm oil,
So he would not be hungry for twenty years.
When he had done all this Geser said:
“Now that my body is ready
It is now time to ride!”
Abai Geser opened the massive pearly door in a beautiful way,
He stepped over the massive granite threshold in a pure way,
Without stumbling he went down the silver steps
Over which a mare could run with her foal,
Without erring he went down the silver walkway
Over which a mare could run with her colt.
He came and stood by the silver hitching post,
He made magic over Beligen the bay horse,
Speaking magic words over his withers
The horse became like a foal,
Speaking words of power over his shoulders
The horse became like a colt.
After he had done this
He pulled the reins loose from the hitching post,
He took his black handled quirt in his right hand,
He took the lovely red reins in his left hand,
He put his foot in a massive silver stirrup,
He swung into his silver chased saddle.
He pulled the right rein of Beligen the bay horse,
He turned sunwise by the shaft of the serge,
Followed by his thirty three warriors,
The three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers,
Abai Geser rode toward the northeast,
He headed for the lands of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi…

The two wives climbed up to a high place,
They watched their good men ride away.
When this happened Tumen Jargalan,
Who was as beautiful as the round sun said:
“They are not men,
They are heroes,
Those are not horses,
They are hawks!…
After just a moment
Nothing is left at the golden serge
But a handful of dust!”
She was very deeply moved.
Abai Geser’s other wife Alma Mergen
Who was as beautiful as the golden sun said:
“Only part of a red tassel of a hat
Can be seen beyond the mountain ridge,
Only the sound of the black handled quirt
Can be heard from the direction in which they went.”
She then gave them her blessing:
“May you go where you intend to go
With destiny and fortune,
May destiny and luck follow you,
May you travel with success!”
Thus she sent her blessing after them.

Abai Geser and his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers,
Trotted on the khan’s straight road,
They galloped on the people’s broad road.
They trotted over the peaks of mountains,
They galloped above the treetops,
They trotted over the mountain in the south,
They galloped over the mountain to the north,
Traveling just below the edge of the blue sky,
Traveling just above the fluffy white clouds,
They raced the strong winds of the sky,
They raced the stars of the heavens,
They rode with the winds of the sky,
They raced the sun and moon in the heavens.
They were flying like eagles,
They were soaring like hawks,
They made a noise like flying arrows,
The flew in a line like migrating geese.
Flying like a lightning bolt,
Thundering like a falling rock,
They rode with all their might,
The went as fast as they could.
They passed the border
Of their nurturing native land,
They crossed the border
Of a strange foreign country.
When they entered the country
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
They followed the road made by
Geser’s older brother Zasa Mergen Baatar.
When they had traveled further
They reached the last of the barriers
Erected by Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.
A yellow lake lay splashing before them,
Crawling with poisonous snakes and worms.
When Abai Geser looked upwards
He saw even an eagle could not go across,
When he looked downwards
He saw there was no path to get through.
When Abai Geser had seen this
He gathered twelve magicks on his palms,
He make twenty three magicks dance on his fingers,
He lay his healing sandalwood staff
In the yellow lake created by Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
The magic of the healing wood cleansed its waters,
They were then able to go across.
When they entered the lands
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
They observed the country,
They looked at its inhabitants,
When they saw the enemy’s black iron palace
They could hear the sound of Urmai Goohon’s weeping…
When Geser heard her weeping
His red heart pounded in his chest,
His white tendons twitched in his shins,
Many thoughts stirred in his mind,
The white hairs on the crown of his head bristled,
He ground the white teeth in his mouth.
He became very angry,
His mouth gaped in fury.
He thought the thoughts of a wolf,
He made his heart hard as stone.
When this had happened
Abai Geser divided up his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army
And his three thousand soldiers
Into three groups.
Eleven warriors,
One hundred leaders of the army
And one thousand soldiers
Would attack the two winged warriors
And the two warriors with staves.
He sent another division
To do battle with the three Yonhoboi sisters.
He sent the third division
To do battle with Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi’s army
Which was like a swarm of ants and maggots.
After Abai Geser had done this
He gathered twelve magicks on his palms,
He made twenty three magicks dance on his fingers,
He pulled the left rein of Beligen the bay horse,
He flicked his quirt on his right flank,
In the twinkling of an eye
He stood before the black iron palace
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi…
After he had done this
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi knew Geser had come,
He knew the frightful thing he intended,
He understood this very well, saying:
“I hear the noise of Abai Geser’s war cries,
I hear the thunder of the hooves of Beligen the bay horse.”
His dark heart pounded in his chest,
His short ribs sunk in on themselves…
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi said:
“If I stay here I will die,
If I go I will be killed!”
He laid a saddle blanket on his iron blue horse,
He strapped on a rawhide saddle,
He wound a white marmot fur band around his head,
He rode out to meet Abai Geser.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
Pulled hard on the reins of his iron blue horse,
He spurred him so hard as to break his ribs,
He urged him on so hard he was flecked with white foam,
He whipped him until he was drenched with black sweat,
His head turned and looked around as he galloped,
He shouted at Abai Geser,
“You demon who was jealous behind my back,
You powerful warrior who was hateful to my face!”
He met him in the country of evil spirits and demons,
He confronted him in that scorching hot land,
He challenged him in the lands of the east!
Their stirrups brushing against each other,
Their two red faces facing each other
They met on the road with violence,
They stood stirrup to stirrup,
They gave each other evil looks,
They slapped each other’s mouths,
They punched each other’s noses.
Abai Geser asked Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi:
“Shall we compete by the strength of our thumbs,
Shall we fight with the tips of pointed weapons,
Shall we compete with the swiftness of our horses,
Shall we fight with the points of our arrows?”
He spoke to his enemy menacingly.
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi replied:
“I am not worried about the strength of my horse,
I am not concerned about the sharpness of my weapons,
I will eat you up from your head to your feet!”
He dismounted and stood waiting for him.
Abai Geser said to Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi:
“I have a body that has broken necks thick as axles,
I have a body that has smashed silver bow cases!”
Abai Geser thrust an arrow into the ground,
Tying Beligen the bay horse to its shaft.
He tucked the skirts of his deel above his waist,
He rolled up his sleeves above his elbows.
Two warriors with strong bodies,
Two warriors strong in magic,
Lowered their heads and charged like two bulls,
They butted at each other like two male camels,
They tore the flesh off each other’s backs with their fingers,
The bit the flesh off each other’s chests with their teeth,
Ravens flew in from the south to have their evening meal,
Magpies flew in from the north to have their food for the night.
They wrestled and fought for the duration of three days,
Two warriors with strong bodies,
Two warriors strong in magic,
They were as equally matched as the two sides of a camel,
They were as equally matched as the two sides of a horse,
After they had struggled for the duration of nine days,
Abai Geser became stronger than before,
He was more powerful than when he began.
He grabbed Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi under his arms,
Squeezing him with great strength,
He broke off a great red larch,
So big that ten men joining hands
Could stand around its trunk,
He beat Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi with the huge tree.
When he was doing this
Abai Geser’s thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers,
Arrived from three different directions
And gathered together.
They had chased the two winged warriors
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi
They had caught the two warriors with staves,
They caught up with them after chasing them
Three times around the world,
They captured them after chasing them
Four times around the world.
They caught them before they could flee
To the land of the forty four tenger of the east.
They had struck off their heads
And brought them spitted on their iron lances.
They had killed the three Yonhoboi sisters
By striking them on the head;
They were fettered inside an iron tub
And the tub was sunk to the bottom
Of a dark black lake.
They had defeated an indefatigable enemy,
They had earned a mighty name,
They had conquered an unconquerable foe,
They had grabbed the colt by the tail.
Thirty three warriors,
Three hundred leaders of the army,
And three thousand soldiers
Had come to find Abai Geser,
They gathered and talked together.

Geser had won a great victory
Over Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi.
When this had happened Abai Geser said:
“If I had killed this demon and cut off his life,
All of the flowing waters would dry up,
All of the plants would wither from the roots up.”
While Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi baaed like a goat,
While he cried and whimpered like a fawn,
Geser uprooted a great mountain in the south
And placed it over his enemy’s chest.
He pulled up a great mountain in the north
And placed it over his enemy’s belly.
He placed a crazy strong man from the heavens
To keep watch over his enemy’s head with an iron hammer,
He put a crazy strong man from the earth
To stand guard over his enemy’s feet with a steel hammer.
Abai Geser spoke a spell over him:
“May you lay here for all time,
May the two mountains cover you for a thousand ages
So that you will never rise again,
May you be trampled by the hooves of horses
In the heat of summer,
May you be run over by the runners of sleds
In the cold of the winter.”
He then gave his instructions to the two strong men,
Abai Geser then said:
“When a strong enemy has been defeated,
His steed must be killed as well!”
The iron blue horse was brought to him,
He struck it on the head and put it down.
The lower part of the body of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Which had been thrown down from the sky,
Which had been cast down to the earth,
Which incarnated as Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
Was utterly defeated by Abai Geser,
It had been completely overcome.
Being crushed down by two red mountains,
When the sun rose in the morning
It was as if it were in its young years,
When the red sun of the evening was setting,
It was as if it were in its old age.
The two strong men rejoiced when it was evening,
They were sad when it had become morning…

A year and a day after this happened,
Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi raised his head,
He looked around at the wide world.
When his poisonous eyes glanced about
Plants withered and trees dried up,
The waters he saw dried up,
The animals he saw died,
The people he saw passed away,
His glances brought on famine,
His looks brought death and calamity.
The crazy strong man of the heavens
Who stood guard at his head with his black iron hammer
And the crazy strong man of the earth
Who stood watching his feet with his hard steel hammer
Took turns pounding on the potlike head
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
They forced him to lie down once more!

After he won his victory Abai Geser said:
“I have defeated an indefatigable enemy,
I have won a mighty name for myself;
I have conquered an unconquerable foe,
I have grabbed the colt by the tail!”
Followed by his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers,
He went quickly to the iron palace
Of Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi,
He went to greet and embrace Urmai Goohon
Who was as beautiful as the red sun…
After he had done this Abai Geser set out for home,
Accompanied by his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
And his three thousand soldiers,
So numerous they could fill a valley,
Flowing like the waters of a stream,
They brought Urmai Goohon back to her home,
The galloped in the direction of their native land.
Even if their destination was far
They continued to trot down the road,
Even if the world was broad,
They galloped on their way.
They came to the Muren River,
They reached the shores of the eternal lake,
They came to the Hatan River,
They reached the shores of the black lake,
They came to the waters they drank,
They reached their native land.
They had gone to the place they intended to go
With destiny and fortune,
Followed by destiny and luck,
They returned home with success!

Other versions of this chapter say that when they were going home Geser killed the baby that Urmai Goohon had by Loir Hara Lobsogoldoi. Some Buryats say that she was dragged behind Geser’s horse as a punishment. Other versions, such as that of the Bulagat Buryats, say that she and Lobsogoldoi were nailed to a larch tree and left to die. She was returned home in chains and her life was only spared through the intervention of Alma Mergen, to whom Geser gave his humiliated and unfaithful wife as a slave.