The Third Branch – Arhan Hara Shutger Epic of King Gesar

The Third Branch

Arhan Hara Shutger

Born from the head of the leader of the
Forty four tenger of the east, Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Having been cast down from the sky,
Coming from the serene heavens
Toward the broad earth,
It stood exactly halfway between heaven and earth.
As if hung by a cord from the heavens,
As if supported from the earth below.
Lacking the power to go up,
Having no desire to go down,
This magical creature,
This being of sorcerous power,
Became the monster Arhan Hara Shutger,
Shouting curses up to the heavens,
Yelling imprecations down at the earth,
Croaking like a black raven,
Soaring like a grey falcon,
Casting up dust toward the sky,
Covering the earth with mist!

When this was happening,
The people who remained on earth
Were increasing in happiness and offspring day by day.
The numbers of people and animals
Grew larger and richer night by night.
Babies who were born could grow to adulthood,
Calves were able to grow to become cattle.

The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger–
Having become Arhan Hara Shutger,
He began having evil thoughts of revenge,
Malicious thoughts seethed in his heart.
The white hairs stood up on the top of his head,
His white teeth gnashed in his mouth.
The heavens trembled to their highest point,
The world shook to its roots.

Arhan Hara Shutger said:
“My hatred and jealousy
Grow like the waxing moon;
My animosity and vengeance increase
As I take on a new form!”
After he had vowed this
He chased the sun and moon
In the high heavens,
Trying to gobble and swallow them up.
His intention was to exterminate the people
who remained on the earth.
With red burning fire flowing out of his mouth,
With poisonous fire spurting through his teeth,
A tornado swept through the high heavens,
Yellow mists enveloped the whole world.
When this was happening,
Those things that were thrown from the heavens,
Those things that were flung from the skies,
The hacked and destroyed pieces of
The body of Atai Ulaan Tenger
That lay on the surface of the broad earth
Began to decay and rot.
Its effluvia became mists rising to heaven,
On earth it spread disease.
The demons and monsters
That developed out of the pieces of his body
Made this terrible oath:
“From this time onwards,
Two times becoming as one,
We make war and battle!”
They shouted in anger and menace.

When the gigantic head of Atai Ulaan Tenger
Had turned itself into Arhan Hara Shutger,
It looked down upon the earth
And saw the calamities caused
By the pieces of his ruined body
And rejoiced and was excited.
He bared his teeth in a terrible smile,
Fire was glittering in his eyes.
He gathered up his power,
He summoned up his magic.

Arhan Shutger said:
“I will gobble up and swallow
The sun and moon in the sky!
Thus I can exterminate
All living things remaining on the earth!”
Making the skies tremble with his shouts,
Making the earth quake with his noise,
Waves splashed on the shores of the Milk Sea,
The world mountain Humber Uula was shaking.
A hot wind was howling,
A poisonous fog covered the earth;
A cold dry wind was blowing,
It covered the earth with poisonous dust.

This having happened,
The gigantic head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
Chased the sun and moon,
Trying to catch them
For three days.
He was unable to swallow them up.
He began to worry and panic,
He became very furious,
His mouth gaped in anger…
When this had happened
He cried out to the
Forty four tenger of the eastern heavens,
Agitating for them to help him,
Begging them to rescue him:
“Make magic over the pieces of my body,
Put my body back together,
I have many years’ worth of vengeance to wreak,
I have many years of red hot hatred to act on!
My wrathful body being untangled,
My broken body being pulled together,
When I have my real body again,
When I have taken on my true form,
I will burn down the high heavens,
I will burn the earth to a cinder!
I will crush and destroy Han Hormasta Tenger,
I will rip the 55 tenger of the west into pieces!
Gather up the pieces of my body,
Put it back together,
Tie it together with stems of grass,
Pull it together with reeds!”
Shouting and begging
He was crying up in the sky…

Those whose cause had been lost,
Those whose hearts had been broken,
The gods of the eastern skies,
The forty four tenger,
Hearing the voice of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Gathering up their wits,
Quickly gathered for a meeting,
Came together for wise counsel.
At the meeting of the black tenger,
They swore and fought among each other,
At this meeting of the evil tenger,
They blamed each other and were divided.
The leader of the thirteen Asrangi tenger
Taking the lead in the meeting,
Giving his own advice,
Showing the wisdom in his heart,
Showing the strength in his body,
He was the first to speak:
“When Han Hormasta Tenger,
Leader of the tenger of the western skies,
Cut the body of Atai Ulaan Tenger into seven pieces,
He threw them down toward the earth.
His three good sons were flung down as well.
The gigantic head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Having become the demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
Remains midway between heaven and earth,
Suspended where the middle and upper worlds come together,
Unable to go upwards,
Unwilling to go down,
He tried to eat up the sun and moon,
He lacked the power to do so,
He was thrown into confusion!
His abilities being depleted,
He flew away crying and sobbing.
After this had happened
Those parts of his body that were flung from the sky,
Those parts of his body that lay smashed upon the earth,
Brought on an age of suffering to the world,
Spreading suffering upon the mountainous earth,
Babies died of starvation and thirst,
Animals died of anthrax and plague.
Tears flowed from the eyes of the animals,
Tears poured from the eyes of human beings.
The fifty five tenger of the western skies,
Hearing the cries of the suffering people,
The red middle son of Han Hormasta Tenger,
Bukhe Beligte Baatar,
Being incarnated as the hero Abai Geser,
Was called to come down to earth!
Abai Geser who battles evil,
With the skill of his thumb,
With the strength of his body,
It is time to fight him with red lightning,
It is time to burn him up with fire,
Then we can do what we want!
We need to help Arhan Hara Shutger,
The head of Atai Ulaan Tenger!
We need to join our power and abilities with him!
Going to find the ruined pieces that are in the sky and earth,
We shall gather up the cut up body parts in the heavens and in the world!
Let us restore him to his true body,
Let him have his original form!
Let us make him better than before,
Let us make him stronger than before!
Then we can have revenge on
Han Hormasta Tenger and his son Abai Geser,
On the fifty five tenger of the west
And that old hag Manzan Gurme Toodei!
We shall utterly smash them,
We shall completely blow them away!
Then we can pour out the hot contents
Of our crucible of hatred and vengeance!”
Thus the leader of the thirteen Asarangi Tenger
Shouted out his advice.
After he had spoken, Balai Hara Tenger,
Shouting from his place,
Yelling from where he sat
Expressed a rather stupid idea
That was shared by many of the tenger:
“That terrible being,
Who was born to be the powerful hero Abai Geser,
Should have been smashed when he was a baby,
Should have been pulverized while an infant!
When he stood up we were defeated,
When he began to walk we were overcome,
This black monster,
This good-for-nothing being,
Must be torn apart,
Must be bent and broken!
Let us grab the colt by the tail,
Let us stop the war before it starts,
Let us divert what will inevitably happen,
Let us sweep up the best of our enemies,
If we do this we can rejoice in what we have done,
In becoming masters of the world we can celebrate!
We need to send the leader of the
Thirteen Asarangi tenger down to earth at once!”
He looked around the meeting
To see what the response was to his idea.
Hara Hirhag Tenger,
Who was sitting beside him,
Was the next to give his counsel:
“Of this hero Abai Geser,
Who was born as this monstrous being,
We shall make whips of his arms,
We shall turn his head into a ball!
Let us gather up the ruined pieces
Of Atai Ulaan Tenger’s body,
Bring them here up to the sky and sort them out,
Bringing them up to the heavens we will resurrect him!”

Oyor Hara Tenger,
Gnashing his teeth loudly,
Reminding those who were gathered
Of all that happened from the past to the present,
Explained things this way:
“Atai Ulaan Tenger,
That good-for-nothing tenger,
Who was always jealous and scheming,
He who led us on a dark path,
That demon bent on spreading suffering,
Who always did bad and hurtful things,
Since he got what he deserved
After he was struck by the spear
To him we can say:
“Fix your own wrongs,
Suffer for the bad things you did!
When two people have an argument,
Everybody is listening,
When two bulls are fighting,
The whole camp watches!”
When twenty tenger had spoken,
Buuluur Hara Tenger,
Spoke of what happened to the amin and hulde
Of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Of what had happened before,
Of all that resulted from it,
He sang a shaman song and spoke:
“Here you sit in your meeting in the distant east,
You babble and argue and lay blame on each other,
But it is the fifty five tenger of the western skies,
Who have done wrong to us,
The forty four tenger of the eastern heavens.
They are the ones who committed a crime,
They are the ones who made us powerless,
They are the ones that made things right,
They are the ones that intervened on earth.
Saying words and more words,
Heaping crime upon crime.
Our great and powerful Atai Ulaan Tenger,
In our fearsome and terrible land
It was he who was our guiding spirit,
In our land where we are fallen and defeated,
He will be a support for us.
We must rescue this demon
Born from the head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
It is imperative that we help him!
Let us put his body back together,
Let us raise him up from the dead,
Let us resurrect his name,
Let us restore his reputation.
If we are able to do what we intend,
If we are able to fulfill this idea,
We will defeat this indefatigable enemy,
We will overcome this insurmountable obstacle.
We will be able to seize Han Hormasta Tenger,
We will be able to strangle the 55 tenger of the west!
We will be able to control the heavens,
We will be able to rule the skies,
Our name will thunder about the heavens,
Our reputation will make the earth tremble!”
Thus Buuluur Hara Tenger spoke as he shamanized.
Thus he called on the tenger to follow his words.
Unyar Hara Tenger became very angry,
His mouth gaping in wrath he said:
“We do not need to get involved
In what other people have done,
We do not to put spokes
In somebody else’s wheel.”
After this had been said
The many tenger of the east
Split into two factions.
For an entire day and night
They argued and tore at each other…

When this had happened
A wise and intelligent prince
Of the fifty five tenger of the western skies,
Huherdei Mergen Baatar,
Going by instructions of Manzan Gurme Toodei,
Going on a mission from Esege Malaan Tenger,
Went to a place between heaven and earth,
Where the upper world meets the earth,
Holding the reins of a nine-winged horse,
He stood on the bed of a massive silver cart.

As a result of this,
The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Knew what was happening very well,
He understood it very well.
He became very afraid of the powerful Huherdei Mergen,
He shied away from the mighty warrior,
He hid on the north side of the beautiful golden sun,
He hid on the south side of the lovely full moon.

When the heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen
Saw that the demon had fled away,
When he saw Arhan Hara Shutger was hiding,
He spoke to himself,
Knowing well what was happening.
He became very angry,
His mouth gaping in fury,
His voice crackling with anger,
Shouting with the voice of a thousand stags,
His voice roaring and thundering,
Shouting with the voice of ten thousand stags.
Blaming the tenger of the golden sun,
Blaming the tenger of the full moon,
He shouted his accusations at them,
He spoke in a terrible menacing voice:
“Are you hiding the enemy of the
Fifty five tenger of the western skies,
Arhan Hara Shutger of the
Forty four tenger of the eastern skies?
Why do you hide him on your northern side,
Why do you shield him on your southern side,
Have you joined the faction of the enemy?
Have you become my enemy as well?”
His white hairs stood up on his head,
His white teeth gnashed in his mouth.

When Huherdei Mergen made his accusations,
When the heavenly prince was shouting blame,
Nagaadai Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the sun,
Haihan Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the moon,
Putting their black bows in their bow cases,
They hung them on their horses’ sides;
Putting their yellow horn tipped arrows in their quivers,
They hung them on their backs.
They mounted their fiery steeds, saying:
“In battle we will show the strength of our bodies,
In the fight we will show the skill of our thumbs!”
Thus they came and spoke with Huherdei Mergen.

This having happened,
The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The possessor of great magical powers,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Showing evil deceit,
Thinking evil thoughts,
He emerged from the golden light of the sun,
He stood in the reflected light of the moon.
Two skillful archers,
Two brave warriors,
Were there to meet him–
He greeted them with flattery.
He talked as if they were acquaintances,
He acted familiarly as if they were friends.
“My boys, my two brave warriors,
I greet you like you are my own flesh and blood,
I welcome you as if you are my own family!
Let us become anda for ten years,
Let us unite our amin and hulde
Let us be united heart and soul!
Who will go with you when you go on a long journey?
Who will be your companion far away from home?
You two great archers,
You two great warriors,
I will go and watch your front side,
I will go and watch your back side,
On the road I will be your best friend,
At your side I will be your closest friend,
I will hold your horses,
I will lead the way in the forest,
If you save my life,
If you save my skin,
I will be your anda for ten years,
I will be your blood brother for twenty years!”
Thus he was pressuring them,
Thus he tried to trick them with evil deceit.

Nagaadai Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the sun,
Feeling repelled and angry,
Looked at him sharply and said in a loud voice:
“We go with the light of the day,
We follow the stars,
We go with the moonlight of the night,
We go with the constellations.
With a demon powerful in magic,
With Arhan Hara Shutger,
We will not go as fellow travelers,
We will not take him as a companion.”

Haihan Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the moon,
Listened with interest to the offer of
The demon powerful in magic.
He promised to rescue Arhan Hara Shutger:
“If you follow me like a shadow during the day,
If you are ever helping me at night,
I will become the anda of Arhan Hara Shutger.
Becoming a friend as close as a shadow,
Bringing our two names together,
Being ever of assistance to me,
I will take you as a blood brother,
We will win fame together.”
Opening his vast mouth,
Showing his jagged teeth,
He smiled wide enough to crack his face,
He kept talking and chattering.
Coming closer to the two warriors
He was waving his hands in delight:
“We will be anda for ten years,
We will be blood brothers for twenty years,
Exchanging our belts,
Sharing one pipe and tobacco pouch,
Let us talk until foam forms on liquor,
Let us talk until plants grow on a flat rock.”
He was speaking happily and excitedly.
Nagaadai Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the sun,
Seeing what was happening,
Listening to what was being said,
Realized that Haihan Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the moon,
Thinking good about evil,
Was tangled in a trap of deceit.
He therefore rode back toward home,
Galloping toward his homeland.
This having happened,
The demon great in magical power,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Giving his right hand to Haihan Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the moon,
Spoke strong words,
Giving him his left hand,
He spoke true words.
They took out a pipe as big as a shin
And smoked together.
Taking out a pouch as big as a sleeve,
They shared tobacco.
Exchanging their belts they became anda,
They talked together as they smoked…
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen
Met Nagaadai Mergen on his way home,
Greeting each other on this distant road
They grasped each other’s arms.
Nagaadai Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the sun,
Told the heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen
About the good and bad things that happened,
His voice full of hurt and regret:
“Haihan Mergen,
Son of the tenger of the moon,
Has become anda of a demon for ten years,
Has become blood brother of Arhan Hara Shutger for twenty years…
I have broken off friendship with my best friend,
When he joined together with a demon,
I have parted from a friend who was like my shadow.”
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen,
Forgetting what had happened before,
Thinking about what he had just heard,
Became very angry,
His mouth gaped in fury,
He did not say many words,
He did not think any stupid thought,
With one word he called Haihan Mergen,
With one gesture he summoned him.
When the son of the tenger of the moon came to him,
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen,
Looked down at the warrior
And thought he was a pig;
Looking up at the young tenger
He thought he was a fool.
This having happened,
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen
Pulled out his heroic yellow bow,
He took out a great black arrow,
Spoke magic words on the arrowhead
, Spoke a blessing of the shaft,
Spoke words of power on the fletching,
As he spoke fire flamed upon the arrow:
“If it is your fate to slay the demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
Go up and hit his amin and hulde,
If it is your fate to kill this demon of magic power,
Hit your target with the sound of thunder and destroy him!”
Thus the giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Was shot without missing!

The very first shot of Huherdei Mergen,
The great black arrow,
Left his thumb with great power,
Left his fingers with a great noise,
Singing the song of the arrowhead,
Whistling the song of the arrow,
The great black arrow sped on its way,
The arrow that never missed its target,
Shattered the hulde and spirit of the demon,
Struck and tore the tendons of Arhan Hara Shutger!

A noise like a thunderclap shook the heavens,
The broad earth shook to its roots,
Waves splashed on the shore of the Milk Sea,
The world mountain Humber Uula trembled,
A poisonous wind howled,
Covering the land with dry dust,
A hot dry wind blew,
Covering the earth with clouds of dust.

The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon of great magical power,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Falling between heaven and earth,
Tumbled rapidly down toward the ground,
Going through the air it made a great noise,
Whistling like an arrow,
Moaning like a goat,
Crying like a fawn!

This having happened,
The leader of the thirteen Asarangi tenger spoke:
“Let us rescue the demon Arhan Hara Shutger!
When he falls down to earth
He will pollute and defile the seven lands!”
Standing at the border of heaven and earth,
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen,
Believing that his arrow had reached its target,
Thinking that his enemy had nothing to stop his fall,
Neglecting his duty,
Went back to his own affairs.

The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
His great mouth gaping as he fell,
His lips peeled back from his jagged teeth,
Breaking off the tops of mountains as he fell,
Stirring up the surfaces of lakes,
Raising up dust on the earth,
Covering the world with clouds of dust,
Passing the crest of the sandy Manhan mountain
He disappeared into the waters of the yellow lake!

After he had fallen into the lake,
He lay there wanting to get up,
Standing up without fear,
Looking at the world around him,
He got out of the water and walked around the yellow lake.
When he was doing this,
By the slopes of the mountain Khan Uula,
By the Hatan River,
He recognized the home of Abai Geser.
He was filled with fear and embarrassment,
He crept back to the shore of the lake,
Hiding himself among the water plants,
The leaves completely covered his body as he lay there.
At the same time,
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen,
Saying, “I have defeated an indefatigable enemy,
I have won myself a mighty name,
Conquering the unconquerable,
I have grabbed the colt by the tail!
May the people of the earth increase in number,
May human beings prosper with large families!”
Thinking good thoughts,
Speaking beautiful words,
Taking out a pipe as big as a shin,
Taking out a tobacco pouch of velvety sheepskin
As big as a sleeve,
Taking out a bundle of tobacco
As big as a haystack,
He struck sparks with flint and steel,
Lighting a pile of tobacco
As big as a moose’s ear.

Thinking that he had killed Arhan Hara Shutger,
That he had saved humans and animals,
Saying that he had rescued the sun and moon,
The heavenly prince Huherdei Mergen said:
“Now that the work of the day is completed,
I want the dreams of the night.”
With those words he returned to the land
Of the fifty five tenger of the west.

This having happened,
The uncle of Abai Geser,
Who lived in a half-broken place,
Who had a handsome grey stallion,
Who thought malevolent thoughts,
Who was dark and evil inside,
Whose path was one of black clouds,
Who carried a black bow of rule,
Hara Zutan Noyon,
Driving his animals to the shore of the yellow lake,
Bringing his herds of cattle and horses to drink water,
Dismounting from his great grey stallion,
While dusting off the skirts of his deel,
He saw on the shore of the yellow lake,
Swinging and swaying in the wind,
A golden yellow elm tree
Growing in the water close to shore.

When malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Was staring at the golden yellow elm tree he said:
“This is certainly a product of Geser’s magic.”
He became very angry,
His mouth gaped in fury,
In his heart great black thoughts
Began to seethe and bubble.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Tucked the skirts of his deel above his buttocks,
Rolled his sleeves above his elbows,
He waded out to the tree.
When he came to the golden yellow elm tree
He broke off its trunk,
He broke off the branches,
Throwing them in the water.
The waters of the yellow lake
Began foaming and bubbling,
The sandy Manhan mountain
Began to shake and tremble,
A black tornado arose,
A hot wind began to blow,
A cloud of yellow dust arose,
Poisonous dust was swirling about…
From the waters of the yellow lake
A pair of red bloodshot eyes appeared,
A black round head erupted from the waters!
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Seeing this happening,
Was greatly afraid,
He was very terrified.
The head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
Raising himself with the broken trunk
Of the golden yellow elm tree,
Approached Hara Zutan as if to attack:
“Opening the door that is never opened
I opened it and came,
Closing the door that is never closed
I closed it and came to observe,
Whose son are you,
What kind of thing gave birth to you?
If you are able to talk, speak,
If you are not dumb, say something!
I will bite your head and gulp you down,
Grabbing your feet with my teeth I will swallow you!”
Saying this he gaped his enormous mouth,
Making as if he was going to eat Hara Zutan,
Showing his jagged yellow teeth,
Making as if to chew him up,
His upper jaw seemed to reach the sky,
His lower jaw seemed to bite the earth.
Many people could go up and be swallowed,
Ten thousand people could be gulped down at one time.
In his terror Hara Zutan forgot himself,
In his fear he could not remember his own name.
He began calling for his nephew Abai Geser,
He tried to frighten Arhan Hara Shutger:
“My nephew Abai Geser,
Remember your uncle and rescue him,
Come to defeat Arhan Hara Shutger,
Kill and destroy him!”
The demon powerful in magic,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Demanded of him:
“Your nephew Abai Geser,
If he were to try to defeat Arhan Hara Shutger,
If he tried to kill him,
What kind of powers would he use,
What kind of weapons would he fight with?”
Scheming evil deceit,
Thinking evil thoughts
While he was being asked these questions,
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Thought of a way to save his life,
He knew how to save his own skin,
So he explained the powers
Of his nephew Abai Geser:
“My nephew Abai Geser is powerful in magic,
He is sent on a mission from the western 55 tenger,
He is sent by the will of the five wise gods.
He is come to restore order
To the land of the three Tugshen khans,
He is come to restore the fortune
Which had been overturned!
He is come to kill evil and malicious enemies,
He is come to bring life and happiness to living things!
He has become the leader of thirteen khans,
He has seventy three allies who swear loyalty to him!
When he came to break and defeat his malicious enemies
He was given a silvery steel sword to cut them down!
He was given a bow made from the horns of seventy wild goats,
Made with seventy five laminations!
He has a great black arrow,
When he speaks magic words on its head
It flames with red fire,
When he speaks words of power on its fletching
It flames with blue fire,
This arrow was the gift of Han Hormasta Tenger!”
When he had recounted these things,
The wretched demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
His black chest contracting in despair,
Digging up the source of Hara Zutan’s malice said:
“It is well known that your nephew Abai Geser
Has taken two wives you wanted for yourself,
He having stolen away your name,
You are consumed with hate and jealousy.
When you travel far away who follows you?
When your hatred heats up in the crucible,
Who is going to help you?
Let us be anda for ten years,
Let us be blood brothers for twenty years!
I will go watching before you,
I will go watching behind you,
I will be your companion on your journeys,
I will be your best friend ever at your side!
If you take the weapons of your nephew Abai Geser,
This warrior of great magical power,
If you take them and bring them to me,
I will go together with you and be your ally.
For ten long years I will serve your hate and jealousy,
For twenty some years I will help wreak your revenge!”
The demon with magical power
Spoke long enough for foam to form on liquor,
Arhan Hara Shutger
Talked long enough for plants to grow on a flat stone.

Having listened to the words of Arhan Hara Shutger,
Malicious Hara Zutan Noyon’s great black thoughts
Began to seethe, bubble, and boil,
His many evil thoughts
Were splashing and stirring.
Remembering all the wrongs done to him in the past,
Scheming about the words he had just heard,
Fostering his hatred and jealousy,
He became anda to the demon,
Following his red-hot desire for vengeance,
He became brother to Arhan Hara Shutger.

Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Swore an oath to Arhan Hara Shutger:
“When the high heavens are dozing,
When the wide world is sleeping,
Halfway through the dark night,
In the middle of the black night,
I will take the quiver and weapons
Of my nephew Abai Geser,
Of that warrior with magical power,
In this way I serve you as ally!
I will break off the head
Of the arrow that always wins,
I will tear off the feathers
Of the arrow that never misses!
I will break apart the layers
Of the black bow
Made of the horns
Of seventy wild goats,
Then I will cut its string!
The sword that was never scratched by the hardest bone,
That will never melt in the hottest blood,
I will hide under the foundation of Geser’s house!
My anda and blood brother,
My Arhan Hara Shutger,
Halfway through the dark night,
In the middle of the black night,
When the high heavens are sleeping,
When the whole world is dozing,
Go to the house of my nephew Abai Geser.
Creep under the floor of his gold and silver palace,
Come out suddenly and kill him!”
When he was saying those things,
Arhan Hara Shutger’s eyes turned dark,
His ribs an ell wide contracted in,
He replied to Hara Zutan Noyon:
“In this place of our powerlessness and defeat,
Be ready to be of help to me,
In this place of our losing and being overcome,
Let us go together as allies!
We are jealous and hateful,
As certainly as the moon is full,
Our desire for revenge is red hot,
As certain as the color of silk,
I will take Urmai Goohon for myself as a wife,
You can take Tumen Jargalan as your own wife!
If we have defeated our enemies,
If we have grabbed the colt by the tail,
We two blood brothers
Arhan and Zutan,
Will have a hill of meat to feed on,
Taking the two wives for ourselves,
We will have a lot of pleasure!”
These two evil creatures,
Making promises to each other,
They grasped right hands,
Swearing oaths to each other.
They grasped left hands.

Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Having watered his herds,
Went back to his home.
Taking Arhan Hara Shutger with him,
He went back to his house.
“Having become anda and blood brother
To the demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
I will be able to take the herds and treasure
Of my heroic nephew Abai Geser.
When I have killed him,
I will take his subjects for myself!”
Thinking these black thoughts
Saying these words in his black heart,
He became very happy,
He was very excited.

This having happened,
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Halfway through the dark night,
In the middle of the black night,
Entered the house of his nephew Abai Geser.
Being overcome by jealousy and hatred,
He forgot that he was Geser’s uncle,
Thinking only evil and poisonous thoughts,
He came in as if he was a thief.
He broke off and threw away
The head of the arrow that finds its target,
He tore off the feathers
Of the great black arrow.
He broke apart the bow
Made of seventy five laminations,
Throwing away the pieces,
He cut apart the bowstring.
He slid the silvery steel sword
Under the foundation of Geser’s house,
He bent Geser’s black spear,
Crushing it with a large rock.
He made all of the bladed weapons
Blunt up to the hilt.
The quiver and all other things
Were altogether ruined.

When this was happening,
Geser was visiting his wife Urmai Goohon,
Coming as her guest he ate the best food,
He drank the strongest of liquor,
Talking about everything that happened before,
Remembering everything from the earliest times,
He talked in a happy and friendly way.
When the dark night had come,
When the yellow leaves were falling,
He went to the bed of Urmai Goohon,
Who was as beautiful as the red sun,
Slipping under her thick soft covers,
He slept holding her in his arms.

Halfway through the black night,
In the middle of the dark night,
Suddenly these was a sharp noise.
The great brown stone door,
Creaked as a stranger entered.
The thirty three warriors
Slept on knowing nothing.
The three hundred guards
Did not see anything.

Urmai Goohon was roused from her sleep,
She understood what was happening,
She knew they were in danger.
Trying to wake him quickly,
Trying to make him come to his senses,
She said:
“My great hero,
My warrior Abai Geser!
Have your thirteen khans betrayed you?
Have your seventy three allies turned on you?
Under our black floor
There is the sound of an enemy’s footsteps,
Under our black floor
Some terrible thing is lurking!”
When she had screamed
Geser awoke and sat up
In the thick soft bed:
“What kind of thing has come to me?!”
He was greatly surprised,
He was very amazed.
“Has the day come to lock this black palace,
Is it time for us to be contacted at night?
I will meet my jealous and hateful enemy
On the white steppe,
By the five tall pine trees!”
When this had happened,
When he went to take his great yellow bow,
When he went to get his great black arrow,
The head was broken off,
The fletching was ruined,
The layers of his bow were separated,
The bowstring was in pieces,
He found his sword hidden under the house,
Its hard steel blade was blunted,
When he looked for his steel spear,
It was crushed under a stone,
Its head was bent,
Its shaft was broken.
All of his weapons lay scattered about broken,
All of his equipment lay here and there completely smashed.
Abai Geser was hardly able to speak,
Gesturing and calling his steed,
Beligen the bay horse,
The horse of powerful body,
The steed with bones full of wisdom,
Beligen the bay horse
Came galloping up immediately,
Kicking out the southwest window with his hoof,
He cried out to Geser with a great voice:
“What kind of great enemy have you heard from afar,
What kind of great enemy have you seen up close?”
When he was saying this
Geser put on his armor and helmet,
Climbing out the southwest window of his house
He mounted on the back of Beligen the bay horse.
He shouted out a challenge
To the enemy hiding under his house:
“If you are able to fight with me,
If you have the strength to do battle,
You must know that I do not allow
Demons to be lurking under my threshold!
Go quickly to the white steppe,
By the five tall pines we will fight!”
When he shouted his challenge
His voice crackled with anger,
Shouting with the voice of a thousand stags,
His voice thundering and roaring
He yelled with the voice of ten thousand stags.

This having happened,
Geser turned his steed to the right,
Turning Beligen the bay horse
In the direction of the sun,
He rode swiftly to the white steppe,
To the place of the five tall pines.

The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon with magical powers,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Crawling out from below the gold and silver palace,
Emerged from Geser’s house.
Not being able to take on a demonic form for battle,
He confronted Geser with his true red face.

Two enemies of great strength,
Two rivals with magical power,
Went into battle;
They fought on the white steppe,
In the shadow of five tall pines.
When this happened,
Geser said to Arhan Hara Shutger:
“You come in under the feet of those who are sleeping,
You sneak in under those who are lying down,
What father’s son are you,
From what were you born?”
When he was challenged,
The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon Arhan Hara Shutger replied:
“I should have come to smash you when you were a baby,
I should have pulverized you when you were an infant!”
When Geser had heard the words that had been said,
He became very angry,
His mouth gaped in fury:
“What kind of person talks about smashing a baby,
What kind of thing speaks of pulverizing an infant,
What kind of evil demon are you,
What kind of poisonous enemy are you?
I have strangled many with necks like axles,
I have defeated many warriors with silver bowcases,
Just as there can never be more than seven bones in the neck,
There will never be a man born who can overcome me!
Do you have the strength to fight me,
Do you have the craftiness to do battle with me?”
When he had heard these words,
The giant head of Atai Ulaan Tenger,
The demon Arhan Hara Shutger,
Stood before Geser,
His red heart pounding,
The tendons in his shins twitching.

This having happened,
The demon with great magic power,
Arhan Hara Shutger,
Shouted at Abai Geser:
“If I climb two mountains,
I will not get calluses on my feet,
There is no man
Of whose strength I am afraid,
Starting with your feet I can swallow you,
Starting with your head I can bite and gobble you!”
His many-colored eyes were glittering,
He ground his jagged yellow teeth.

Two enemies of great strength,
Two rivals with great magical power,
Lowered their heads and gored each other like two bulls,
Growing dark like a stormy sky they battled,
Their battle cries reaching the skies,
Their blows shaking the earth,
Battling like two bull mooses,
Butting like two bull camels,
Grabbing and strangling each other’s necks,
Yanking out each other’s hair.

Their blows resounded like steel hitting steel,
Their blows sounded like stone hitting stone.
The ground upon which they fought,
Was scraped up as if pawed by a stag,
The place where they tried to kill each other
Was rutted as if dug up by a wild animal.
Tearing off the flesh of each other’s backs with their fingers,
Biting off the flesh of their chests with their teeth,
Blood flowed in rivers,
Flesh piled up like a hill,
Taking power from the sky they fought,
Taking power from the earth they yelled,
The serene sky shook to its summit,
The wide earth trembled to its roots.

For three long days
The two enemies struggled,
For the length of seven days
They battled with each other.
Hardening their black chests,
Strengthening their thick white tendons,
Geser summoned extra strength to wrestle,
He battled with his whole being,
Summoning the strength of a warrior,
Showing the craft of a warrior,
He started to choke the neck of Arhan Hara Shutger,
Which was as strong as an axle,
He snapped his thick white tendons,
He dislocated his strong black back,
He caved in his eight black ribs.
Arhan Hara Shutger’s heart began to fail,
The strength of his body departed…

Geser squeezed the body of
Arhan Hara Shutger,
He brought him beneath his feet.
Breaking him like a dead tree,
Bending him like a living tree,
Black dust was kicked up,
Yellow dust rose in clouds,
Waves splashed on the shore of the Milk Sea,
The world mountain Humber Uula was trembling.
Geser grabbed Arhan Hara Shutger
Under his two red arms,
Swinging him to the west he struck the western taiga,
Swinging him to the east he hit the eastern taiga,
He grunted like a goat,
He cried like a fawn,
The demon Arhan Hara Shutger
Was thrown so that he stuck in the earth,
His head pillowed on the northern mountain,
His legs kicked up on the southern mountain.
He was laid out as if on the aranga,
He lay killed by Geser’s own hand…

Abai Geser said:
“I have defeated an indefatigable enemy,
I have won a mighty name,
I have conquered the unconquerable,
I have seized the colt by the tail!”
He rejoiced greatly,
His heart was filled with joy.
He was very happy,
He was very excited.
Looking above he smiled,
Looking down he was full of emotion.

This having happened
Geser uprooted three mountain ranges,
Burying Arhan Shutger beneath them.
By a bay of the outside lake,
At the navel of the Hulhe lake,
He built an oboo to reach the sky,
He raised a mountain to touch the heavens.
He spoke words of power:
“Whenever and forever,
For a thousand ages,
Below these three mountain ranges,
Remain decaying and rotting!”
When he had sworn this oath,
He took out a silver pipe as big as a shin,
Taking out a black velvety sheepskin tobacco pouch
As big as a sleeve,
Taking out a bundle of tobacco
As big as a haystack,
Striking sparks with flint and steel,
Lighting a bowl of tobacco
As big as a moose’s ear,
He inhaled with a great noise,
He exhaled with a whistling noise,
His exhalation was like steam,
His smoke was like a campfire.
In this way he sat and smoked…

This having happened,
He went back to his home,
Coming back to his palace
He called his thirty three warriors,
His three hundred leaders of the army,
His three thousand soldiers,
Calling his uncle Hara Zutan together with them,
They were all assembled together.
All the warriors and archers were there,
All the people and animals were there,
Knowing everything very well,
Understanding everything very well,
Geser called his uncle Hara Zutan before him,
Showing him a severe countenance he said:
“Take all of my weapons,
Take all of my equipment,
Have the great seven smiths forge them again,
Have the capable seven smiths temper them!”
Thus he spoke in a commanding and menacing manner.
When the thirty three warriors,
The three hundred leaders of the army,
And the three thousand soldiers
Saw what had happened,
When they heard what was said,
They were greatly surprised,
They were most astonished.
They blamed themselves for being naive,
They regretted their having been careless.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Was very frightened,
He was very terrified,
When he tried to speak
He could say nothing.

When Abai Geser spoke to his uncle Hara Zutan
He wanted to make good of what was wrong,
He spoke these words to him:
“You were part of the good things we were doing,
You were part of the good order we support,
Swearing on the points of the weapons,
May the weapons and the gods be witness,
In the sight of the white Zayaasha of fate I accuse you,
Before Zarlig and Solbon I accuse you,
Before the great white father Esege Malaan Tenger,
Before the white maker of fate I accuse you.
If we forget them harmony would be cut off,
If we are separated from them,
The gods of the skies would pass judgment on us,
The tenger of the heavens would accuse us!”
When Geser had said these things,
Malevolent Hara Zutan acted repentant before his nephew,
He cried and said:
“I cannot escape from the words you have said, my nephew,
I cannot hide from the truths you have said, my nephew,
I will remember until I die
The words you have said,
I will never forget
The beautiful deeds and fate of which you speak.
My nephew Abai Geser,
Please do not blame your uncle,
Arhan Hara Shutger had deceived and trapped me…
Go with fortune and good luck
To any place you intend to go,
May fate and destiny
Bring prosperity wherever you go!”
Malevolent Hara Zutan bowed and worshipped him,
He groveled shaking and trembling.

This having happened
Geser spoke true words
Before the humans and animals:
“Remember your carelessness of the past,
Forget your naivet and credulousness,
Be ever alert and listening,
Be watching with a sharp eye
For enemies that may be nearby,
Be listening with keen hearing
For enemies that may be far away.
Those who have black thoughts,
Those who forsake the gods,
I cut down with hard steel,
I crush them under a great stone.
I send away those dirty things that never
Went to the water’s source,
Those who think wrong thoughts,
Know the wrath of Geser and the gods.
I am speaking true words,
I walk on the true path!”
Thus he spoke and taught.

Thirty three warriors,
Three hundred leaders of the army,
And three thousand soldiers,
Hearing these good words,
Loved Geser even more than they had before,
They listened to him even more than in the past.

Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Having had so much blame piled on him,
Looked like a very pitiful being,
Looking disheveled before the people,
Bereft of power and ability,
In his evil and dark mind,
In his black and malevolent heart,
Many malicious thoughts were stirring…
This having happened,
All of the warriors and soldiers,
All of the people and animals,
All thought to themselves:
“Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Following the will of the people,
Is abiding by Geser’s law!”
Thus they spoke to Abai Geser.

Geser said to his uncle Hara Zutan:
“My uncle, you allied yourself with Arhan Hara Shutger,
When you did this you became an enemy to living things.
There are many who would have hung you from a red pine,
There are many who would have strung you up with a thick rope!
A people must have its elders,
See the way I am saving you,
A deel must have a hem,
See how I repay your coldness with warmth.
Respect the old men with white hair,
Respect the old women with white canes!
Think well about the simple words I tell you,
Be ever mindful of the path you follow!”
Thus being humiliated in the face of so many people,
He lost his face and teeth before living things.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Feeling greatly embarrassed,
His face was red and flushed.
When he spoke his whole body shook.
Geser and all the people went to their homes,
Geser went to the house of Urmai Goohon.
She brought a golden table and served delicious food,
Bringing a silver table she served beautiful food.
Abai Geser said to her:
“It would not be foolish to say I defeated a great enemy,
I will not say that I conquered a great man!”
He talked with Urmai Goohon,
Who was as beautiful as the red sun,
Until foam formed on the waters,
Until plants would grow on a flat rock
. When the dark of night had come,
When the yellow leaves were falling,
Geser slept under a soft blanket!