The Second Branch
Geser Comes Down to Earth (Part 2)
When the yellow sun rose the next morning,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Gave his son Altan Shagai a cup of tea to drink.
He seated his in front of him
On an unbroken four year old ox.
Thus he traveled off to test his son.
They came to a taiga with tens of thousands of trees,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Asked his son a question to test him:
“What would you build with this fine wood?”
The boy Altan Shagai,
Being naive and innocent, said,
“This would be fine wood to build a temple!”
They went on further to a level open plain.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan said:
“What would you grow in this fine place?”
To the second question Altan Shagai said:
“Plowing while watching for rain,
I would plant rye on this fine land.”
When they had traveled further they came to a very dense forest.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan said:
“Take the lead rope of the ox,
Walk before me and guide him.
Make a pot out of wood
And prepare some meat to satisfy my hunger!”
When he had said this
Altan Shagai prepared a wooden bowl.
Sargal Noyon Khan spitted meat on a stick and roasted it.
When the father had eaten he rode further,
The son followed after, still hungry.
After this had happened a bird suddenly flew up,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan goaded
His four year old unbroken ox
Behind the front leg.
His four year old unbroken ox bucked suddenly:
Sargal Noyon Khan fell sprawling on the ground.
The boy Altan Shagai could not revive his father.
“Father, get up!” he cried and shouted,
“Let’s go home!” he cried and yelled.
Yelling into his ear,
He shook his body and shouted.
Being unable to awaken his father,
He became tired and went home.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Observing what had happened,
His great heart was broken.
He said within his poor heart,
“This is not the boy who was born
To correct pain and suffering!”
He returned to his home,
Having come home he slept.
When the yellow sun of the next morning had risen,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Tested his son Mungun Shagai in the same way.
Thinking to himself,
“This is not the boy who was born
To correct pain and suffering!”
He walked home grumbling,
He went to sleep feeling sad.
On the next morning,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Went out again to test his nephew.
On a lofty white mountainside,
In a stand thick with white birch,
He asked as they stood there:
“My boy, tell me what kind of land this is.”
In reply to the question Nyuhata Nyurgai said:
“After I have met my enemy,
When I have gone into battle,
I want to go to such a beautiful fine land,
I would bless such a quiet and cool forest.”
In his heart benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Praised his nephew.
Having gone further they came to a taiga of short red pines.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan asked,
“My boy, tell me what kind of taiga this is.”
Having been asked Nyuhata Nyurgai replied:
“After I have been fighting and battling,
I would often want to come to a place of good and beautiful pines,
I would want to go to a forest rich with sappy larches.”
After they had traveled further,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Goaded his unbroken four year old ox behind the front leg.
The short red ox suddenly bucked,
Sargal Noyon Khan fell sprawling on the ground.
His face was pale and he appeared as if he were dead.
Nyuhata Nyurgai cried, “Father, wake up!”
But he was unable to revive him.
When he yelled, “Uncle, let us go!”
He was unable to make him get up.
Because this had happened,
Nyuhata Nyurgai cut down trees,
He gathered up stumps and roots,
Cutting the trees into firewood,
The cut up the brush of the trees’ crowns,
Piling the wood in a circle around his father,
He lit a roaring and crackling fire,
As it burned he started doing ariulga.
It was time for benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan to get up.
Shouting “Ouch! Ouch!” he jumped up.
When this happened the boy Nyuhata Nyurgai grabbed him:
Saying “Bringing the dead back to life
Is unpleasant work for your nephew!”
He spoke magic words to the fire and it went out.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan promised,
“I am done with testing!”
As he spoke he was shaking and trembling.
Father and son forgave each other,
Speaking kind words to each other.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan said:
“This is the boy who was born
To correct the pain and suffering
That we endured in the beginning!”
He rejoiced and was excited.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan came home,
He was greeted by his wife,
Bringing a golden table she served delicious food;
Bringing a silver table she served beautiful food.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Eating this and that,
Muttering and talking,
Took out a silver pipe as big as a shin bone,
Took out a tobacco pouch of velvety black sheepskin
As big as a sleeve.
Filling the pipe with a pile of tobacco like a haystack,
Lighting it with sparks from his flint,
He burned a pile of tobacco as big as a moose’s ear,
Sucking on it noisily,
Exhaling the smoke noisily,
Each puff like steam,
Each puff like the smoke of a campfire.
As they sat together the sun set and it became night.
When the yellow sun rose on the following morning,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Rising from his sleep,
Cleaning his face and hands,
Straightening his hair and face,
Made some important orders.
This having happened,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Called his white oldest son Altan Shagai mergen:
“I am tired of eating beef,
I miss the taste of wild game.
Let us order a group hunt,
And we will go hunting and tracking.”
He sent the boy with this message
To his brother Hara Zutan.
The white oldest son of
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Altan Shagai mergen,
Bringing the message to his uncle Hara Zutan,
Conveying the message of his father,
Came and was talking.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Khan,
Hearing about the group hunt,
Clicked his tongue,
Looking up he laughed,
Looking down he coughed.
He had a hundred and twenty hunting companions,
Putting a massive silver bridle
On his handsome grey stallion,
Putting a massive silver bridle in his mouth,
Putting a silk-edge saddle blanket on his back,
Fastening on a saddle decorated with silver,
Putting on a fine silver crupper,
Laying a fine silver breast strap over its shoulders,
Tightening ten strong girths
That would not come loose for ten years,
Adjusting twenty girths
That would not come loose for twenty years,
He tied lovely reins to the horn of his saddle,
He tied his horse to the hitching post.
Having done this
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Beat on a golden drum,
His subjects were summoned from the north,
Hitting a silver drum,
His subjects were called from the south.
Announcing there would be a group hunt,
He shouted his orders to them,
They quickly made preparations,
They wisely made preparations.
When this had happened
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Sitting his nephew before him,
On his mighty buckskin horse,
Kicking up a cloud of dust,
Came to the place of the hunt.
Older brother and younger brother,
Embracing and wishing good health and peace,
Said the appropriate greetings to each other.
Grasping each other’s arms,
They said beautiful words to each other, saying
“I have become tired of eating beef,
I miss the taste of wild game,
Let us go hunting in the thirteen Altai ranges,
Let us go out in the thirteen Huhii ranges.”
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
An his younger brother
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Hunted in the northern part of the Altai Mountains,
They hunted together in the southern part of the Huhii Mountains.
The son of benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Shot the blackest of otters,
He bagged the brownest of minks.
Coming bravely among the dogs
He broke ribs and backs.
He provided food for those who were hungry,
He provided nourishment for those who hungered.
This having happened,
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Had not even been able to bloody the nose of a black rat.
When he encountered his older brother
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Looking jealously at all the game they had killed,
Said in great amazement:
“Why is it that even up to now
I have not been able to kill anything?
Why is it that up to now
You have been able to take so much?”
He grumbled and complained,
And benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan said to him:
“My son Nyuhata Nyurgai
Is the one who has so much game.
Like you even until now
I have taken nothing.”
Malevolent Hara Zutan Khan
Pressured his brother, saying:
“Give your son Nyuhata Nyurgai to me!”
He persisted bothering his brother,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Gave the boy Nyuhata Nyurgai to him
And the boy sat in front of his uncle
Hara Zutan Noyon.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai
Grabbed and squeezed
The handsome grey stallion
Of Hara Zutan Noyon,
He grabbed on its legs
So that its hair came off in his hands.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Was very upset,
And immediately gave the boy
Back to his brother Sargal Noyon Khan.
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan,
Who dandled his only nephew on his knee,
Who kissed him when he put him to bed,
When the boy was returned he also
Grabbed the great buckskin horse.
Where he touched its shoulders
Its hair shimmered with gold and silver,
When he sat behind his uncle
The withers of the horse
Glittered with gold and silver.
After this had happened,
The ruler of the lands of the northwest,
Temeen Ulaan Khan made a decree:
“She who goes about my house,
She with a face full of light,
My daughter Tumen Jargalan,
Will be married to the man
Who can win three contests!”
When this announcement spread
To the land of the Tugshen khans,
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai
Made preparations for the contest,
Getting permission from his
Father Sargal Noyon Khan,
He rode off to Temeen Ulaan’s kingdom.
This having happened,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
Said, “I go to do worship,
I go to see the kingdom,”
She filled an oxhide bag with yellow gold,
She filled a horsehide bag with gold and silver.
Preparing her nightingale sorrel horse
That was thirty ells long,
She made quick preparations,
She made wise preparations.
Going to make worship of the white Zayaasha,
She rode to make worship of the god of fate.
Her sorrel horse that was thirty ells long,
Trotting quickly to a very distant place,
Was seen by Nyuhata Nyurgai.
He knew very well,
He understood very well.
He came out to greet the maiden Tumen Jargalan.
On the khan’s straight road,
On the people’s broad road,
He stood to greet her,
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai
Reached out his arms to greet
The maiden Tumen Jargalan, saying:
“Of what land are you a daughter,
Of which khan are you a subject?
What is your father’s name,
What is your mother’s name?”
Thus he was bothering her.
The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Was greatly surprised,
She was very astonished:
“I am from the northwestern lands,
My home is quite far from here,
I am Tumen Jargalan,
The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan”
When she had asked this she said
“From where did you come and where are you going?”
Nyuhata Nyurgai stood blocking her way
Standing, staring, and wondering at her.
Tumen Jargalan wanted to be rid of him
She said, “To make you happy,
I have to give you gold,”
She gave two sacks of gold to the boy,
Nyuhata Nyurgai took the gold, and she said
“From the time I have come,
Be waiting here,”
Saying this she went home,
From there she rode toward her homeland.
The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Regretting the time that she met him…
Being exhausted from the long journey,
Being tired from traveling so far,
Taking off her horse’s saddle,
Spreading the saddle blanket upon the ground,
Lay her head upon the saddle and slept a deep sleep.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Hiding himself from being seen,
Went to an orphan boy,
Giving him the gold and silver,
Went back to where Tumen Jargalan slept.
When he came to her side
Not a blade of grass was disturbed,
Stems were not even bent,
A cow would not have been startled,
A fox would not have smelled him.
He took a wet little puppy
And put it inside Tumen Jargalan’s dress.
Having done this Nyuhata Nyurgai
Got up and waited by her side.
He started coughing loudly.
Tumen Jargalan jumped up quickly.
A wet little puppy fell out of her dress.
The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Was very humiliated,
She was very embarrassed,
Nyuhata Nyurgai was laughing very hard and said:
“A woman who sleeps with dogs
Gives birth to puppies,
A woman who sleeps with men,
Gives birth to boys!
If a khan’s daughter gives birth to puppies,
People will say about you
‘What a bad, disgusting woman’!”
When he mocked her
The princess Tumen Jargalan
Who was as beautiful as the round bright sun,
Had no place to hide her shame,
She fell down hugging Nyuhata Nyurgai’s feet,
“Damn, I can do nothing!
I am powerless!
I have to have a good name,
Do not bring shame to me!
If my royal father heard of this
He would have me beheaded!
What do you want from me?
I can give you riches
Piled high as a horse’s ears!”
The daughter of a khan
Lay prostrate at his feet.
In his chest Nyuhata Nyurgai’s heart was pounding,
The tendons in his legs were twitching.
He replied to Tumen Jargalan:
“If our fortunes are united,
If we become as one,
If we are married,
No bad thing will be revealed,
All scandal will be repressed.”
The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan
Said to him deceitfully:
“”We will become as one,
We will be married.”
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai demanded of her:
“If you are speaking the truth,
Give me the ring you wear on your little finger!”
The maiden Tumen Jargalan
Who was as beautiful as the round sun,
Had no other choice.
She gave away her ring to the boy Nyuhata Nyurgai.
The boy said to her:
“After two or three days
I will come following you!”
Thus the maiden Tumen Jargalan
Turned back toward her home.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Turning himself into a black fly
Sat on the horn of her saddle,
He watched what she was thinking and doing.
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Whose face was a beautiful as the round sun,
Who had made a pledge and given away her golden ring,
Was full of regret for what she did.
Saying, “If I must become the wife of such an ugly boy,
I will kill myself by jumping off a high cliff!”
She rode toward the edge of a cliff.
When she had decided to kill herself
By jumping off the mountain cliff,
Nyuhata Nyurgai became a man again,
Grabbing her sorrel horse by the tail he said:
“What kind of girl are you who goes about telling lies?”
Pulling her backwards he sent her back to her home.
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Who was as lovely as the bright sun,
Was very startled,
She was very embarrassed.
She said, “Now I will stop!”
When the maiden Tumen Jargalan came to her home,
She told her father about everything that happened.
Because of this Temeen Ulaan Khan
Having heard what she said,
Decided to hold the contest to determine
Who his daughter should marry
As soon as possible.
Thus the fate of the maiden Tumen Jargalan
Was turned around.
This having happened,
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Learning of the new decree of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
Prepared himself to go to the wedding.
He promised to himself
That the daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan
Would become his wife.
He prepared his handsome grey stallion
Along with his three hundred followers,
Gathering his party together
They made quick preparations,
They made wise preparations.
After the boy Nyuhata Nyurgai
Has sent the princess Tumen Jargalan back to her home,
Nyuhata Nyurgai came to Hara Zutan Noyon’s party, saying
“I will go along with you.”
He joined up with the soldiers.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Cursing and swearing at him,
Immediately forbade the boy from going with them
And threw him out of the camp.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Returning to the home
Of his father Sargal Noyon,
Prepared for his journey:
Taking a mousy brown colt,
He spoke a blessing on its legs,
Speaking words over its shins,
Laying on a saddle pad of the right size,
He put on a rawhide saddle.
Putting on a crupper made of mouse fur,
Putting on a breast strap made of marten fur,
Fastening it with a girth made of flying squirrel fur,
Tightening straps made of chipmunk fir,
He said: “Now that my horse is ready,
I will prepare myself!”
Pulling on a shirt made of rat fur,
He put on a deel made of badly scratched up leather.
He put on a hat made of fox tails
And hung a tiny quiver on his back.
His right eye had sight as keen as a hawk’s,
His left eye had sight as keen as a bee’s eyes.
Looking at the taiga in the west with his right eye,
Looking at the land in the east with his left eye,
Speaking a blessing on the legs of his
Mousy brown colt he rode off,
Finding the party of Hara Zutan Noyon,
He followed from behind.
They trotted swiftly on the khan’s straight road,
They galloped along the people’s broad road.
Going downhill they were swearing,
Going upward they were raving,
Going strongly and swiftly,
They left their own good land behind,
They entered into a very cold country.
When this happened,
The boy that had been following them
Caught up and joined a party of three men.
Seeing them from the front,
They seemed massive as tall mountains,
Seeing them from behind
They looked massive as yellow mountains.
With teeth as broad as spades
That showed when they smiled,
Having dark red faces,
There was the son of the sun Nagaadai Mergen,
The son of the moon, Haihan Mergen,
The son of the stars, Munhe Mergen.
These three good archers,
These men with swift horses,
When the boy Nyuhata Nyurgai joined them said:
“You troublesome thing of the earth,
Where did you come from,
Where are you going?”
They spoke to him arrogantly and reproachfully.
“I am going to marry Tumen Jargalan,
Daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,”
Was the reply of the boy Nyuhata Nyurgai.
“You loathsome thing of the earth,
You cannot come close
To matching great heroes as ourselves!”
Hitting him many times with their horse whips,
They rode away swiftly leaving him behind.
Nyuhata Nyurgai caught up
With the party of his uncle Hara Zutan.
Riding among the group of soldiers
He could not get warm.
When malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Decided to camp for the night,
There was no firewood to be found at their campsite.
The soldiers of Hara Zutan’s party shivered with cold,
They nearly froze to death.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Finding a campsite nearby,
Lighting a fire at his feet,
Stood warming his hands and feet.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Was very astonished when he saw this.
He sent a group of soldiers, saying:
“Find out what he is doing,
Then do the same!”
Nyuhata Nyurgai said to them:
“If I burn my saddle in the fire
I can pull it out later
In the same condition as before!”
Having chopped up his saddle
He used it to kindle his fire.
Having learned this
The soldiers of Hara Zutan
Said to Hara Zutan Noyon,
“He says that if he burns his saddle
He can take it out again
In the same condition as before.
Having chopped up his saddle
He sits and feeds the fire with it.”
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon commanded them:
“Cut up your saddles and make a fire with them!”
Chopping up their saddles,
They made a fire to warm themselves.
When the yellow sun rose the next morning,
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Taking his saddle out of the fire,
Saddled his horse and rode off.
The soldiers of Hara Zutan Noyon,
Looking in the fire found nothing.
They rode on with great difficulty.
When it became time to camp for the night,
Once again there was no firewood.
Nyuhata Nyurgai stood at his fire warming himself.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Sent a group of soldiers to
Find out what he was doing.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai said:
“If I put my bow and quiver in the fire,
I will be able to take them out again!”
He sat feeding the fire
With pieces of his bow and quiver.
When the soldiers of the malevolent prince Hara Zutan returned
They said: The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Says that if he puts his bow and quiver in the fire,
He can take them out again.
He is sitting feeding the fire
With pieces of his bow and quiver.”
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon said,
“If he can do it, do the same yourselves!”
Thus the soldiers of Hara Zutan,
Chopping up their bows and quivers,
Kindled a fire for themselves.
When it had become morning,
Nyuhata Nyurgai pulled his bow and quiver out of the fire,
The soldiers of the malevolent prince Hara Zutan,
Finding only ashes in the fire,
Went on their way having nothing.
Trotting along without saddles,
Galloping along without bows or arrows,
Even if their destination was far,
They trotted on,
Even if the world is wide,
They galloped on.
Entering the kingdom of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
They saw a palace that reached to the heavens.
The gold on the north side,
Reflecting light to the people to the north,
The silver on the south side,
Reflecting light to the people to the south,
The windows at the top
Reflecting the world,
The windows at the bottom
Reflecting the earth,
A multitude of cattle and sheep
Made a great noise,
Mooing and baaing.
When malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon
Reached the gate of Temeen Ulaan’s palace
He tied his handsome grey stallion
At the khan’s golden hitching post.
This having happened,
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Blessing the legs of his mousy brown colt,
Speaking to the shins of his horse,
Tying his horse at the post,
Re-tied the rope of the grey stallion the wrong way.
The malevolent prince Hara Zutan,
Seeing the arrival of his nephew,
Was very offended:
“This smelly creature,
With yellow-stained clothing,
Where did this dead thing come from?
Have you come to destroy my good name?
Have you come to defile my good reputation?
You bring scandal to my name,
You bring shame to my reputation!
Get out of here, scram!”
He followed the boy,
Cursing and swearing.
After this had happened,
The three great warriors
Arrived and dismounted.
Five powerful men,
Five strong men,
Met each other at the khan’s court.
Coming for the festival,
Coming for the wedding,
With necks as strong as axles,
With chests as hairy as a bull’s
With great bowcases and quivers,
With heroic yellow bows,
With horn tipped arrows of silver,
With armor of black iron,
With round red faces,
Warriors of great fame,
Archers of great skill,
They had come to win three contests.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
Three great warriors,
Entered the palace of Temeen Ulaan Khan.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Following after them,
Opening the massive pearly door in a beautiful way,
Stepped over the massive granite threshold in a clean way.
Five powerful men,
Five able heroes,
Standing before Temeen Ulaan Khan,
Wishing peace to the khan,
Wishing good health to the khan,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
Invited them to sit on the west side.
Temeen Ulaan Khan asked them:
“Where is your homeland,
Who is your khan?”
Asking this, he sat down.
The first to answer:
“My name is Nagaadai Mergen,
I am son of the sun!”
“My name is Haihan Mergen,
I am son of the moon!”
“My name is Munkhe Mergen,
I am son of the stars!”
“My name is Hara Zutan Noyon,
Red middle brother of the three Tugshen khans!”
“My name is Nyuhata Nyurgai,
I am a simple herdsman!”
Thus the guests introduced themselves,
One after another.
The khan asked the Nyuhata Nyurgai:
“You chubby round faced boy,
Where did you come from,
Where are you going?”
He bravely answered Temeen Ulaan Khan:
“I have come to become a son-in-law,
I have girded on my belt for a wedding!”
Temeen Ulaan Khan then spoke:
“When one is selecting a steed,
One picks the best from a herd of horses,
When one selects a son-in-law,
One picks a man with fire in his eyes!
I have made a decree to find
The most able of warriors,
The most skillful of archers!”
The khan then declared:
“The daughter of Temeen Ulaan Khan,
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Will be given as wife to the man
Who wins three prizes,
Who is a victor in three contests!
The first contest–
To shoot the liver-black rock as big as an ox,
So that it shatters into flints!
The second contest–
To shoot the short red pine standing out in the field,
So that it breaks into pieces!
The third contest–
To shoot into the knot of the crowberry bush,
So it shatters into splinters!”
Thus the three tests were announced.
The strong warriors muttered among each other,
The skillful archers talked among each other.
At the great festival,
At the elegant celebration,
The men who had arrived for the games,
Watched each other carefully,
The warriors and archers
Who had come to win the khan’s three contests,
Were discouraged by the difficulty of the tests.
This having happened,
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Having strung his own bow,
Came and stood tall before Temeen Ulaan Khan:
“It does not matter what anyone has said,
Can my ability be tested?”
The warriors and archers,
Mocked him and said:
“This loathsome thing of the earth
Has come here for what reason?”
They laughed and snickered at him.
One of them said:
“Look at the tiny bow he has!”
Another said:
“Look at this ‘warrior’ who has come,
His right eye looks at the high heaven,
His left eye is staring at the east!”
In this way they made fun of him.
In this way they spoke with derision.
These famous warriors,
These skilled archers,
Whose strength was to be tested,
Began the competition.
Nagaadai Mergen,
Son of the sun,
Was the first to shoot.
His arrow was unable to reach
The liver-black rock the size of an ox.
It fell short of its target.
Haihan Mergen,
Son of the moon,
Shot after him.
When he loosed his arrow,
It fell closer to
The liver-black rock the size of an ox.
Munkhe Mergen,
Son of the stars,
Shooting next,
When he loosed his arrow,
Fell down halfway to
The liver-black rock the size of an ox.
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon,
The red middle brother of the three Tugshen khans,
Being the fourth to shoot,
Hit the liver black rock the size of an ox,
But could not break it,
His arrow shattered on the hard rock.
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai,
Preparing to shoot his arrow,
Taking his tiny bow,
Nocking an arrow made from a splinter,
Spoke these words to his weapon:
“Shooting like a warrior,
I shall win a woman!”
After saying this he spoke magic words on the head,
He spoke words of power upon the shaft,
He said a blessing upon its fletching,
He enchanted the arrow so that fire appeared upon it.
He said: “The arrow shall speed to its target,
The bow is bent to send it!”
As he pulled back,
The muscles of his body bulging,
Laughing as he prepared to shoot,
His thumb pulling mightily,
His arrow loosed with great power.
Nyuhata Nyurgai was the last to shoot,
The last arrow to be loosed,
Left his thumb mightily,
Left his fingers with a great noise.
With the song of the arrow,
With the voice of the arrowhead,
It hit the liver black rock the size of a wolf,
Striking it so that it smashed into flints.
The arrow continued flying–
It struck the red pine standing out in the field,
Breaking it into pieces.
The arrow kept on flying–
Striking the knot on the crowberry bush
Shattering it into splinters,
Thus this arrow,
Precious as the golden beam of the smokehole,
Passed through the waters of a lake to cleanse itself,
And flew back into its quiver with a ringing sound.
When the three prizes were won in this way,
The watchers of the contest were most surprised,
They were greatly astonished.
Temeen Ulaan Khan,
Being displeased that his daughter Tumen Jargalan,
Who was as beautiful as the round sun,
Should be given to this snotty slimy boy,
Declared a new contest:
“He who can kill a yearling lamb,
And can share the meat among ten thousand people,
Can take my daughter as a wife!”
Malevolent Hara Zutan Noyon said:
“I am able to do it!”
He killed a yearling lamb
, Ten thousand people waited to receive the meat.
Temeen Ulaan Khan asked him:
“Are you sure you can make the meat of a yearling lamb
Sufficient to satisfy ten thousand people?”
When he had asked this Nyuhata Nyurgai said:
“Father khan, look at this!
Does a yearling lamb have ten thousand legs?
If it is a yearling lamb,
Will it not have only four legs?
Will the legs of a yearling lamb not be small?”
The boy took a leg of the lamb
And threw it up in the air.
Temeen Ulaan Khan was surprised and said:
“How are you going to get so many lamb legs?”
He was most astonished.
Nyuhata Nyurgai answered:
“Father khan, watch me!
In the time of the blinking of an eye
I will give out meat to all!”
Temeen Ulaan Khan
Did not like what he heard,
He did not want to listen.
He said distastefully:
“If you can do it, distribute the meat!”
The boy Nyuhata Nyurgai killed a yearling lamb–
In the blinking of an eye
Ten thousand people were given meat.
Having accomplished what Temeen Ulaan Khan had asked,
Having fulfilled his words,
The khan was obligated to give him Tumen Jargalan.
When the khan looked at Nyuhata Nyurgai
He recognized the golden ring the boy wore on his little finger.
Being united in marriage,
Nyuhata Nyurgai became a husband.
Taking her by the right hand he spoke his vows,
Taking her by the left hand he spoke true words.
The two of them standing together,
Like a fox and a mink,
Speaking together a day and night,
The wedding was celebrated.
The wedding party lasted eight days,
On the ninth day there were great discussions.
On the tenth day,
When people began to sober up,
They returned to their homes,
Those who came from the north,
Returned to their country,
Those who came from the south,
Returned to their homeland.
Nyuhata Nyurgai declared he wanted to go home.
Going to his wife’s father he said:
“The fawn misses its mother and goes back to her,
The son of a mother and father misses his home.
A guest cannot be detained on his visit,
A moose’s leg cannot be contained in a kettle.
I come to tell you it is time for me to go home.
Temeen Ulaan Khan replied:
“Your words are true, you may go!”
Nyuhata Nyurgai and Tumen Jargalan received their dowry:
Half of the subjects of Temeen Ulaan’s kingdom,
Half of the gold in Temeen Ulaan’s treasury.
Loading the gifts on an iron wagon,
Receiving the blessing of the khan,
They made the long journey home.
The multitudes and herds
Following Nyuhata Nyurgai and Tumen Jargalan
Were enough to fill a valley,
Enough to fill a river,
As they marched toward his home,
When they returned to the land of the Tugshen khans.
When Nyuhata Nyurgai and Tumen Jargalan
Reached the land of the Tugshen khans he said:
“We will sleep the first night at my father’s house.
The following night we sleep in my house!”
After telling her this they went hastily to the home of Sargal Noyon.
He told Sargal Noyon about all that had happened,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan rejoiced and was happy.
This having happened,
Sargal Noyon Khan beat on his golden drum,
The people came from the northern lands.
Striking his silver drum,
His subjects came from the southern lands.
He served enough liquor to satisfy all,
He served enough meat to satisfy everybody.
Blind people walked to the party,
Lame people came on stretchers.
A great festival was held,
A wedding party was celebrated.
The maiden Tumen Jargalan,
Who was a beautiful as the round sun,
Slept the first night at her husband’s father’s house.
The next day they came to the home of Nyuhata Nyurgai.
When this had happened,
Benevolent Sargal Noyon Khan
Traveled a long way to give his greetings to his daughter in law.
Nyuhata Nyurgai and his wife Tumen Jargalan,
Making an elegant party,
Making a great celebration,
Received their blessing from his true parents,
Sengelen Noyon and Naran Goohon.
Becoming as one,
They became mounts to one another.
Geser Comes Down to Earth Part 1
Geser Comes Down to Earth Part 2
Geser Comes Down to Earth Part 3
Conclusion of the First Branch
The Third Branch Arhan Hara Shutger
