Ye. Khundaeva - Geser. The Вuryat heroic epic

Bukhe Beligte turns Naran Gokhon-maid into a lark. He calls up the dreams to Sargal Noyon-khan about the lark with the magic letters on the chest and the back. If they caught that lark the Tugeshin khans would prosper. The khans shoot with an arrow and get down the lark that turns into Naran Gohon beauty. They marry her to Sengelen – khan and drive them away having first crippled her.

Then Naran Gohon gives birth to the children: the son Jasa Mergen and the three daughters. They are born from the top of her head, her armpit and the navel. They rise to the Sky. The last child is born in the usual way as all the earthly children. That was the future Geser who now got born on the Earth. That’s how he descended down from the Heavens onto the Earth to save the people from all kinds of misfortune.

Being still a child Geser punishes the evil creatures: a black mouse as big as a three-year-old bull, a yellow wasp (оса) as big as a horse’s head, a mosquito or a gnat as big as a horse, sends down into the sea the seven black and nine yellow devils. Sargal Noyon-khan brings back Sengelen-khan and Naran Gokhon, adopts Geser having given him the name of Nyuhata Nyurgai [Snot Nose Nyurgai].

Nyuhata Nyurgai goes to his future wife Tumen Yargalan together with his uncle Khara Soton. His future father-in-law Turushkhai Bogdo-khan puts his daughter’s fiancés on trial at the match. Nyuhata Nyurgai wins the victory over his rivals.

Then Nyuhata Nyurgai goes again together with his uncle Khara Soton to Urmai Gohon maid, Ulanai Bogdo khan’s daughter, to ask her as wife. He catches the three wasps – werewolves, who tried to suck the blood from his chest. Ulanai Bogdo-khan pleads Nyuhata Nyurgai to set them free. He promises to give him half of his herds, gold and silver as well as his daughter Urmai Gohon as his wife. The hero together with his wife Urmai Gohon comes home where they have a rich feast.

The Tengris-protectors send down from the Heavens for Nyuhata Nyurgai the thirty three bators (mighty warriors), bator’s weapons and a magic winged horse. Thus Nyuhata Nyurgai becomes Abai Geser-khan. Having obtained the mighty armor Geser goes hunting in the Altai and Khukhei but in the course of the three days he does not manage to “let out even a black mouse’s blood”. He comes across a hunter on a sorrel horse. Geser cannot catch up with the hunter. The unknown hunter disappears in the sea, Geser following him goes down into the sea. The hunter appears to be Alma Mergen, the daughter of the Lord of the underwater kingdom. Geser manages to curb the obstinate girl. He marries her and stays at his father-in-law’s place for three years. When his wife gives birth into a daughter they go home. Geser after having returned home builds the palaces for his three wives.

Geser learns from the yellow book of fortune that on the southern slope of the Sumer mountain lives the Lord of the thick forests. Then there is a white monster Orgoli who can draw into his mouth everything from the distance of forty versts [forty four km; 26, 4 miles]. He has an intention of swallowing Geser together with his bators. Abai Geser, Sargal noyon, Khara Soton and the warriors fight and kill the monster.

Geser defeats Abarga-mogoi (a huge snake) with the twenty seven heads and thirty three tails having pierced his main head with a spear. He carries away an underground treasure with the silver that the snake guarded.

Khara Soton who made many unsuccessful attempts at enticing Geser’s wife Tumen Yargalan goes to the nether world to the nine devils who advise him to deliver a blow on Geser’s health. Geser falls ill having inhaled the yellow mist that spread from the black sheep’s blood. According to the prediction of the yellow book of fortune for Geser to recover it was needed to send Tumen Yargalan to the mangadkhai Abarga Sesen-noyon. Geser thinks that it is better to die than send his wife to the monster. Tumen takes a decision to go to the land of the mangadkhai to save Geser. Her people are ready to follow her but she scatters her coral string of beads and tells to collect them. On her way she overcomes many obstacles. The mangadkhai comes out to welcome her.

Geser and Khara Soton go to the mangadkhai’s place to save Tumen Jargalan. Because of the heat that Geser has caused Abarga Secen is bathing in the sea. On the shore the two boys whom Geser had turned into are playing with a bow and arrows. Abarga Sesen puts on his head a pellet and asks the boys to hit it. One of the boys utters an incantation in a low voice and shoots. The arrow hits the mangadkhai’s right eye. Abarga Sesen calls Tumen Jargalan. She recognizes Abai’Geser’s black Khangai arrow, ties the mangadkhai with a rope and hammers in the arrow still deeper. Abai Geser and Tumen Jargalan burn the mangadkhai together with his horse. In order to keep Geser to herself, so that he did not leave her, Tumen Jargalan gives him the food that makes him quite silly and helpless. Now he grazes the mangadkhai’s red calves.

Erkhe Taija, the son of the eldest of the three Sharablin khans who possess the Sharaid valey made a magpie and sent it to look for a beautiful girl for him to marry. Having returned from the land of the larks the magpie says: “There is no one more beautiful than Urmai Gokhon”. They then send a black raven and a magic bird Gangga Zada and they claim the same.

The three Sharablin khans send their warriors to Geser’s land. His warriors courageously fight with the enemies. Khara Soton betrays Geser and his warriors fall dead desecrated with the bloody water. Alma Mergen having turned into a man like Geser in appearance accepts the battle.

The three Sharablin khans attack Urmai Gokhon and seize her with the help of slyness. Manzan Gurme-grandmother learns from the maternal book about the trouble in Geser’s camp. She sends onto the Earth Geser’s three sisters who find him and take away and give him back his true mighty look.

Abai Geser returns home. Alma Mergen meets him. Geser raises his bators and warriors from the dead. The bators want to kill their offender Khara Soton but Geser does not give his consent. Khara Soton pretends to be dead. Geser goes to the lands of the Sharablin khans to bring back Urmai Gokhon.

Geser in a magic way turns into a child. He is adopted by Sagan Gerelte khan. The boy who is given the name of Foundling grows up very quickly. He takes part in the contests of the bators and wins. The Sharablin khans are happy, they think that he can grow a strong man and fight against Abai Geser.

The Sharablin khans send their troops headed by Foundling against Geser’s warriors and bators. Foundling (Geser) joins his warriors and defeats the Sharablin khans. Then in his own look heading his warriors he comes to the land of the Sharablin khans. The latter ask for mercy. Abai Geser and Urmai Gohon return home. Their people meet them with great joy. They have a big feast.

In the land of Gangga Burged-khan there are great misfortunes: the rivers and lakes got dried up; the fatal illnesses, dreadful diseases and epidemics began to spread all over the place. Ganga Burged-khan learns from an old man that all the misfortune comes from the crafty designs of Gal Dulme-khan, the monster that came from Atai Ulan-tengri’s head that had been thrown down upon the earth from the skies. The old man says that they should ask Geser to help them. Geser says that it is still early to start the fight with him. Nine years should pass before they might attack him. He is still too strong, possesses the magic abilities, and has got the six hundred bators and the six thousand warriors. But Geser’s bators are ready to fight with Gal Dulme-khan and try to persuade their head to start the battle.

Geser agrees and the battle begins. He asks the fifty five tengris and Manzan Gurme-grandmother to help them. On the order of the deities Geser’s brother Zasa Mergen descends from the skies. He shoots Gal Dulme-khan’s central eye in which hidden is his soul and his vital energy. The defeated enemy and his horse are burned down. His beauty-wife is cut in two, from her belly a seven-month-old baby falls out. No weapon could cut him and only the seven celestial smiths could deal with the boy. He falls into the lower world.