The New Fairy-Tales Of Kamchatka

In one village there lived a girl - the most beautiful in the whole coast. People from all neighbouring villages tried to woo her, but she kept rejecting the would-be grooms. Chaps from the fist village came to her. The beauty said: "May be I will marry some of you, if you attach sticks on your cheeks and if you crawl on the shore". Shortly afterwards the grooms were crawling on the beach and the bride was laughing. The grooms turned into walruses and since then they have lived on the shore. Young men came from the second village to woo her. The beauty said: "May be, I will marry you, if you attach axes to your noses and if you climb up the cliffs". They did everything like she had said. Тhey moved along on the cliffs and the beauty laughed. So the grooms turned into puffins and dwelt on the cliffs. A group came to her from the third village. The beauty said to them: "Fasten branches to your heads and start running around yaranga on all fours". They began to run on all fours, but the beauty did not laugh anymore. The grooms got tired and walked to different places in tundra as deer. And the beauty exclaimed: "What is it?! - They make every silly thing I ask. Are they men at all?!" She jumped into the bonfire and turned into a fire-fox. People tried to quench her, but water reached only her tail. Since then the tips of foxes' tails have been white, and the foxes do not seek grooms among men.

There lived one girl - an orphan. She had no relatives left. Her father had been carried away on ice to the sea, and her mother died soon after girl's birth. The only thing left from mother was a song, which she had been singing by the cradle. Once the girl began to starve. But there was no place to go to. She climbed to the roof of the dugout and started to sing the song from her childhood. Immediately after the end of the song, an exhalation of a whale sounded far in the sea. The girl started the song again. The whale's exhalation sounded nearer. The girl sang the song for the third time. The whale's breathing got very near. And when the song began for the fourth time, the whale swam up to the shore and leaned his head on the steep shore-rock. A man came out of the whale and said: "What is the use of your sitting on the shore and looking to the sea, while all your relatives are of the whales' kind?" He said that and took the girl with him to the sea. Nobody has seen her on the shore since then, but sometimes people hear whales' songs sounding like those of the seaside.

There lived an old couple - a husband and his wife. Once in winter the old man went out for fishing, as it was season for navaga-fish. He placed himself in the umkutak - shelter made out of snow over the hollow in the ice. Suddenly a breathless wild deer - tuntuk - entered the shelter. The old man thought joyfully that food itself had come to him and said to the wild deer: -"What a luck, - in hungry times food itself has come to me!"
- The wild deer answered: "Do not kill me, old man, but better save! The wolf is chasing me closely and is going to eat me!" And the wolf already stood at the entrance to umkutak. The wolf said to the old man: -"Old man, do not defend that deer, give it to me for eating!"
The deer responded: -"Man, wish anything you like - you will be rich, you will be a mighty warrior. - I can do anything for you". The old man said to the deer: -"I want to become a shaman and to have a scratcher for my back at home". He said the wish AND turned the deer into the sun, because at once he became a shaman. The wolf saw that and exclaimed: -"Crazy things happen here, but nobody is able to resist the nature! I am hungry all the same!" and started to move towards the old man. -"I will be able to resist!"- he replied - and turned the wolf into the moon. He took the navaga-fish, which he had caught, and returned home to his wife. In the dwelling he saw the scratcher provided by the deer. He took it and began to scratch himself. He did it so vigorously, that even scraped his skin. When he said to himself - enough scratching - he stopped to be a shaman. And the wolf sometimes overtakes the deer in the sky, but is unable to eat it.

In one encampment there lived a man - shepherd of the deer. Once the sun made him dazed, and he fell asleep. Then he woke up, made a shout to the deer, but they didn't hear him. He approached a doe, touched it and the soul of the man got into the deer. The man liked to be a deer - to run fast and to speed up further. But he lost interest. The man-deer laid down and died. A gopher was pattering near him. The man's soul indwelt the gopher. It was good to be a gopher, - everything around was so big, the stones were like mountains. But he lost interest. The man-gopher lay down and died. A raven was flying near there. The man's soul indwelt the raven. It was good to be a raven, to fly high and to see far. But he lost interest. The raven landed and died. The man's wife was walking there. The man indwelt his own wife. She went to the encampment and saw her husband sleeping. She gave him a cuff on the nape, and at once the man went out of her. His wife said: "Go! The supper is getting cool!" it is good to be a man.

There lived a gloomy man. He was good AT everything: brave hunter, quick runner, victorious warrior. But he did not get joy from life. The elders used to say to him: "One should have joy from life, otherwise the gods will get angry fom such ingratitude". The man did not answer them, frowning even more. And once he met a shaman on the shore. The shaman's coat, mittens and trousers were quite different from people's outfit. The shaman said: "I will entertain you, gloomy man!", took a square piece of ice from his bosom and started to show things on it. He showed how people connected timbrels with a stick and how they rode sitting on the device along flat tundra - as quickly as the run of deer foals in spring. The man was surprised, but did not laugh. Then shaman showed him a different thing. - Girls looked in the small pieces of ice, made horrific faces and then compared,- who of them was the most horrific. The man was surprised but did not laugh. Then shaman showed him a different thing. - A warrior applied ointments and powders to his skin, turned into a woman and started to dance different dances in front of people. The gloomy man was surprised, but did not laugh. He asked: "Are those such dreams?" Shaman answered: "Those are not dreams, but the benefits of civilization". The gloomy man started laughing and laughed for three days and three nights, he nearly died. Then he returned to his village and began to live well. If he gets sad, he comes to the sea, looks into the pieces of ice and giggles.

They say, it was this way.- Raven Kutkh was flying over water for a time. He got tired. Water and sky were around - nothing else. Kutkh had no place, where to rest. Kutkh turned into a man, took his kut-coat off, threw it on the water, - and earth appeared. Kutkh sat on the earth and fell asleep. On waking up he looked sidewards and saw only water, earth and skies. It was boring. Kutkh created people. The first people were animals, they left for the shore and became walruses and seals. The second people were also animals, they left for the tundra and became deer. And the third people were lazy, they did not go anywhere and lived on as humans. Kutkh got joyful, - the humans were celebrating, the walruses and seals were swimming, the deer were running. It got noisy. Kutkh attempted to sleep, but people bothered him by making fun loudly. Kutkh turned many times, spoke his anger out, but could not calm people. And then he distributed Wi-Fi.

There lived two brothers. They lived well, they did not starve, but the younger brother wanted to see the world, and the elder brother used to say, that they had to live how the parents had outlined. Once the elder brother returned from hunting and saw: the younger brother was gone. So, the elder brother started seeking for him, went very far, on his way asking everybody about his brother, but no one had seen the man. Then the elder brother reached the edge of earth, jumped from it and occured in the lower world. Everything was different there: a lot of people, many deer, and all were standing in queues. He asked: "Has anybody seen my brother?" They answered: "Have you filled the form for search? Have you any documents? Fill in all the papers, then we will try to find your brother". The elder brother went away to the edge of that earth, jumped and occured in the lower world. There were a lot of people there, many deer, and each of them was on one's own. He asked about his brother and they replied: "And who are you in life yourself? Can you bet about anything for your brother?" The elder brother did not understand any of the spoken stuff. He went up to the edge of that earth, jumped and got to the lower world. Nobody was seen there, - just one dry tree and a raven on it. The elder brother approached the raven and asked, if the younger brother had been there. The raven looked upon him and said: "To keep the traditions blindly is better, than to be a drunkard, but it is worse than just to live". After those words the raven turned into the younger brother. In such way the brothers managed to see the world.

In the past people slept rarely. The dreams were solid like food and gave a long-time satisfaction. But once Tungak took a habit to come to people and to eat their dreams. He became fat and large like a mountain. The people ceased to dream and started to think how to overcome Tungak. They did not sleep for one day and for the second day, arguing - what was the best way of action. They got so noisy, that Northern Lights began to fall from the sky. The Master of the Heavenly Fire got angry and shouted: "Sleep all!"And he stroke Tungak with lightning. Everybody fell asleep. Since then sleeping has repeated daily. And Tungak has slept continuously since then, without even single wake. People now call him the Flat Tolbachek Volcano. Sometimes he turns in his sleep as if seeing something tasty.

Kutkh flew and flew over the earth. The surface beneath was even - both the water and the ground, and that bored Kutkh. Kutkh flapped the wings, and the wave rised over the water. So Kutkh cheered up. The water stroke the shore and carried everything from it. Thus, the Karaginski Bay appeared. Kutkh thought: "The people will get angry when they see this", and flew far off. He decided to make a wave out of earth. He started jumping, and under his feet mountains appeared. Kutkh got tired from the hustle and returned home. And on the spots, where his feet touched the ground, flowers grew on the mountains and volcanos, sparkling in their bloom. They say, that only the bravest and most courageous travellers see the hilarious vulcan salute, but it is a tale of other lands.

They say, it was like this. Once upon a time there lived granny and granddaughter. In those times the sky was firm and transparent, like clean ice forming on the stream. People used to walk up to the sky, they had bone knives and chipped the stars off from there, then they fastened the stars around the upper openings of their yarangas. So, they had plenty of good light, like during daytime. Once granny and granddaughter went to pick the stars. They collected a full seal-skin sack. It was time to return to the earth. They heard at that point: a white bear chased them, he wanted to eat them and was getting nearer and nearer. They threw the seal-skin sack, - the stars scattered along the road. Thus, the Milky Way appeared. The bear couldn't cross the Milky Way, but he found the narrow strip, jumped over it and resumed chasing. The granny stroke the sky with her knife and split it. The sky fragments started to shine like flames. So the Northern Lights appeared. It took some time for the bear to run around the flashing place, and he saw, that they had gone far, and he speeded up. But granny and granddaughter descended to the earth, ignited bonfire, and the sky melted. The bear couldn't swim off from it and remained there as the Great Bear. Thereafter the people have been unable to illuminate their yarangas by stars and they have made electricity. And the sky has been liquid since then, so the astronauts are navigating there trying to warm it up. That is about all.

In frosty nights cracking sounds come from the ground impacted by deep cold. The elders used to say: "This is Tyquivak, and in order to avoid misfortune you should knock in response". But not all believed that saying. In one village there lived a young man. He was very strong and capable. He got curious about why the earth cracked in frost. One night he dressed up, took all his arms used in kayak hunting and started his journey. He went many miles away. Suddenly cracking bursted out. The youth made his harpoon ready, and when cracking resumed - he threw the harpoon into the forming split. Then he tried to pool the rope, but failed and fell under the earth. There the world was upside down and on its ceiling there was ice,- polished like a mirror, and there was much light, - like during daytime. And on that ice stood Tyquivak with sleigh runners on his feet, and five giants were around him. Tyquivak said to the youngster: "Here is deer's hoof. We will push it on the ice and we will fight with each other to obtain it. If you manage to withdraw the hoof from us, you will be released. Otherwise we will punish you for throwing the harpoon in our direction". They started to play. Each time the giants collided, such crash roared, that the earth cracked. Tyquivak and the giants were quick, but the man was even quicker. He caught the hoof and began to run off from Tyquivak. The giants rushed after him and were about to overtake, but he pushed the hoof aside and it dropped to the hollow, through which he had got to the underground. Suddenly the game stopped. The ice, Tyquivak and the giants disappeared. The young man was on the earth again; the thaw started, the ground stopped to crack. The people tell, that after some time the man went to the far-away lands and set up a strange club called the NHL. Though, few are sure in this version. And Tyquivak still plays ice-games, freezing the ground. When he begins to play, the whole tundra booms.

In one village there lived two sisters. Once they went to pick berries for salmon salad. They were picking berries and heard: someone was walking behind them. They asked - "Who is here?" - and heard such an answer: "I am red bilberry picking myself". They moved to the opening with bog bilberry, and again - someone was following them. "Who is here?" - they asked and got an answer: "I am young bog bilberry picking myself". They moved to the opening with crowberry. Somebody was following them again. They asked: "Who is here?" - And the voice answered: "I am crowberry picking myself". But in fact it was Kele. He caught the sisters and carried them away. He tied their braids to the top of a pine-tree, and he fell asleep. The sisters decided to flee, but the braids were long, they could not unfasten them. A magpie helped them by pecking their hair, which was cut in this way. The sisters fell down and ran away. A river appeared across their run. Some ducks were floating near the bank. The ducks treated the sisters with compassion - they allied their wings, formed a ferry and carried the sisters to the opposite bank. Kele woke up and started a chase. He ran up to the river, but it was too deep to be crossed. He asked the ducks: "How did the sisters cross the river?" The ducks replied: "They drank the whole water from the river and walked on the dry bottom". Kele started to drink water. He drank, drank and bursted. Then he hardly picked himself together from the parts and left those places. Since then the ladies have preferred short hair-style called care. And Kelle, as people tell, reached a city and became a famous man - a dietologist. He widely applies drinking diets.