be the eyes to see
And support the thirty-five tribes of
The Middle World,
Where people are born and die,
Where generations come and go;
The light-footed and smart girl
Sepjigirei Magan63
Became his maid.
They were settled
In the impenetrable woods,
Deep in the belly of the earth
Out of the hollow stump,
Like the horn of a dry cow,
Smoke rose, twisting.
They were settled
On the northern side
Of the fiery ocean,
Swirling and bottomless,
Covered with icy sludge of
The flowing red sand,
With the infuriating wind,
With the bellowing snow,
With the rising sun,
With the trees falling down.
In the Middle World they were settled
To glorify the people
Of the thirty-five tribes
Of a warm and playful disposition,
Who are front-faced, two-legged,
Whose heads can swivel,
Whose joints are flexible.
The eldest son of Ulutuyar Uluu Toyon
The old man Aan Ukhan,
The forefather
Of the kin of Uogan,
Became the spirit of fire in their hearths.
He was named Khatan Temerieh,
His breath was a blue flame,
He had a steel-grey horse,
His character was straight as an arrow,
His beard and hair were frizzled,
His walking stick was thick,
His steel was as big as a haystack
Covered with snow,
His flint was as large as a bull calf.
They say, Jedeh Bakhsila,
The spirit of the dwelling,
And Nadjy Niankha,
The dirty and stinking
Spirit of the cattle-shed,
Were settled together with them.
Since that time
In the inhabited Middle World
Sakha man who was striving
For good luck and happiness
Built his yurt,64
Lit a fire in his hearth.
Then, he welcomed them,
Praising their good names,
Treating them with kumis,
And bowed his head to them.
The old man Ediget Botur,
Whose black face
Was red-tinged,
Whose body
Was strong and stout,
Whose beard
Was like green algae,
With a birch-bark bucket
On his back for fish,
With a landing net in his hand,
Dwelt on salty soil.
His yard was covered with ice,
He was settled
In the inhabited Middle World
To increase the numerous stocks of fish,
With yellow scales, sharp fins,
Never running out
Like the current
Of a powerful river.
Kuragachy Surik, Kuralai Bergen,
Baai Barilakh,
Extremely generous,
Nicknamed Baai Bayanai,65
Was settled in the inhabited Middle World
To breed birds and animals
In countless numbers.
Since that time,
A front-faced man,
A man on two unsteady legs,
Bowing low to him,
Kneeling in front of him, said:
‘My great man!
I am begging to drive
Those who swim in the water,
Those who have sharp teeth,
Straight into my trap,
Let them appear in front of me,
Let me shoot them.’
Mother Khotun Ekhsit Ejen66
Was settled there
To become the spirit of the dwelling,
To protect the posterity of those
Who
