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The Star of the Winds
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An Ingush legend collected by Tchakh Akhriev and published in his Ingushi (ikh predaniia, verovaniia i poveriia) [“The Ingush: Their Traditions, Religious Beliefs, and Customs”] in volume VIII of Sbornik svedenii o Kavkazskikh gortsakh [“Collected Materials on the Caucasian Mountain Peoples”], Tiflis 1875; reproduced in Mariel Tsaroieva’s Anciennes Croyances des Ingouches et des Tchetchenes [“Ancient Beliefs of the Ingush and the Chechens”], Paris 2005.
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High up in the mountains, there stand the ruins of an aul [village], which went by the name of Magal. This aul is situated on the steep slopes of the Black Mountains, in the Shu’an Gorge. A very long time ago, when this village was capable of sheltering 60 horsemen, there lived in this aul a very wise man, called Magal. He had a wonderful sacred book, the source of his wisdom and knowledge; this book is still in the temple called Maga-erda, which stands among the ruins of the aul.
Magal, the very wise sage after whom the village is named, had a very precious and wonderful “Star of the Winds”. The Star was kept at the very bottom of a strong-box [safe] which no tool could break open, and was placed beneath many other objects, whose importance and preciousness indicated the degree to which all other men venerated and coveted this treasure.
A wonderful white snake also dwelled in Magal’s house; it could speak, and for its intelligence and kindness the snake was considered as a member of the family.
One day, having prepared all the necessary belongings and having armed himself with his best weapons, wise Magal left for “the Georgian side” [i.e. South of the Greater Caucasus range], far away behind the snow-capped mountains.
During his journey, he went to spend the night in the aul of Zator. Following mountaineer custom, his host killed a sheep, and began to tend to his guest’s needs. But while he was eating, Magal noticed that the beard of a billy-goat lying close to the konak [guest house] began to move. This struck Magal as significant, because in those days winds did not exist in the mountains. Despite his great hunger, Magal stopped eating, and began to wonder what was causing this strange phenomenon.
Suddenly, he remembered his Star of the Winds, which he had left in his strong-box. Since he had left the key to his box with his wife, it struck him that perhaps some calamity had arisen in his home, involving his box. This idea took such a hold of Magal that he immediately began to ride home, without finishing his meal.
In the meantime, during his absence, a serious accident had befallen his family. One of Magal’s little sons liked to play with the white snake. In his father’s absence, while he was playing with the snake, the boy cut off the end of its tail. The serpent was frightfully angry, and threw itself onto the boy and bit him; the child died shortly afterwards. The unfortunate mother, having come running at the cry of her child and having seen his lifeless little body, completely lost her mind with grief, and began running around the room. At this moment, while she was desperately searching for bandages with which to tend to her son’s wound, Magal’s wife opened the strong-box, and began to rummage around inside.
As soon as she removed the precious objects which covered it, the Star of the Winds escaped, and flew away up into the sky.
Having reached his home, Magal was distraught by what had happened to his son, and even more so by the loss of the Star.
Knowing that the white snake was the guardian of many magical secrets, Magal began to call the serpent, begging it to come out of its hole, promising to replace the end of its tail with one made of gold and silver, and asking the snake to help him replace the Star of the Winds back into the strong-box where it belonged.
After having listened to many such pleas, the snake finally emerged from its hole, and moved closer to Magal. The serpent had been persuaded, and wanted to address Magal, but upon glimpsing the severed end of his tail, he changed his mind, and said to Magal:
“No, Magal! I will never forget my severed tail, even if it were replaced with one of gold, just as you will never forget your son, and – sooner or later – you will kill me. That is why there will no longer be peace or understanding between us!”
Having said this, the serpent went back into his hole; but it is said that when the snake had emerged to speak with Magal, the Star of the Winds dropped down from the sky and hovered above Magal’s house, where one could have caught it from the roof; but when the serpent returned to his hole, the Star of the Winds rose up into the sky once again, so high that one could almost no longer see it.
In those days of old, Mikha-nana the Goddess of the Winds was locked up in a cave with no opening, not even a tiny hole. It is said that when the Star of the Winds escaped from Magal’s strong-box, it opened up the cave and set Mikha-nana free. Since then, strong winds have blown in the mountains almost daily, damaging crops and otherwise making people’s lives difficult; but he who can catch the Star of the Winds will control Mikha-nana, and can imprison her once again…
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High up in the mountains, there stand the ruins of an aul [village], which went by the name of Magal. This aul is situated on the steep slopes of the Black Mountains, in the Shu’an Gorge. A very long time ago, when this village was capable of sheltering 60 horsemen, there lived in this aul a very wise man, called Magal. He had a wonderful sacred book, the source of his wisdom and knowledge; this book is still in the temple called Maga-erda, which stands among the ruins of the aul.
Magal, the very wise sage after whom the village is named, had a very precious and wonderful “Star of the Winds”. The Star was kept at the very bottom of a strong-box [safe] which no tool could break open, and was placed beneath many other objects, whose importance and preciousness indicated the degree to which all other men venerated and coveted this treasure.
A wonderful white snake also dwelled in Magal’s house; it could speak, and for its intelligence and kindness the snake was considered as a member of the family.
One day, having prepared all the necessary belongings and having armed himself with his best weapons, wise Magal left for “the Georgian side” [i.e. South of the Greater Caucasus range], far away behind the snow-capped mountains.
During his journey, he went to spend the night in the aul of Zator. Following mountaineer custom, his host killed a sheep, and began to tend to his guest’s needs. But while he was eating, Magal noticed that the beard of a billy-goat lying close to the konak [guest house] began to move. This struck Magal as significant, because in those days winds did not exist in the mountains. Despite his great hunger, Magal stopped eating, and began to wonder what was causing this strange phenomenon.
Suddenly, he remembered his Star of the Winds, which he had left in his strong-box. Since he had left the key to his box with his wife, it struck him that perhaps some calamity had arisen in his home, involving his box. This idea took such a hold of Magal that he immediately began to ride home, without finishing his meal.
In the meantime, during his absence, a serious accident had befallen his family. One of Magal’s little sons liked to play with the white snake. In his father’s absence, while he was playing with the snake, the boy cut off the end of its tail. The serpent was frightfully angry, and threw itself onto the boy and bit him; the child died shortly afterwards. The unfortunate mother, having come running at the cry of her child and having seen his lifeless little body, completely lost her mind with grief, and began running around the room. At this moment, while she was desperately searching for bandages with which to tend to her son’s wound, Magal’s wife opened the strong-box, and began to rummage around inside.
As soon as she removed the precious objects which covered it, the Star of the Winds escaped, and flew away up into the sky.
Having reached his home, Magal was distraught by what had happened to his son, and even more so by the loss of the Star.
Knowing that the white snake was the guardian of many magical secrets, Magal began to call the serpent, begging it to come out of its hole, promising to replace the end of its tail with one made of gold and silver, and asking the snake to help him replace the Star of the Winds back into the strong-box where it belonged.
After having listened to many such pleas, the snake finally emerged from its hole, and moved closer to Magal. The serpent had been persuaded, and wanted to address Magal, but upon glimpsing the severed end of his tail, he changed his mind, and said to Magal:
“No, Magal! I will never forget my severed tail, even if it were replaced with one of gold, just as you will never forget your son, and – sooner or later – you will kill me. That is why there will no longer be peace or understanding between us!”
Having said this, the serpent went back into his hole; but it is said that when the snake had emerged to speak with Magal, the Star of the Winds dropped down from the sky and hovered above Magal’s house, where one could have caught it from the roof; but when the serpent returned to his hole, the Star of the Winds rose up into the sky once again, so high that one could almost no longer see it.
In those days of old, Mikha-nana the Goddess of the Winds was locked up in a cave with no opening, not even a tiny hole. It is said that when the Star of the Winds escaped from Magal’s strong-box, it opened up the cave and set Mikha-nana free. Since then, strong winds have blown in the mountains almost daily, damaging crops and otherwise making people’s lives difficult; but he who can catch the Star of the Winds will control Mikha-nana, and can imprison her once again…
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