Chechen myth (translated from Chechen Tales collected and edited by Zulai Hamidova)
Chechen and Russian texts
This myth was written down in 1937 in Itum-Kale by Ahmad Suleimanov from Sulim Murtazaliyev.
May God do good to you, may you live long with good, may evil not come to you, may good come to you! I will tell you a tale, I will tell you a wonder. Make your ears attentive like ears of a deer, make your eyes attentive like eyes of a wolf!It was a long time ago, when those icy mountains were higher than they are now, when there was no show and ice in their summits, but instead there were various flowers, good smelling grasses, when in the deep gorges and on the mountain slopes, there were snow and ice that never melted.
I will tell you since what time there is snow in that summit of Bashlam, I will tell you since what time in the fields and in mountain slopes, there are pleasant smelling grasses and various flowers.
In those times, our ancestors Nart-Orstkhos lived in deep gorges, high towers, and caves. They were very tall, like these mountains. Their horses also were large. Nart-Orstkhos were strong like bears, courageous like wolves, agile like tigers, and cunning like foxes. They could easily tear pieces from mountain rocks and throw them, they could make heavens tremble with their voices, but they still were powerless because they did not have fire.
However, mighty Sela (god of fire) was merciless and ruthless. He was the owner of the heavens and fire was his property. Why power is needed if it is useless for people? What is the use of power if people suffer because of it?
In order to demonstrate his power to Nart-Orstkhos, Sela would sit in fire chariots and drove above the heavens, making terrible noise as if the heaven was crushed and broken in pieces.
Wow! How he surprised people!
Wow! How he terrified the earth!
Sela's heavenly dwelling place was always covered with black clouds. Sela filled clouds with rain and sent them to the earth. Rain like hail and ice fell on the earth, causing people even more sorrow and calamity. He shoot lightnings on the earth, using a bow made of rainbow and fire. Sela had authority over both good and evil.
Sela was generous to give evil, but mean to give good.
People could hardly get good from him, but Sela himself gave evil.
There was eternal enmity between the heavens and the earth!
There was eternal fight between Sela and people!
The more Nart-Orstkhos were upset by sorrow and calamity, the more Sela was happy. The more Sela was happy, the more upset was Sata, Sela's beloved one and mother of Nart-Orstkhos. Sata very much wanted to help Nart-Orstkhos, but was afraid of Sela.
At that time, in the mountains, there lived a mighty Nart Pkharmat. Pkharmat was a very skillful blacksmith. He made swords, shields, and chain-mail shirts of cold bronze for Narts, asking only for a good word. Good word is very valuable in the mountains. Be happy! Be lucky! Be victorious! Be free! Pkharmat was a modest, generous, and strong Nart. He spoke little, but thought a lot. He thought how to help people, how to get fire. Sela did not give it. Since Pkharmat was born, he accumulated all the good human attributes: strength, dexterity, keen mind, knack, and patience.
His horse Turpal walked around freely in the mountains. "Horse becomes stronger when horse-man rides him, and man becomes stronger in labor and fight! Then, why does your Turpal always walk freely?" asked Narts. Pkharmat replied: "My horse is strong enough. There will be time when he takes a smoldering log from heavenly hearth!" Nart-Orstkhos sincerely laughed at Pkharmat's words. But Pkharmat thought how to help people.
Pkharmat called his Turpal. At of this cry, Argun's gorge thundered, mountains trembles, and mighty Sela woke up and turned to another side.
Turpal that was grazing far away in the mountains heard his master's call and neighed in reply. It cause waves of Argun to hide themselves in mountains and waters of Argun to pour out of their marble riverbanks. Animals in the mountains were frightened and stood still. Turpal came to his master with a speed of a lightning.
Pkharmat took a mace into his hands, attached a shield of bison leather to his elbow, hanged a bow on his neck, attached quiver filled with arrows at his side, put on a chain-mail shirts, attached a sword to his belt, and took a spear into his hand. He saddled his horse Turpal, drank a full horn of mountain goal filled with yay (Chechen national beer), saying: "Let a foot be stable as in tar, let a hand be stable as in dough." He sat on the horse and went to the place where nobody had gone and from where nobody had come back.
Nart-Orstkhos scattered millet on the road where Pkharmat was going to go in order that he would be lucky and they put a vessel filled with millet so that he would go light and empty and come back heavy and full! Pkharmat was riding for a long time. He was on the way seven days and seven nights. He passed through seven mountains and seven gorges. Eventually, he came to the foot of that highest mountain Bashlam that reaches the heavens where Sela lives. Pkharmat took a long and hard way, climbing to the top of the mountain. His way was through is hard slopes. On the top of the mountain, there were pleasantly smelling herbs, various flowers, and beautifully singing birds.
From time to time, sun-like Sata, Sela-Sata, Sela's beloved one and Nart-Orstkhos' mother came to the top of the mountain to rest. She took an image of a bird and came to Pkharmat. She spoke, using human language:
"Hey, mighty Nart, you came to the top of Bashlam with some purpose."
"This is right, generous bird, I came to the top of Bashlam with some purpose. I came to take smoldering log from the heavenly hearth and will not come back without it," - Pkharmat replied.
"The one who has a good intention will be lucky. I will help you. Is your horse swift?" - Sela-Sata asked.
"My horse is more swift than wind."
"Is your horse strong?"
"My horse is strong. Where it hits with its hoof, this place becomes a fountain."
"Are you strong yourself?"
"In my hands, cold bronze becomes softer than tar and wax," - Pkharmat replied to Sela-Sata.
Sela-Sata told Pkharmat how and in what way it is possible to come to Sela's hearth and how to take a smoldering log from it.
"Sela is sleeping now. Let your horse, running like a wind, jump over the hearth. At that time, bend down, take a smoldering log, and drive your horse to the top of Bashlam. Be careful! Sela is terrible and cruel! If he wakes up, you will not be able to come back alive and bring fire."
Pkharmat did as Sata advised him.
Pkharmat's horse swiftly jumped over Sela's hearth. At that moment, Pkharmat bent down, took a smoldering log from the hearth, and went to the top of Bashlam. Due to horse Turpal's swiftness, a fire tail followed Pkharmat. Sela woke up because some sparks got into his nostrils.
He saw a brave Nart bringing fire from heavens to the earth for people.
Sela got very frightened because he knew that if people got fire, they would become strong and brave and would try to rebel against him.
He started a terrible pursuit of a brave Nart.
Sela untied a sack with dark night. It became so dark that Pkharmat did not see his fingers and ears of his horse. Both Nart and his horse could not see anything. They could easily fall into precipice. However, wonderful bird Sela-Sata flied in front of them and showed them the way by her wonderful singing. Sela saw that dark night was unable to stop Pkharmat and his horse. So, he untied another sack with a terrible storm. Terrible storm and dark night were going to destroy brave Nart and his horse. However, the wonderful bird showed them the way by her beautiful singing.
The brave Nart saw that the storm was going to put out his smoldering log. Without hesitations, he hid the fire in his bosom. Due to strong wind, Argun's waters came out of their course. Large oaks were take out of the ground with their roots and were tossed in the sky like straw.
Sela saw that dark night and terrible storm could not stop Nart and his horse and that he was not damaged be his heavenly pursuit. So, Sela untied his third sack with coldest frost. The coldest frost caused rocks to crack, making terrible noise, and mountains to become smaller. However, fearless Nart Pkharmat and his horse Turpal moved on.
Sela was very frightened. He saw that the brave Nart and his horse were near the foot of Bashlam and that they were going to hide themselves in a cave. He took his bow made of fire and light and began to shoot lightnings toward Nart. The lightnings caused the mountains to tremble, frozen fountains to melt, and the waves of Argun to go to mountain slopes. High mountains trembled as if they were alive.
The strongest frost, the terrible storm, the dark night, and the lightnings could not stop or lead astray fearless Nart Pkharmat and his horse Turpal.
They entered the cave where Narts were waiting for them.
"Take it! Here is fire for you!" - Pkharmat said to amazed Nart-Orstkhos. "In every tower, in every cave, in every house, light fire! Let there be much fire, warm, and light in every home! Let there be happiness with you!"
At that time, there was a terrible noise. The heaven proclaimed eternal enmity toward the earth. In turn, people proclaimed about their eternal fight toward heaven.
"Be happy!" - the fearless Nart said again.
At that time, there was a terrible noise in the mountains because of heavenly thunder and lightnings.
"People, be happy! I have to undergo eternal torment! I will undergo torment in order to deliver you from Sela's anger! Do not be upset about me!"
Leaving the cave, the fearless Nart Pkharmat went to the mountain Bashlam through lightnings, cold, dark night, and storm. Above his head, there were lightnings, storm tossed him around, his arms and legs got stiff because of cold, dark night surrounded him. It was because Sela, being angry, expressed his malice.
Seeing the brave Nart Pkharmat who was going to the dome of heaven, to the top of Bashlam, Sela slowly put the storm, cold, and night into his sacks. Gradually, snow and ice were moving higher from the valleys, gorges, and mountain slopes to the top of Bashlam, following Pkharmat.
The summit of Bashlam got covered with snow and ice. It put a white, snowy cap on its head forever.
Sela shouted: "Let you eternally long for the fire that you brought out from the heavens. Let you eternally long for warm!"
Sela sent his faithful servant one-eyed Uzhu with bronze chains to Pkharmat.
One-eyed Uzhu tied Pkharmat to the icy summit of Bashlam with bronze chains. Sela cursed him. Since then, everything good is cursed by god, and everything cursed by god is approved by people! There is an eternal enmity between the heavens and the earth! There is eternal fight between people and Sela!
Every morning, the queen of all the birds Ida comes to the tied Pkharmat.
She sits on his knees and every time asks the same question:
"Hey, miserable Pkharmat! Hey, pitiful Pkharmat! Do you repent for what you did? If you repent, I will not touch you. If you do not repent, I will peck your liver!"
In spite of the terrible torment that he is going to undergo, Pkharmat always gives the same answer:
"No, no! I did not repent. I gave warm and light to people! I should not repent of a good action that I did."
Ida sharpens her steel beak with a rock and pecks Pkharmat's liver.
Nart Pkharmat does not utter a sound. His eyes never becomes wet. He undergoes this great torment and pain with a great courage and patience. Since this time, as Wainakhs [Chechens and Ingushs] say, Nart-Orstkho men never cry! Since this time, there is snow on the summit of Bashlam. Sela gathered all the snow and ice from valleys, gorges, and mountain slopes to the summit of Bashlam where Pkharmt is tied in order to increase his desire for warm and fire.
Since this time, it is warm in valleys, gorges, and mountain slopes. This warm is from the fire brought by Pkharmat from the heavens. Since this time, at the foot of the mountain and in valleys, there are pleasant smelling herbs and various flowers. Beautiful, wonderful birds live there. However, at the summit of Bashlam, there is cold, eternal storm, and never melting hard ice. Pkharmat is tied there. He will be in eternal torment. However, he will never die. He will live forever!
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