A2c2. Extra moons. .21.-.23.26.48.

The catastrophe threatening the Earth is connected with the appearance of not only several suns, but also several moons.

Tibetans (Amdo), Black Tai (Laos), Bulang, Chamy, Nepali, Baiga, Kondy, Miao, Meo, Lolo, Lisu, Shasta.

Tibet – North-East of India. Tibetans (Amdo) [when the time of the end of the earth comes, 6 suns will appear, which will burn everything on the earth; then 12 moons, which will send rains; the rains will wash away and level everything; sinners will burn, the souls of the righteous will be taken to the kingdom of the tengirs]: Bennigsen 1912: 12-13.

Burma – Indochina. Black Thay of Laos [the vá tree covered the whole world, and the háy tree covered the whole earth; the seven sons of Kap and Ke (a brother and sister saved from the flood) cut down the trees, 9 moons (“mothers of heat”) and 8 suns shone in the sky; the water dried up, the turtles’ shells cracked; the coot and the turtle dove flew to the sky, asked the god Po Then for help, ordered the hen to peck 8 suns and 7 moons, but she could not; only the drake could, since the suns and moons had to be reached by swimming; after this the 7 brothers and their parents settled in Luang Prabang]: Bourlet 1907: 924-925 (retold in Chesnov 1980a: 622, in Kühn 1936: 78); bulang (blang, southern Yunnan) [at first only sky and clouds, among them runs a rhinoceros-like li; Gumiya made the sky from his skin, the stars from his eyes, the earth from his flesh, water from his blood, all kinds of plants from his wool, people from his brain, animals, birds, insects, etc. from their bone marrow; he made the four legs into four pillars of the sky; he placed the earth on a turtle; as soon as the turtle tries to move, Gumiya's rooster pecks it in the eye; if it falls asleep, the turtle moves, shaking the earth; then people sprinkle rice on the earth to wake up the rooster; 9 sisters-suns and 8 brothers-months decided to destroy G.'s creation; there is unbearable heat on earth; at this time, crabs lost their heads, fish - their tongues, snakes - their legs, frogs - their tails; before leaving the shelter, G. greased his straw hat with wax, but the wax melted and flowed into his eyes; G. made a bow from a tree with green bark, a bowstring from wild rattan, arrows from bamboo, moistened the tips with poison from the pond in which the dragon swam; he climbed to the top of the mountain over hot stones, struck 8 suns and 7 months with arrows; their blood gushed out to the ground, cooling it; the remaining Sun and Moon fled; tired G. released the 18th arrow, it hit the Moon, it remained alive, but lost its heat; it became dark and cold, people plowed, tying lanterns to the horns of oxen, the rivers stopped; G. sent a swallow to look for the sun; when she returned, she said that the Sun and the Moon were hiding in a cave in the east; G. sent all the animals and birds to ask them to return; he himself did not go, because those who were hiding were afraid of him; two partridges did not go - with a black and a white crest; the first one smeared her rump red - supposedly, she has diarrhea; the second one smeared her head white - she is in mourning for her parents; everyone despised them; in front is a swallow, behind it are fireflies; at the head of the birds is a rooster, of the animals - a boar; in the cave, the spouses Sun and Moon are hungry, but are afraid to come out; the rooster called them, the others promised that G. would not shoot at them; the rooster: from now on, come out after I sing; cut the knot, threw half to the Sun and the Moon, made a comb for himself from the other (a cut knot is a sign of concluding an agreement); G.'s daughter Gumishafema feeds the Sun with golden juice three times a day, and the Moon with silver; in the morning she is a young girl, in the afternoon - a young wife, in the evening - an old woman; the Sun and the Moon were allowed to return to the cave at the end of each month to unite (at this time the moon is not visible); The Sun is a shy wife, the Moon gave her needles-rays to prick the eyes of those who cast immodest glances at her; the entrance to the cave was blocked by a stone, only a boar managed to push it aside; all is well]: Miller 1994: 88-93; tyamy[there were 12 suns and 12 moons, the sky was low and the earth was thin; the goddess Atmyhekat tried to create living creatures, but it was too hot; then Saint Nymaysibaytyadong (apparently Shiva, Cham. Siva) shot down all the suns with his bow, the world became dark; Avlahuk (or simply Ku, i.e. Allah), born from the dark chaos, was able to make the world brighter after 60 years; A. created Mohammat, who gave birth to Jebrail, the son of D. Ibrahim began to rule the world; Adam and Eve were cast down to earth; gave birth to children, starting the human race; when the ancestors died, everything disappeared, only the tall Mosi tree remained; A. was reborn from it, created animals, demons and people; sent the eldest daughter Po Nagar to rule the earthly world; PN arranged the cosmos in accordance with her body; the sun and the moon are her eyes, Venus is her heart, the Big Dipper is her legs, etc.; she created the grains of the human soul, taught people to cultivate the land; Yamy, one of her assistants, taught them to grow rice, make medicine, and make fire; in Mecca he married a fairy, their 50 sons went up into the mountains, 50 daughters began to live on the plain; by order of her father, PN returned to heaven]: Atgashev 2001: 106-107.

South Asia. Nepali : Maskarinec 1998: 24–46 [Mahadev decides to place a man on earth to rule over it; he is old Andhāserā; he cries because it is always dark; his relatives join him, and the same thing happens to them; then a young married woman, Candra, comes to M. asking for 9 moons, 9 suns as dowry; M. finally gives them to her; the earth burns, the rivers dry up; M. tells Candra to commit 8 unacceptable acts one after another; after each, 1 sun and 1 moon go out (speaking insultingly to elders, refusing to give lodging to a late guest, hitting a dog sitting in the doorway with a stick; going out into the yard with bare hair; combing one's hair back, etc.); the river Satiavatī begins to flow again; barren cows and lame oxen must be sacrificed], 78-84 [Mahaleva's married daughter Sita comes to him from the earth weeping; it is dark there; he gives her 9 moons and 9 suns as a dowry; she stumbles, the luminaries hide in bamboo stalks; S. comes again, receives the luminaries; there are too many suns, the earth burns, S. comes to her father again; he makes it so that 1 sun and 1 moon remain]; kondy (Kuttia) [Kapantali threw a mirror into the sky, turning it into 7 suns and 7 moons; the world caught fire; Nirantali caught 6 moons, hid them in her hair; told the Suns that she had eaten 6 Moons, they allowed her to eat 6 of them; she buried the 6 moons; one Sun and one Moon remained]: Elwin 1954, no. 21: 47-48; baigue [the Sun had 11 brothers, the Moon 11 sisters; the brothers could not marry them, so the Sun offered to eat them; the Moon ate the sisters, and the Sun hid the brothers in its cheeks; the Moon could not regurgitate the sisters, but spat them out, the drops of her saliva turned into stars; now the Moon works constantly, only one day each month does she menstruate; each of the Sun brothers works one month a year; if they had gone out together, the world would have burned up; all together they are married to one Moon]: Elwin 1939: 332.

China - Korea. Miao: Hatt 1949 [(after Erkes in T'oung Pao XXV: 97-98); The Lord of Heaven first created 10 female suns and 9 male months; people shot down 9 suns and 8 months]: 77; Graham 1954 [the sky god Gulo took out a piece of iron, struck out a multitude of sparks from it, which became female suns; the earth god Gulong took out a piece of copper, struck out a multitude of sparks from it, which became male months; the sky dried up, the earth turned to dust; Gulong asked Ndeo Mba for help; he found a single fig tree growing in the middle of the sea, made a crossbow out of it; Yang Ya struck the luminaries out of it; one sun and one month remained, they hid; did not come out at the call of the tiger, the cows, came out at the crow of the rooster; Gulo rewarded him by placing the comb on his head with the teeth facing upward]: 172-173 (retold in Ho 1967, no. 10: 216-217); Bender et al. 2006 (Guizhou) [Yang Yu measured out 6 feet to the east and 6 feet to the west and ordered suns and moons to be made to hang in the sky; his steps were his ruler; the bellows for blowing the fire were the valley, the wind blew from the sky, the mountain range was the plunger, the high mountain was the handle, the boulder was the hammer; the pincers were made like a crayfish claw; when the Earth Spirit saw the finished suns and moons, he was frightened; what was left was used to make a comb for the Chicken King; each of the months took a sun and a moon; their skins fell to the ground, becoming snow, ice and hail, Bong Yong placed them in the sky, then he also placed the suns and moons there; the fallen pieces of gold became fireflies; from the remains of the gold, Grandfather Xong made stars, and when he died, his breath became a silver river - the Milky Way; (the constellations made from different objects that were used during the manufacture of suns and moons are listed, but not identified); the suns and moons were carried to the sky by Bong Yong, but he burned himself and dropped them, they split, they were repaired with the Juice of Immortality; Bong Yong did not want to take on this matter anymore, so the Earth God tied them to the neck of the river and only then put the suns and moons on his shoulders; however, he slipped, the suns and moons fell into a dirty pond; Xang Ong and Vi Hxe washed them, but the Earth God refused to carry them again; Niu Xang dragged them on wheels, and the Thunder God lowered a rope and lifted the suns and moons into the sky; Grandmother Yu attached the suns and moons to the sky; then she pierced holes in the sky with a needle and placed a star in each; she harnessed a cow and plowed the sky so that it would be level and nothing would interfere with the movement of the suns and moons; the suns were ordered to come out one by one, but they did not hear and began to come out all at once; the rocks melt, the earth is like vegetable soup on the fire; Hsang Sa wanted to kill the grandfathers for this, but they replied that it was not their fault that the suns were deaf; then HS went to shoot the suns; two young men clearing the land for a field found an arrow with an iron tip and gave it to him; HS tried to shoot from a boat - it swayed; from the top of a mountain - he could not keep his balance; then he climbed a mulberry tree that grew halfway up the sky, shot 11 suns and 11 moons; the last Sun and Moon hid in Du Li's house; only when the rooster crowed did the Sun dare to come out,the rooster was awarded a golden cap; the Heavenly Dog licked the wounds of the Sun and the Moon; they promised him grain for this, but did not give it; therefore, in good years, the Heavenly Dog eats grain, and in lean years, the Sun and the Moon; the Heavenly Dog was born by Silver Mold Bottom, he has two rows of teeth; having gone out to shoot the suns, HS returned home almost 12 years later; his son was the same age, he saw him hunting; the son asked where on the goose he should hit; HS said that he hit the eye and the pupil of the eye; HS shot the boy, saying that there was no place for both of them (on earth); HS, his son and wife turned into stars: the son goes out at twilight, the mother - after dark, the father - before dawn]: 49-70; Kühn 1936 [(Savina, Histoire des Miao, p. 243-244); God created 10 suns and 9 moons; they shone together for 7 years, the earth dried up; people made a bow from the trunk of a giant tree that grew from the primordial waters, struck 9 suns and 8 bows; the last sun and moon were saved]: 77;meo : Karpov, Tkachev 1958 (North Vietnam) [Thi Liau created heaven and earth, lit 10 young men-Suns, 9 young women-Moons; to reduce the heat, people hit 9 Suns and 8 Moons with arrows; the remaining Sun and Moon hid, it became dark and cold; the Tiger could not persuade them to return, the Rooster persuaded them for 7 years, received a red comb as a reward from TL]: 254-257; Nikulin 1982e (Vietnam) [Ndo Ti Yu created heaven and earth, 10 Suns (female), 9 Months (male), myriads of stars; the Suns, Moons and stars were intended to dry and illuminate the earth; there was no night for 7 years; the earth dried up, NT created trees and grasses, animals, molded man, breathed a soul into his belly, granted him language and breath; people became hot, they made a bow from huge trees, shot down extra suns and moons; after the flood, a brother and sister who were saved in a wooden drum, by order of NT got married, continued the human race; the Meo went north, where there is ice and night for 6 months, later gradually returned]: 206; Symonds 2004 (NW Thailand) [Saub created the sky, the earth, 30 female Suns and 30 male Months; 29 Suns and 29 Months were killed from a copper peacock bow, the rest hid, 7 years of darkness; the Sun and Moon do not respond to the calls of the bull, horse, Nkauj Mok and Nkauj Mim; the rooster crows three times, the Sun and Moon come out]: 215-218; lolo : Graham 1961 [there were 9 suns and 9 moons, the earth was burning with heat; the eagle's miraculously born son struck 8 suns and 8 moons with arrows, the last sun and moon hid, the earth was plunged into darkness; later they were persuaded to return; the same hero tamed the Thunder God]: 84; Ho 1967, no. 10 [there were seven suns, six moons, birds and animals prospered; Shigar lived with two wives on an island in the eastern sea; flew on a winged horse to see if all was well in the world; Lark said that the Boa Constrictor on the Eastern Mountain was growing stronger in the rays of the seven suns, six moons; demands that a bird be brought to him every day; today is Partridge's turn; Sh. shot six suns with a bow, the seventh asked not to kill him, lest cold and darkness come; the birds began to sing joyfully]: 216; fox: Dessaint, Ngwâma 1994 [there were 7 suns (women) and 9 months (men); during the day all the suns gathered for a festival, and at night all the months; life on earth was in danger; after 7 years a dragon emerged from the lake to see how things were going on earth; he shot 6 suns, and the seventh managed to hide; at night he shot 8 months, and the ninth managed to hide; it became dark and cold, after a year the animals gathered for a council; they decided to have a cow call the luminaries, but from her mooing they only hid in fear behind the mountain; after 4 years the animals gathered again; they chose a tiger, from his roar the luminaries hid again; after 7 years they chose a rooster; from his first cry the moon stirred, after the second it came out; after the third the sun stirred, after the fourth it came out; the moon awarded the rooster with spurs, the sun with a comb]: 154-156; Miller 1994, #3 [a brother and sister are orphans; two birds told them there would be a flood; they told them to get into a pumpkin and come out when they heard their voices; the brother and sister tried to warn people, but they were not believed; the sun hung over the earth for 99 days, there was no rain, the earth began to burn, the leaves fell; then a thunderstorm began, a flood flooded the earth; when the waters receded, the pumpkin found itself on a mountain; hearing the voices of the birds, the brother and sister came out; after the flood, 9 suns began to burn the earth, and 7 moons began to freeze it at night; the birds told the brother and sister that a 9-horned dragon lived in the lake under the rock; if they got his golden bow and silver arrows, the extra suns and moons could be destroyed; the birds gave them a hammer to break the rock, silver pincers to grab the fish that the dragon would send; He sends out three fish in succession, the brother and sister throw them ashore; seizing the dragon by the nose with pincers, they forced him to give up his bow and arrows; from the top of the mountain they shot down 8 suns and 6 moons; the brother and sister each went to look for people, but found no one; the birds told them to get married; they agreed after the thrown turtle shells lay one upside down, the other up, the two halves of the millstone thrown down from the mountain lay on top of each other, and the brother's arrow hit the eye of the sister's needle; and so three times; they gave birth to 6 sons and 6 daughters; the couple who remained in place became the ancestors of the Lisu, and the other 5 became the ancestors of the Han, Tibetans, Bai, Well, and Keqin]: 78-84.

California. Shasta [Old Mole digs, the earth he throws up forms our world; the Great Man made men; they were cold; Coyote went east, brought a tinderbox, gave it to the men; the Sun had nine brothers, as hot as he, the Moon had nine as cold, icy; it was terribly hot in the daytime, cold at night; Coyote killed the brothers Sun and Moon with his flint knife; rain is the tears of a man weeping in the sky; one day a young Indian died, everyone wept so much for him that the earth was flooded; only one pair of people were saved]: Powell 1877: 250-251 (=Judson 1994; paraphrased in Hatt 1949: 77): 27-28).