A37C. Arrow hits obstacle. .30.34.

The character aims an arrow into the sky, trying to hit a luminary or deity, but the arrow hits an obstacle that obscures the target.

Turkmens, Transbaikal Buryats, Khalkha Mongols, Inner Mongolia Mongols, Darkhats.

Iran – Central Asia. Turkmen [A certain Namrut-kapir (Enrut-kapir) shoots into the sky to kill God. However, Allah makes it so that the arrow does not hit him, but hits a fish, which he then throws down to the ground. Namrut-kapir, seeing blood on the arrow (or: dripping from the sky), decides that he has killed God. For his impudent act, he is soon punished by Allah]: Basilov 1963: 147; Turkmen [1) Iskander conquers the whole world, wants to subjugate Allah himself, pulls the bowstring, shoots an arrow at God. Allah puts a fish under him, the arrow pierces its throat, which causes it to develop gills. The fish's blood drips onto the ground, Iskander, taking it for the blood of God, leaves, satisfied with his victory. Since then, fish is permitted for consumption; 2) The "infidel" Mokatyl-patysha shoots at Allah. God, in order not to lose his dignity, orders the archangel Jebrail to hold the fish]: Demidov 1963: 127; Turkmen [A certain infidel decides to show people his strength and dexterity. He rubs his palms, makes a pellet from the dirt that has come off them, and supposedly creates a fly out of it. Then he shoots at God. However, God takes pity on him and cuts the fish, causing blood to drip onto the ground. But the Muslims gathered around the infidel do not believe that this is the blood of God, knowing that a fish has been slaughtered]: Demidov 1963: 127-128.

Southern Siberia – Mongolia. Transbaikal Buryats (Selenginsk: Tabanguts) [soon after the creation of the world, a man named Khara-Erkhe-Myrgen appeared on earth, who was a very good shooter; not hunting either animals or birds, he exterminated only evil spirits and sorcerers; shooting an arrow from a bow, he told it who should be killed; the arrow carried out the order exactly and then returned to HEM; Burkhan-Bakshi created three suns in the sky: a large one in the middle, and smaller ones at the edges; seeing that these suns could dry out the whole earth, and that human life on earth would become unbearable from the strong light, God called the shooter and said: “Will you perhaps destroy everything that you have created?”; HEM: “Not only living beings, but even the three visible suns. If I do not destroy them, then, firstly, I will cut off my thumb and toe, secondly, I will turn into a beast such as you have not yet created; six months a year I will live underground, I will not drink water or dew, or even come out of my hole after the rain"; when he was preparing to shoot an arrow, God closed the middle, largest sun from him; when the arrow returned, God opened it; seeing that the arrow destroyed only two suns, and the third remained, and fulfilling the oath, HEM fulfilled the oath; promised that if anyone began to kill him with an arrow, he would turn into a man and harm the people; when they were still hunting for tarbagans with a bow, it happened that a tarbagan wounded by an arrow hid in a hole; the hunters began to dig it out and found a little man with a bow and arrow; from that time on, hunting tarbagans with a bow is strictly prohibited; the front part of the tarbagan is rarely used as food, since it is human flesh]: Smolev 1902a: 101-103; Mongols (Khalkha): Neklyudov et al. 2006, zap. 8.20.2006 (Khudzhirt somon, Uburkhangai aimag) [Born by a man among men, the archer Erkhiy-mergen had strength in his thumb, a gallbladder in his liver, was young and hot, he believed in his strength, so he swore: “If I cannot shoot each of the seven suns with one arrow, I will cut off my thumb, cease to be a man, will not drink clear water, will not eat last year's grass, will live in a small cave where no ray of sun penetrates!” He began to shoot, starting from the east, at the suns lined up from east to west: he destroyed 6 suns, and was just getting ready to shoot the 7th with spells when a swallow flew in front of him and covered {the sun}. He shot and pierced its tail, which is why the swallow's tail is now forked; the last sun got scared and quickly set behind the western mountains]; Potanin 1919b, No. 4.3 [there were three suns; Erhe-mergen made a bet with Burkhan that he would destroy them all by shooting from a bow or cut off his thumb; Burkhan covered one sun, E. cut off his finger and turned into a marmot]: 17; Mongols(Khalkha) [seven suns appeared in the sky, everything was burning, people asked the archer Erkei-Mergen to help; he promised that if he could not hit seven suns with seven arrows, he would cut off his thumbs, stop drinking, and become an animal; he killed 6 suns, when he shot at the seventh, a swallow was just flying by, the arrow hit its tail, now it is forked; the Sun hid behind the Western Mountain; EM raced on his horse Qarčagai-Alag in pursuit of the Swallow; he ordered EM to cut off his legs and throw him in the steppe if he could not catch up with the Swallow before dusk; he did not catch up, EM cut off his legs, the horse became a jerboa, which has front legs shorter than the back; the swallow has since flown over the riders, asking if they will catch up with it; EM became a marmot, comes out of the hole in the morning and in the evening, wanting to kill the sun; when he comes out in the evening, the sun hides in fear behind the Western Mountain, so day and night alternate]: Gadamba, Čerensodnom 1984: 735 in Nassen-Bayer, Stuart 1992: 330; Mongols (Inner Mongolia) [seven suns appeared in the sky, everything is burning, people asked the archer Erkei-Mergen to help; he promises that if he cannot hit the seven suns with seven arrows, he will cut off his thumbs, stop drinking, and become an animal; he killed 6 suns, when he shot at the seventh, a swallow was flying by, the arrow hit its tail, now it is forked; the Sun hid behind the Western Mountain; EM rushed off on his horse Qarčagai-Alag in pursuit of the Swallow; he ordered EM to cut off his legs and throw him into the steppe if he could not catch up with the Swallow before dusk; he did not catch up, EM cut off his legs, the horse became a jerboa, whose front legs are shorter than the back ones; the swallow since then flies over the riders, asking if they will catch up with her; EM became a marmot, comes out of the hole in the morning and in the evening, wanting to kill the sun; when he comes out in the evening, the sun hides in fright behind the Western Mountain, therefore day and night alternate]: Gadamba, Čerensodnom 1984: 735 in Nassen-Bayer, Stuart 1992: 330; darhaty (Khudzhirt soum, Uburkhangai aimag) [Born by a man from men, the shooter Erhiy-mergen had strength in his thumb, a gallbladder in his liver, he was young and hot, he believed in his strength, so he swore: "If I cannot shoot each of the seven suns with one arrow, I will cut off my thumb, stop being a man, I will not drink clear water, I will not eat last year's grass, I will live in a small cave where no ray of sun penetrates!" He began to shoot, starting from the east, at the suns lined up in a row from east to west: he destroyed 6 suns, he was just getting ready to shoot at the 7th with spells, when a swallow flew in front of him and covered {the sun}. He shot and pierced its tail, so the swallow's tail is now forked; the last sun got scared and quickly set behind the western mountains]: Mongolian expedition of the Russian State University for the Humanities, zap. 8.20.2006.