Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalog

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnic groups and areas
Original text
Rate this translation
Your feedback will be used to help improve Google Translate

H43ab. Spat upon mortal. .21.34.35.

Man is mortal because he was spat upon when he was created.

Limbu, Mongols, Ilimpi and Western Evenks.

Tibet - Northeast India. Limbu (Kirati) [at first the gods created man from precious metals, but he did not respond to their call; then they mixed yellowish earth, the droppings of several species of birds and the ashes of bamboo, which grows high on the mountains, with water and molded a figure; the man came to life and began to respond; they were indignant and cursed him; they accidentally spat on him, after which the man died; therefore people are mortal; the wind blew on the first woman and she conceived, gave birth to a son Susuwoengba Lalawoengba; he became a good hunter, he has 4 wives; his mother told him not to go north (i.e. towards Tibet) and south (towards India), because there were girls there who could harm him; S. went there, met a girl, she bore him a son; then S. went towards the southern sea, where another girl bore him a daughter; the children were named Sutchhoro Suhampheba and Tetlara Lahadongna. TL and SS began to live together and had seventeen children; the supreme god sifted them through a sieve; those who fell to the ground belonged to the mother, and those who ended up in the sieve belonged to the father's group; they remained on top and were considered deities; upon learning of the evil nature of their relationship, TL and SS decided to separate with their children, or a dog complained about them]: Tumbahang 2013: 80-81, 90-91, 97-98, 337; retelling based on other sources in Streltsova 2019.

Southern Siberia - Mongolia. Mongols (Inner Mongolia) [God came down to earth, made a man and a woman out of clay; their figures were covered with hair; went to heaven for sacred water to revive the figures, leaving a dog and a cat to guard; the devil gave the cat milk, the dog meat, they let him pass, he urinated on the figures ; God returned, told the Cat to lick the figures; the hair came off and God covered the Dog's skin with it, it became covered with hair; man's hair remained on his head (the devil's urine did not stain this part), in the groin and under the arms (the cat did not reach there) ; therefore the cat's mouth and the dog's hair are filthy; if people were revived by the water brought by God, they would be immortal]: Nassen-Bayer, Stuart 1992: 324-325.

Eastern Siberia. Ilimpiysky Evenks (Chirinda, 2007) [Long ago, a dog could speak like a human; God made men and women from clay, sprinkled them with special water - they came to life; one day he went to fetch water, ordered the dog to guard people; the dog told the evil spirit (khargi) everything, who spat on the people's faces ; upon learning this, God became angry with the dog, said that from now on it would eat scraps and become mute; if the evil spirit had not spat on people, they would not die]: Duvakin 2013 (the same, but in more detail Mamontova 2023, no. 7: 78-87); Ilimpiysky Evenks (Turinsk) [the hazel grouse was a giant; Khevek made people; the hazel grouse flew up, frightening Kh.; at that time he was making a man; out of fright he dropped the image to the ground; When the statue fell, the elder brother H. smeared it with snot , said, Let them be with drool, with snot, let them get sick ; H. got angry with the hazel grouse, divided its meat among the other birds; if the hazel grouse had not scared H., people would not have fallen, would not have died]: Vasilevich 1936, No. 33: 32 (= 1959: 178); Western Evenks (Podkamennaya Tunguska, Katanga River) [God (Shovoki) processed the stone and earth; put it on a board to dry, said that let the person have a strong soul, left the Dog to guard; Satan gave the Dog a caftan, for this it allowed him to the souls of people, he spat on them ; God returned, cried, and people began to die from Satan’s spit]: Vasilevich 1936, No. 31: 30-31.