The Legend of
Khökhöö Namjil
Once
upon a time there lived a handsome man called Khökhöö Namjil on the eastern
border of Mongolia. He was very famous in his district because of his
extraordinary beautiful voice. But then Khökhöö Namjil had to join the army
and went to the Western border. His superior realized at once what a beautiful
voice Khökhöö Namjil had. And so Khökhöö Namjil didn't have to serve as a normal
soldier but spent the next three years, until the end of his time in the army,
singing.
But
one day Khökhöö Namjil asked his superiors: "I haven't been outside with
the horses once since I came here. And although I am very lucky, I miss it.
Please allow me to tend the horse for a few days."
"It
is nearly time for you to leave the army anyway and you have pleased us
with your voice. This one time you may do as you wish, and ride with the horses
for five days," they told him. So with their permission Khökhöö Namjil
drove a herd of horses until they came to a lake where he watered them. As
he stood near the shore, a girl in a green silk deel (1)
riding a beautiful, black horse, came right out of the lake.
"My
parents send me to guide you to them," she told him.
Khökhöö
Namjil asked: "But how shall I follow you?"
"Get
on my horse behind me and close your eyes," the girl said and Khökhöö
Namjil did as he was told. As soon as he had closed his eyes, they had already
arrived in front of the girl's yurt. The family was rich and the girl was their
only daughter. The girl's parents courteously welcomed him and asked him to sing
for them.
Khökhöö
Namjil answered: "I'm only staying with the horses for five days, so I can't make myself
comfortable and sing many songs for you."
"Don't
worry about that. We will specifically assign a man to look after your horses. In
the meantime please make yourself at home and sing for us," the host said.
Khökhöö Namjil did stay with the family for a while and he fell in love with
their beautiful daughter.
They
talked about getting married when Khökhöö Namjil said: "Although now I
can only stay for five days, I will be released from the army in a month. Then I
will come and visit you."
"When
you come, I will meet you riding my black horse," the girl replied.
When
Khökhöö Namjil brought his herd of horses back, his superior said: "The
horses obviously have been tended by a good man, because they look very well.
There are many people who could have looked after the horses for months, even
years, and they wouldn't look so well. We can't release you from the army now, can
we?"
But
Khökhöö Namjil pleaded with them: "The time for me to be released of my
duty has already come. Please let me go!" And as soon as he was free to go,
Khökhöö Namjil left for the lake where he sat down at the shore and started
to sing. Suddenly the girl appeared on her black horse and together they rode
away and got married.
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But
although Khökhöö Namjil lived a very happy life there, his parents and his
beloved wife were still living in the east and he had to go to see them. So the
girl told him: "I will give you a good horse that is able to bring you here
at night and bring you back to your work at home in the morning. But you can
never let anybody else ride it. And when you ride away, please let it catch its
breath in some distance from your home before you return there." And she
gave Khökhöö Namjil a beautiful, pale brown horse.
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Pegasus by Fumiaki
Kawahata |
When
Khökhöö Namjil returned home with this horse, people were very interested and
they were astonished that he didn't let anybody else ride his new horse. His
wife wondered why he never spent one night at home but left to look after the
horses as soon as the night descended. Khökhöö Namjil lead his horses into a
cave and flew on his pale brown horse to the east. There he stayed overnight in
the yurt of his wife with the green silk deel. Early in the morning, though, his
horse brought him back to the east to drive home his herd of horses. And he was
always very careful to let his horse catch its breath. Three years went by and
his first wife still didn't know about this.
One
morning Khökhöö Namjil was late and in his haste he forgot to let his horse
catch its breath driving his herd directly home. His wife who had become
suspicious of him came out of the yurt and saw the pale brown horse before it
got a chance to fold its wings. She whirled around, got a pair of scissors and
cut the horse's windpipe. Thus the beautiful, pale brown horse died.
Khökhöö
Namjil grieved for his horse. After he had neither slept nor eaten for three months
he carved the head of his horse out of a piece of wood. Then he put it on top of
a violin and used it to imitate the way his horse had once run across the
steppe. And that has been one legend of how the Morin khuur
(2) originated.
**********
(1)
The deel is the national dress of the Mongolians. It is similar to a cloak.(back to the
text)
(2)
The
morin khuur is the Mongolian
national instrument; basically a violin with a carved horse head. (back
to the text)