The raven had four sons: Ememkut, Val, Ahati and Kotgano.
One day Ememkut said to the raven:
- Eh, raven, I would go to the hero, who is said to be very strong. I would test his strength in the fight.
“You can’t do anything with it while you have such a body,” the raven told him. “If you don’t gain strength, it’s better not to go to him.” It’s better to start gaining strength first, and when you gain strength, only then go.
Immediately Ememkut began to gain strength. I spent a whole year gaining strength. Raven told him:
“There is a stone in the tundra that I have been using for a long time, gaining strength. If you can move this stone, then I will tell you: you have become strong.
When Ememkut came to that stone for the first time and tried to move it, he didn’t even move it a little.
Little by little he began to accumulate strength. Then he began to lift that stone, and then, like a small pebble, he began to lift it, and began tossing it at the ends of his fingers.
One day he came home.
“Well, I guess now I can go to the hero,” Ememkut said to the raven, “I guess I’ve gained enough strength.”
“It’s bad, you’re still weak,” said the raven, “he’ll kill you right away.” Don't think that that hero is weak. There are two whales in the big lake. If you surpass them in strength, then your will - if you want to overpower, you can overpower.
Ememkut began to gain strength again. Then he surpassed those whales in strength. One day he overtook them, grabbed each of them by the tail, knocked them down one with the other, and killed them both at once. Came to the raven.
“Well, raven, now they can probably go to the hero,” said Ememkut.
“Okay, go to him,” said the raven. “True, maybe you’ll lead yourself to slaughter.”
Ememkut immediately equipped himself and went to the hero. Came to the hero.
“Hey, perhaps I came to fight!” Ememkut exclaimed.
“Come on, son, attack Ememkut,” the hero said to his son, “poor Ememkut probably won’t defeat you.”
Ememkut himself rushed at the son of the hero, and they began to fight. Ememkut took him by the hand and threw him onto the smooth river ice. As soon as it hit the ice, there was nothing left of it, it broke.
The hero left the house - his son was gone. He became very angry with Ememkut and immediately rushed at him. He caught up with Ememkut, grabbed him and threw him onto the ice. Ememkut hit himself so hard that the ice turned red.
The family considered Ememkut dead. Raven was very sad about his son.
“Ememkut must have been killed, since he still hasn’t shown up,” said the raven. “Well, I’ll have to gain strength.”
He put on the wooden skis of his second son Val. At first he could hardly move them, then he ran towards them. When he mastered the skis of his second son, Valya, he put on the skis belonging to his third son, Akhati, tried to go on them, but did not even move them a little. Much time later he was able to move the skis, and then mastered them. Then he put on the skis that belonged to his fourth son, Kotgano. Not only the skis, but I couldn’t even move my body in them. Then he himself was able to move and even began to move his skis a little. Several days passed, only then was I able to ski. I mastered these skis.
I put on the skis of my first son, Ememkut, but I couldn’t move anything, only my eyes and eyelids. Several dozen days passed, he was able to move and move his skis, then he began to ski. Mastered Ememkut's skis.
Finally he put on his iron skis, lined with skins. He used these skis in his youth. I couldn’t move anything, not even my eyes and eyelids. Several months passed, only then was I able to move my eyelids. Then he began to move his eyes with difficulty. A few days passed, I was able to move my arms, head and whole body. With difficulty he began to move the iron skis, lined with skins. Then he started walking and running on them. It rolls down a mountainside covered with larch, crushes the larches like grass and lays a trail like grass.
Having finished gaining strength, the old raven went to the hero. He came to the hero’s dwelling, took off his skis and remained standing outside.
- Well, where is the hero, let him come out! Strong, I guess! - exclaimed the raven.
The hero immediately left the yurt and rushed at the raven. We started to fight. Raven grabbed the hero and threw him into the sky. The hero flew into the sky, and while he was flying, only a skeleton remained from him. His bones, falling to the ground, were overgrown with moss. -
Having found Ememkut, the raven woke him up.
“Oh, who woke me up?” Ememkut exclaimed.
- I woke you up. “Who else would wake you up?” said the raven.
They immediately put on their skis and went home. On the way Ememkut said to his father:
- Father, let's run, race to the house, which of us is faster?
“Where are you going, lump, I’ll overtake you right away!” says the father raven.
“Okay, we’ll still run the race,” says Ememkut.
Immediately the raven ran on his iron skis. Ememkut barely saw the back ends of the raven's skis, how quickly the raven ran.
Raven returned home. Ememkut came home when everyone had already gone to bed.
“Eh, I thought that the raven was clumsy, I thought I could easily overtake him!” said Ememkut.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru