It was when the good Ulgen created mountains and rivers, trees and grass, people, animals, birds, fish populated the earth and water. The birds lived warmly and comfortably in their nests, they were dressed with feathers and down. The animals were also at ease in their dens and holes; their thick fur protected them from the cold. There is nothing to say about fish. Everyone had plenty of food, it was easy to get it, in short, everyone lived well.
One man felt bad: he was naked, there was no fire in his home to keep warm in the winter cold, to cook or fry meat or roots on it. People were cold and hungry. And they began to ask the birds - to beg:
- You birds fly around the whole earth, rise into the sky - to the sun and stars, cross fire-breathing mountains - only you can get and bring us fire.
The birds scattered to all ends of the earth and soared into the sky.
The crane, having risen to the heavenly dwelling of Ulgen, said:
“The people you created on earth are becoming numb from frost, dying from hunger, give them fire!”
Ulgen was angry with both the people and the crane, he refused to give even a spark of fire from his hearth, no matter how the crane begged, he kicked him out of his home, and went to bed himself.
The crane waited until Ulgen fell asleep, slowly crept up to the fireplace, grabbed a burning coal from the hearth with its long leg, held it in its long beak, sank headlong to the ground, and brought fire to the people...
Another bird, an eagle, flew over the high mountains and sat down to rest on a rock under the clouds. As soon as she touched the rock with her claws, the stone broke off, rolled down and, hitting another stone, created sparks that set the dry trees on fire. The eagle, holding a fragment of rock in her claws, returned to the valley to the people and said:
“If you hit two stones against each other, sparks will fly and you can start a fire.”
Since then, people have learned to carve fire from stone.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru