There were many plagues in one camp. The Evenks lived in tents. They lived together well: they hunted, fished, in their free time they sang, danced, and played.
Suddenly, one day, something made a loud noise over the taiga. People looked up - someone winged, huge, scary was flying.
This was the evil cannibal, shaman Korendo. He put on big wings, flew everywhere, swallowed people.
Korendo descended into the camp and began to grab people. Anyone he grabs, he swallows alive. No one managed to escape: everyone was caught, everyone was swallowed by Ko-rendo. One old woman survived: while Korendo was catching and swallowing people, she sat down under an iron cauldron, covered herself with it, and hid.
Korendo did not find the old woman.
He swallowed all the people, flapped his wings, rose high, high and flew away.
When the noise died down, the old woman crawled out from under the cauldron. I went to inspect the plague. The chums are empty—not a single person. The old lady cried:
- How will I live alone, without people?
I looked into the last tent. I thought it was empty too. He looks and sees a boy lying in the tent, very small.
The old lady was happy. She made a cradle, began to rock the boy, and began to raise him. She named the boy Unyana.
Unyany grew up not in years, but in days. When he grew up and matured, he began to go hunting and began to feed the old woman.
I once asked Unyan:
- Grandma, why is it only you and me in the whole camp? Where are all our people? Are they dead?
- No, baby, the cannibal swallowed them all in one night. I hid under the cauldron, you somehow survived the plague. So I fed you and raised you.
-Where did this cannibal go? Tell me!
- I would say, but I don’t know myself... Unyana became very angry. I decided to find the cannibal,
punish him. He went to the taiga, caught a wild deer, and brought him to his grandmother’s tent:
“Grandma, isn’t this the one who ate people?”
- No, baby, no, not him! This is a good animal. This is a deer. Take him to where you caught him and release him.
Unyana listened to her grandmother, took the wild deer into the taiga and released her. He himself began to look for the cannibal. I saw a wolverine, caught it, and brought it to the tent to my grandmother:
“Grandma, wasn’t she the one who killed all our people?”
- No, baby, no, it’s a wolverine. She is not to blame for anything. Take it to the place where you caught it and release it.
Unyany listened to his grandmother. He released the wolverine. I caught an elk and brought him to the tent:
“Grandma, isn’t this the one who ate people?”
- No, baby, no, not him. This is a moose. He doesn't eat people. Take him back to where you caught him and release him.
Unyana released the elk and caught the wolf. He brought me to the tent and asked:
“Didn’t he eat our people?”
- No, baby, no, not him. This is a wolf. Let him go!
Unyana released the wolf and caught the bear. The grandmother ordered the bear to be released.
So Unyany dragged all the animals - big and small - to his grandmother. And his grandmother told him to let everyone go into the taiga and not to offend them.
Unyany feels sad and doesn’t know what to do. Grandma noticed this. She couldn’t bear it, she said:
- Kid, don’t look for the cannibal in the taiga! In appearance he looks like a huge man. He flew to us on the wings of a bird and flew back, but I don’t know where. I only know that this is the evil shaman Korendo.
Unyan stopped going to the taiga. I begged my grandmother for a lid from a large cauldron, took out a hammer and began to forge wings for myself. He sits by the fire all day, forging. I forged for a long time. I forged it and started asking my grandmother if the wings were good.
- No, baby, they’re not very good: Korendo has bigger wings!
Unyany set to work again. I started making bigger wings.
When I did, I wanted to test them. He rose into the sky and asked his grandmother:
- Grandmother! Did Korendo fly at such a height as a black grouse?
- No, baby, higher!
Unyany began to forge again. He made even more wings, rose into the sky again, and asked his grandmother:
- Grandma! Did Korendo fly as high as the hazel grouse?
- No, baby. Korendo flew higher! He flew as you fly now, no lower. To defeat Korendo, you need to make wings larger than his. And you have to fly higher than he flies! Remember: Korendo is big and strong!
Unyany was not upset, did not retreat, and went back to work. Without rest he sits by the Fire, knocks with a hammer - making iron wings.
I made the wings even bigger. He rose into the sky to test them. He flies, he asks his grandmother:
- Grandma, tell me: did Korendo fly higher or lower than me?
- Now you fly higher than Korendo! He flew lower!
Unyany rose to a great height and saw a huge tent in the distance. Flew in that direction.
Unyany flew to that tent, saw the camp, saw the place where Korendo fell to the ground. He began to circle around the tent. He spins and sings:
Come out, Korendo, from the plague:
I wanted to fight with you!
I sang for a long time. Korendo did not come out of the plague: he was not in the plague. A woman, Korendo’s wife, came out of the chum and sang:
Eh, you fool, you fool!
I also found one:
He wants to be equal to Korendo!
Korendo - a powerful shaman,
It is impossible to defeat him!
If you are looking for death,
Then fly to Korendo!
She showed Unyana where to fly. He took off and flew on. It took a long time to fly.
The second plague has arrived. I saw the place where Korendo fell to the ground. Unyany circled over the tent, sang his song, and began to challenge Korendo to battle:
Come out of the plague, Korendo:
I came to fight with you!
Instead of Korendo, his second wife came out of the chum and sang in response to him:
Korendo - a powerful shaman,
It is impossible to defeat him!
If you are looking for death,
Then fly to Korendo!
She sang her song and showed Unyana where to fly. He flapped his wings and flew away. I flew for a long time... I saw the third plague and began to call Korendo. But Korendo was not there either. Unyany flew to the fourth camp. But I didn’t find the cannibal there either. I flew to the fifth and didn’t find him there. I visited the sixth - I saw not Korendo, but his sixth wife. From her Unyana learned that Korendo now lives in the seventh camp. And all the wives of Korendo, with whom Unyany spoke, sang to him the same song:
Korendo - a powerful shaman,
It's impossible to beat him!
If you are looking for death,
Then fly to Korendo!
But their words did not frighten Unyana. He flew further, to the seventh plague of Korendo. He flew in, circled the cannibal over the tent and sang:
Come out, Korendo, from the plague:
I came to fight with you!
Unyana's singing was heard by Korendo's seventh wife. She came out and sang in response:
Don't worry, don't wake up Korendo!
Korendo is a powerful shaman.
I won't wake Korendo.
He will fly high on his wings,
He will certainly kill you -
Before him you are weak, defenseless!
But she didn’t scare Unyana either. He began to circle lower and lower and sang louder and louder:
Korendo destroyed my people.
I want to take revenge on him!
I may be small, but I’m not afraid of him!
Wake him up quickly!
Korendo's wife entered the tent and woke him up. After that she went out to Unyana and sang again:
Mighty Korendo has awakened,
He is now putting on his wings.
Now he will come out of the plague
And he will fight with you!
Unyany began circling right above Korendo’s tent and boldly began to call him:
Korendo! Korendo! Korendo!
Come out to battle quickly!
In response, the hoarse voice of the cannibal was heard from the tent:
Unyana! Unyana! Unyana!
Wait, wait a little!
Let's eat, let's eat first!
Unyany sang:
Why do you eat, Korendo?
You don't have long to live:
I will avenge our people!
Korendo answered him in a hoarse voice:
Unyana! Unyana! Unyana!
Wait until I put on my shoes!
Unyany sang:
Why do you need to put on shoes?
You don't have long to live:
I will avenge our people!
Korendo sang:
- Unyana! Unyana! Unyana!
Wait, I'll put on my wings!
But Unyany did not lag behind him and persistently sang:
Korendo! Korendo! Korendo!
Come out, come out quickly!
Why are you delaying, Korendo?
I will avenge our people!
Then a huge, thick, heavy Korendo flew out of the chum and rushed at Unyan. But the light, agile Unyany quickly and deftly rose high into the sky. Korendo flaps his wings - he wants to rise higher than Unyana. But Unyany keeps circling over his head, keeping up with the black man.
They flew for a long time. Unyany constantly flies above Korendo - Korendo cannot catch up with him, cannot hit him. Korendo began to get tired and sang:
Unyana! Unyana! Wait, wait!
Go lower, go lower!
I can’t fight at such a height -
My head is spinning!
Unyany laughed and answered the cannibal:
Korendo! Korendo! Korendo!
Why is my head spinning?
I won't come down to you!
I fight for our people with you,
I will take revenge on you for your brothers and sisters -
I will break and crush your wings!
Unyany rushed towards Korendo and began to fly in circles over him.
He flies and sings loudly:
Korendo! Korendo! Korendo!
Stop swallowing people.
Stop emptying the camps -
Now your end has come!
He flew into Korendo and broke his wings. Fat Korendo fell like a stone, hit the ground, and his belly burst.
And out of his belly came all the people whom he had swallowed. Everyone went to their camp, to their tents. We began to live again!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru