My parents died, and I lived with my older sister. Every morning she took a bucket and a ladle and went to the river for water.
One day she left like that and never came back. I waited for her for three days and three nights, I was very worried. No sister. And no one saw her anywhere.
I made inau and dedicated it to fire. I asked him to tell me where my sister was. The fire did not respond. Probably didn't know.
I made a new inau - in honor of the god of the home. I asked him: where is my sister? Didn't answer either. Probably didn't know.
I went into the forest. Turned to the red spruce. He doesn't know. Turned to the silver spruce. And she doesn't know.
I was completely desperate. Can't find my sister. She disappeared without a trace.
Wandered into a thicket of willow. I planed the inau for her. Iva said:
- I like to talk. So listen. Your sister is on the moon. The Moon Man took her as his wife.
What to do? How can I see my sister now, how can I help her? I thought and thought and came up with an idea.
Returned home. I took one arrow with black fletching and the other with white fletching. He took another bow and went out into the clearing. Here I put both arrows on the bowstring, pulled it very, very tightly and grabbed the ends of the arrows.
They took me far beyond the clouds, straight to the moon.
I walked on the moon. I look around. I don't see anyone. It's like no one is there. Or maybe there really is no one? Willow deceived!
And suddenly he noticed a house. Got closer. Just wanted to look into it, my sister came out. In her arms is a little girl. Rays of light emanated from the girl’s face, and they touched my head. And what beautiful eyes she had! I've never seen such a girl before.
“So you found me,” said the sister. - I'm glad. Come into the house.
My mood has improved. I entered the Moon Man's house. He sat on an iron stool and smiled at me in a friendly manner. Satisfied with this meeting, I sat down and looked around the house. Near the corner where the inau were installed, there was such a huge box that rose to the ceiling, the likes of which I have never seen. In the women's corner there was another box, a little smaller. But I haven’t seen those either.
Why ask how you live? And so everything is clear. They live well, richly. There are a lot of all kinds of animal skins in such boxes. They also contain daggers, bows, arrows, and quivers. Oh, I can’t count, however!
And the god-like Moon Man kept looking at me and smiling. Very friendly. As if he had met me somewhere before. I thought: where did he meet me? I didn't remember. No, we haven't met. He probably saw me from the moon.
Then my sister, the mistress of the house, gave me something to eat. I ate well. My belly has grown.
And the Moon Man said:
- I liked your sister. And I brought her, and the bucket, and the ladle into my house. I married your sister, and we live very happily. What do you want?
“I don’t know,” I said. - I wanted to see my sister. I was looking for her.
The Moon Man, after a pause, smiled again and said:
- Marry a girl. Even if she becomes unhappy with you, there will still be someone to take care of you.
“She’s still little,” I said. - It's a long wait.
“It will grow,” answered the Moon Man. - In three days it will grow.
Indeed, after three days she grew up. And so beautiful. Probably only on the moon there are such beautiful girls!
Then, having got married, I became related to the Moon man.
Moon Man and my sister had other children - a boy and a girl. But my wife and I had no children. We lived and lived until we grew old. They became very old. Like this.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru