There once lived a man, and he had a beautiful daughter. Many young men wanted to marry her, but she just shook her head and repeated that she had no intention of getting married at all.
“Come to your senses,” her father told her, “look, many suitors are rich, handsome and brave.”
- What do I need a husband for? - the girl answered. “Father and mother take care of me.” We have a good wigwam, a lot of warm and beautiful clothes made of leather and fur, and game bags are never empty. What else is there to worry about?
Soon after this conversation, the Crow tribe held a big celebration. Each young man tried to outdo the other in face and body coloring, in the wealth of jewelry, in dexterity and in the art of dancing. And again, many of them proposed to the girl, but she refused everyone - the Bulls, the Foxes, and the warriors from other tribes invited to the holiday.
Then the girl’s father got angry and said:
- How can that be? The best warriors wooed you, and you refused them all.
“Listen to me, father,” answered the girl. — The sun forbade me to get married. It said this: “You belong to me. Be obedient, and I will reward you with happiness and longevity. But beware of breaking my order.”
- Well then! - exclaimed the father. “The will of the one above us must be fulfilled.”
And he didn’t talk about it anymore.
There lived in the same tribe a poor orphan youth. He had neither relatives nor his own home. Today he spent the night in one wigwam, tomorrow in another. The young man wore old, torn clothes, and instead of moccasins, some kind of cast-offs. And although he was slim and strong, his face was marred by a long scar on his left cheek. That's what his name was - Ragged Cheek.
One day, soon after the holiday, many arrogant young men met a poor man with a scar and began to mock him:
- Why don’t you woo this girl? You're a rich guy and handsome!
Ragged Cheek looked at them without a smile and calmly answered:
- Your truth. I'll go try. The mockers took his words for a joke. And Ragged Cheek went down to the river, to the place where the women got water, and began to wait. Soon the one he was waiting for came to the river. He approached her and said:
- I need to talk to you. Talk not in secret, not in the twilight, but in the middle of a clear day - here. Let the Sun hear and see everything.
“Tell me,” said the girl.
-I looked at you for a long time. I saw how you refused all the suitors - the rich, the handsome and the brave. Today they laughed at me. Why don’t you, they said, woo her? I'm poor. I have no home, no food, no clothes. I have no relatives - they all died long ago. And yet I ask you to be my wife.
The girl was embarrassed and was silent for a long time, and then said this:
“It’s true that I refused many people.” They are rich and you are poor. But that doesn't matter. My father will give you dogs, my mother will arrange a home for us, my relatives will give us clothes and furs. I agree to become your wife.
The young man was delighted and stretched out his arms to the girl to hug and kiss her, but she pulled away:
- Wait. The sun forbade me to get married. It promised me happiness and longevity if I obeyed its will. Go to the Sun and say: “The one with whom you spoke was obedient to you and did nothing wrong. But now she wants to get married. Let me take her as my wife.” And may the Sun remove this scar from you. This will be a sign that it agrees and is not offended by us. But if the Sun refuses the request or you cannot find the way to his station, then do not return to me.
- Ah! - exclaimed Ragged Cheek. “At first your words were like bright day, now they are like night.” I'm heartbroken. Where is it, the house of the Sun? How will I find my way to where no other person has ever been?
“Have courage,” answered the girl.
And with that they parted.
Ragged Cheek sat for a long time on the river bank, grieved and thought for a long time, finally got up and went to an old woman who had always been kind to him.
“I'm leaving,” he said. - Do me a favor and help me get ready for the journey.
- How far are you going? And in which direction?
“I don’t know myself,” answered the young man. “But the journey will be long.” I can't tell you anything more.
The old woman took pity on him. She sewed seven pairs of moccasins for him for the journey, and collected food in a leather bag - dried meat and lard. And Ragged Cheek set off. And when he reached the top of the ridge, he looked at the Ravens’ encampment for the last time, and his heart was darkened with sadness.
- Help me, Sun! - the young man exclaimed and walked forward, not knowing where.
He spent many days on the road, left many forests and rivers behind him, passed through high mountains and wide prairies. His bag of food lost weight, and he himself lost weight on the road. Sometimes he managed to get food by hunting, and if he didn’t come across any game, he picked berries, dug up edible roots - that’s how he fed.
So he walked and walked and came to the wolf's den.
- Ha! - the wolf was surprised. - What are you doing in these parts, far from human habitation?
“I’m looking for the house of the Sun,” answered Ragged Cheek. “I need to talk to him.”
“I wandered a lot across the prairies, through forests and mountains,” the wolf grumbled, but nowhere did I come across the dwelling of the Sun. Unless the bear knows, he is wiser than me.
The next day, Ragged Cheek set off again. He walked and walked, and in the evening he came to a bear’s den.
- What are you doing here, far from human habitation? - the bear growled.
— I’m looking for the house of the Sun. Maybe you, oh wise bear, can tell me where to look for him?
— I would tell you if I knew. He wandered a lot through the mountains and thickets, but nowhere did he meet the dwelling of the Sun. Unless the badger knows. He, the striped one, knows a lot of things.
The next day, Ragged Cheek came to the badger hole.
-Hey, striped brother, come out!
- What do you need, my brother? - the badger responded and looked out of the hole.
- I'm looking for the house of the Sun. I have to talk to him.
- House of the Sun? - asked the badger, - No, I didn’t get that far, but don’t worry. Over there, in the pine forest, lives a wolverine. She prowls everywhere and knows everything that is going on in the world.
Ragged Cheek came to the dense forest. I searched and searched - there was no wolverine anywhere. He sat down on a fallen tree and said to himself:
“I ran out of food, my moccasins were worn out, and I was apparently destined to perish in this thicket.”
Suddenly a voice was heard right above him;
-What are you grieving about, my brother? The young man looked up and saw a wolverine sitting on a tree.
- Listen to me, oh wise wolverine! The one I love belongs to the Sun. Do you know where his home is and how I can get there?
“I know,” replies Wolverine. - It's too late now. But at dawn I will show you the way to the Big Water. Beyond the Big Water, on the other shore, the Sun lives.
Early in the morning they set off. Wolverine showed the young man a path that soon led him to Big Water. He looked at the wide waves of Ragged Cheek, and his heart sank with melancholy and fear. Never in his life had he seen such boundless water, such huge and noisy waves.
“I can’t swim across this Big Water,” the young man sighed. - So, for me there is no way forward or back. Let me die here, on this shore.
But he barely had time to think so when suddenly a large white swan dropped down right in front of Ragged Cheek and asked:
-Where are you from, young man? And what are you doing here, at the end of the world?
“I came here to die,” answered Ragged Cheek. - My beloved belongs to the Sun. I walked for many days to ask his permission to marry her. But now my journey is over. I can’t get across the Big Water and I can’t return home either. There is only one thing left - to die.
“No, don’t say that,” the swan waved its wing. -I will take you across the sea. Sit on my back.
Ragged Cheek obeyed the swan, sat on its back, and they flew off. It was scary for them to fly, because in the Big Water there were huge animals and evil demons - they were about to be dragged deep into the bottomless abyss. And yet the swan carried the young man safely to the other side.
“Go along this path,” he said goodbye. - She will lead you to the home of the Sun.
Ragged Cheek walked along the path and suddenly looked: military armor was lying on the ground - a shield, a bow and a quiver of arrows. Never in my life have I seen Ragged Cheek of such magnificence! However, he did not even allow himself to touch the beautiful things, he just looked around and moved on. And then a young warrior comes towards me. He has long hair, is slender, his clothes are made of some kind of unprecedented leather, and his moccasins are decorated with colored ribbons and feathers.
— Did you see any weapons on the ground?
“Yes, I saw it,” answered Ragged Cheek.
-Did you touch him?
- No. I thought that whoever left these things would come back and take them away. And that’s why I didn’t touch anything.
“You don’t set your sights on someone else’s,” the stranger remarked. “What is your name and where are you going?” And, having received an answer, he said: “My name is Morning Star.” I am the son of the Sun. Let's go, I'll take you to our home. Father is not at home, but he will be back in the evening.
The tall wigwam of the Sun was decorated with images of strange animals and birds. The Sun's battle armor hung at the entrance. Inside the wigwam sat a woman in light clothes. This was the Moon, wife of the Sun and mother of the Morning Star. She spoke warmly to the guest, offered him food, and when he had eaten, asked:
-What brings you here? No one has ever been here before.
Ragged Cheek told her his story, and the Moon promised him help and protection.
Meanwhile, it was getting light and the hour had come when the Sun returns home. Luna hid her guest in the corner under a pile of clothes. But it was impossible to hide from the Sun.
- There's someone else here! - it said as soon as it crossed the threshold.
Ragged Cheek had to get out of his shelter.
“This is my friend,” said the Morning Star. “He came from afar, from the land of people.
The sun looked at the guest and nodded favorably:
- We are glad to see you. You can stay with us as long as you wish. My son gets lonely sometimes. He needs a friend.
The next day, when the young men were going hunting, Luna said to the guest:
- Remember one thing. You can hunt wherever you want, just stay away from Big Water. There on the shore there live birds with long sharp beaks. These birds kill anyone who comes close to them. I had many sons, but almost all of them died from the beaks of these terrible birds. Morning Star is my last son. Don't let him approach the shore!
Ragged Cheek spent many days in the dwelling of the Sun, and every day he and the Morning Star went hunting. And then one day they accidentally found themselves not far from the shore and saw huge birds soaring over the water.
“Let's hunt them,” suggested the Morning Star.
- No, these are dangerous birds, they can kill us.
But the Morning Star did not listen. He ran to the shore with a warlike shout, and Ragged Cheek inevitably rushed after him. The long-billed birds swooped down in a predatory and noisy flock, but Ragged Cheek stepped forward and killed them all with his sharp spear, so that not a single one remained alive.
When they returned home and showed Luna the severed heads of the birds, she burst into tears of joy and began to hug Ragged Cheek.
- My son! - she exclaimed. “My husband and I will never forget what trouble you saved us from.”
As soon as the Sun returned home, the Moon immediately told him everything.
- My son! — the Sun shone with joy. “My wife and I are forever in your debts!” Tell me: is there anything I can help you with? Do you have any desire?
“Yes,” replied Ragged Cheek. “And only you can help me.” I want to marry a girl from our tribe, and she gave me consent, but it turned out that she belongs to you and cannot marry without your permission.
“It’s true,” said the Sun. “I know that she was obedient to me and did nothing wrong.” Now I give it to you. I will reward both of you and all your children with happiness and longevity. Soon you will go back to your bride. Remember what I tell you. I am the lord and master of the whole world. Everything in the world belongs to me. I created the earth, and rivers, and mountains, and forests, and prairies. I created people and animals. I'm immortal. True, in winter I become decrepit and weak, but every spring strength and youth return to me. Do you know which animal is the wisest? Crow! He finds food everywhere and never goes hungry. Which animal should people revere the most? Bison! He is my favorite and was created for people to give them shelter and food. Which plants are sacred? Those that give edible berries. Now come with me, I will show you the world!
And the Sun brought the young man to the very edge of the sky. They looked down and saw the whole world. It was round, flat and fell steeply down on all sides. And then the Sun said:
— When a woman’s husband falls ill, she must build a House for healing and dedicate it to me. Then I will help heal her husband. And you need to build it like this. Dig a hole, build walls over it and a roof of a hundred wooden poles - the roof should be convex, like a heavenly dome. One half of it should be painted red, the color of the sun, and the other half black, the color of the night.
The sun explained in detail to the young man how to set up a House for healing and treat people in it, then he touched his cheek with his hand, and the scar immediately disappeared. And the Sun also gave the young man two raven feathers:
“This is a sign to your bride that I allow you to marry her.” Let everyone who has learned the art of healing wear these feathers from now on.
Soon Ragged Cheek got ready to go home, the Sun and Morning Star richly presented him with farewell gifts. Good Moon kissed the young man one last time and began to cry: she was so sorry to let him go!
The sun showed the young man the shortest way back to the people. This was the Wolf Path, now it is also called the Milky Way. Along it, Ragged Cheek quickly got to the house.
The weather on earth at that time was extremely hot. The skins on the wigwams were raised, people were hiding in the shadows. The chief of the Crow tribe ordered his wife to prepare food and drink, and everyone who wanted to came to him to chat and smoke a pipe. One of the guests told the leader that on the slope of a hill, not far from the village, in the very sun, some stranger was sitting and resting.
- Call him here quickly! - the leader ordered. -He must have been hungry and weak from the heat.
Several young men immediately ran to where the stranger was sitting, wrapped in traveling clothes. - Aren't you hot? - they asked. -Come with us, the leader himself invites you to refresh yourself and relax in his wigwam.
Then the stranger rose to his feet and threw off his traveling cloak. The young men from the Crow tribe opened their mouths in surprise: they had never seen such richly decorated clothes on anyone, no one in their region knew how to make such beautiful weapons! But the most amazing thing was that standing in front of them was their old acquaintance, Ragged Cheek, but the scar on his face was gone.
The young men rushed to the village to gather the people.
- Ragged Cheek is back! He is now rich, handsome, and he no longer has a scar!
People were rushing to meet them from everywhere.
-Who gave you these clothes? - some asked Ragged Cheek.
—Where did such a bow and shield come from? - others were jealous.
But the young man did not answer anyone, and when his bride approached, he took two raven feathers from his head and handed them to her:
“The Almighty Sun sends you this as a sign of agreement.”
The girl was delighted at the return of her lover, and they soon got married. And then, as the Sun punished, they built the first House for healing on earth.
The sun gave the couple a long and happy life. They lived together for many years, surrounded by children, and then grandchildren, and never even fell ill. And when their hour of death finally came, their shadows migrated together to the Sandy Hills.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru