There lived one man named Geentey. He had a wife. His wife was pregnant. One day he said to his wife:
“I’ll go and look at Selemage, who, as they say, eats iron.” And the wife says:
- Well, if we live like this, we won’t get to the place where Selemage lives, we’ll die along the way.
- I'll go! I, Geentey, what kind of person am I that I wouldn’t get there. I'll go and get there! - speaks. Wife says:
- Well, if you still want to go to Selemage, prepare some firewood. Set up seven woodpiles a day.
Geentey put up only six woodpiles, and his wife said:
- How will you go if it works out like this for you? Stop it, don't go. How will you walk if you are so weak?
“Until I go, I won’t calm down.” I'll go! - says the husband. - Make me boots.
I did. From one half of the elk skin to one leg, from the other half to the other. Husband says:
- Too big! What kind of high boots did you make? Trim it to make it smaller!
Trimmed it. Off I went.
I came to an old woman. That old woman props up the rock with one hand and pours the millet with the other. The old woman said to Geentey:
- Geentey, where are you going?
– I’m going to Selemage.
- Well, if you go to Selemage, prop up my rock with one hand, and pour millet with the other!
Geentey tried to prop up the rock with one hand and pour the millet with the other, but he couldn’t, he was exhausted. Then the old woman said:
- If you can do this, how will you go to Selemage?
Go Geentey. He walked and walked and met old man Kanda-Mafa.
- Geentey, where are you going?
- To Selemage.
- Well, if you go to Selemage, swallow my potatoes - the tubers of this plant.
I couldn't. Didn't swallow it. I went further. Geentey walked and walked and came across the trail. Someone was walking widely.
And he has big boots. Geentey tried to walk the same way, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t follow the same steps. I moved on.
He walked and walked, whether he walked far or close, and saw some kind of housing. I reached him. Entered. There is one old woman sitting there - Selemage's mother. Geentey entered, and the old woman heated the iron on the fire. Its iron became red hot. Having heated it, he wants to give it to Geentey:
- Here, warm up with my son’s heating pad! Geentey did not.
“I won’t,” he says.
Selemage's mother took this iron, chewed it with her teeth and sprinkled it in Geentey's face. His whole face was burned and wrinkled.
In the evening Selemage came home. He brought killed bears. He brought one, tying it to his belt, and took the other in his arms. He threw the one he was carrying in his arms to Geentey, and Geentey - a slap! – dropped him to the ground. He threw the bear Geentei Selemage back. Selemage caught the bear high above and threw it to Geentey again. Slap! – Geentey dropped to the ground.
Selemage says:
- Well, Geentey, let's compete in speed! They began to skin the bears. Selemage is already skinning, and Geentei is just beginning to tear open the skin. Selemage has already taken the ham, Geentey has just begun to remove the skin. Selemage put his cauldron on the fire to cook the meat. When he put his cauldron on the fire, Geentey was just beginning to take away the hams. Selemage cut the meat into pieces, and Geentey barely finished tearing the carcass into pieces. Selemage took down his cauldron and began to eat. When Selemage had already begun to eat, Geentei was just putting his cauldron on the fire. Selemage is already cumming, and Geentey is still cooking. Selemage had already finished eating, and Geentey just took off his cauldron and began to eat.
Long after Selemage had finished eating, Geentei began to eat. He ate almost all night, while his comrade finished a long time ago.
Finally, Geentey also finished. We went to bed. We got up in the morning. Selemage and says to Geentey:
- Well, Geentey, what would we find suitable? Leading you to the game is in vain, it’s better if you’re on my hangers where they dry fish, you’ll scare the crows.
They stuck needles into Geentei’s tongue, tied a hammer to his hands and carried him to the hangers:
“The crows will come to peck, so you tap, tap, tap, tap with a hammer, scare them away.”
A lot of time passed after that. Geentey's wife gave birth to a child in her husband's absence. She gave birth to a strong boy. So Geentey’s son began to crawl and began to walk. A lot of time passed, and he became big. One day Geentey’s son asks his mother:
- Mom, did I have a father or not?
“It was, it was,” said the mother.
- Mom, what was my father’s name? And his mother told him this:
“You can’t, it’s a sin to say his name, because your father is probably dead.” The child began to cry. And then the mother said:
– Your father’s name was Geentey.
He found out what his father's name was. I was happy. Geentey, Geentey, Geentey! - he repeated, running back and forth. Geentey, Geentey... - bang! - and the boy fell. He fell and forgot his father's name. He went back to his mother and cried:
- Mom, what was your father's name? I forgot.
“It’s a sin, my child, it’s a sin, it’s a sin, because he probably died and that’s why he’s not coming back.”
Cried:
- I want to know what my father's name was.
“His name was Geentey, Geentey,” said the mother.
And so the boy grew up. I started going to the taiga to hunt.
- Mom, make me boots!
Well, his mother made him fur boots. Half a skin on one leg, half a skin on the other. One couple came out. He put on his high boots.
“Oh, they’re small,” he says. - Just set it up so that there are more of them.
I put it on. My son put them on again. Sent. The mother went to see how her son was going. Seeing her off, she said:
- The one who was your father was stronger than you. And the son says:
- Okay; even though I am weak, I will go to my father. Let's go.
Came to the old woman. And the old woman props up the rock with one hand and pours the millet with the other.
- Tuguma, where are you going?
“I’m following in my father’s footsteps,” he says. Then the old woman said:
- Well, if you are following in your father’s footsteps, prop up my rock with one hand, and sprinkle millet with the other.
He propped up the rock with one hand and poured the millet with the other. He propped it up so much that the old woman’s rock twisted.
Then the old woman said:
- Tuguma, your father was stronger than you, you are weaker than him. Tuguma went. He walked and walked and came to the old man Kanda-Mafa.
- Tuguma, where are you going?
“I’m following in my father’s footsteps.”
“Well, Tuguma,” said Kanda-Mafa, “if you are following in your father’s footsteps, swallow your grandfather’s potatoes!”
Swallowed it. Kanda-Mafa said:
– Your father was stronger than you, you are weaker than him.
I went further. He walked and walked and came across a trail. The steps were wide, the boots were big. And someone in small boots tried to walk in the same way, but could not follow the next steps. It was he who saw the traces of his father. And those wide steps and big boots-traces of Selemage. Tuguma tried to follow in the footsteps of Selemage. So he walked. I reached some housing. There's an old woman sitting there. When he entered the house, the old woman asked:
- Tuguma, where are you going?
“I came to see your son,” he says. – Don’t you know anything about my father?
“We don’t know,” he says.
Selemage's mother heated the iron. It became red hot.
- Here, Tuguma, warm yourself with my son’s hot water bottle!
Submitted. Tugum was chewed up, crunch-crunch-crunch, chewed and jumped into the face of Selemage’s mother. Her whole face was burned and wrinkled.
In the evening, Selemage came home. Killed two bears. He brought one, tied to his belt, and the other under his arm. He threw his bear to Tuguma. And Tuguma caught it high above. And so, sitting, he threw back Selemage. And Selemage-slap! - He dropped his bear to the ground. Threw Tugume again. And he even caught it while sitting, caught it high above.
Selemage says:
- Well, let's refresh ourselves one by one. Let's compete in speed. Tuguma quickly skinned and tore off the skin. And Selemage barely begins to peel off the skin. He had already cut Tuguma into pieces and put his cauldron on the fire. And Selemage had only just begun to take away the hams. Tuguma ate and finished. And Selemage only managed it a long time later.
Night has fallen. We went to bed. Selemage lay down and thought:
“This one, perhaps, can be taken to a game.” In the morning we got up, ate and started getting dressed. Selemage says:
- You and I will go to the game. Went. They walked and walked. Selemage and says again:
- If you are strong, you will not die, but if you are weak, you will die.
We reached the blades of the axes, stuck into the ground on the playground with the blades up. Tuguma moistened and anointed the soles of his high boots with saliva. They began to jump. The axes began to jump from one blade to another. They ran and reached the horned spears, with their tips stuck up. They began to jump. Selemage’s legs began to bleed, but Tuguma’s legs were fine, there was no blood. So, jumping over, we got to the sharp curved knives for planing. Selemage fell, stumbled upon the tip and died immediately. But Tuguma was okay, because he was a strong man.
Tuguma went to Selemage's mother. He began to look for his father. Somewhere there's a tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. I went outside. He looks at the hanger: a man is sitting. And a hammer is tied to his hands.
Tuguma brought it to Selemage's house. He untied the hammer tied to his hands and asked:
-What's your name? Who are you? - speaks.
“Hal-hal,” he answers.
Tuguma opened his mouth, and there were a lot of needles stuck there. He pulled out the needles and asked:
- Who are you?
- I'm Geentey.
- After all, you are my father! “I am your son,” says Tuguma.
They ate Selemage's reserves. Tugum put his father in his hunting bag, which they wear on his belt, and they went home.
Tuguma walked and walked and reached the old man Kanda-Mafa.
Kanda-Mafa says:
-Have you found your father?
“I found it,” he says.
- Give me my potatoes, Tuguma.
He spat out. We went further. We came to the old woman.
– Did you walk well, Tuguma?
- Fine.
-Have you found your father?
- Found it.
- Correct my rock. Tugum straightened the rock. We came to our mother.
- Son, did you walk well?
- Fine.
-Have you found your father?
“I found it,” he says.
And he pulled it out of his bag. She got her old man back. All.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru