A37B. The severed shooter's finger .21.33.34.

A small animal (groundhog, rabbit, mole, frog) or a person who eventually turns into such an animal tries to hit a target in the sky (star or bird) with arrows and as a result, thumbs are lost.

Lepcha, Kazakhs (Tarbagatay), Tuvans, Altaians, Telengits, Trans-Baikal Buryats, Khalkha Mongols, Oirats.

Tibet is the Northeast of India. Lepcha [two Sun Brothers took turns, the heat was unbearable; the Toad (an edible species) volunteered to kill the Sun, made an arrow out of a scallop (Celosia L., amaranth), killed it older brother; the youngest was covered with a black blanket, it became dark; black pestles turned into snakes, wooden mortars into tigers; fireflies and a tree with white leaves tried to illuminate the world, it turned them outside; but that was not enough; half of the people died from snakes and tigers; humans, animals, and the supreme god Rum himself unsuccessfully asked the Sun to return; only when the Bat hung himself up against at the ends of the bow by the legs and nose, shouted through his nose that the world would die from the cold, the Sun looked out because no one had yet spoken to him through his nose; when he saw the Bat hanging on the bow, he smiled; immediately it became hot and The bat fell, breaking his bones; therefore, his legs look neither bird nor animal, and his nose was twisted; they decided to punish the Toad, otherwise the Sun would not shine; his thumbs were cut off, placed in a cold place; the dead Sun has become the Month; in the seventh, eighth and ninth months, the current Sun sets earlier, says it is tired; but in fact, the red rooster scallop grows to its fullest at this time height and the Sun fears being shot]: Stocks 1925, No. IX: 363-365 (quoted in Yamada 2009a: 34-36; retelling in Kühn 1936:82, brief in Elwin 1949:54).

Turkestan. Kazakhs (Tarbagatay) [the groundhog was a man, a shooter who did not let an animal or a bird pass; then he cut off his thumb, buried it and said: Be a groundhog! He has since stopped shooting]: Potanin 1881, No. 6:151.

Southern Siberia - Mongolia. Tuvans [The groundhog was a man, a hunter; there were three suns; he shot one of the bow and missed; angry, he cut off his thumb and buried himself in the ground]: Potanin 1883, No. 6d: 179; telengites [the tarbagan was a man and a fearless shooter; he did not let anyone in and shot the wing of the bird Can Geredey; for this, Kan Geredey cut off his finger, buried him in the ground and said: "Let no one for you It does not allow you to descend, let poor people eat you, birds and animals carry you!"] : Potanin 1883, No. 6b: 179; Trans-Baikal Buryats (Selenginsky: Tabanguts) [shortly after the creation of the world, a man named Khara-Erhe-Myrgen appeared on earth, who was a very good shooter; not hunting neither animals nor birds, he killed only evil spirits and sorcerers; firing an arrow from a bow, told it who to kill; the arrow followed the order exactly and then returned to HAM; Burkhan-Bakshi created three suns in the sky: large in the middle and smaller at the edges; seeing that all the earth could dry out from these suns, and strong light would make human life on earth unbearable, God called the shooter and said, "You think you're going to destroy everything you've done?" ; HAM: "Not just living things, but even the three suns that are visible. If I don't destroy them, first of all, I'll cut off my thumb and toes, and second, I'll become a beast like you haven't created before; six months a year I'll live under the ground, I won't drink any water no dew, not even come out of the hole after the rain"; when he was ready to fire an arrow, God covered the middle, largest sun from him; when the arrow returned, God opened it; seeing that the arrow destroyed only two suns, and the third remained, and in keeping his oath HAM fulfilled his oath; promised that if anyone killed him with an arrow, he would turn to a person and harm the people; when tarbagans were still being hunted with a bow, it happened that a tarbagan wounded by an arrow hid in a hole; hunters began to dig it up and found a little man with a bow and arrow; since then, hunting with onions for tarbagans are strictly prohibited; the front part of tarbagan is not eaten much, as it is human flesh]: Smolev 1902a: 101-103; Oirats (derbets, Ulangom) [tarbagan was man and hunter; wanted to kill Telgen (a species of bird of prey), shot and hit his tail, so the telgen's tail is still recessed; after missing, the tarbagan cursed himself, cut off his thumb, buried himself in the ground and said: "I only want to live four months a year!"] : Potanin 1883, No. 6a: 179; Oirats (Xinjiang) [the motif corresponds to the fairy tale "Why Tarbagan Doesn't Have a Thumb" from the collection "Betege caγān boqširγ", published in 1981 in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Oirat Folklore series {no details; original verification required}]: Ubushiyeva, Damrinjav 2020:17; Khalkha Mongols: Neklyudov 2010 [the motif of the severed finger is recorded in 8 Khalkha versions (+ one Hotogoite, which is almost the same), in 1 Darigang (from the Khalkhas people?) and 1 Derbet; the absence of this motive in the Bargut, Udzumchi, Darhat versions may also be due to the fact that the versions themselves are rare); there are 3 Uryankhai (Tuvan) versions (it is not always clear - Mongolian or Turkic - this is Potanin's) and 1 is Telengite; Kazakh people do not have this motive]; Neklyudov et al. 2006, western 8.20.2006 (somon Khujirt, Uburkhangai aimag) [Shooter Erhiy born by a husband from her husband -Mergen had strength in his thumb, his liver had a gallbladder, was young and hot, he believed in himself, so he swore: "If I can't shoot every seven sun with one arrow, I'll cut it off thumb, I'll stop being a man, I won't drink clear water, I won't eat last year's grass, I'll live in a small cave where the sun does not penetrate!" Starting from the east, he started shooting at the suns lined up from east to west: he destroyed 6 suns, just got ready to shoot with spells in the 7th, when the swallow flew in front of him and closed { the sun}. He shot and pierced her tail, so the swallow's tail is now split; the last sun was frightened, quickly went beyond the western mountains]; Potanin 1883, No. 6g [(from Bogdoshabin from Urga); The groundhog was a hunter; There were four suns, one on each side of the sky; he shot three suns; Burkhyn-Bakshi was afraid that there would be no light, turned the hunter into a marmot]: 179; 1893, No. 6 (Khalkhas) [Erhe-Mergen decided to shoot at the sun and moon; a burchon hid the seventh star of the Pleiades (Mechit), said that if E. closed his eyes and hit one of the Pleiades stars, he would also fall into the sun and the moon; E. hit, but burkhon put a hidden one in the place of the downed one; E. turned into a groundhog; (=Potanin 1919b: 25)]: 345; Potanin 1893 (Khalkhas) [The Pleiades were the seven sons of Hobudey-Mergen, skillful in various things; one of them, accurate shooter, bet, started shooting at the sun and moon, missed; cut off his thumb, turned into a groundhog; six brothers and groundhogs rose to heaven]: 323; Potanin 1919b, No. 4.1 [there were three suns ; Erhe-Mergen hit two, missed the third, then cut off his thumb, turned into a tarbagan marmot], 4.3 [there were three suns; Erhe-Mergen argued with Burhan that he would destroy them all by shooting a bow, or he will cut off his thumb; Burkhan covered one sun, E. cut off his finger, turned into a groundhog]: 17; the Mongols (Kuytun-Nor Lake) [Michit's seven stars sent cold; Erke-Mergen promised one hit everyone with a shot or turn into a groundhog; shot down only one star, now Michit six; E. became a tarbagan]: Potanin 1919a, No. 4.4:17-18; Mongols (Khalkhas) [Tarbagan promised with one shot hit seven stars by Dolon-Michit; shot down only one star, now Michit six; the same tarbagan wanted to break the sun and moon, but someone prevented him; he was reborn into Tarbagan]: Potanin 1919a, No. 4.4:17-18; Oirats, Altaians [Erhii-Mérgen ("Thumb shooter"), Tarbagan-Mérgen ("Marmot shooter") in the mythology of the Mongols and Oirats, sometimes also Tuvans and Altaians knocks down excess suns, which were originally two, three, four, etc.; without hitting the last one, turns into tarbagan]: Neklyudov 1982d: 669; the Mongols [seven suns appeared on the sky, everything is burning, people asked the shooter Erkei-Mergen for help; he promises that if he fails to hit seven suns with seven arrows, he will cut off his thumbs, stop drinking, become an animal; he killed 6 suns when he shot the seventh, just as a swallow was flying by, the arrow hit her tail, now it's split; the Sun hid behind the Western Mountain; EM rushed on his horse Qarčagai-Alag in pursuit behind Swallow; he told EM to cut off his legs and throw him into the steppes if he could not catch up with the Swallow before dusk; he didn't catch up, EM cut off his legs, the horse became jerboa with front legs shorter than the rear ones; the swallow has since been flying over the riders, asking if they will catch up with her; EM has become a groundhog, comes out of the hole in the morning and evening to kill the sun; when he comes out in the evening, the sun is frightened hides behind West Mountain, so day and night alternate]: Gadamba, Čerensodnom 1984:735 in Nassen-Bayer, Stuart 1992:330.