C31. The Wise Hedgehog (Cosmology) .27.29.-.34.
Thehedgehog is wiser or smarter than all gods and animals; he has knowledge that is vital to human existence.
Bulgarians, Macedonians, Gagauz people, Serbs, Romanians, Crimean Tatars, Kalmyks, Kabardian, Nogais, Ossetians, Pashtuns, Ingush, Lithuanians, Latvians, Udmurts, Mari, Chuvash people, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Baikal and Trans-Baikal Buryats.
The Balkans. Bulgarians: Kovachev 1914 [1) there is water everywhere; God and the devil were walking in the sky, tired; the devil offered God that he would dive, bring the firmament from the bottom so that they could rest; the devil took out a piece land, it began to grow; the land that was under the devil's claws, God began to crumple his fingers and it began to grow imperceptibly; this is how God arranged a place to rest and they sat down; the devil wanted to drown God so that become the ruler of the world; began to pull the ground on which God was sitting, the earth became very large, the sky could no longer cover it; then God called all animals for advice; on the advice of the hedgehog, he took and pulled a little land to another location, it turned out valleys and mountains]: 49 (per. K. Rangocheva); Kuznetsova 1998 [1) God sends a bee to overhear what the devil says to the hedgehog and find out how to reduce the earth, which was so large that it could not fit under heaven - take a rod and hit it on the earth, or God, on the advice of the hedgehog, moves the earth here and there, but mountains form on it; 2) The sun announced his wedding to the Moon, invited all the animals; the hedgehog sat sad, gnawed at the stone; replied that the treat was for him I like it, but he wants to learn how to eat stones in advance, because when the Sun has children on earth everything will burn; the Sun refused to marry; the animals are angry with the Hedgehog, the Sun gave him needles to protect him; 3) The sun decided to marry his Moon sister; matchmakers, all animals, gathered; the Hedgehog threw food into the feeder, sat in silence; replied that the wedding would take place if his horse ate its food; explained that when little suns are populated, everything on earth will burn, so he wants to teach the horse how to eat stones in advance; the animals have decided to make sure that the Sun and the Moon never meet]: 78; Marinov 2003 [Sun decided to marry; the Hedgehog, who came on a donkey, put stones in his feeder instead of hay; explained to the Sun that when the Sun had children, the heat from many suns would incinerate everything, let the donkey get used to eating stones; Sun gave up his intention to marry]: 29; Macedonians: Tsenev 2004 [The Sun is about to marry, but the Hedgehog said that when many Suns are born, life will be impossible; animals have decided that the Sun should not to marry; then he sank into the sea; the Rooster began to sing, the Sun came up and accused him that he, the Sun, was drowning, and he was singing; since then the Sun has come out, when the rooster sings, and he cursed the hedgehog, he hides that day; see also other texts with an A2C motif]: 36-37; Ortenzio 2008, No. 11 [When God created the earth, it was bigger than heaven and he didn't know what to do; the bee overheard the hedgehog talking to the devil; the hedgehog: God doesn't know that the earth should be beaten with a stick, it will become smaller, forming valleys and mountains; God has rewarded the bee with the ability to produce wax and honey]: 24; Serbs [The sun decided to marry, invited everyone to the wedding; Hedgehog gave his donkey stones, said let him learn to eat them; when the Sun has children, everything will burn; the Sun refused to marry]: Jankovich 1951:63-64; Romanians: Müller 1857, No. 208 ( Transylvania) [(retelling in Johns 2005:268); God sends Archangel Gabriel to bring sand from under the water; finds several grains of sand under his fingernails, places them on the water, creating land; from the bushes, the hedgehog tells God Verify that the earth layer is thick enough; God has checked; this is how the earth came out]: 162; Murgoci 1929:137-139 in Johns 2005 [A Tatar brings land from under the water; the land is too large; God sends a bee, she overhears how the Hedgehog thinks out loud what valleys and mountains should be made, the size of the earth will decrease; the Tatar makes a man out of clay, asks him to revive; they agree that God will get alive, but the Devil is dead; God knows that there are more dead; sends an archangel to learn how to break the contract; this requires a flower that Mary smelled; Mary conceives, gives birth to Jesus Christ, a treaty torn]: 269; (cf. Beza 1928 [When creating the earth, God took a ball of duck threads and another ball of base threads; while he was measuring the sky, gave the hedgehog a ball of base, he dropped it, resulting in the earth being larger than the sky; God began to think that do; The bee flew to Hell, overheard him say to himself that you just have to squeeze the ground with his hands; God did so, mountains formed; Damn managed to hit the Bee with a whip, almost cutting it in half ( thin waist)]: 123-124).
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Crimean Tatars [Suleiman ordered the genies to build a palace out of diamonds and rubies; they built it; people asked if S. was going to live forever; S.: is there a cure for death? he was advised to drink live water; S. called the people; the hedgehog was the last to arrive; almost climbing the steps, he rolled down because he was old; S. told the ant to overhear that the hedgehog would talk to himself; hedgehog: he is going to drink live water; when he becomes an old man like me, love will laugh at him; Zumranka's bird brought S. live water, but he sent it back; she flew back, dropped the bottle and he crashed over Yemen; S. sent her to see what grew up there; it turned out that coffee (the origin of coffee)]: Radlov 2021, No. 22; Kalmyks [(Kalmykia Folk Art 1940:277); people got married on relatives; the khan called the inhabitants of the earth to decide how to get out of this situation; the Hedgehog was the last to appear, climbing over the threshold of the khan's kibitka, fell; the khan's two adult daughters burst out laughing; the Hedgehog was offended and left; the khan sent for him a bird that could fly silently {apparently an owl}; she overheard the Hedgehog talking to himself on the way; We must make it colorful and highlight the foreign ones; the khan understood what was needed prepare a dowry and marry members of foreign families]: Basayev 2004, No. 168:270 (=Basangova 2019:114-115); Nogais [humans and animals ate grass, animals said that not everyone That's enough, people began to grow cereals, but did not know how to harvest; the old man advised to send for the Hedgehog; he would come, lay down in a ball, you can't laugh at him; the young began to laugh, the Hedgehog was offended and left; the old man said that the Hedgehog would talk to himself on the way; the cat followed quietly, overheard the Hedgehog explain how to make an iron sickle; since then, cereals have been reaping]: Ganiyeva 2011a, No. 100:243-244 (= Nogai 1979, No. 3:13-14); Ossetians (Georgia, Ganisi, Gudsky Ushelye) [Afsati's wife has been ill for a long time; she is visited by zeds and other celestials, but no one is able to find a cure for the disease; she is getting worse, already does not get out of bed; calls Afsati, tells him to go to the doctor Hakim, who lives across seven passes - he probably knows the remedy; Afsati sits on his golden deer and finds himself in the blink of an eye near Hakim's house; Hakim guesses beans and advises him to gather all the cattle he has, that is, all forest animals except wolves, and slaughter them, then his wife will recover; Afsati comes home orders the servants to call all the animals; at this time, Uastyrji comes to visit the patient, sees a crowd of animals and asks Afsati why they are here; he talks about the recommendation of doctor Hakim; Uastyrji: "Tell me who is more alive or dead?" Before Afsati even has time to open his mouth, a hedgehog comes out from under the bush: "There are more dead!" Afsati is surprised: after all, both humans and animals give birth to more young than die; the hedgehog laughs: those who have undertaken to fulfill all women's whims can also be considered dead; Afsati lets animals go Back home, the wife is getting better; Afsati tries to listen less to his wife's advice. For his bold answer, Uastyrji gives a hedgehog chain mail, which he still wears today]: Gadiev 2008, 130-131; Ossetians [Saints (Iseds), when gathered together, build a house; there is no better home anywhere in the world. They arrange a feast. People gather, walk around the house, look and wonder. The hedgehog comes last. He looks around the house for a long time, and when he finishes, he is asked how he liked the house. The hedgehog hesitated: "What house? Where there is no Safa and no Mairan, is it home?" Everyone wonders: what is he talking about? One person realizes that the hedgehog is smarter than them, Safa is a chain above the hearth, Mairan is the woman in the house, the hostess, and they are not here. Everyone admits that the hedgehog turned out to be smarter]: Khamitsaeva 1998, No. 111:474; Ossetians [Aldar's wife fell ill, asked to bathe her in people's blood; Aldar sent a man named Uyzyn ("hedgehog") to God for advice ; he asked Uyzyn three questions, W. answered successfully; people were saved, but God cursed W., turning them into a hedgehog]: Chibirov 2008:178; Ossetians (Digors, Zadalesk) [Uadzaftaua is born into a poor sledge family and from birth is beautiful. She has been married from her cradle. When W. grows up, he, wit, condemns and ridicules everyone who seeks her favor. He puts a tower at the crossroads of seven roads and, through a herald, gives caustic characteristics to all passers-by. Soslan calls her a "devil" (saitan) and tries to attract attention by driving a herd of tours under her tower and interrupting them, but gets a comment for it: "Except being a gravedigger of women, you're not doing anything you're good!" In order to put W. in his place, Soslan turns to the thing (kulbadag mustache), and she replies: "I can't help it, but there is a clearing in the middle of the forest, there's a hedgehog under the deadwood, and ask him." Exiled along with two other sledges goes there, calls twice: "Where are you a hedgehog sitting in a deadwood?" Finally, he responds and advises the sledges to gather in the middle of seven roads and start a Simd dance with basins and other objects, not to approach the beauty themselves, but to dance hard until she herself will go out and not grab anyone's shoulder. One sledge even brings 12 plows he used to plow. The dance continues until W. goes out in the evening and takes the sledge leader Uryzmag by the shoulder. He leaves his horse as payment for a prenuptial agreement, and puts his saddle on his shoulders and goes home. But after Ahsina (Satan) makes fun of his old husband, he refuses to marry and takes the horse. The daring sledge Crimea-Soltan, the son of Crimea-Saukhal, marries W. By order of W., he steals herds of the Kabardian princely Biaslanov family, shedding his blood, and then a proud girl becomes his wife]: Narty Kadzytæ: Iron Adæma epic 2010, No. 122:468-470 ( the text was translated by Taimuraz Kokoiti for Kostyantin Rakhno); Ossetians (Digors, Makhchesk) [Soslan turns to the sorcerer to influence the proud beauty Tizmuda, who lives in a tower in the middle of seven roads and ridiculing the shortcomings of all travelers. The sorcerer says, "I can't help you in any way, but there's a meadow in the middle of it, and there's a fallen tree in the middle of it, and a hedgehog is sitting under it, so ask him and he'll tell you for sure." Soslan finds the specified place, calls the hedgehog three times: "Who is the inhabitant of this place, look out to your guest!" Finally, the hedgehog comes out and advises each of the sledges to put what they work on their shoulders, and Simd and girls, women, old people and young should dance like this in the middle of the seven roads under Tizmuda's Tower, then she will come to them. Sledges are dancing. At the same time, Nart Humbar takes a hundred shares and a hundred incisors on his shoulders. Tizmuda chooses Uruzmaga, who has already colluded and leaves his white heroic horse, but Ahsina (Shatana) disrupts the wedding, turning the walls of the house into a starry sky and detaining her husband. Tizmuda agrees to marry the daring Crimea-Soltan, whose homes and possessions are located near the Black Sea, provided that he catches a black fox and sticks its tail in his hat and brings it prisoners 20 Chechen beauties and 20 Nogai fellows. He does everything, but dies from his wounds. Tizmuda undresses donaga. heals him, marries him]: Dzagurov 1927, No. 22:59-63; Ossetians [the tsar gathers people and animals and asks them questions: what is best in the world, what is more beautiful and which is the richest. The flatterers say that the king is the best, and he is also richer and more beautiful. The king is pleased, but he asks the question again - what if anyone thinks differently or is there no one here to give a different answer? The king is told that all those under control are present here. But here comes a breathless hedgehog. He replies that the land that feeds people is good, spring is beautiful, which decorates the land, and autumn, which fills the bins with bread, is rich. The king is surprised by the clever answer and asks him another question: who is more alive or dead? Hedgehog: "There are more dead, because they include those alive who do not have a fur coat in winter and burkas in summer." The king says to the hedgehog: "You told the truth, but because you did not say anything good about me, you will live in a hole from now on, and that your skin is prickly." Since then, the hedgehog has been prickly]: Kaloev 1976:34-36; Ingush [Suleiman does not know whether to die or ask God to prolong his life, decides to ask a hedgehog; sent a horse for him, a cat - the hedgehog did not come; he came when he sent the dog; the hedgehog explained that both the horse and the cat will serve the new owner, and the dog is loyal to one; you should ask for an extension of life only if you have the strength; for wisdom, Suleiman gave a hedgehog for protection thorns]: Dakhkilgov 2006:315-316.
Iran - Central Asia. Pashtuns [Solomon doubts whether he should drink the waters of immortality, calls animals for advice; there is no one Hedgehog; a horse, a hawk, is sent for him, he comes only after the dog has been sent; Solomon is dissatisfied why the Hedgehog ignored noble animals, but listened to the low dog; he replies that the horse and the hawk serve anyone, and the dog is loyal to the owner; he does not recommend drinking the water of immortality, for It's bad to be old for long; Solomon pours water out]: Thornburn 1876:219.
Baltoscandia. Latvians: Brivzemniaks 1887, No. 36 [1) When creating the land, God told Adam to say the names of everything created; but he could not remember the word "stone" (akmins); the stones began to grow and multiply; only the hedgehog accidentally said ak, min ("Oh guess!) ; 2) the hedgehog had elegant clothes, everyone tried to catch him; the earth was larger than the sky; only the hedgehog found a way out, offering to "pull it together"; for this he received clothes that no one would look at]: 40-41; Lajoye 2013 [the created land did not fit under the sky; the hedgehog advised God to squeeze it; this is how mountains appeared; God rewarded the hedgehog with a prickly fur coat; there is an option where instead of food is hell (Vels)]: 123; Lithuanians [God made the sky smaller than the earth; on the advice of the hedgehog, God squeezed the earth, it became uneven]: Kerbelite 2001:45.
Volga - Perm. The Udmurts [people received fire by rubbing from a maple stump; the maple was used up, the fire went out; everyone gathered for advice; the hedgehog did not want to go, for when he climbed over the threshold, everyone would be laugh; it happened, but the Hedgehog was persuaded to stay; he taught me to take a stone, a piece of iron and birch tinder]: Moshkov 1900:201; Marie: Tudorovskaya, Eman 1945 [the tsar's daughter fell ill; only a soldier volunteered to cure; ordered a cast-iron man to the blacksmith; stays overnight in the princess's room; the devil comes; the soldier offers to click nuts, gives the line cast iron; after beating cards, he gathers three times by agreement click the line, but agrees to have his lame brother do it; the cast iron man clicks, the hell flew out; the next night the same with three devils, the next night with all 12; princess they no longer torment, she has recovered; the king rewarded the soldier, he drank and died; Kiyamat savus (assistant to the chief of the afterlife) brought him to hell, the devils were frightened, did not accept him; they are not allowed to go to heaven either, they did a watchman at the door of paradise; Azren (death) always comes to God if anyone dies; the soldier did not let him go; he climbed into a snuffbox, the soldier closed it; for 7 years no one dies; God gathered all the animals, no one knows where Azren is; the hedgehog is walking slowly, fell on the doorstep, everyone laughed, he turned back; one of the angels followed, overheard the hedgehog muttering; "Although saints, you don't understand; if A. disappeared at night, then I saw the month, and if during the day, the sun"; month: A. in a snuffbox; the soldier was fired from the sentries; A.'s body was eaten with tobacco, the skeleton remained, so death is depicted as a skeleton]: 83-90; Ögöd 1937, No. 1.4 (oriental) [Humo tells all living beings what their characteristics and habits should be; gathers everyone for advice; The hedgehog comes last, stumbles over the threshold, falls upside down; everyone laughs the offended Hedgehog leaves; the animals send the Fox to overhear what he will say; the Hedgehog mutters, Let the rivers, roads, hedges, trees, streets in villages be crooked, let the forest be crooked; everything is so got a job]: 141-142 (=Aktsorin 1991, No. 1:26-30); Chuvash: Magnitsky in Ashmarin 2003 [Tură called birds and animals to come up with a way to cultivate the land; the Hedgehog was late, sent to pick him up Mouse; when he entered the meeting, he slipped, fell, laughed at him; he was offended and left, but only he knew what to do; the Pig was sent for him; she overheard him say to have a plough, a harrow, cart (etc.); The pig came back and told; the hedgehog angry at the mice eats them, the pig offended by the hedgehog hates him]: 286 (=Egorov 1995:130); Meszaros 2000 (northern, d. Pysăk Karachor Cheboksarsky district (Kazan Gubernia, 1906-1908) [before, people did not know how to plow, did not know fire; old people gathered and began to think about how to cultivate the land; no one could think of; called a hedgehog to ask him; hedgehog coming to the house where they were meeting old people, I wanted to go in, but could not, because the threshold was high; when he climbed, strained and released gases; the old people ridiculed him; the hedgehog was angry and shamed them: "You can laugh, but you can't plow"; nevertheless, he told them: iron must be attached to the broken end of a bent tree and first harness a horse between two poles; he also taught them how to make fire: you have to knock flint on a piece iron until it sparkles, and put tinder under the flint]: 60-61; Rekeev 1896 [God made people immortal, decrepit old people began to ask him to die; he sent esrail (Death), that she was supposed to cut the back of the old people's heads, but only with their consent; one old man asked E. several times to come later; made an iron coffin, invited her to try it on herself, locked it in a coffin, threw it into the lake; God called all creatures, but no Perch; The hedgehog reported that water was boiling in one lake; The perch came, said he was tired, he drooled (they still flow), because there was an iron chest on the way; the hedgehog was all more cunning, I guessed that there was e in the chest; she was taken out, i.e. said that a little more, she would suffocate; God told her to kill people regardless of age, according to the inscription on her forehead that he, God, would apply at birth; Hedgehog gave prickly clothes for a favor]: 3-5.
Turkestan. Kazakhs: Bosingen 1985 [Shaitan invites his friend Khan to ask for whatever he wants; Khan asks for pastures, Shaitan agrees, gives people all the land; in response he asks for the Moon and Sun; no one knows what to do now; the old hedgehog comes, stumbles, laughs at her, she leaves, muttering something; the khan sends the vizier to eavesdrop; the Hedgehog says to ask Shaitan to make a rope out oil and catch a mirage in the steppe; Shaitan cannot fulfill the condition, turns the old woman into a hedgehog as punishment]: 85-87; Poyarkov 1891 [Damn eclipsed the sun; everyone gathered for advice, the Hedgehog did not come; Leo was sent to him. Tiger, Jackal; Hedgehog agreed to come if he was given reliable skin, if mice stopped eating it and he ate mice himself; everyone asked God to fulfill the Hedgehog's wish, he came to the council in a new skin; Hedgehog suggested telling the Devil to make leather out of sand, dratva oil, sew boots by noon; Damn it, he could not, he returned the sun; since then the hedgehog has been considered sacred]: 39-40; Potanin 1972, No. 7 [Jebrail Jalmouth Pegambar caught all the birds, made holes in their nose, put them on the lasso, was going to eat them; Baigus remained; suggests D. to make lasso from sunlight and cow oil; D. cannot, lets birds go; Baigus Kazakhs do not catch]: 49-50; Kyrgyz [Damn angry and hid the sun; everyone gathered for advice; the wise Hedgehog said he is defenseless and cannot come; he is given a new skin with needles; he suggests asking Make the devil out of sand, and make ichigi out of oil by noon; the sun has to free the line]: Brudny, Eshmambetov 1981:347; 1989:370-371.
Southern Siberia - Mongolia. Buryats: Khangalov 1958a: 327-328 (Balagan) [the owner of the land, Dadyn-Ezhin Daba-Noyon (but also Delhen-ezhin Diben-Sagan-Noyon) demanded from the sky Khan Khurmas (or Khurmas-Tengari) the rays of the moon and suns, promising to harm people if he did not comply with the requirement; feeling sorry for the people he created, with the participation of all other Western Tengrians, Hurmusta tried to catch the sun and moon rays, but suffered failure, convened all 55 Western Tengrias to the council; Zarya-Azarga the hedgehog was also present at the council; since the Tengrii Council did not figure out how to fulfill the demand of the land owner (Dadyn-Ezhin), ZA went home; He said on the road: "Hurmust's western sky has gathered all Western Tengarins for advice, and they can't figure out a way to catch the rays of the sun and moon, but this is impossible because on earth it will turn dark; they must come up with something that would force the land owner to renounce his demand; if they demand "dadyn-zhirelge" and "dalan miralga" from the landlord, then the landlord will not be able to get it, and then he will give up his demand." Those sent by H. to eavesdrop on what he would say FOR, who was in the habit of thinking out loud, told H. the words of the hedgehog; Western Tengria followed the advice and demanded dadyn-zhirelge and dalan miralga from the owner of the land; he instructed the king of waters Uh-Lobson to send him Dalan Miralga, but he replied that he could not do it, and Dadyn-Ezhin himself could not catch Dadyn-zhirelge and should have refused from their demand], 328 (Kudins) [Esege-Malan-Tengari and the landlord became related through the marriage of their children; the landlord visited heaven Esege-Malan-Tengari; when leaving home asked for the sun to the moon as a gift; EMT could not refuse; it became dark on earth; EMT sent for Zarya-Azorg, the latter being offended by the ridicule of 9 sons and 9 daughters of EMT, who laughed that the hedgehog was not walks because he has no legs (?) , but rides; ZA left, blurted out his thought on the way, which EMT used; he went to visit the owner of the land himself; What should you give? says the owner of the earth; the horse from the spring reflection and the arrow from the echo; the owner of the earth could not fulfill the request, took the sun and moon out of the box and handed it to the guest]; Khangalov 1960 (Balagansky) [Vysokoe Sky (under Tengari) married the daughter of the Broad Earth (Ulgen Dalhey) for her son; the Earth demanded the Sun and Moon for her daughter, locked them in a box; the sky and earth became dark; the sky did not can figure out a way to get the Sun and Moon back; Zarya Azarga sent for the wise Hedgehog, ordered his 9 sons and 9 daughters not to laugh when he enters; ZA had no legs, rolled along earth; sons and daughters, when they saw him, could not help laughing; ZA was angry, drove back; Heaven sent Hare, Deer, Ermine, Squirrel, Ferret to eavesdrop on what ZA would say; "Let the sons and daughters of the High Sky will descend to earth and become huts and ongons; in order to return the Sun and Moon, we must ask the Broad Earth for Forest Echo and Water Flickering; she will not be able to catch them, will forced to give back the Sun and Moon"; the Hare overheard these words; as a result, the Sky received the lights back; 9 sons of the High Sky descended to earth, became western huts, and 9 daughters became ongons]: 11- 12; the Oirats [did not know about marriage before, the girls stayed at home until old age until their teeth turned yellow; invited the Wise Hedgehog; Hedgehog: a girl should be sent to strangers, eating a ram's leg after drinking bluish vodka; since then, boys have been married, girls are married]: Osorin 2011 in Basangova 2019:146-147.