N9. Who's coming closer? .16.29.

Two characters discuss the rider's approach. A person with a higher social status explains that what seems like crows are actually clods of earth flying from under the horse's hooves, and what seems like snow, cloud or fog is falling from his foam or his breath.

Irish, Kabardian, Balkarians, Ossetians.

Western Europe. The Irish [episode of the Death of Kukhulin saga (based on a manuscript dating back to circa 1100): "Conal moved on in the footsteps of the army. Loughaid was swimming at this time. "Look around," he said to the driver, "so anyone doesn't come near us unnoticed." He looked at it. "Some rider is coming closer to us. The haste and speed with which it rushes is great. It's like all the crows in Ireland are rushing over him, and in front of him, like snowflakes, the plain is full of snow." "I don't like this rider in such a hurry," Lugaid said. "This is Conal Victorious on his Red Dew horse. What you think are birds rushing over him are clods of earth thrown by his horse's hooves, and what seems like snowflakes that dazzle the plain in front of him is foam from a horse's face falling from bit. See also what road he's taking." "He is heading to the ford," the driver replied, "along the path our army has traveled." "Let this rider pass us," Lugaid said, "we do not like a combat encounter with him"]: Smirnov 1933:220-221; (cf. [episode of The Battle Chariot with Sickles, written in the first person and contained on sheet 189 ^a of the Leinster Book (mid-12th century manuscript): "These horses remind me of three things: crow feathers over the battlefield, or a flash of fire, or snowflakes, so pieces of turf fly out of the ground under their feet from running fast, so sparks are knocked out of the stones, and so does foam fly from their faces. There is a silver butt in the driver's hand, he directs the horses to them, and they go without wandering on the stones, but to where he points them, as I saw it"]: Mikhailova 1989:121).

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Kabardian residents: Aliyeva 1974, No. VI [episode of the Nart epic: "Pshi Badynoko's sledge was angry. /Tkhozhey rushed to him - /On the horse's back [Badynoko] dances. /That the horse's hooves are knocking out - /It spins, like a flock of rooks; /What flies out of a horse's nostrils - /The roadside scorches. /I saw him unawait {letters. 'at home'} Satan -/She was standing on the water./She threw the water barrack, /Satan ran to Satan:/"Oh Sataney Guasha {gouasha 'mistress, mistress'},/Among the gouaches you the most beautiful, /Beans are an interlocutor, /And you/And I have never seen it/A miracle has appeared with us."/"What do the rider and his horse, the harlot, look like?" /"[The rider] is dancing on the horse's back, /A pack of rooks is spinning behind him, /The fog swirls in front of him."/"Allah, Allah, the harlot, /What is spinning behind [him] -/ [It's a clod] from under the horse's hooves, /What lies ahead - /Steam from the horse's nostrils; /He himself is Badynoko's sledge./[he went hiking], let's not miss him"], VII ["Sataney Gouache's Unautka was walking on the water and saw a lonely rider riding In an amble; she left her buckets by the river and returned herself to Satan Guache. "Oh Sataney Guasha, /A majestic horseman is coming here./He's not the one you've seen, /He's not the type I've seen, /I don't know what kind he is."/"What kind of person he is, what kind of person he is, /You should die!" /"There is a slight fog in front of him, /Rooks are flying above it/And the Samyrs are playing on the sides, /A tent will be spread out on [the horse's] cereal."/"Give me my stilts soon!" /She walks slowly on stilts -/You can't walk fast on stilts./"Give me my saur shoes as soon as possible," says/Satan and runs out in an instant. /She sees a rider/And returns to hers unautke./"This rider that is coming - /Nart Shabatnuko" <... >/Shabatnuko's sledge has arrived. /A little fog in front of him -/Steam from the horse's nostrils./Rooks above his head -/ These are clods of earth flying From under the hooves. /There are two stirrups on the sides, [and side by side]/Two samyrs are playing./Tent over the horse -/Foam from the horse./"Prepare poisonous potions soon." - [Satan speaks]], VIII ["Unautka Satan/From white-stone old house -/ With oak floors -/ Places of Nart games -/ When I left, I saw him {Pshibadynoko's sledge} ./Unautka was going to fetch water/She was carrying two troubles. /I saw the rider who was going, /She ran to Satan:/"Hey, Sataney Guasha, /Incomparable to other gouaches, /Envy [people] is provocative, /If you get up, it's like Mezith, /A rider comes here/A similar rider in our land I didn't see it."/"Take a closer look, harlot, what kind of rider and horse look like!" -/ Sataney Guasha said and sent her unautka. /Unautka looked intently at the rider and the horse, /What she saw said:/"Hey, Sataney Guasha, /Beans are the interlocutor, /Listen to what the horseman looks like and his horse: /Fog swirls ahead, /Birds - rooks fly behind, /A tent will spread out on the horse's back, /Sparks from the horse/ They burn the roadsides. /Samyrs play on the sides, /They rush from one side of the road to the other -/|so the rider | rides," said |unautka|, /Sparks fly out one after another, /The sun |at the rider | above his head, /The horse's head is raised to the sky./Unaunt did not know who |this| rider./|Then| Sataney Guasha got up, /The interlocutor tells her beans, /She tells her stilts to serve. /The floor of her house is half a day's journey, |when she goes on stilts |;/She got off |with stilts | and |fast| went, /She looked out of the gate/ And when she saw - I recognized the rider right away. /"Hey, slutty, real slutty," said |she|, -/"Hey, harlot slutty, /How could someone like this come to us/Whoever you haven't seen. /Whoever did I see? /He's one you've seen/ He's one I've seen;/What seems to the mists ahead -/ Steam |from| the horse's nostrils;/The birds that fly behind -/ |A clod from under the horse's hooves, /A tent on the horse's back -/ A stretched bow; /What do you think are sparks from a horse's mouth -/The foam of his horse. /He himself is Pshibadynoko's sledge"]: 248-249, 251-252, 257-258; Balkarians: Aliyeva 1994, appendix 1 [episode of the Nart epic: "Through For several days, young Rachikau drove up to the village where the head of the sledges, Uryzmek, lived with Satan, the wife of his belongings. The last servant, Kyulumhan, saw a horseman riding as she went to get water and, returning back, said to Satan: "Thanks to your greatness and strength, I have been able to see many glorious riders, But I've never seen anything like today: in front of him is a cloud with stars and crows flying in; he has the sun in front and the moon behind him; white hares jump under his horse. I've never seen such a miracle." Satan's prophetic, when she heard this, immediately guessed what was going on and said to the maid: "I heard that Shubadiev Rachikau is considered the most brilliant and best rider: probably the rider you are talking about , and he is the most, our friend Sosruko. What you thought was a cloud was the vapor from his horse's nostrils; crows were clods of mud flying up from under his horse's hooves; stars were sparks coming out of his tube; the sun shining in front was his kyube; and the moon behind him is takya; finally, the hares jumping under the horse, you think, are nothing more than the wide silk end of his whip. Now you have to go wait for him on the road, or else he probably won't come to us. When he approaches you, he will politely say: "Good afternoon!" - and he will continue"], 108 ["Rachykau got on his horse |and| set off./"I went to Nart village!" - they said to him after him./Oh, we saw |sledges | miracle rider:/"Comes to us," they said, "one Nart horseman. /He shines like a waterfall in the sun/And hares are playing around him./The wind from him The horse is dispersed by the mist./And jackdaws fly in the mist./What [we thought] was a waterfall is its iron chain mail./What seems like an impending sea wave is its mighty body./What seems to be an impending sea wave is its mighty body./What seems to be an impending sea wave |us| hares, is the end of his whip. /Nart's son goes, the ground is shuddering. /What |we | seems like fog is steam |from the horse's nostrils|, /And jackdaws are |this| clods of earth flying from under [horse hooves]."/" Good afternoon! Hey Nart sons!" - said |Rachyka|. /At that moment, a hurricane wind brought down |sledges | clods of earth"]: 515, 520; (cf. Aliyeva 1994, No. 104 ["Rachykau grew up and became big. He once asked his father Badinat: "Let me get hurt." Dad didn't want to let him go, but he left. Kyrs-Biyche's servant, when she saw him riding [on horseback], came and said: "Oh, beiche, one rider is riding through the valley, /Clods flying from under [his horse]'s hooves, /Over the rider, word | birds, flying by,/ They fall to the ground./Under the belly |horse| hares gallop./The horse's breath turns into a wind, /Trees and forests are falling down." Biyche taught her this way: "If this is the case, go and wait for him to arrive"]: 506); Ossetians: Khamitsaeva, Byazirov 1989, No. 118 [episode of the Nart epic: "Soslan went to the steppe and sees: /On the way, a cloud is approaching, /Black crows are flying above the cloud/And behind him you can see a furrow from a rogue. /He drove up |Soslan| and sees:/This is Albega's son, little Totraz./The cloud is steam from his horse's breath, /Black crows - clods of earth,/|that fly out from under the horse's hoofs| ./The plow trail is the trail of its peak./The child in the saddle sleeps with his head thrown back, /Albega's son, little Totraz. /Soslan rises to him and/ Stabs him on the forehead"], 123 ["Hey, then/ Became |Satan| look again/The more the rider approached, /The bigger he got, /And he was the size of a mountain tower./And now, they say, /The closer he got,/ All the more/Black crows above his head/Flying. /What is this? /And they were amazed/At this marvel./But they were not black crows, /And they were /Clods of earth/ What they flew out/ From under [the horse's] hooves,/This is what it is/ And they flew |they| overhead |rider|"]: 385, No. 411-412; { The similarity between the Death of Kukhulin saga and Ossetian texts was noted by V.I. Abayev (1990:235)}.