Beltös Myths

One of the best ways to understand a culture, is by reading its myths. Here are five popular myths of the Beltös people.

All of these myths have complete interlinear glosses. Click here: Interlinear Glosses

Many years ago, when the sun and the moon were young, the people spoke different words. Agreement and cooperation were difficult. The people were sad. Sometimes they were hungry. Marriages were rare. Children were rarer.

The people wondered: What should they do? They asked the priests. They asked the shamans. They asked the old, wise ones.

The wise ones gathered for consultation. Their words were different but they could draw pictures. They decided to pray to the gods of the winds, as the winds are like breath, and it is from breath that words come.

All the people gathered together. They prayed all day long and all night long. They prayed for many days. The winds blew more and yet more. This was the gods of the winds speaking with each other.

The gods of the winds asked themselves: What should we do?

The east wind said, All the people must speak the same words. The north wind and the south wind and the west wind agreed. The winds blew hard and brought good words to the people.

Now the people speak the same words. They are happy. There is much food. There is much love. There are many happy children.

Many years ago, when the sun and the moon were young, the people ate animals and birds and fish. This is hard to believe yet it is true. The people ate the flesh and drank the blood. The people a long time ago were like animals.

The animals and the birds and the fish prayed to the sun and to the moon. They prayed: Please help us. The people eat us.

The sun saw this in the daytime and he frowned. The moon saw this in the nighttime and she frowned. They thought: What can we do?

The sun and the moon spoke. They decided: The people needed education.

The sun and the moon traveled from the sky to the earth. The sun was like a tall man with yellow hair and many muscles in his legs and in his arms. The moon was like a beautiful woman with white hair and with thin legs and thin arms. The two came to the people and said: Do not eat the flesh and blood of animals or birds or fish.

The people laughed. They said: Are we to eat only leaves and roots? We will be hungry every day.

The sun said: I will give you a gift. He called the stars. Some of them traveled from the sky to the earth. They became the domesticated-lizards.

The moon said: You may eat the eggs of the domesticated-lizards. Then you will eat other things instead of leaves and roots.

The people said: It is good. And they took the domesticated-lizards and put them in a paddock. When the domesticated-lizards laid eggs, the children gathered them and the women cooked them and the people ate them.

The animals and the birds and the fish were happy. The people were educated. The sun and the moon travelled from the earth to the sky. The sun smiled at the people in the daytime, and the moon smiled at the people in the nighttime.

So it was a long time ago.

Many years ago, when the sun and the moon were young, the Hoopoe [a species of bird, but here represents the god or spirit of the hoopoes, who traditionally are seen as exemplars of wisdom and mystical knowledge] came to the ground. He was hungry. He walked far and came upon a house in which lived two sisters.

He stood at the door. One sister was in the house. She saw the Hoopoe—he looked like a man—she invited him in. She said, “O favored visitor! Please rest you feet in the cool of our house.”

The Hoopoe said, “Thank you, sister! I am grateful for your kindness and hospitality.”

The Hoopoe entered. He sat. He said, “O kind sister! I am very hungry.”

The woman said, “Here is some food for you, O esteemed visitor!”

She took some rice balls. But she wanted to keep the rice balls for herself. She gave the Hoopoe two rice balls. He ate them.

The second sister came home. She saw the man. She greeted him, “O favored visitor! Please rest your feet in the cool of our house.”

The Hoopoe said, “Thank you, sister! I am grateful for your kindness and hospitality.” And he said, “O kind sister! I am very hungry.”

The second sister gave him many rice balls. He ate them all. She gave him the remaining rice balls. He ate them too.

The Hoopoe said, “You are most kind and generous and self-sacrificing.” He said this to the second sister.

He said, “You must become my wife.” The second sister smiled and nodded her head

The Hoopoe became the god of the Hoopoes [that is, his appearance changed from that of a man to that of a god]. He made the second sister to be a god-bird too. They flew away into the sky.

The first sister was alone. She lived alone all her years.

Many years ago, when the sun and the moon were young, the earth was empty of people. But there were plants, and animals, and birds, and fish, and lizards. God looked at the earth and He said: There should be people who will remember My name and will pray to me.

God spoke to the sea turtle: O honorable sea turtle, please swim to the beach and climb up onto the land.

And, God spoke to the monkey: O honorable monkey, please run to the sea turtle and climb onto his back.

And, God spoke to the nightingale: O honorable nightingale, please fly to the monkey and perch onto his shoulder and sing your beautiful song.

And, God spoke to the hibiscus tree: O honorable hibiscus tree, please waft your fragrance over the sea turtle and the monkey and the nightingale.

Then, God made the sun to shine very hot and bright. And the sun made the sea turtle and the monkey and the nightingale and the perfume of the hibiscus tree to melt together. And, when the sun set, there was Man and there was Woman.

And, to them, God said: O honorable Man and honorable Woman, I have created you to know me and worship me.

Man and Woman said: We remember Thee, O most Honorable God, and we will remember Thee all the days of our lives and all the days of our children and grandchildren and forever.

And God was pleased with His creation.

And this is where the people come from. They come from God.

Many years ago, when the sun and the moon were young, there were three brothers. The brothers needed to leave on a long journey to visit their grandfather before he died and traveled to the land of the clouds [heaven, i.e. the place to which the soul travels after death]. They decided to prepare a large meal of ṕiṕa [eggs from a domesticated lizard] and žillipäx [rice balls] to fortify themselves for the journey.

When the meal was cooked, the brothers sat down to eat. An old woman came to the door of their dežda [a longhouse in which live the members of an extended family]. She said: I am hungry. Can you share some of your fragrant meal?

The first brother thought: I need this food to nourish me on the long journey. He said: This meal is for me. I will eat it.

The second brother thought: I need this food to nourish me on the long journey. He said: I am hungry. The ṕiṕa and žillipäx are for me.

The third brother thought: The old woman is hungrier than I am. He said: Yes, O honorable old woman, please share my meal with me.

Then, a young boy came to the door of their dežda. He said: I am hungry. Can you share some of your delicious meal?

The first brother thought: I need this food to nourish me on the long journey. He said: This meal is for me. I will eat it.

The second brother thought: I need this food to nourish me on the long journey. He said: I am hungry. The ṕiṕa and žillipäx are for me.

The third brother thought: The young boy is hungrier than I am. He said: Yes, O honorable young boy, please share my meal with me.

The three brothers departed on their long journey. First they came to a big mountain. The mountain was very steep. The first brother was heavy because his stomach was full. He could not climb the mountain. He stopped and returned to the village.

The two brothers walked on and came to a wide river. The water was very fast. The second brother was heavy because his stomach was full. He could not swim across the river. He stopped and returned to the village.

The third brother completed the journey. He came to the dežda of his grandfather. He said: O honorable grandfather, I wish you peace and happiness in the land of the clouds.

The grandfather was pleased by this. He blessed the third brother. The grandfather said: Your two brothers turned back because they ate much and their stomachs were heavy. You shared your meal and your stomach was light. May the blessings of the all-highest God be upon you.

The grandfather departed for the land of the clouds and the third brother returned to the village. He lived a long and blessed life because of his generosity.