The Wisdom of Kazakh Folktales: Ushar’s Howl

Ushar’s Howl

 A long time ago there lived a very old woman. She had just one son, who earned his living hunting with a falcon. His most reliable companion was his hound Ushar. But then death somehow overtook the hunter. After having buried him, his relatives, following their custom, moved their camp to a new location. Along the way the old woman discovered that Ushar had disappeared and she went back to the old camp. Ushar could not bring himself to leave his master. His sad howl resounded across the whole steppe. The legendary Korkut-Ata, the forefather of all musicians and the first shaman, gives forth on his stringed kobyz the sorrow of the old woman who was his mother and the faithful dog Ushar.

Translated from the Russian by Dr. Helen Faller
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