Udihe

The alder tree girl

In this folktale, a fairy nurses an alder tree into a girl in order for her to look after her baby daughter.

An old woman and her tiger cub

This contemporary Taiga legend tells of an unlikely friendship between an old woman and a tiger cub.

The bear hunt

A story about the speaker and her husband’s encounter with a bear on the river Dzali.

The bear, the tiger and the man

A folktale about a bear and a tiger who go in search of a two-legged animal, reputed to be the strongest of all.

The bird cherry song

A children’s ditty traditionally sang while softening bird cherry fruits.

Bird cherry tree shavings in Udihe culture

An account of how to make cherry tree shavings and their range of uses in the Udihe community.

The fairy and the ten bald spirits

A folktale about a fairy whose magical tricks and malice save her from being eaten by ten bald evil spirits.

The flower wife

A tale about a man’s quest to find his lost wife after she is reincarnated in a flower.

The fox wife

A story about a man whose beautiful new bride turns out to be a fox.

The fox with ten tails

Illustration by Gennadii Pavlishin from a collection of Udihe folk tales (V. Kialundziuga, "Dva solntsa" (Khabarovsk, 1974)).

This tale is about a man who fights the fox with ten tails to get the beautiful bride he desires.

Gamuli and Amuli

A folktale about two girls travelling around looking for husbands.

Ginseng hunting

A personal story telling how the Udihe used to hunt for ginseng roots.

How I tamed a roe cub

A true story about a couple raising an abandoned roe cub.

How Udihe elders used rotten ash tree

An account by an Udihe woman explaining how her community used pieces of rotten ash tree for newborns.

A hunting trip

A true narrative about an Udihe woman going on a hunting trip on the river with her husband and her son.

The iron bird and the silver bird

A folktale about a hero. Helped by the silver bird, takes revenge on the evil iron bird who killed his family.

The moose and the frog

A short fable about a naive bored moose who challenges a clever frog to a race.

My newborn son’s death

An account of the passing of an Udihe woman’s newborn son.

The oriole grandson

A folktale about a woman searching for her grandson, changed into an oriole bird for killing too many birds.

Running barefoot in winter

A speaker’s story about an Udihe amusement from her childhood: running around in the cold barefoot.

The seven sisters

A folktale about seven sisters living together. When the eldest turn into an evil spirit, the others must flee.

Sisam Zauli and the hero

A folktale about a hero whose life is saved and protected by a good spirit named Sisam Zauli.

A tame roe cub named Wasya

A true story about a roe cub adopted by a couple and raised in their home as a dog.

The tiger for the Udihe people

An account of the place, role and power of the tiger in Udihe culture.

The tree with children’s souls

A legend about how shamans made barren Udihe women pregnant in the past.

The two wives’ song

A traditional performance of a song about a man and his two wives’ travel on the river Dzali.

The weasel

A tale about a human-eating evil weasel and a brave young girl trying to kill it.

When Yegdige ate an evil spirit

A tale detailing the adventures of a hero who ate an evil spirit and turned evil himself.

Yegdige in a silk gown

A tale narrating the adventures of a man known as the silk gown hero and his new beautiful witch wife.

Zabdala, an extraordinary snake

An epic tale narrating the adventures of a snake and his human family.