Udihe

The moose and the frog

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In this fable a naive bored moose challenges a clever frog to a race to entertain itself. The frog jumps on the moose’s head and starts croaking. The moose, who cannot see the frog on his head but can hear her croak, believes she has accepted the challenge and keeps increasing the distance of the race. Looking for her, he spreads his anklets further and further, and ultimately dies. The moral from the frog: having a big head does not mean one is intelligent.

The tale features an artistically performed song, which Tatyana Dvoynova performed at various local and international festivals. This traditional plot is reflected in the existing publications, see Nikolaeva et al. (2001: 874-877), Nikolaeva et al.(2003, text 15), and Lebedeva and Fetisova (1996, text 2).

Recordings: Udihe videos were recorded by Maria Tolskaya, some with participation of Elena Perekhvalskaya, in 2006 in the village Krasnyy Yar and in 2011 in the village Agzu.

Attachments

Speakers

  • Ogbö bagdi-ni bi-si-ni.
    moose live-3SG be-PST-3SG
    moose жить-3ЕД быть-ПРОШ-3ЕД
    A Moose lived.
    Жил-был лось.
  • Sagdana ede-ixi-ni, zäŋ' teu baŋcal’a uta.
    old become-3SG be-PST-3SG IDEO all kick.out it
    старый become-3ЕД быть-ПРОШ-3ЕД IDEO весь лягнуть.из этот
    When he got old, they chased him away.
    Когда он состарился, все его прогнали.
  • Emuse bi:-ni namu kä-du-ni, seuni: safani:.
    alone be-3SG sea near-DAT-3SG terribly get.bored
    alone быть-3ЕД море near-ДАТ-3ЕД terribly получить.bored
    He lived on his own on the shore of the sea, he was very bored.
    Живёт он один на берегу моря, ужасно ему скучно.
  • tu: xuli:, eu(xi) ŋene:-li, xuli-mie, xuli-mie, e:xi-we ise:-ni.
    all.the.time walk.PRES.PTC here go.PST-3SG walk-INF walk-INF frog-ACC see.PST-3SG
    весь.the.время идти.PRES.ПРИЧ здесь идти.ПРОШ-3ЕД идти-INF идти-INF frog-АКК видеть.ПРОШ-3ЕД
    He went here and there, he walked and walked and saw a Frog.
    Туда пойдёт, сюда пойдёт, ходил, ходил, увидел лягушку.
  • "e:xi, ge, megdi-ze-fi ge tukän-zi."
    frog INTJ race-SBJV-1PL INTJ run.PF.CVB-INST
    frog МЕЖД race-СОСЛ-1МН МЕЖД бежать.ПРФ.КОНВ-INST
    “Frog, let’s compete in running.’
    "Лягушка, давай с тобой в беге соревноваться."
  • "gea'a'a',"- e:xi {tudy-sjudy} xeje-le-ni päkč xetieŋ-ki-ni.
    croak frog {here-there} forehead-LOC-3SG hop.IDEO jump-PST-3SG
    croak frog {здесь-там} лоб-ЛОК-3ЕД hop.IDEO прыгать-ПРОШ-3ЕД
    The Frog said: “Croak!” It jerked here and there and jumped at the forehead of the Moose.
    "Ква-а," – туда-сюда ёрзает, плюх – и на лоб лося запрыгнула.
    After the recording session, the narrator explained that the moose has a small hollow on its forehead because the frog sat and fidgeted there.
  • ogbö tukä-nie, sokco-mie=de.
    moose run-3SG sticking.out=FOC
    moose бежать-3ЕД sticking.из=ФОК
    The Moose ran, his antlers were upright.
    Лось побежал, рога торчком.
  • "si bubuli jeu bie,” {govorit} muisi:-ni ogbö.
    " you EV what be.2SG {says} think-3SG moose
    " ты EV что быть.2ЕД {says} think-3ЕД moose
    The Moose thought: “where are you?”
    "Где ты там?" – думает лось.
  • tukä-nie tukä-nie tukä-nie.
    run-3SG run-3SG run-3SG
    бежать-3ЕД бежать-3ЕД бежать-3ЕД
    He was running and running.
    Бежит, бежит, бежит.
  • "e:xe-i" - "ge'a'a'ak," – "{interesno, opjat'}.
    frog-VOC croak {interesting again}
    frog-ВОК croak {interesting снова}
    “Hey, Frog!” “Croak!” “Interesting, he is still here.”
    "Эй, Лягушка!" – "Ква!" - "Интересно, опять она здесь.
  • xaisi beje-zi bele tukä-li-nie, je: sokco-mie, bugdi kölo-mie=de tukä-nie.
    again fast-INST fast run-INCH-3SG antlers sticking.out? legs ?=FOC run-3SG
    снова быстрый-INST быстрый бежать-ИНХ-3ЕД antlers sticking.из? legs ?=ФОК бежать-3ЕД
    The Moose ran faster, his antlers and legs stick out.
    Ещё сильнее лось побежал, рога торчком, ноги длинные.
    The exact meanings of the words "sokcomie" and "kölomie" is not clear. The only explanation the storyteller provided is “they mock the Moose this way”.
  • "e:xi," – gune:-ni, "e'a'a'ak"
    frog say.PST-3SG croak
    frog сказать.ПРОШ-3ЕД croak
    “Hey, Frog!” “Croak!”
    "Эй, Лягушка!" – говорит. "Ква!"
  • "egdeŋge, min-digi geje tukä-ini uti, seuni: ma:i."
    interesting me-ABL together run-3SG this terribly strong
    interesting me-АБЛ together бежать-3ЕД этот terribly сильный
    “It’s interesting, he is running together with me, he must be very strong.”
    “Интересно, со мной наравне бежит, страшно сильная.”
  • tukä-m(i), tukä-m(i) ogbö.
    run-INF run-INF moose
    бежать-INF бежать-INF moose
    The Moose ran and ran.
    Лось бежит, бежит.
  • sagdi namu moŋgolie utieŋgu tukä-za-mie utieŋgu, ic'a namu moŋgolie utieŋgu tukä-za-mie utieŋgu.
    big sea around REFR run-SBJV-1SG small sea around REFR run-SBJV-1SG REFR
    большой море around REFR бежать-СОСЛ-1ЕД маленький море around REFR бежать-СОСЛ-1ЕД REFR
    “I will run around the big sea, I will run around the small sea,
    “Вокруг большого моря побегу, Вокруг маленького моря побегу.
    This and the following sentences are Moose’s song. "Big Sea" and "Small Sea" are likely to be proper names, cf. the Oroch Sagdi namu 'the Okhotsk sea' literally 'big sea' and Ic'a namu 'Tatar bay' literally 'small sea', see Turaev (2001: 105).
  • sagdi uli do-lo-nie utieŋgu tukä-za-mie utieŋgu, sagdi mo: due-li-nie utieŋgu tukä-za-mie utieŋgu.
    big river in-LOC-3SG REFR run-SBJV-1SG REFR big tree top-PROL-3SG REFR run-SBJV-1SG REFR
    большой river в-ЛОК-3ЕД REFR бежать-СОСЛ-1ЕД REFR большой дерево top-ПРОЛ-3ЕД REFR бежать-СОСЛ-1ЕД REFR
    I will run along the big river, I will run on the top of big trees.
    По большой реке побегу, по верхушкам больших деревьев побегу.
    After the recording session, the narrator added one more sentence: ic'a mo: duelini tukäzamie ‘I will run on top of small trees’. This is a standard motif in Udihe folk songs.
  • "e:xi!"- "e'a'a'ak"
    frog croak
    frog croak
    Hey, Frog!” “Croak!”
    Эй, Лягушка!" "Ква!"
  • "seuni: mei."
    terribly strong
    terribly сильный
    “He is strong!”
    "Cильная!"
  • ba:-zi tukä-nie, ogbö sokcomie=de.
    fast run-3SG moose sticking.out=FOC
    быстрый бежать-3ЕД moose sticking.из=ФОК
    The Moose was running fast having spread his antlers.
    Быстро бежит лось, рога развесив.
  • sagdi namu moŋgolie utieŋgu tukä-za-mie utieŋgu, ic'a namu moŋgolie utieŋgu tukä-za-mie utieŋgu.
    big sea around REFR run-SBJV-1SG REFR small sea around REFR run-SBJV-1SG REFR
    большой море around REFR бежать-СОСЛ-1ЕД REFR маленький море around REFR бежать-СОСЛ-1ЕД REFR
    “I will run around the big sea, I will run around the small sea.
    “Вокруг большого моря побегу, вокруг маленького моря побегу.
  • "e:xi!" – gune:-ni, "e'a'a'ak"
    frog say-3SG croak
    frog сказать-3ЕД croak
    Hey, Frog!” – he said. “Croak!”
    Эй, Лягушка!" - говорит. "Ква!"
  • bei tu: beje-zi tukä-nie, sokco-mie=de ogbö=tene.
    it all.the.time fast-INST run-3SG sticking.out=FOC moose=CONTR
    этот весь.the.время быстрый-INST бежать-3ЕД sticking.из=ФОК moose=CONTR
    The Moose was still running having spread his antlers.
    А лось всё быстрее бежит, рога развесив.
  • "e:xi!" – gun'e - "e'a'a'ak," "e:xi!" – gun'e - "e'a'a'ak," "e:xi!" – gun'e - "e'a'a'ak."
    frog say.PERF croak frog say.PERF croak frog say.PERF croak
    frog сказать.PERF croak frog сказать.PERF croak frog сказать.PERF croak
    He said: “Hey, Frog!” “Croak!” He said: “Hey, Frog!” “Croak!”
    "Эй, Лягушка!" - говорит. – "Ква!" "Эй, Лягушка!" - говорит. – "Ква!"
  • tukä-m, tukä-m, sokcomi bude-ili.
    run-INF run-INF run-INF antlers.sticking.out die-3SG
    бежать-INF бежать-INF бежать-INF antlers.sticking.из умереть-3ЕД
    He was running, running having spread his antlers and so he died.
    Бежал, бежал, рога развесив, да так и умер.
  • sagdi-ni-de ogbö ele budei-si-ni, {a} e:xi xegi-xi xetigeŋ-ki-ni.
    big moose die-PF.CVB-3SG {and} frog down-LAT jump-PST-3SG
    большой moose умереть-ПРФ.КОНВ-3ЕД {and} frog down-LAT прыгать-ПРОШ-3ЕД
    The large Moose died and the Frog jumped down from his forehead and said:
    Большой Лось умер, а лягушка спрыгнула с его лба и говорит:
  • "uti isesi:, uti seuni sagdi dili-ni, je-we=de e-ini muisi:.
    this see.2SG this terribly big head-3SG what-ACC=FOC NEG-3SG think.PRES.PTC
    этот видеть.2ЕД этот terribly большой голова-3ЕД что-АКК=ФОК НЕГ-3ЕД think.PRES.ПРИЧ
    “You see, his head is very big, but he can’t think anything.
    "Вот видишь, у него голова ужасно большая, а ничего не думает.
  • bi dili: ic'ei, …. bi belem=de a:-zi muisi-mi."
    me head.1SG small me much=FOC good-INST think-1SG
    me голова.1ЕД маленький me много=ФОК хороший-INST think-1ЕД
    Although my head is small, I can think better.”
    Хоть у меня голова маленькая, а я соображаю лучше."