A girl, who had no knowledge of her parents and lived without worry, relied on her songs to care for her reindeer and maintain her home. One day, the evil spirit pursued her, but she used clever tricks, like turning a comb into a forest and a handkerchief into fire, to thwart him. Eventually, she transformed into various animals to escape, finally reaching a Lamut tent. There, the spirit, now in the form of a handsome youth, offered her a choice of husbands, and she chose the eldest brother. They married and lived together.
Source
Tales of Yukaghir, Lamut, and Russianized Natives of Eastern Siberia
by Waldemar Bogoras
The American Museum of Natural History
Anthropological Papers, Vol. 20, Part 1
New York, 1918
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The girl undergoes multiple physical transformations into different animals to evade capture.
Cunning and Deception: Both the girl and the evil spirit use deception—the girl through her transformations and tricks, and the spirit by disguising himself as a handsome youth—to achieve their aims.
Guardian Figures: The young men in the Lamut tent serve as protectors, providing the girl refuge from the evil spirit.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Yukaghir people
Told by John Korkin, a Tundra Yukaghir man, on the western tundra of the Kolyma, spring of 1895.
There lived a girl who knew no man. Nor could she tell who were her parents. She was rich in reindeer and other property. So she walked about, singing lustily. She never went to watch over her reindeer. When the reindeer strayed too far, she would merely sing one of her songs, and they would come back of their own will. She sang and sang; and when she came back to her home, she would find the fire burning, the food cooked, and everything ready. Thus she lived on without work, care, or trouble.
One day she saw that half the sky was darkened. This darkness approached nearer and nearer. It was the evil spirit. One of his lips touched the sky, the other dragged along the ground. Between was an open mouth, ready to swallow up whatever came in its way. “Ah!” said the girl, “my death is coming. What shall I do?” She took her iron-tipped staff and fled.
► Continue reading…
The evil spirit gave chase, and was gaining on her. She drew from her pocket a small comb of ivory and threw it back over her shoulder. The comb turned into a dense forest. The girl ran onward. When the evil spirit reached the forest he swallowed it, chewed it, and gulped it down. He digested it and then defecated. The dense forest turned again into a small ivory comb. After that he continued his pursuit and was gaining on her, as before. She loosened from her waist a red handkerchief, which became a fire extending from heaven to earth. The evil spirit reached the fire. He went to a river and drank it completely dry. Then he came back to the fire, and poured the water upon it. The fire was extinguished. Only a red handkerchief lay on the ground, quite small, and dripping wet.
After that he gave chase again, and gained steadily on the girl. She struck the ground with her iron-tipped staff, and all at once she turned into an arctic fox. In this form she sped on, swifter than ever. The big mouth, however, followed after, wide open, and ready to swallow her. She struck the ground with her iron-tipped staff, turned into a wolverene and fled swifter than ever, but the evil mouth followed after. She struck the ground with her iron-tipped staff and turned into a wolf and sped away swifter than ever. She struck the ground with her iron-pointed staff and turned into a bear, with a copper bell in each ear. She ran off swifter than ever, but the big mouth followed and gained on her steadily. Finally, it came very near, and was going to swallow her.
Then she saw a Lamut tent covered with white skins. She summoned all her strength, and rushed on toward that tent. She stumbled at the entrance and fell down, exhausted and senseless. After a while, she came to herself and looked about. On each side of her stood a young man, their caps adorned with large silver plates. She looked backward, and saw the evil spirit who had turned into a handsome youth, fairer than the sun. He was combing and parting his hair, making it smooth and fine. The girl rose to her feet.
The three young men came to her and asked her to enter the tent. The one who had appeared in the form of the evil spirit said, “We are three brothers, and I am the eldest one. I wanted to bring you to my tent. Now you must tell us which of us you will choose for your husband.” She chose the eldest, and married him, and they lived together.
The end.
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Dreamtime Whispers 