Nenets folk tales 2 min

The Cuckoo Fairy Tale

In the tundra, a mother lived in a tent with her four children. From morning till night the mother worked: she caught fish, tanned hides, sewed clothes and gathered firewood. But the children did nothing but play.

One day the mother fished for a long time in the cold autumn water and fell very ill. She lay down and asked in a weak voice, "Children, bring me some water. I am so thirsty."

The eldest said, "I have no boots." The second said, "I have no hat." The third said, "I have no coat." The fourth said nothing at all and went on playing.

Children play, mother lies ill, thirsty.

The mother got up without a word. She put on her bright patterned coat and went out of the tent. Then her coat began to turn into feathers, and her arms into wings. She became a cuckoo and rose up into the sky.

Mother transforms into cuckoo, rising into sky.

The children saw this and were frightened. "Mother, here is water! Here are my boots! Come back!" they cried, running after her across the tundra. But the cuckoo only answered, "Too late, too late..." and flew on.

For many days the children searched for their mother, and they hurt their feet on the stones. They say that is why the moss in the tundra grows red. And the cuckoo still does not build a nest of her own. This tale reminds children to take good care of their mothers.