Yiga

I. Yiga’s Birth

On a beautiful grassy plain there was a clear blue pond. On its banks lived an old couple more than sixty years old. Their life was very hard, and they had no more than a single yak cow and a ewe. They churned the milk of these two animals into butter, and used half of it for butter lamp offerings to god. Thus they spent many days, months and years.

One night they both had the same wondrous dream: From the middle of the blue, clear pond a great columnar wave that seemed to be made of molten turquoise arose to the vault of the sky; it scattered roiling white, red and yellow flowers from its tip to the four directions; from it, a glittering jewel slowly flew into the firmament, and from the firmament it slowly flew toward the black tent of the old couple.

Early that day, the old couple awoke, and told each other about their marvelous dream. When a few days had passed, the old woman was pregnant, but they were left in doubt.

After nine months and ten days had passed, the old woman bore a beautiful girl. As soon as she had been born, she called, “Mother, Father!” and, staring at them, she showed them several smiles. That night the yak cow and the ewe gave birth to a calf and a lamb. The old couple was amazed because of that, and their happiness increased to the utmost.

Because these circumstances made the old couple very happy, they named the girl Yiga. The calf they called Dönjo and the lamb Yanggar.

When the little girl turned six, she drove the cow and calf and the ewe and lamb to the mountains and looked after them. She always did much of her parents’ work. As far as they were concerned, they thought that god had given this dear child to them—white-haired oldsters—in order to sustain them. She was as dear to them as their wisdom-eyes.

But the girl’s nature and her face and body were not equal to each other. As for the latter, she was very beautiful, the glow of her eyes was bright, her brows fine and black, her ears small and her nose high, her lips naturally red, her face white and her body slim. As for the former, she did immoral things; she was a gadabout, caught birds in the mountains, caught hares and deer, caught fish from the ponds and took bird eggs from the pond shore.

The girl’s behavior always made the old couple unhappy. Sometimes, when they tried to educate her about how doing these things was not right, she would not come home but stay overnight in the mountains. So there was nothing they could do.

II. Encountering a Viper

One day Yiga rode the calf Dönjo and drove the four animals to the mountains. Suddenly black clouds roiled, lightning flickered and thunder roared in the sky, so she drove the animals to a large cave some distance away. As she was thinking about avoiding the rain, a terrifying black viper came out of the cave and was about to swallow her and the animals, when a powerful red bolt of lightning came out of the sky and ran toward the cave. Simultaneously a deafening meteor came flying, hit the snake square on the head, killing it.

After a short time, the mass of black clouds gathered into a heap and finally were absorbed into the pond, so that the sun shone in the clear blue sky again like before.

When Yiga was playing, having tied the snake’s corpse to the tail of the calf Dönjo, from the nearby pond came a handsome young man, riding a white horse. He said, “I killed this viper today, so it’s mine. You must give it to me quickly.”

The girl disagreed, saying, “A meteor killed this viper. I found the corpse, so I won’t give it to you.”

Again the youth said, “Well, can I trade my golden bracelet for it?”

She said, “What do you want with this snake’s corpse? If you tell me, we can trade.” A sad expression appeared on the young man’s face, and he said, “My home is in the pond near that cave. This viper always squirted venom from its mouth, causing it to filter into the pond, so that many pond-creatures died. Now the poison struck my old father and he got a terrible disease. If I cut out the viper’s tongue and compound it with lake-medicine, I can cure my father and many beings.”

As soon as she heard that, Yiga laughed and promised, “If viper tongues are so precious, I can trade with you.”

Then the young man placed the golden bracelet he had been holding into Yiga’s hand and instructed her, “Tonight a huge torrent of rain will fall on this meadow. Go back and make everyone—the animals and your parents—stay in the tent. If you put this bracelet on top of the tent stake, it’ll be impossible for any sort of harm to come to you.”

III. Meeting Turquoise Dragon

Yiga drove the four animals back home. Her worried parents asked her, “Did anything go wrong?”

She smiled and said, “Today I stole this bracelet out of the hands of a bandit.” She took the golden bracelet out of her pouch, threw it into her mother’s lap, and told them the day’s events.

Her parents were amazed after they clearly came to know the circumstances the girl related to them. The father, crestfallen and worried, said, “Alas, it’s a disaster.” He sat there repeating those words, and the old woman sighed again and again.

Their manner troubled the little girl, and she did not know what to think. She shook her parents, asking, “What happened, what happened?” 

Her father said, “Previously when your mother and I were young, our grassland was extremely rich. There were countless nomad tents, herds of sheep, yaks, horses, the sounds of boys and girls singing... The grassland was so beautiful then! But, later a devil called Hala came to live in this grassland and a neighboring large valley to the west. It’s called Ghost Valley.”

In confusion the girl exhorted, “Father, where have the nomads gone now? Tell me quickly!”

After her father had thought a while, he said sadly, “They were all captured by Devil Hala.”

“Where did he capture them, where did he capture them,” she asked.

Her father focused his mind and said, “Yes, many years have gone by until now. On that day your mother and I went to look after the sheep in the mountains. In the afternoon, we drove the sheep and yaks home from the mountains, when suddenly a calf and a lamb turned around and ran away to the mountaintop. We chased after them and later had to climb to the mountaintop. As soon as we got there, it suddenly turned completely dark, and moreover a torrential rain fell too. The ground was completely obscured in dark, and thunder roared, shaking heaven and earth.”

The girl accordingly asked, “What happened later? Where did the nomads go?”

The father furrowed his brows and answered, “Even I don’t know where they went. As for what was left behind, your mother and I had nothing at all except a cow and a ewe.”

Unhappily, the girl asked, “Later, didn’t you go search for them?”

Father said, “Now, a young girl shouldn’t talk so much.”

Then, as the young man had told her, she put the golden bracelet on the tent stake, and they and the four animals all stayed in the tent. But since the tent was too small, the lower bodies of the cow and the ewe showed outside the tent.

Suddenly around midnight, black clouds roiled in the sky. At the same time the moonbeams were obscured and waves roared, rolling over the sides of the pond. A cold wind blew and thunder roared, so that they could not see—a finger stuck in the eye, nor hear—like someone screaming in their ears. They spent the night in fear.

As soon as the sun rose the next day, the sky was blue and clear without even a black cloud the size of a bird’s head. But the cow and ewe had disappeared without a trace.

Then the old couple was very sad. Tearfully, they said, “The cow and ewe are our lives’ gratitude. If we don’t have these animals, we’ll starve to death.” Recalling their gratitude to the two animals, they wept as well. The girl Yiga became furious, and said, “The white man on the white horse cheated me. I’ll have his hide.” She took her father’s bow and arrows and ran outside. The two old folks could do nothing about it other than cry.

Yiga went to the mouth of the cave where she had killed the snake. She nocked an arrow on the bow, and, in a loud voice she yelled over and over, “You who cheated me, this girl! White man on the white horse! Come here!” Finally the youth riding the white horse arrived.

The girl aimed an arrow at the young man’s breast. “You wicked man!” she snarled. “Liar, how dare you cheat me! Give me our household’s cow and ewe, quick! If you don’t, I’ll drill a hole in the head of your heart.” A smile appeared on the young man’s face.

He answered, “You’re such an idiot. You’d repay a favor with its opposite. If I hadn’t given you the golden bracelet, Devil Hala would have already abducted you as his servant.” She said, “How do you know about Devil Hala? Aren’t you he?”

The young man said, “If I myself were Devil Hala, I’d have already captured you yesterday.” She loudly snarled, “Liar, how dare you say these words!”

Thereupon the young man thought of a way and said, “Miss, How would it be if we became friends?” She said, “Why would I make friends with you?” She asked “Do you dare catch Devil Hala?” The young man said, “Devil Hala is my family’s enemy too. We two can capture him together.”

From then on, the little girl and the young man with the white horse became friends. She told the young man her name was Yiga, and he also told her his name was Turquoise Dragon. They became the best of friends.

IV. Befriending Turquoise Dragon

From then on the girl Yiga and the young man Turquoise Dragon were together as friends. Gradually they grew to young adulthood; the calf Dönjo and the lamb Yanggar also grew into big animals. By the time Yiga had reached sixteen, Turquoise Dragon had become a courageous young man in his prime.

One day, Yiga was watching over the calf and the lamb at the shore of a pond. She had waited a long time for Turquoise Dragon, but he failed to come. She tossed a stone into the pond, and there was a big noise, but other than a small fish, she saw nothing. She waited until the afternoon sun had almost crawled into its nest, but still he did not come. Greatly angered, she drove her animals home.

That night, her parents saw she was angry, unlike before. Worried, they asked her what had happened, but she did not answer them. She went to the fly of the tent, and stayed there, looking at the white-shining moon without making a sound.

At midnight, she heard the hoof beats of a stallion far off. When she looked in that direction, she saw Turquoise Dragon come galloping on his white horse. She felt both happy and angry together. She went into the tent and shut the door tight.

The young brave Turquoise Dragon came to the tent door, and called Yiga’s name again and again, but she did not come out. Thereupon he felt sad and sang this song:

Stars are all over the sky;

Fruits sway on the earth.

Yiga is really furious;

Turquoise Dragon is really sad.

Yiga grew a bit sad and came out of the door. Unhappy, she said, “Where did you go today? I had no one to stay with me, so I was really sad.” He said, “The time came for me, this little boy, to go and defeat Devil Hala. So I prepared to carry out the command of my father, the king.”

Yiga asked, “Why do you, a young boy, have to go?” He replied, “We are 108 brothers. Each year we went to defeat Devil Hala, but 107 went and none came back. Tomorrow, as soon as it is dawn, I’m going to defeat Hala. Tonight I’ve come to say farewell to you.”

As soon as she heard this, Yiga was deeply overcome with joy. Without any hesitation, she hugged him and said, “Take me too! Devil Hala drove off my family’s cow and ewe, and all the nomads’ animals as well. I want to take his corpse in return for them.” Turquoise Dragon advised her again and again, saying it was improper for her to go, and only then did she promise to consider what he said. They stayed there for a long time, not daring to part, and slowly the dawn began to break.

Then Turquoise Dragon hurriedly removed the soul-turquoise tied to his neck, and broke it in half. He placed one piece in Yiga’s hand and he said, “Look after this; one day the time will come when you need it. But if I don’t return in a week, it won’t be good for you to stay here; you must go east.” As soon as he had finished saying this, he mounted his white horse, turned west and galloped off. In a moment, he had disappeared into the distance.

V. Brown Bear, Nuthatch and Pigeon Become Friends 

In the morning Yiga’s parents said to her, “There isn’t even the shadow of people and creatures in this place, so with whom were you talking last night?” Yiga answered, “Even though you two have remained here on the shore of this pond, until the time you were old and decrepit, you weren’t even acquainted with the neighbor in this pond. Devil Hala has already seized and eaten 107 of the neighboring family’s sons. Today the youngest son has gone to conquer Devil Hala. Tomorrow I’m going to help him!”

The parents did not understand what their daughter was talking about. They glanced at each other’s faces and stood there not knowing what to say. Yiga asked them, “What is Devil Hala like? When I go tomorrow, will I be able to recognize him?” Her parents, even more amazed than before, said, “It’s not right for you to go. You’ll never be able to defeat Devil Hala. According to what has been said from our ancestors’ times before, he has a mouth like a cave and eyes like the mouth of a water-barrel; he has a single horn on his head and his body is as high as a mountain. How could you be his match? Don’t talk too much, daughter!” Again Yiga shouted, “Turquoise Dragon didn’t think much of me either. I’m definitely going tomorrow!”

On the one hand, the parents were astonished; on the other, they were scared that they would make the girl even angrier than before. They could not do anything else but stand there feeling wretched. The next morning, while her parents were still asleep, Yiga took her father’s bow and arrows and set out to the west.

She climbed many mountains, went through many valleys, penetrated many cols, and forded many rivers. Having gone a long way, at last she arrived inside a great forest. The forest was filled with white, red and yellow fruits. While she was taking a rest at the base of a large tree, she picked a fruit and ate it. A nuthatch jumped out of the crown of the tree, grabbed the fruit out of her hand and threw it on the ground.

Yiga got really mad. She shook her finger at him and said, “Dirty Nuthatch, you disdain me too.” She took out her bow and arrows and made ready to kill him. Nuthatch was holding half of Turquoise Dragon’s soul-stone in its mouth, and it chirped at her—‘cheep, cheep’. Yiga calmed down and quickly said, “Where’s Prince Turquoise Dragon now?”

Nuthatch led her and they went into a cave in the center of the forest. When she got inside, she saw Turquoise Dragon was asleep in the lap of Brown Bear, and that red blood was dripping from the top of his shoulder. She got very angry and said, “Filthy Nuthatch! What do you think you and this fierce Brown Bear are doing to Turquoise Dragon?” Today you two are going to fly to the sky or enter the earth,” meanwhile fitting an arrow to her bow. She aimed at Brown Bear’s forehead and was ready to let fly, when Turquoise Dragon quickly arose and stopped her, saying, “Yiga! I’m grateful that these two saved my life! It’d be wrong to harm them!” Then he sank down again. As soon as she heard this, she threw the bow and arrow aside and rushed over to support Turquoise Dragon.

After a while, Pigeon, carrying medicinal herbs in its mouth, came flying into the cave. After Brown Bear had mashed the herbs on a stone, she spread them on Turquoise Dragon’s wound. Then gradually Turquoise Dragon grew a little stronger. He said, “I wounded Devil Hala with an arrow. He threw a knife and I was wounded too. When the poison had struck me, I almost died, but Brown Bear, Nuthatch and Pigeon saved my life.”

Earlier, the many animals in this forest had enjoyed their lives. But afterward, except for Brown Bear, Nuthatch and Pigeon, Devil Hala had caught the rest and brutally killed them, so that the forest had become completely empty. The fruits in the forest were contaminated with poison too, so that whatever creature ate them would die.

Turquoise Dragon said, “Now Devil Hala has got a severe wound. My arrow can pierce nine mountains. As soon as it is struck, each mountain melts like water, so that even if Devil Hala has a thousand magical tricks, it’ll be difficult for him to live.” Yiga was very happy, and she shouted, “We’ve won, we’ve won!” Brown Bear, Nuthatch and Pigeon went off to their own places, leaping and soaring for joy.

Then the five of them became reliable friends. They took council on how to cut off Devil Hala’s life at the root.

VI. Getting Instructions in How to Kill Devil Hala 

Behind that forest there was a land of ghosts. If one wanted to go there, one had to pass through the surrounding wall of a strong mountain barrier, and there was still a great iron gate at the narrow spot blocking the mountain. Beneath the iron gate a black river descended with a splash, and there was a sentry too—fearsome Black Bear.

The five of them stealthily approached the gate, and when they looked, they saw that the black bear was asleep at the base of a rock near the iron gate.

Brown Bear made a sign showing that he would kill Black Bear. Slowly he climbed to the top of the rock, lifted a huge boulder close to his chest, and powerfully threw it on top of Black Bear. Red blood flowed from the Black Bear’s mouth, and thereupon it died.

They flayed Black Bear and put its pelt on Brown Bear. They slowly opened the iron gate and crept inside. It was black as coal inside the mountain. There were human and animal bones everywhere; blood and pus were spread all over. When they looked carefully, there was a skeletal old man lamentably lying at the foot of a rock. His braids were completely white and he was naked. When they approached the old man, he saw them and said, “Alas! Such sadness. Because of the force of my previous karma the time for me to die has come.” Turquoise Dragon said, “Grandpa, there’s no need to fear. We’ll defeat Devil Hala.” In disbelief, the old man said, “Black Bear is the one who’ll eat me.” Yiga laughed and lifted up Black Bear’s pelt on Brown Bear’s body. The old man, still not believing it, said, “Oh, oh! If you’re human, it’s not good to stay here. Run away quickly!” Turquoise Dragon said, “Grandpa, there’s no need to fear. We’ll defeat Devil Hala. Please show us the way!”

The old man was very sad, and with falling tears, he said, “I’m a nomad from the grasslands to the east of here. Devil Hala came to catch all the nomads on the grassland and blocked this place. I’ve spent my life here as his servant. Those sick people who are unable to work and old folks he uses as food one by one. This iron castle is called ‘Black Iron Castle’. Outside it there is still ‘Yellow Iron Castle.’ People and animals have been put inside it. Outside of that there is still ‘Red Iron Castle’, where the captives of Naga Land have been put. Outside that is Devil Hala’s ‘Gateless Palace’. Each of these has a sentry, so you won’t be able to get in. Hence, it’d be better if you ran away. Since my, this old man’s, life is over, even if I fled, there’d be no escape. You run away quickly!” He said this with a mixture of joy and sadness.

Turquoise Dragon said, “I’m the youngest son of the Naga king. I loosed my arrow and it wounded Devil Hala. Now we’ve come to kill him.” The old man thought a bit and said, “Even if Devil Hala has any sort of bad wound, it’s able to heal in a week. It’s probably healed even now.” Again Turquoise Dragon said, “Not more than six days have passed since he was wounded. So we should be able to kill him.”

Thereupon the old man thought about it precisely and said, “If that’s the case, I’ll explain to you about Devil Hala’s life-souls. It’s not very difficult to get out of the ‘Yellow’ and ‘Red Iron Mountains’. Each of these iron mountains has a black bear as sentry. The iron mountain that is Devil Hala’s Gateless Palace is very strong. Its sentry is a black cobra. It is always wound around the top of a sandalwood tree that grows next to the iron gate. If you can kill the cobra, strain its venom on the roots of the sandalwood tree. The tree should dry up. The sandalwood tree is one of Devil Hala’s life-souls.

“After you’ve left that iron mountain, there’s a nine-storied palace of Devil Hala. On its right is a small narrow pond. On the left in the depths of cavern, a volcano is erupting. These two are Devil Hala’s two main life-veins. If you want to destroy them, if you drain the black water of the pond into the cavern’s fire pit, both the volcano and the pond will be obliterated. If you accomplish this, only then will you be able to kill Devil Hala.

“There are no gates or stairs at all that lead into Devil Hala’s palace. The one who brings the devil his food is called Demoness Long-arm. When she takes a small diamond hammer from her pocket and strikes three times on a red spot on top of the western palace wall, a big stone door opens. You must go through it. Still there are many poisonous spiders in the Gateless Palace. This old man was sent to examine them his whole life, so I know. Now, may you achieve your goal!” After he had explained everything clearly to them, the old man breathed his last.

VII. Killing Devil Hala and Saving the Creatures 

Brown Bear dug a pit at the foot of the rock, and buried the old man’s body. Then he sent Pigeon and Nuthatch to scout out the way in advance. Brown Bear, Yiga and Turquoise Dragon followed them.

When Pigeon and Sparrow arrived at a stone barrier, a fearsome black bear was guarding the gate in the stone barrier. There was a black stream noisily flowing at the stone barrier, where a dried-up tree had fallen into the water. A limb of the tree reached across the stream. Nuthatch flew across the stream on top of the limb in a single breath. It intimidated the black bear with a ‘cheep cheep’. The black bear snarled and went across the limb to catch Nuthatch. Pigeon shit on the black bear’s head from the sky. When the black bear turned its face toward the sky, thinking to catch Pigeon, it slipped and disappeared into the black stream.

At that point, Prince Turquoise Dragon, Yiga and Brown Bear got to the stone barrier. When they opened the iron door, it was yellow inside the iron mountain. They saw innumerable people and animals toiling. Thereupon Prince Turquoise Dragon and Yiga shouted, “Now no one has to slave away. We’ve come to conquer Devil Hala!” and they made the people stop working.

After they had gone further on, they got to a stone barrier. Again there was a black bear guarding the door. Immediately Yiga said, “This time he’s mine to kill,” and she immediately fit an arrow to her bow and shot. She missed the black bear and the arrow struck above the iron door with a smack. The black bear leapt with a snarl. But Prince Turquoise Dragon unsheathed his sword, thrust once and sliced the black bear in half.

They opened the iron door and the interior of the iron mountain was red like blood. One hundred and seven of the Naga princes had been put there, wrapped in chain. As soon as Turquoise Dragon saw them he was very happy. “I, the youngest, have come to save my elder brothers,” he said. The Naga princes could not believe their own eyes. Then he released them all from their fetters, and they continued on their way.

They got to the gate of Devil Hala’s iron castle, and saw a terrifying cobra wound around the head of a sandalwood tree. Yiga immediately notched an arrow to her bow, and saying “This time I must kill this cobra,” she put the arrow into the notch between her thumb and fingers and drew her bow back as far as she could. Turquoise Dragon stopped her quickly, saying, “It’s not right to startle a cobra.” But she did not listen and shot her arrow.

However, the arrow hit the sandalwood tree and did not strike the cobra. The cobra saw them, and, with lightning flashing in its eyes, waves of fire wavering on its poisonous tongue, its body slithering like running water, it leapt toward them. Immediately Turquoise Dragon fitted an arrow that could pierce nine mountains to his bow, concentrated his mind tightly, and loosed it at the center of the cobra’s forehead.

At exactly that moment the cobra gaped open its cave-like mouth, and would have spit poison at Yiga, Brown Bear, Nuthatch and Pigeon—all but Prince Turquoise Dragon. But, like a thunderbolt, the arrow that could pierce nine mountains struck the cobra’s forehead. Yiga was intoxicated by the cobra’s breath and fell to the ground, but Turquoise Dragon revived her.

None of the five had been harmed. They watered the roots of the sandalwood tree with the snake’s blood, and the tree dried up that same instant. They slowly opened the iron gate and crept inside. Brown Bear was wearing Black Bear’s hide, and they hid in a corner. Brown Bear waited on the west side of the Gateless Palace, and after a while he met the Demoness Long-arm going to bring Devil Hala his food. She was tricked into thinking it was Black Bear and she threatened him, saying, “What are you doing coming here, and not standing guard at the gate? It seems the tricky youngest Naga prince is around. You have to pay careful attention.” Then she gave him a shove. When the witch left without him, Brown Bear took up the doorstop stone and brained the Demoness in one shot.

Happily they took the little diamond hammer out of her pocket, and then they gathered together all the humans, the animals and the Naga princes. Turquoise Dragon and Yiga proudly led everyone and had them channel the black pond and pour it into the cavern. They destroyed the pond and the volcano.

Now the time had come to kill Devil Hala. Turquoise Dragon, Yiga, Brown Bear, Nuthatch and Pigeon entered the Gateless Palace. It was very dark and murky in the palace, so Turquoise Dragon and Yiga each lit a torch and lit the way. They got to the top of the nine stories, going through each one of them, burning and killing the poisonous spiders on the way.

Then Pigeon shit a lot in a plate that Yiga held in her hand. She took it and went into Devil Hala’s room. Devil Hala was half dead in his bed. His body, like a wild yak’s, was lying face up in bed, and his eyes remained shut.

Devil Hala perceived that she had come in, and croaked, “Who are you?” Yiga replied, “I’m Demoness Long-arm; don’t you recognize me?” Again he asked, “There’s a lot of shouting outside. What’s up?” Yiga poured the bird shit on the plate into his mouth and said, “ The youngest Naga prince has died. All the servants are glad and they’re singing.” Again he said, “Today’s food is unusual.” She said, “I’ve made this food for ninety-nine years. After you eat it, your wound should heal quickly.” He said, “Now I’m ready to put medicine on my wound,” and he showed with his hand the wound on the center of his chest that was leaking blood and pus. Yiga blurted, “Where’s the medicine?” The Devil said, “Don’t you even know where you put your own medicine? Stretch out your long arm! It’s in the place you left it yesterday.” Yiga got nervous. Just then Pigeon came flying and laid an egg in Yiga’s cupped hands. She broke the egg and smeared it on Devil Hala’s wound.

In a short time, Devil Hala had fallen asleep. Turquoise Dragon, Brown Bear, and Nuthatch came inside. Brown Bear took the doorstop stone and bashed Devil Hala on the forehead. He did not die, but suddenly gaped his eyes wide open. “You who are about to die, who are you?” he said, and as soon as he got up, with a single leap, Nuthatch scratched out his eyes. Turquoise Dragon loosed an arrow and a stream of bloodiness came out of the Devil Hala’s chest. As soon as that happened, Devil Hala departed on the road to death.

Then the people, the animals and all the Naga princes set fire to Devil Hala’s Gateless Palace and burnt it. They carried the five conquerors of Devil Hala on their shoulders. They took all the wealth of Devil-land and departed that terrible place. Brown Bear and Pigeon took the animals and went to the forest. There they scattered various medicines and cleared up the poison. Turquoise Dragon took the Naga princes and they returned to the pond. Yiga took the nomads and, driving their animals, they returned to the grasslands.

VIII Yiga and Turquoise Dragon Get Married

Yiga took the nomads, and, driving the animals, returned to the grasslands. On one hand, her parents were amazed, and on the other, their tears rolled down out of joy.

Then the nomads held a ritual celebration for the conquest of Devil Hala for many days and nights. At that time a messenger from Naga Land came, bringing a half of the soul-turquoise. He announced, “Whoever has a half of this soul-turquoise in her hands is the princess of the youngest prince Turquoise Dragon.” Yiga heard these words and grew fearful. Without knowing that half the soul-turquoise had been concealed in her pocket or not, she blurted out, “It’s not in my hands, it’s not in my hands.” Thereupon the nomads knew she had it and said to the Naga king, “The youngest Naga prince’s princess is the girl Yiga.

On an auspicious day the Nagas and Naginis came out of the pond, and the creatures of the forest and the nomads of the grasslands gathered together. They prepared the wedding celebrations of the youngest Naga prince Turquoise Dragon and the human girl Yiga extensively.

From the time of their marriage onwards Yiga became quiet and well behaved, knew shame, was modest, soft-spoken, compassionate, a mature young woman of whom one could not see enough.

—Snyung bu, Qinghai Popular Literature 1, 1996