Chalpon Ata

Once upon a time, a long time — so long ago that the people have forgotten exactly when it was — under a high mountain there was a city. Above the city towered the fortress of powerful khan. The khan was famous for his riches, but more than that — for his cruelty. Each day, some citizen was killed and his body thrown into the ground.

The old khan was lecherorous and he heard that one poor peasant had daughter of inexpressible beauty. The Khan decided that he must have thus beautiful girl.

The girl and her father lived in small village, un a velley in the mountains, on a coast of the river. A lot of the young men from all around (Dzhigits) tried to win her hear, but she did not pay any of them any attention. To offers of love and marrtuage, from even the most courageous Dzhigits, she always answered, that she loved another.

Who was this beloved? — nobody knew, and she did not know either …

It came to pass — one day, when the sun peeped over the top of mountains, a Dzhigit on white steed came and together they rode pff into the sky. A whirlwind blew-up and took them to to mountain top covered with eternal snow. The strong Dzhigit embraced her, kissed her, then removed from his hand a ring andgave it to her. Placing it on her finger, he said: «I will soon return! Never remove this ring, and unhappiness will not touch you!»

Many days have passed, but the Dzhigit did not come back.

When the Khan«s matchmakers arrived to the girl village wuth gifts and offers — she rejected them allm saying: "I love another and I shall not be another"s wife!»

The girl went up into the mountains, hoping to find once more the Dzhigit. In vain she called his name, only the echo of her own voice returned to her. The girl began to cry and started to make her way back home. She had not reached her villagem when when she was surrounded, seized, tied up and blindfolded by a gang of youths. When she was released and the blindfold removed she realized what had happened, that she was held prisoner in the Khan«s fortress, from which it was impossible to escape. It is better to die, she decided, than to become the wife of the Khan.

Her beauty and youth surprised the old Khan. He showered gifts upon her. But no gifts could win her over and make her change her mind. «I love another and I shall never be yours!», was always her answer.

This «stubborness» displeased the Khan, and he decided to take by force what he could not win with gifts. He again came to the girl, promising her love, everything, … even freedom.

«I love another!» — she repeated. The Khan rushed at her like a wild animal and she ran to a window. «I shall not be yours!», she cried and threw herself from the window onto the ground below.

From where she fell at the foot of the high and might walls of the fortress, opened up caves and water gushed from them. From them flowed the waters light-blue, pure, clean, crystal clear, and as hot as the maiden heart, which formed the mountain lake, which the people called Issyk Kul.

It is said that if you stand on the shore at Chalpon Ata («Chalpon»s Father«) you can see in the mountains opposite the face of the girl»s father who«s tears flow down the mountainside to add to the salt waters of the lake as he weeps for his beautiful daughter ho threw herself from the window high in the Khan»s citadel, rather than succumb to his evil advances and betray her true beloved. And, on quiet summer evenings, when the sun sets, the ruins of a fortress appear under the water and the voice of the girl can be heard.

(From : Kyrgyz National Fairy Tales — Bishkek — 1977 : This is often quoted as their favourite legend by many Kyrgyz — and the story of the sucken citadel may well refer to the suncken city that archaeologists have discovered under the waters of the salt water mountain lake — Issyk Kul.)