It was long, long ago, when the Buryats did not hear about Mongolian noyons (princes), did not know Chinese merchants and Russian Cossacks. In those happy times, there lived an old man and his name was Horredoy. He had twenty black sheep that grazed on grass in the middle of a vast fertile meadow. He had two bay stallions, one of them was an excellent racer, but the other was limping on both front legs. There was plenty of meat, fish and grain in the Horredoy's house, and he lived without worries.
One day it happened that the best sheep of his flock gave birth to a white lamb. Horredoy did not notice a litter in his flock at that moment. Meanwhile, two ravens came flying into his yard and pecked out the eyes of the newborn lamb.
Angry became the old man having seen the robbers! He mounted his best horse, rushed in pursuit of the ravens, overtook them, and plucked out one of the eyes from each raven. He put those eyes into the eye sockets of the lamb instead of his own eyes. After that the lamb was able to see better than ever before.
And ravens flew to Esegey-Malan - a supreme god, - to complain that the old man put out their eyes, having caught up with them on horseback of his fastest racer.
The Almighty became so angry with the old man at his self-will, that he sent nine wolves to eat up the swift steed of Horredoy. However, the old man felt an evil before it happened, so he hid his best horse and tied the lame horse in his place. The wolves came at night and ate up the lame horse by mistake.
When the wolves were gone, the old man sat on his horse and instantly caught up the grey beasts, which were slowly fleeing after the hearty meal. The old man stripped the skins of all nine wolves; he left each of them only a brush on the tail and then returned home.
The wolves howled and rushed to Esegey-Malan with a complaint: `here is what happened; the old man skinned all of us after we ate up his bad lame horse instead of his excellent racer.'
Esegey-Malan became so furious, that he called nine shulmuses - demons - and ordered them to take Horredoy by force and bring him to the Almighty's house.
But the old man locked all the gates beforehand, bolted down all the doors and sat in his house waiting for uninvited guests. The demons came to his yard, stuck at the gates, but they could not do anything! There were strong bolts and locks everywhere in the estate of Horredoy! The demons walked along the fence, looked through slots into the yard, but could not enter the house.
And Horredoy decided to frighten intruders away. He boiled water in a pot and threw it on the evil demons. Nine demons screamed and ran to Esegey-Malan with a complaint and told him, that they were scalded by the old man with boiling water.
Esegey-Malan got out of patience, sat on the cloud, and flew to Horredoy in order to punish him with thunders and lightnings for his offense and disobedience.
But the old man Horredoy was able to think about himself in advance. `If I offended the heralds of God,' - he thought, - `it means that Esegey-Malan might appear in my house!' The old man prepared nine casks of tarasoon (Siberian vodka made from milk), caught a white sheep for the slaughter, and went out to meet the Heavenly Guest on the porch.
Here Esegey-Malan came flying on a cloud and saw that the old master already prepared to make a sacrifice, and the violent rage of the Almighty became less and things had simmered down.
"Why did you, the old man Horredoy, pluck out the eyes of my ravens?" - asked the Almighty, having descended on earth.
"Don't you know that they pecked out the eyes of the white lamb, that was intended to be a sacrifice for Your Mightiness?" - Horredoy said.
"And why did you take the skins off nine wolves, which I sent to eat up your horse?" - asked the Almighty.
"But they have broken your order and ate up the lame horse instead of my best stallion!" - replied Horredoy.
"And why did you scald nine shulmuses, my dear demons, that I sent to you?"
"How could I know that they were your heralds? They behaved like thieves. That is why I scalded them!"
The Almighty was pleased with the responses of the old man. He accepted his sacrifice and returned high-spirited to heaven.
And no one could hurt the old man Horredoy since then.
![The Old Man Horredoy [Славянский Владимир Владимирович]](/img/s/slawjanskij_wladimir_wladimirowich/theoldmanhorredoy/theoldmanhorredoy.jpg)