Legends About the Shoor

Ayan Shirizhik playing the shoor

Legend of the Hunters of the Todzhu Region

A hunter, after several days of fruitless hunting, made himself a shoor in the evening and, after dinner, played long, sad melodies. Late at night the hunter suddenly heard a voice coming from the shoor, saying, "Tomorrow you will catch an Ulug Ang (a large wild animal) that is blind in one eye." The hunter, frightened, leapt up and looked about. There was nothing around him except the embers of the fire and the night sounds of the taiga. The hunter decided he must have imagined the voice, and he lay down to sleep. Waking early the next morning, he went to check his traps, snares, and self-firing crossbows. Again they appeared empty. However, at the very farthest crossbow there lay a large elk stag. When the hunter began to clean it, he saw that the animal was missing an eye.

Legend of the Hunters of the Chöön-Khemchik Region

Two hunters were hunting at a camp. The first was having great luck, and the second was having no luck at all. One evening, the luckless hunter made himself a shoor and began to play it, sitting by the fire. The first hunter had a special ability not given to every mortal: he was able to see inhabitants of the spirit world. On the other hunter's nose, he saw a lady spirit of the taiga, listening to the music with great pleasure. Soon the spirit dozed off, slipped from the hunter's nose, and slid down the shoor onto the ground. The first hunter found this so funny that he couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing, insulting the spirit of the taiga. It is said that from that time on, the first hunter never again had good luck at the hunt.

Legend from Bai-Taiga

The lady spirit of the taiga fell in love with a young hunter because he played so well on the shoor. She took the man's soul so he could stay with her. After several days of searching, hunters found the young man's body, seated beneath an ancient larch, with the shoor in his hands and almost completely covered with snow.