CHOLPON AND THE TWO HEROES.
This happened long ago when the Kyrgyz lived as one tribe among the high snowy mountains. In this tribe, there was a young and beautiful girl named Cholpon, with eyes bluer and purer than the high sky and brighter than the stars shining in it. Two heroes, Ulan and Santash, fell in love with Cholpon—strong and brave, ready to give their lives for the heart of the wonderful Cholpon. She did not know whom to prefer. The heroes began to fight among themselves: they tore their clothes to shreds, wounded each other, and blood flowed like a river. But they could not defeat one another. Then the relatives of the heroes joined the fight. And blood flowed like a river. Cholpon did not know what to do. She did not want to hurt either of the heroes. Then she tore her heart from her chest so that it would not belong to anyone and fell dead. Now she lies on a high mountain, her face turned toward the rising sun, and that place is named Cholpon-Ata in her honor.
The people mourned for their beloved daughter for a long time. Streams of hot tears flowed, flooding the valley between the mountains. A lake was formed. And they named this lake the hot one—Issyk-Kul.
The heroes ceased their fighting for a time. The tribe split into two—Kungey and Terskey, settling on the northern and southern shores of the lake.
And the heroes still cannot forget the beautiful Cholpon. Whenever they meet, they rush at each other like a whirlwind, roaring and howling, and a terrible storm brews on the lake—this is the wind-heroes Ulan and Santash coming to face each other, from the west and east, battling to exhaustion. Then they calm down, gather strength, and again engage in combat, unable to stop the eternal discord.
THE HEALING LAKE
Long ago, on the banks of the Yenisei, there lived a Khakas khan. He was rich and kind. He had two children—a son, Atabek, and a daughter, Cholpon. One day the khan fell ill, and he read in a sacred book that he would be cured if he washed himself with water from a hot lake. This beautiful lake is located far in the mountains, guarded by two brothers: Kungey-batyr and Terskey-batyr. The same book said that the khan must send his children there and that their journey would be difficult. The khan called his children to him and told them what was written in the sacred book. The khan sent his children on a long journey along with many heroes. The children loved their father very much. Whether the journey was hard or easy, they overcame everything and reached the beautiful lake in the mountains. At that time, Kungey-batyr was sleeping. The children filled a bowl with water and were about to leave, but the batyr woke up, grabbed Cholpon and Atabek, and chained them to the ground on the shore of the lake. When Kungey-batyr saw the beautiful Cholpon, he immediately fell in love with her. He took the bowl of water from her hands and threw it with such force that it flew into the palace of the Khakas khan on the Yenisei. The khan washed himself with this water and recovered. But now he was worried about the fate of his children. He read in the sacred book that he needed to go to his children with all his khanate. He gathered himself and, with all his khanate, went to the shore of the beautiful lake, where he remained forever. The place where Kungey-batyr chained Cholpon and Atabek is called Cholpon-Ata.
