The Legend of Kuu-Kumpa

There is a legend among the people. The itelgi and the berkut were enemies, as the berkut often devoured the chicks of the itelgi when the parents were absent. One day, the cry of the itelgi was heard in the sky, having seen that the berkut was eating the chicks from her nest. The people living in the mountains noticed that the itelgi, after making a bit of noise, flew towards a high cliff. Before long, a strong whistling sound was heard in the sky. When the people looked up, they saw a bird the size of a fist. It circled around the offender, a swift battle occurred, unnoticed by human eyes, and the berkut fell like a stone to the ground. When the people approached it, they saw that the predator was killed instantly — its throat was cut. The people said: “This is Kuu-Kumpai. Taking revenge for the itelgi, he is the famous Kuu-Kumpai. He justly avenged the berkut for the itelgi.”

Here it is appropriate to quote lines from Kyrgyz folklore that aptly highlight the characteristic traits of predatory and hunting birds:

As noble as a berkut,
As agile as a krechet,
As vengeful as a saker falcon,
As meaty as a quail,
As sensitive as a magpie.


Noble, like a berkut,
Agile, like a krechet,
Vengeful, like a saker falcon,
Meaty, like a quail,
Sensitive, like a magpie.