The Legend of the Lake "Kokuy-Kul"

"Kokuy-Kul"

Among the high mountains lies a small but very deep lake called Kokuy-Kul. Children often ask their parents about the origin of the lake's name and in response, they hear an ancient legend. It happened a long time ago. On the shore of the lake lived a shepherd who had a wife and five small sons. The father was always busy with his shepherding duties, grazing sheep in the pastures, on the slopes, and in the hollows. The children stayed at home with their mother, playing near the house. The mother often told them, “Don’t go too close to the lake; you might fall in!” However, the boys did not always heed their mother’s words. One day, as the day was turning to evening and all the family members had gathered in the house, it was discovered that one of the boys was missing. Everyone rushed to search for him, calling out loudly and continuing the search until nightfall. The search yielded no results.

Then terrible events began to unfold. Every day the parents lost one of their sons. When the fifth and last child went missing, they heard a voice coming from the direction of the lake: “Kokuy!” This voice made the shepherd and his wife run to the shore of the lake, hoping that it was their children calling them. They searched all the shores but found no one. In despair, they cried out and exclaimed: “Kokuy!” Unable to bear the grief, the poor shepherd jumped into the lake and drowned. In the lake, he saw his five sons, who lived there, although they were dead.

Soon the mother also jumped into the lake. If you approach the lake at sunset, you can hear a voice exclaiming: “Kokuy!” That is why people call the lake Kokuy-Kul. Kokuy is an interjection in Kyrgyz speech that expresses strong emotions caused by something frightening or horrifying.