Lake Baikal, in south-east Siberia, is the oldest and deepest lake in the world. Three hundred and thirty rivers flow into the lake but only one, River Angara, drains out of it.
Baikal, the master spirit of the Great Lake, had three hundred and thirty-three daughters, each more beautiful than the other. Some of them had eyes that matched the blue of the skies while the others had eyes that sparkled green like the leaves of the birch trees. And the fairest of them was young Angara. All of them were content to live under his protective care.
The lovely Angara had many suitors but none would she even consider. One day, a brave young man by the name of Yenisey came to their land from the high mountains where the snow was deep.
When Angara and he saw each other, it was love at first sight for both of them.
Angara and Yenisey wanted to marry but decided to keep their plans a secret because they knew that Father Baikal would not give his consent easily. ‘Wait for me, dearest Angara, I’ll come back for you,’ Yenisey told her as he took his and gave her a white bird as a gift.
A few days later, Prince Irkut came to visit Baikal. On seeing Angara, he too wanted to marry her and promptly asked her father for her hand. Baikal immediately agreed. Of course, neither the father nor the prospective groom thought to ask the girl her opinion.
After Irkut had left, Baikal announced the wedding plans to his family and began the preparations. Poor Angara! She knew that if she told her father about Yenisey and her plans, he would be furious. Yenisey and she had gotten engaged in secret and she had told no one about it.
She hastily wrote a message to Yenisey, asking him to hurry back, and sent it with the white bird he had given her. ‘Go, little bird, and take this message north to Yenisey’s home . . . he has to come back for me soon,’ she whispered to the bird as she set it free. The bird soared into the skies and disappeared from sight.
Many days passed as Angara waited for Yenisey’s return. She knew his home was a long way up north and it would take days for the bird to get there with the message. In the meantime, news came that Irkut was coming with his brother Akha from their home in the Sayan Mountains.
‘As soon as they arrive we’ll have the wedding,’ announced Baikal to everyone. Again, he failed to notice that the bride did not seem particularly happy. The wedding preparations began in earnest and Angara was getting increasingly anxious as there was no word from Yenisey.
There’s no point in waiting for Yenisey any longer for it’ll be too late, thought she and made plans to go to him herself. So, in the middle of a particularly dark night, she stole a horse and dashed off northwards. When Baikal noticed that she had gone, he was very angry. He lost no time in chasing after his runaway daughter and soon saw her. But she was still at a distance. He was so mad at her that he picked up a huge boulder and threw it at her. He missed, and Angara managed to get away.
When Irkut and his brother arrived and found out what had happened, they too chased after her. On and on they rode north. After they had travelled quite a distance, Irkut’s horse collapsed. ‘My horse will take me no more, brother,’ he told Ankha. ‘Now you must carry on and find her.’ Ankha rode on further but before long, his horse too fell down with exhaustion and died.
Meanwhile, Angara turned west and met up with Yenisey. They were soon married and Angara never returned home. So now you have the River Angara flowing out of Baikal, the only one to do so, while all her spinster sisters flow into the lake, never to leave.
Where Irkut’s horse fell, River Irkut flows into Angara from the Tunken valley, while where Ankha’s horse collapsed, River Ankha flows into Angara at the eastern Sayan Mountains. Turning west, the Angara and Yenisey rivers unite at the Tuva border, forming one of the largest rivers of Siberia.
As for the boulder that her father threw at Ankara, it still stands where the river begins and is known as the shaman’s stone. Locals believe that the magic stone can grant your wishes.