Tradition: Tuvan and Altai Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Alan-Melekey
Category: Frog
The Myth
Alan-Melekey is a gigantic frog that carries the earth on its back. According to Tuvan mythology, the entire world rests upon this enormous amphibian, whose slightest movements can disturb the natural order. When Alan-Melekey moves even a little, the sea becomes violently agitated, as though it were boiling, and its waters overflow their banks.
One day, an old man foresaw that the earth would be overwhelmed by a great flood. Preparing for the disaster, he built an iron-bound raft and boarded it with a few people and supplies. When the flood came, the waters rose and swept away the other people and animals, but the old man and his companions survived. The raft eventually came to rest in the taiga, on a hill where it remained stranded.
A similar legend is told among the Altai people. In this version, the location of the stranded raft is identified south of the village of Ulala, near Mount Adygan on the right bank of the Katyn River. The story connects Alan-Melekey, the giant frog bearing the earth, with a great flood that destroys the world and leaves only a small number of survivors.
Sources
Алан-мелекей (Alan-Melekej).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/alan-melekej/ru