Tradition / Region: Mongolian Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Iron-Beaked Raven
Category: Bird
The Myth
In the Buryat epic of Geser, the forces of evil sought to destroy the infant hero Bukhe Beligte before he could grow to challenge them. After monstrous rats failed in their attempt, the nine hundred evil spirits and ninety black demons created two black ravens and sent them to the child’s cradle. Their purpose was to peck out the infant’s eyes and kill him. Unlike ordinary birds, these ravens possessed beaks and talons made of iron.
As the ravens hovered over him, Bukhe Beligte seized them by their wings and demanded to know what kind of devils they were, flying through the world with iron beaks and claws. He tore away their iron beaks and replaced them with horn beaks, then broke off their iron talons and gave them horn claws instead. Declaring that all ravens would bear horn beaks and claws from that day onward, he released them to live upon the steppe. The infant hero then proclaimed that, though only two days old, he had already defeated his second enemy.
Sources
Jamba, T. (Trans.). (n.d.). The Geser Epic: Second Branch. BuryatMongol.com. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://web.archive.org/web/20070628230811/http://www.buryatmongol.com/halaa2.html