Page 43 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

L

Loon white-billed

(Gavia adamsii)

Weight 4.0–6.4 kg, length 75–100 cm, wing 36.4–40.5 cm, span 135–
155 cm. It has a large yellowish-white beak. The head and neck are black with
a purplish tinge, the longitudinal white striae on the throat and on the sides of
the neck are wide and sparse, and the white spots on the upper side of the body
are larger. Food items are fish.
Breeds in the Arctic coastal tundra of Eurasia and North America along
the coast of the Arctic Ocean.
In Sakhalin region, the white-billed loon occurs during periods of seasonal
migrations, and can be found in the sea area near the borders of all areas with
access to the Sea of Okhotsk, the Pacific Ocean and Aniva Bay.

Once upon a time people lived in the mountains, they did not even have

a small piece of land. They asked the Supreme God to make them a piece of
land. To which God answered them: «Give me at least a handful of earth, I
will do what you ask for!»
People turned to the partridge so that it flew over the ground. She answered
them that she could not fly far, and that she could not fly high. Then they asked
for a loon. Loon said that she could not fly anywhere, but she could dive. She
dived to the bottom of the sea and took out a piece of silt for them. It was from
this silt that God made the earth, hence the rest of the earth grew. The

Nenets believe that the whole world went from the loon.

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