Page 45 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends
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The great goddess Demeter, who gives fertility to the earth, taught people how
to cultivate grain fields. She gave the young son of King Eleusis, Triptolemus,
seeds of wheat, and he was the first to plow the Raryan field near Eleusis with
a plow three times and threw the seeds into the dark earth. A rich harvest
was yielded by the field blessed by Demeter herself. On a wonderful chariot
drawn by winged snakes, Triptolemus, at the behest of Demeter, flew around
all countries and everywhere taught people about agriculture.
There was Triptolemus in distant Scythia with King Lingh. He also taught
him agriculture. But the proud king of the Scythians wanted to take away from
Triptolemus the glory of a teacher of agriculture, he wanted to appropriate
this glory for himself. Linh decided to kill the great Triptolem while sleeping.
But Demeter did not allow the crime to be committed. She decided to punish
Lingh for the fact that he, breaking the custom of hospitality, raised his hand
against her chosen one.
When Lingh crept into the room at night, where Triptolemus was sleeping
peacefully, Demeter turned the king of the Scythians into a wild lynx at the
very moment when he raised a dagger over the sleeping one.
Lyngh, turned into a lynx, disappeared into the dark forests, and Triptolemus
threw the country of the Scythians, so that, being transported from country to
country on his wonderful chariot, teach people the great gift of Demeter —
agriculture.
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