In ancient times, among the Trans-Ural Bashkirs there lived one mighty batyr *. He had a horse - a gray tulpar. He could move the owner wherever he wanted. There was no equal to this batyr in strength, courage and intelligence.
If an enemy army attacked his land, he mercilessly destroyed enemies, protecting his relatives and his native land. In addition, this batyr was a famous kuraist and singer. When he climbed the Irendek and played the kurai, the sounds of his kurai** were clearly audible in the villages located among the mountain valleys.
This batyr got married, but only many years later his wife gave birth to his son, a sturdy man, so heavy, as if filled with lead. The child grew by leaps and bounds. "He will be braver than his father," people said of him with admiration.
And indeed, when he became a young man, he resembled his father in everything, and even surpassed him. As people say: what a chick sees in the nest, it does in flight. Dzhigit also became famous for playing the kurai.
"I'm going to marry my son while I'm alive," the father thought and betrothed him a bride. He gave him a gray three-year-old stallion, born from a gray tulpar, and on one of the sunny spring days the young batyr went to the house of his future father-in-law.
When he arrived, he left his stallion in a meadow, not far from home.
In the morning, when the horseman came for the stallion, he heard an amazingly beautiful melody, so he froze in amazement. Then, impatiently, he ran in the direction from which the sounds came. Approaching, he hid and began to observe. A flock of small gray cranes was playing in a circle in the clearing. In the center stood a crane. As soon as she flapped her wings and began a melodious purring, the others immediately joined her and began to spin.
The horseman enthusiastically listened to the ringing melody of cranes, listened until he remembered it. Fearing not to forget the song of the birds, he jumped on his horse and rushed like an arrow to his father-in-law's house. Dismounting, he took his kurai and played a crane song. The people gathered - both old and young.
- How do you know this strange, amazing melody? Didn't you fold it yourself? - one aksakal *** asked the dzhigit.
- No, grandfather, - said the horseman, - and told about what happened. The people were excited: no matter what kind of trouble has come. And the elder said:
- It's the song of cranes. Where they play, a big battle is destined to happen, in which many people will die, - our grandfathers used to say in the old days.
Hearing these words, the batyr immediately went home. At home, I told my father everything as it is.
- Yes, my son, in the old days it was said that where cranes play, there will be a massacre, disaster will descend on the country. Your father has seen a lot of such fights in his lifetime. Now I have become old, the forces in me are not the same. I'm handing you my combat equipment," the old batyr said. - Be brave, do not tarnish the honor of the family. Be merciless to foreign enemies and be faithful to your family and native land - only then will you be happy. This is my testament to you. And now gather an army of the most reliable people.
The young batyr threw a cry to the horsemen of the country, gathered an army and was ready for battle.
And in fact, very little time passed, and strangers attacked the land of his family. The young batyr raised his shooters, and they began to hit the enemies at a distance visible to the eye.
When the fighting subsided, they celebrated the victory for several days in a row. Dzhigit was nicknamed the batyr of the country. And the tune he heard from the cranes has since been called the Crane Song. The lake, which had a massacre, is called Yaugul * ***. It is located in the Baymak district, 10-15 kilometers south of Sibai.
* batyr is a hero, an outstanding warrior.
** kurai is a Bashkir folk musical instrument.
*** aksakal is a venerable old man.
**** Yaugul - yau -war, battle (lake-battles)
Probably the main name is Kultaban . Taban -sole . Indeed, the lake is elongated, it looks like a sole.