The Moose and the Sun
An Evenki legend explaining the journey of the sun across the sky. The story tells of a celestial moose that carries the sun on its antlers as it runs across the sky each day. At night, the moose rests and the sun sinks below the horizon. However, every evening a great wolf or bear chases the moose, trying to devour the sun. When the predator catches the moose, a solar eclipse occurs. The Evenki shamans would perform rituals and make noise to scare away the predator and free the sun. This myth reflects the central importance of the reindeer and moose to Evenki subsistence culture while also pr