The Origin of the Horsehead Fiddle (Morin Khuur)
A shepherd named Namjil the Cuckoo from eastern Mongolia was drafted into military service on the western border. He sang so beautifully that people called him Namjil the Cuckoo. During his service, he fell in love with a local prince's daughter, who gave him a magical winged horse to cross the vast distances to meet her. A jealous woman discovered the horse's wings and cut them off, causing the horse to fall from the sky and die. The grieving Namjil made the first horsehead fiddle from the horse's skin, tail hair, and bones, using it to play poignant songs about his beloved horse and lost lov