The Mountain God and the Okoze Fish

In ancient times, there lived very wealthy people in a certain village. Why were they so wealthy? Well, because the peasants of that village were friends with the very god of the mountain. And so, he helped them grow a good harvest, drive away harmful insects, and ward off dark forces. Every autumn, the god would retreat to the mountains, and from there, high above, he would watch over the village. And every spring, he would always descend and come to the village. The peasants eagerly awaited him—they never planted rice in the fields without the god of the mountain, which is why they called him the god of the rice fields in spring. The god of the mountain was very kind, but he was also terribly shy: he would blush from modesty, cover his face out of embarrassment, just like a young maiden.

But one spring, something happened. As always, the god of the mountain came to the village—just as the peasants were planting rice. They welcomed him as they should—with honors, offering gifts and hosting a feast. And everything would have been fine, if the god of the mountain hadn’t decided to take a stroll through the village. He walked around the houses, the fields, and eventually came to a stream. He sat down on the bank to rest. As he sat there, admiring the view, it so happened that he looked into the stream and saw his own reflection! And when he saw it, he began to lament:

"Oh, oh! What a disaster! Is that really me? I never knew I was so ugly! What a face! How ashamed I am! How ashamed!"

The god of the mountain wept bitter tears, grabbed his belongings, and ran straight back to the mountains.

The peasants were bewildered.

"Wait!" they cried. "Don’t be sad! We love and honor you just as you are!"

But the god of the mountain ran without looking back, refusing to listen.

The peasants grew frightened. "What if he never returns?" they thought. And that’s exactly what happened. The god of the mountain hid deep in the forest, never showing himself to people again.

A great misfortune befell the village: the seedlings began to wither, the flooded fields dried up, and the trees in the mountains stopped growing altogether. The peasants didn’t know what to do or how to remedy their sorrow. They thought and thought, and finally went to seek advice from a wise old woman. They told her about their troubles.

The old woman pondered, and then said:

"I’m old, nearly two hundred years I’ve lived in this world. I can’t quite remember what this god of the mountain looks like. Do you yourselves remember his face well?"

"Of course!" the peasants exclaimed in surprise. "He comes to the village every spring."

"Well, then?" the old woman asked again. "Is he really so unattractive?"

"Indeed," sighed the peasants. "But that doesn’t matter! He’s still the best for us!"

"Of course," agreed the wise old woman, "the most important thing is that the god of the mountain is kind. But here’s the trouble—he’s terribly shy. It seems he’s ashamed of his ugly face, which is why he ran away from you. He didn’t know it before."

"What should we do now?" asked the peasants. "We’re in trouble—it looks like famine will soon come to the village. We work in the fields from morning till night, but nothing grows."

"You need to find someone even uglier than the god of the mountain," advised the old woman. "Let him see that he’s not the most hideous in the world."

The peasants thought hard. Who could be uglier than the god of the mountain? They thought and puzzled, but couldn’t come up with anything.

"Alright," said the old woman, "I’ll give you advice. Go to our stream and catch a fish called an *okodze*. When you catch it, take a good look at it—no one in the world has such bulging, ugly eyes!"

"An *okodze*? That’s true!" the peasants exclaimed joyfully.

They went to the stream, caught the *okodze* fish, and burst out laughing:

"Ha-ha-ha! What a face!"

"What a sight!"

"What an ugly thing!"

They placed the *okodze* fish in a large jug and hurried to the mountains. They found the god of the mountain’s house and knocked:

"Open up, god of the mountain," they pleaded. "Look what we’ve brought you!"

The god of the mountain opened the door, peeked into the jug—and there sat the fish, bulging its eyes and moving its jaws back and forth! It was horrifying!

"Well, I never!" exclaimed the god of the mountain. "Such things exist in the world! I see now that there’s someone even uglier than me! How good that I’m not an *okodze* fish! And look at it, look how it rolls its eyes! Ha-ha-ha! Oh, I can’t take it! I’m going to burst from laughter!"

The god of the mountain laughed, and the peasants laughed too. They all felt joyous and merry. The god of the mountain’s good mood returned. He made peace with the peasants. The village became wealthy again: the rice in the fields grew tall, the fruits on the trees ripened. And from then on, the peasants and the god of the mountain lived in peace and harmony.

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The Mountain God and the Okoze Fish

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