open access

https://doi.org/10.14943/2115.99354

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/99354

Üǰümüčin Mongolian Folktale Text (1) : The Story of Lama Chogjil

日本語

民話

2026-03-20

日本北方言語学会

Northern Language Studies

16

287-298

The Üǰümüčin dialect is a variety of Mongolian spoken mainly in the East and West Üǰümüčin Banners of Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia, China. This paper presents a glossed transcription with a Japanese translation of a folktale narrated by a native speaker of the Üǰümüčin dialect. The recording was conducted on April 20, 2025, in Japan. The speaker is a male born in the 1990s in East Üǰümüčin Banner who currently resides in Japan. The narrative, titled “The Story of Lama Chogjil,” is a retelling of a story the speaker read in a book during his childhood, rather than an oral tradition passed down from elders. Synopsis: Chogjil, a mischievous lama famous throughout Üǰümüčin, goes to investigate a suspicious lone tree on the steppe, rumored to cause anyone who approaches it to hang themselves and die. When Chogjil deliberately ties a rope to his leg under the tree, the tree speaks to him, saying, “Hang by your head.” Discerning that a demon is lurking in the tree, Chogjil slashes and cuts it down with his sword, and chants a spell to exorcise the demon. Since then, the mysterious deaths in the area have ceased. Chogjil did not speak of his deed at the temple, but due to his boastful nature, he told people outside about his achievement. The story thus spread, and ultimately, it is said that he was scolded by his masters for doing something unnecessary.

紀要論文

Version of Record

2185-7121

AA12516968