A Boy and His Name

Dear children, have you been to the Far North? No? Then I am sure you do not know why all small boys have very strange names there. But if you don’t know why, we can tell you. Here is a story about a boy and his name.

Many years ago there lived a little boy who had no name. His mother wanted to give him a name which she liked, but his father did not like it. So time passed and the boy still had no name. His parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, his friends and all the people around called him Boy. The boy often cried — he wanted to have a name like all other children.

The boy, a very good son, always helped his mother to clean the rooms, sweep the floors or look after his small sisters and brothers.

One day his mother said to him, “My dear son, I’m going to wash up and prepare soup, but there is no water in the house. I must stay at home, because your aunt is going to come to our house. Don’t be lazy and bring me some water.”

“May I go out and play when I have brought some water?” asked the boy.

“Of course you may, but only after you have helped me,” said the mother.

The people got water from a river which was not far from the houses. The boy took a bucket and went to the river. He came up to the river, put the bucket in and then took it out with a lot of water in it. The boy put it down on the ground and began to look into the river. He saw himself in the river. Then he saw something strange in the middle of the river. It had a big head and large round eyes. But it had neither arms nor legs.

“Who are you?” asked the boy.

“I am a fish. I live in the river, don’t you know me?”

“That’s very interesting,” said the boy. “But be so kind as to swim here, to me.”

“What’s your name?” asked the boy.

“My name is Kanayolkhin. Do you like it?”

“Oh, it’s a very nice name,” answered the boy.

“And what’s your name?” asked the fish.

“I have no name,” answered the boy.

“What? No name at all? You don’t say so!”

“No. I have never had a name. My parents did not give me any.”

“How can that be? And what name do they call you by when they want you to come or do something?”

“They call me Boy.”

“But you must have a name — every boy has a name,” said the fish.

“What can I do if my parents did not give me a name?”

“Let me see,” said the fish. It thought for some time and then said:

“If your parents did not give you a name, you must take somebody’s name.”

“But whose?”

“Why don’t you take my name? You like it, don’t you?”

“Oh, very much. But can I take it?” asked the boy.

“Of course, why not?”

“It’s very nice of you. Thank you,” answered the boy.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Then I must hurry to my parents and tell them about my name. Good-bye.”

“Good-bye!”

The boy took the bucket and ran home. He ran very quickly, and suddenly he fell down. The bucket fell down too, turned over and the water ran out of it. Now the boy had no water. He began to cry. And when he wanted to repeat his new name, he did not remember it.

“What a pity!” the boy said to himself. “Now I must go back to the river to get some more water and ask the fish to tell me its name again.”

The boy went back to the river and saw the fish in the water. The fish told the boy its name and he, happy and with a lot of water in his bucket, went home.

The boy hurried home. But this time he fell when he wanted to jump over a stone. The bucket fell down too, turned over and the water ran out of it. And what’s more, again he did not remember his name.

He went back to the river for the third time. And again the fish told him its name. Now the boy walked very slowly and repeated his name all the time. He wanted very much to remember it.

The boy came up to his house when suddenly he fell down again, right at his door. And this time he remembered half of his name. He told everybody his name — Yolkhin. So instead of water the boy brought a name for himself.

And from that day on, the people of the Far North have named their boys Yolkhin.