Deli Dumrul- Turkic HeroHero"The Mad"
Also known as: Delü Dumrul and Deli Domrul
Description
He stands on his bridge, sword drawn, demanding toll from all who pass. When he learns that death took a young man, he challenges Azrael himself. But the Angel of Death cannot be fought with steel, and when the hour comes, only his wife steps forward to die in his place.
Mythology & Lore
The Bridge
Dumrul builds a bridge over a dry riverbed. Thirty-three coins to cross, thirty-three blows to those who refuse. No one argues with him. When a young man dies in the nearby camp, Dumrul does not mourn. He is furious. Who is this Azrael who takes men's lives without asking Dumrul's permission? He swears to find the Angel of Death and fight him.
Azrael comes. Dumrul draws his sword. His blows pass through the angel without touching him. Azrael seizes Dumrul's soul, and the warrior collapses. But he is given a chance: find someone willing to die in his place, and he may live.
He goes to his father. His father refuses. He goes to his mother. She refuses too. His wife says yes. She does not hesitate.
The Reprieve
Tengri sees the wife's offer and intervenes. He takes neither life. He gives Dumrul and his wife a hundred and forty more years together. Dumrul's parents, who would not die for their son, are struck down instead.
Relationships
- Enemy of