The Tale of Qoyllor and Ukuku is a Book Collection obtained after talking to Orqo in World Quest To Wish Upon a Star.
Vol. 1[]
Long, long ago, that dim star was as bright as all the other stars you now see, yet the lives of the tribespeople were much the same as they are in the present day. To you, this way of life may seem overly familiar, perhaps nothing special, even lacking in excitement; but for Qoyllor, who lived on that star, it was anything but ordinary... Though the star that Qoyllor lived on was the one that was closest to the tribes, yet still she was inestimably far away from her brothers and sisters. Like you, she was always full of curiosity for things she didn't understand. Just as we who live on the ground gaze up in awe at the starry sky, she too would often look down with great interest upon the tribes on the ground.
But one day, Qoyllor leaned too far forward and accidentally fell from the sky. Falling to the ground, the star lost its former brilliance, and her power shattered into fragments that were scattered across the land. Her father, the Sun, had entrusted her with this power, exhorting her to guard it carefully — but now, without that power, she could never again return to the sky! Qoyllor reflected upon how, when she was simply observing it from the star, life on the ground had seemed so fascinating to her; yet now that she had to give up her original life and became a part of it, it all seemed far less satisfying...
For a long time, Qoyllor wandered alone, facing many dangers, for the wilderness back then was far more perilous than it is now. Yet despite her tribulations, she found nothing. Later, by utter chance, she met Ukuku, a hunter from the tribe, and things began to change. Ukuku was a fierce warrior, as strong and silent as a bear. Upon learning of Qoyllor's plight, he agreed to help her search for the scattered shards of her star, then send her back home. He prided himself on his skills as a hunter — both his prowess in the chase, and of course, his mastery of the art of tracking too.
So side by side, they set off on their roamings. They climbed high mountains and scaled great peaks, ventured into deep ravines and gloomy caverns; and in the process, defeated hordes of enemies and made scores of friends. Under Ukuku's watchful guidance, Qoyllor grew accustomed to life on the ground. Just like you and me — perhaps even better than some of us — she hunted, fought, and rested with Saurians, recounted the incredible stories she had heard from the mouths of the storytellers to the children of the tribe, ate Tatacos, and chased after the Monetoo... Yet occasionally, on those nights back then unlit by glowing graffiti, the stars in the night sky would suddenly remind her of her distant home. Now, she was even further from her brothers and sisters... Did they miss her too?
...
After years of fruitless searching, Qoyllor began to wonder — perhaps, in the same way that she had become a part of the tribe, her lost power had long since been found. Perhaps the birds, beasts, insects, and snakes had claimed it for their own? When she asked Ukuku if he had grown tired of chasing such an elusive goal, the only answer he gave was an short "Sorry." "What a tongue-tied hunter!" she thought to herself. "Yet his heart is kind." Besides, they had been searching blindly from the very start, and it was by any reckoning a difficult task — and besides, it really had nothing to do with Ukuku from the first, so his apology was utterly misplaced. Thinking back on how this quiet hunter had taken such good care of her, Qoyllor could only marvel at his kindness...
Later on, Qoyllor and Ukuku were to form a family together, settling down in a corner of the tribe. And to think, the young children of the tribe had not the slightest inkling that one of their neighbors had fallen from the stars! Qoyllor had always been of a cheerful disposition, and when things happened that could not be helped, she simply let them be. Though her homeland was now far out of reach, the twinkling stars seemed to greet her as if they were her brothers and sisters themselves, and so she was content. But Ukuku, whose wish had seemingly come true, became even more silent and gloomy than before. Some said it was just his nature, while others speculated that he was haunted by guilt as a result of having failed to fulfill his promise to Qoyllor... Such theories each have their merits, but as you know, when someone harbors an unspeakable secret, they tend to appear melancholy, and this was certainly the case with Ukuku.
But what exactly was this secret that Ukuku was hiding? Forgive me, I must keep you in suspense for now, and instead return to the matter of neighbors. It is said that a relative far off is less helpful than a neighbor close by, and in the tribe, we always rely on the support of our neighbors and friends. As bad luck would have it, their neighbor Pochica was a troublemaker who had never gotten along with Ukuku. He had always tried to make things difficult for Ukuku, but as long as Ukuku ignored him, things never escalated — so before Qoyllor's arrival, they managed to coexist. But Qoyllor's presence ignited a spark of jealousy in Pochica, and once that spark was lit, it could not be so easily extinguished. "Ukuku is a kind person, and kind people always put the needs of others above their own." Of course, Pochica was well aware of what the other tribespeople thought of Ukuku, but he clearly saw things differently. "What a bore he is, a complete and utter bore! But I can use his 'kindness' against him, and in the end, it will save me much trouble."
Pochica's plan was very simple: he would, from time to time, speak badly of Ukuku in front of Qoyllor, adding a bit of "color" here and there, embellishing his stories with malicious barbs. You might wonder how such a clumsy trick could work, but do not forget — the extreme reticence, even gloominess, that Ukuku had shown of late could be hard to bear for someone whose origins were as special as Qoyllor's... "Ah, look at you, like a bird that has had its wings clipped." When he was talking to Qoyllor, Pochica always took on an air of intimacy. "He's always been like this. Whenever he found a bird he liked, he'd clip its wings to stop it from flying away, then lock it in a cage. Pitiful, truly pitiful!"
At first, Qoyllor paid no attention to her vindictive neighbor's gossip, but after years of hearing it time and time again, she could not help but begin to have doubts. She longed to know what was in Ukuku's heart, but neither did she want to make a big deal out of nothing, so she tried probing with a few comments disguised as playful remarks. Yet always Ukuku seemed unwilling to engage, either dodging her questions or simply adopting his usual gloomy demeanor and answering only with heavy silence.
Now, let us return to the secret that Ukuku had kept hidden within his heart. Everything he did only served to deepen Qoyllor's suspicions, and she was the type that liked to get to the bottom of things — after all, if it wasn't for that, she would never have fallen from her star in the first place. Under the pressure of her questioning, Ukuku soon confessed his secret. It turned out that in the course of their past travels together, he had indeed found some star shards. In other words, the goal that had always seemed so elusive to Qoyllor was not entirely without its clues. But by that time, Ukuku had already developed feelings for her, and he knew that when the day came when all the shards had been found, Qoyllor would return to the stars, and they would never see one another again...
As I see it, it is hard for anyone to persist in something that goes against their nature for long, and Ukuku was no exception to this rule. When he finally revealed his innermost secret, it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and even the gloom on his face seemed to lessen. Yet having heard his confession, Qoyllor felt only sadness and anger — deceit and betrayal were things she had never before known, but now she understood their bitter pang.
She really was a bird whose wings had been clipped! Thinking such a thought only served to convince Qoyllor that Ukuku's actions could not be forgiven. And as we all know, though it takes great time to build, deep trust can be destroyed in an instant. Qoyllor demanded that Ukuku hand over the star shards he had hidden, but Ukuku refused. He could not bear the thought of parting with her, still believing that as long as he kept her close, there was always a chance that he might turn things around. But this was a vain idea — for as we all have our limits when it comes to forgiveness, and these vary from person to person, so for Qoyllor did the buck stop at deceit and betrayal.
Ignoring his pleas, Qoyllor left the tribe she had once considered home, returning to the same wilderness she had wandered when she first fell down to the ground. But this time it was different — she knew what she had to do. Like a true person of Natlan, she left a huge work of graffiti on the vast expanse of land. How big was it? Though it can now be seen no longer, it is said that those who witnessed it at the time remarked that it might well have been bigger than a volcano! You could not have missed such a gigantic piece of graffiti, even if you were gazing down from the Sun itself. And indeed, that was her intention. Let her lost power be, she thought to herself. Whether hidden by Ukuku, or claimed by the birds, beasts, insects, and snakes, it mattered not — for she could always turn to her father, the one who had bestowed this power upon her in the first place, and was willing to accept any punishment that might come her way.
And lo! Qoyllor's Sun-father saw her plea, quickly bringing her back to the sky. That star that had lost its power became dim, and was now almost invisible unless you looked very closely. Would Qoyllor still look down at the land, observing the lives of the people below as she once did? I do not know the answer to that, but what is certain is that she was reunited with her many brothers and sisters, returned to a place that even the mightiest Iktomisaurus could not reach.
As for Ukuku, who had been left behind, his deceit and betrayal angered the Sun. As punishment, he was blinded by the Sun's golden arrows. From then on, wherever he went, the Sun would retreat behind the clouds, leaving him without a trace of sunlight. Even their child Kuntur, who was still very young at the time, was affected by this. As a result, he was unable to form a single friendship with any Saurian until he had grown up to be a young man. But as for Kuntur's adventures thereafter... Well, that is another story entirely.
Trivia[]
- In Quechua, quyllur means "star." Quyllurit'i is a festival in Peru.
- In Quechua mythology, ukukus are half-man half-bear creatures. They are associated with the Quyllurit'i festival.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | The Tale of Qoyllor and Ukuku | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奎伊露和乌库库的故事 | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奎伊露和烏庫庫的故事 | |
| Japanese | クイールとウククの物語 Kuiiru to Ukuku no Monogatari | The Tale of Qoyllor and Ukuku |
| Korean | 코이로르와 우쿠쿠의 이야기 Koiroreu-wa Ukuku-ui Iyagi | |
| Spanish | La historia de Qoyllor y Ukuku | The Story of Qoyllor and Ukuku |
| French | Le conte de Qoyllor et Ukuku | The Tale of Qoyllor and Ukuku |
| Russian | История о Койллор и Укуку Istoriya o Koyllor i Ukuku | The Story of Qoyllor and Ukuku |
| Thai | เรื่องราวของ Qoyllor กับ Ukuku | |
| Vietnamese | Câu Chuyện Của Qoyllor Và Ukuku | |
| German | Die Geschichte von Qoyllor und Ukuku | The Tale of Qoyllor and Ukuku |
| Indonesian | Kisah Qoyllor dan Ukuku | |
| Portuguese | A História de Qoyllor e Ukuku | |
| Turkish | Qoyllor ile Ukuku'nun Öyküsü | |
| Italian | La storia di Qoyllor e Ukuku |
