Legend of Namtso Lake

According to the legend, there was once a man named Zhagu'elian living in the mountain on the north bank of Namtso Lake. He was very powerful and lived on hunting. One day, Zhagu'elian went to the mountain to hunt. On his way up the mountain he found a black snake fighting with a white snake and at that time the white snake prevailed. When he came down the mountain with his preys, he found the two snakes still fighting and the white snake was dieing. He said to himself that maybe the white snake was the god and the black one was a demon. So he pulled out his broadsword and killed the black snake. As a result, the white one's life was saved.

Several days later, Zhagu'elian came across a white wild ox and a black wild ox fighting each other on his way for hunting and the white wild ox was originally superior to the black one. But when he came back and passed there, he found the white one was almost beaten by the black one. He again regarded the white one as the god and the black one as the evil. He shot the black wild ox dead.

After Zhagu'elian came back home, Nyenchen Tanglha rode on a white horse and came to Zhagu'elian's home, changing himself a mortal in white. He said to Zhagu'elian, "My friend, thank you for your helping me. Do you have any demands? I can satisfy three demands of you." Nyenchen Tanglha replied, "I have never helped anyone and I do not need your satisfying my any demands." Nyenchen Tanglha explained, "My dear friend, the two animals-white snake and the white wild ox are my spirit animals and you saved them. I must thank you for your saving their lives."

He opened the gates of his storehouse and let Zhagu'elian chose three presents. There were numerous treasures and money in the storehouse. These things are dazzling and he did not know what to choose. He closed his eyes and touched salt. He took a handful salt and threw it to the north side, hoping that this will be useful for the humans. Then, for the second time, he touched an alkali and threw it to the north, hoping that the alkali would be helpful to the local people. For the third time, he touched a bumpy article and threw it again to the north. Yet the bumpy article was not a good one. It was the colletotrichum which might lead to the anthrax. As a result, Zhagu'elian on one hand brought the precious source of salt and alkali to this area, however, on the other hand, brought the evil colletotrichum to the local people.