Gelenkhüü full name Khainzangiin Gelenkhüü (Хайнзангийн Гэлэнхүү), also known as Gelenkhüü Shükherch (Гэлэнхүү Шүхэрч - Parachute

Parachute

A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...

-Gelenkhüü), is a semi-legendary figure from Northern Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

. There are numerous tales about him, but the deed he is most remembered for is his attempt to fly by using self-made wings.

Early life

Gelenkhüü was born around 1877 in the Sain Noyon Khan Aimag's Dalai Choinkhor Khoshuu, in what belongs today to Jargalant sum

Jargalant, Khövsgöl

Jargalant is a sum of Khövsgöl aimag. The area is about 2,550 km², of which 1,470 km² are pasture. In 2000, the sum had 5068 inhabitants, mainly Khalkha...

 in Khövsgöl aimag. He is said to have been a lively and bright kid. Spending some years as a novice in a local monastery, he seems to have developed technical and creative attempts early on. After having been expulsed from the monastery for rejecting certain religious teachings, he became a herder.

The quest for a male heir

Although being married and father to six daughters, Gelenkhüü's desire for a son eventually grew so strong that he left his home for two years and travelled to the Darkhad

Darkhad

The Darkhad is a subgroup of Mongol people living mainly in northern Mongolia. They living mainly in the Bayanzürkh, Ulaan-Uul, Renchinlkhümbe, and Tsagaannuur sums of Khövsgöl Province. The Darkhad valley is named after them...

 areas in northwestern Khövsgöl in order to consult the shamans

Shamanism

Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...

 living there. When he returned, he brought a female shaman as second wife. She got pregnant, but only to give birth to yet another daughter.

Being an outcast in a community both fearful and suspicious of shamanism, she left Gelenkhüü soon afterwards and returned home. Gelenkhüü, afraid of her possible revenge and evil spirits, erected a suvarga

Stupa

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....

 close to his home, using a white-spotted black yak

Yak

The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...

 to collect the building material and burning incense sticks and butter lights upon its completion.

The northward-facing suvarga still can be found some 20km north-east of Jargalant's sum center. In the late 1920s, Gelenkhüü finally adopted a son from a local woman. As of 2000, the son lived in Mörön.

The flight attempt

During the lama uprising of 1932, Gelenkhüü saw airplanes for the first time. He became so fascinated that he began to secretly make a pair of wings from sheepskin and eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

 wings. He chose a 170m high cliff as the site for his first flight attempt. Fortunately had been prudent enough to drive his sheep to the foot of the cliff before jumping into the abyss and got away unharmed.

Gelenkhüü died in 1938. A statue in his honour has been erected in front of Mörön's airport building

Mörön Airport

Mörön Airport is a public airport located in Mörön, the capital of Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia.- Airlines and destinations:- External links :*...

.