| Gri-Gum
Tibetan
Through his folly, Gri-Gum denied to all future kings of Tibet the final reward of ascension into Heaven, a fate guaranteed to him by a cord attached to him like the strings of a marionette. A soothsayer informed him of his fate to die in battle. Gri-Gum was a vain man and did not believe that any could overcome him. To prove the falseness of the prophecy, he challenged his retainers to fight him to the death. Lo-ngam, the royal groom, rose to the challenge. Gri-gum prepared for the duel by lading himself with good luck charms including both a dead dog and a dead fox; and a black turban with a silver mirror. A herd of yaks bearing sacks of soot followed him, to complete the charm. As the duel began, the yaks stampeded and broke open the soot sacks with their horns. The air became clouded with ash. Gri-Gum flailed about wildly, missing Lo-ngam and cutting the cord that linked him to his heavenly prize. Lo-ngam, too, was lost in the darkness. He saw something shining (it was the mirror on Gri-Gum's turban), however, took aim, and shot the king between the eyes. And so death came even to royalty.
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