Battelle,Deer and Holy Water

On a cold autumn day, a venerable and experienced old hunter named Battelle was tracking an equally mature sika deer up in the dense forest on the mountain near the grasslands. Battelle focused on the old buck with his aging eyes and shot his taught arrow and “pop” a perfect shot into the thick shoulder of the deer. Expecting the deer to fall, the shocked deer quickly escaped into the underbrush. Battelle hurriedly took chase and caught sight of the limping sika deer making his way into the steaming hot spring. Rather than taking aim with his bow, Batelle focused on the deer drinking a few mouthfuls of water from the hot spring. Then the deer kneeled and dropped into hot spring and began to roll around in the steaming water.

Miraculously within moments, the sika deer rose and jumped out of the water seemingly unharmed! Magically there was no sign of any injuries on its body. With no injuries to impede his movements. The deer quickly disappeared into the woods.

Battelle was stunned to what he just witnessed, and in his wildest dreams that a bubbling hot spring water to have such miraculous effects. He carefully approached the spring to cup some hot water in his hands to wash his own tired face. Feeling immediately refreshed, he removed his boots and stepped into the water to scrub his old throbbing legs and immediately felt refreshed and fully awake! Realizing that he just stepped into another realm during his hunt, something magical just happened. Did he find the legendary “fountain of youth?” He emptied his flask and filled it with water from the spring to take with him.
Now back home, and after washing with the water from the spring, many of his ailments and conditions that come along with age were no longer visible or within him. To his delight, he could not contain himself and shared his story among his people. This blessed news quickly spread throughout the grasslands, and its people made the journey up the mountain to the to the bubbling hot spring to seek ways to possibly cure diseases and even exorcise evil spirits.

Since then, this spring was given the name “Halun Arshan,” which means “holy water.” And to Bastille, the legend of his hunt and stumbling upon this blessed water continues to this day.