Once upon a time there lived a king. He had three sons and three daughters. The king grew old and felt that his end was near. He called his sons and ordered them to marry their sisters to the first one who wooed them.
“And if you do not fulfill my will,” he said, “be damned.”
After some time, the king died. Several months have passed, and no one comes to marry the sisters. But then one night someone knocked on the door so hard that the whole palace shook. Screams, singing, such a roar and crash were heard that everyone who was in the chambers became alarmed and trembled with fear. Suddenly a menacing voice was heard:
- Hey, princes, open the doors!
“Don’t open it,” said the elder brother.
“Don’t open it for anything in the world,” said the middle one.
“And I’ll open it,” said the younger one. As soon as he opened the doors, an unknown force burst into the palace. But nothing but flames and fiery sparks were visible. Then the menacing voice was heard again:
“I came to woo your elder sister and take her with me.” I won’t wait and I won’t come a second time. Give me the answer right now: will you give it up for me or not?
The elder brother replied:
- I won’t give it to you. We don’t know who you are and where you come from, and where you want to take her. Middle said:
“I won’t give up my sister in the middle of the night.”
“If you don’t give it back, then I will,” said the younger one. - Or have you forgotten what father punished us?
He took his sister by the hand and, giving it to the invisible groom, said:
- Be happy with her!
As soon as the princess crossed the threshold, a blinding light flashed and such a roar was heard that the palace shook and all the people fell. Then it became quiet. The next morning the brothers went out into the yard, looked around, but did not find any traces of the unknown matchmakers.
The next night, at the same time, the brothers again heard screams, singing and noise, and then someone shouted in a menacing voice:
- Hey, princes, open the doors! They got scared, opened the doors, and something terrible burst into the palace.
- Give me your middle sister as my wife. I came for her and I won’t come a second time! - thundered a menacing voice.
The elder brother replied:
- I won’t give it up! Middle said:
- I won’t give it up!
“And I’ll give it back,” said the younger one. - Or have you forgotten what father punished us?
He took his sister’s hand and gave it to an unknown force with the words:
- Be happy with her!
As soon as the princess crossed the threshold, there was such thunder and crashing that everyone was killed. The next morning the brothers went out into the yard and no matter how much they searched, they did not find any traces of the midnight matchmakers.
On the third night, at the same hour, the brothers again heard screams, singing and a terrible roar. The palace shook so much that it almost collapsed.
- Hey, princes, open the doors! - a menacing voice sounded.
They jumped up, opened the doors and let in an unknown force.
- I came to woo your younger sister. Answer - will you give it for me or not? - said someone invisible.
The eldest and middle brothers answered in one voice:
“We won’t give her away in the middle of the night.” We want to know who you are and where you will take our sister to visit her after the wedding.
And the younger brother said:
- If you don’t want to give it away, then I will. Or have you forgotten what our father punished us? But that was just recently!
He took his sister by the hand, gave it to the invisible groom and said:
- May you live a happy and fun life! Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the younger sister disappeared with an unknown force without a trace, as if nothing had happened.
A lot of time has passed and there is no news from the sisters. The brothers became worried and began to strain.
-What happened to our sisters? -Are they alive and well? We don’t know anything about them - who did they marry, or where are they now?
Finally one of the brothers said:
- Let's go find our sisters! The brothers got together and set off on a long journey. They walked and walked. and came to the mountainous region. It began to get dark, and the brothers decided to spend the night on the shore of a mountain lake. The younger brother lit a fire. They had dinner. drank water. It was time to go to bed. Here the elder brother says:
- You are sleeping, and I will be on guard.
The younger brothers fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, the water in the lake began to stir. A terrible dragon emerged from the lake and attacked the prince. But he was not afraid, pulled out his sword and cut off the dragon's head. Then he cut off his ears and threw his head and body into the lake.
The middle and younger brothers were sleeping peacefully at this time. When dawn broke, the elder brother woke them up, but said nothing about what happened during the night.
The brothers moved on. They walked and walked all day until the evening. They saw another mountain lake and decided to spend the night on its shore. That night the middle brother began to keep watch.
In the middle of the night, the water in the lake began to sway and foam. A two-headed dragon jumped out onto the shore and rushed at the prince to swallow him. But he was not timid, pulled out a sword and cut off both heads of the dragon. Then he cut off his ears, hid them in his pocket, and threw his head and body into the lake. The brothers slept deeply and never learned anything.
The next morning the middle brother woke them up. They moved on. We walked all day through wild desert places. At sunset we reached a lake and decided to stop for the night. The younger brother built a fire. They had dinner and began to go to bed. That night the younger brother was on guard.
In the middle of the night, the water in the lake suddenly stirred, a roar was heard, a large wave rose and noisily rushed onto the shore, almost putting out the fire. Came out of the water
a dragon with three heads and rushed at the brothers to swallow all three at once. But the younger prince drew his sword and met the dragon without blinking an eye. He swung his sword three times and cut off all three heads of the dragon. Then he cut off his ears, hid them in his pocket, and threw his head and body into the lake.
Meanwhile, the fire went out completely due to strong waves. And the tinder got wet, so the younger brother could not get fire to make a new fire. What to do, where to find fire in these desert places? The prince climbed a tall tree and began to look around. Suddenly he noticed a light, and it seemed to him that it was burning very close. He climbed down from the tree and walked in the direction where the light was flashing. He walked and walked, and it seemed to him that the light was just a stone's throw away. Finally I reached the cave. And there, nine giants sit around a large fire and roast two people on a spit. When the prince saw this, he got scared and wanted to turn back, but unfortunately a branch crunched under his foot. The giants turned around at the noise and saw the prince. He realized that he could not escape from the giants, gathered all his courage, entered the cave and shouted:
- Hello, friends, I’ve been looking for you for a long time!
“If you are our friend,” said the giants, “then we are your friends.”
- Yes, I’m ready to give my life for you!
“Then sit down and have dinner with us, and then we’ll go hunting.”
The prince sat down by the fire. The giants gave him a piece of human meat and began to eat themselves. The prince pretended to eat meat. and he quietly threw it aside.
The giants ate all the meat and said to the prince:
“Now let’s go hunting: we also need to eat tomorrow.” The royal city is nearby. We have been getting food there for over a year now. And now let's go there.
Nine giants and with them the tenth, the prince, set off to hunt. Whether they walked a lot or not, they came to the city. On the way, the giants tore two spruce trees out of the ground and carried them with them. They approached the city wall, leaned one fir tree against it and said to the prince:
- Climb the wall, we will give you a second spruce. Take her by the top of her head and throw her to the other side of the wall so that we can go down to the city along it.
The prince climbed onto the wall and shouted:
“I can’t throw a spruce over.” Let one of you help.
One of the giants climbed the wall, grabbed the spruce by the top, threw it over and began to descend. But then the prince pulled out his sword, cut off his head, and the giant fell over the fortress wall into the city. Then the prince shouted.
“Now climb up one at a time, I’ll take you down to the city.”
The stupid giants, not knowing what happened to their brother, climbed the wall one by one. And the prince grabbed each one on the neck with a sword, and so killed all the giants.
Having dealt with the cannibals, the prince went down to the city. He wandered the streets for a long time, but did not meet a soul. Finally he sees a window shining in one high tower. The prince opened the door, climbed the stairs to the tower and entered the room in which a candle was burning. He looks - the whole room is decorated with gold, silver, silk and velvet, and a girl of unprecedented beauty is sleeping on the bed. The prince looked at her and just couldn’t take his eyes off her - she was so beautiful! Suddenly he noticed that a large snake was crawling along the wall, curved, opened its mouth, and was about to bite the girl on the forehead. The prince pulled out his sword and nailed the snake to the wall.
“Let no hand but mine be able to pull out this sword!” - said the prince and hurried away from the city. He returned to his brothers in time. They were still sleeping and did not know what had happened. When dawn broke, the prince woke them up. They moved on, and the younger brother, as if by chance, came across the road that led to the royal city, where he had visited at night.
That morning the king got up as usual and walked around the city. Every day he walked along deserted streets and shed bitter tears, because the giants kidnapped and ate the inhabitants of the capital. He has very few subjects left. The king approached the city wall and suddenly saw that all nine cannibal giants were lying under it, and all of their heads had been cut off. The king was delighted, gathered the people and began asking if anyone knew which hero accomplished this feat. But no one knew. At this time, the court nobles came running and reported to the king that a large snake had almost bitten his daughter. The king rushed to the palace tower and saw a snake nailed with a sword to the wall above his daughter's bed. He wanted to pull out the sword, but he couldn’t. Then the king called his strongest servants, but even they were unable to do it.
Then the king sent messengers throughout the kingdom to announce his will: he would reward the one who killed the giants and the snake with great gifts and give him his daughter in marriage. In addition, the king ordered that in all roadside taverns they ask and question every passerby if he knows who killed the giants. And if anyone hears about that man, let him hasten to inform the king and receive a reward for this.
Meanwhile, the princes went to a tavern to have dinner and rest. After dinner, the innkeeper approached them, began to boast of his daring, and then asked:
- What can you boast about? The older brother told what happened to him during his first night in the mountains. Then he took the dragon's ears out of his pocket and showed them. After him, the middle brother told how he defeated the two-headed dragon, and also showed his ears.
Then the innkeeper began to ask his younger brother if he, too, had accomplished any feat.
“And I did something,” answered the younger brother and told about his adventures - about the three-headed dragon, about the giants and about the snake in the tower, all in order.
The brothers were very surprised, and the innkeeper heard this. He hurried to the palace to the king and handed everything over to him. The king rewarded him generously and sent his courtiers to bring the three brothers to him. They came. The king asks the younger:
“Aren’t you the hero who killed the cannibal giants and saved my daughter from death?”
- I, glorious king.
“Then let’s see if you can pull out the sword you used to pin the snake to the wall!”
They went to the tower. The prince easily pulled out the sword and sheathed it. Then everyone believed that he really had killed the giants and the snake.
The king gave him his daughter as a wife and made him the first after himself in his kingdom. The king really wanted the other two brothers to stay with him. He promised to marry them and build them beautiful palaces. But they replied that they were already married, and told the king the whole truth about themselves and their sisters. Then the king gave them rich gifts and sent them home.
A lot of time passed, but the younger brother still missed his sisters. And he kept wanting to go in search of them, but the young wife began to cry when he spoke about it and would not let him go.
One day the king was getting ready to go hunting, called his son-in-law and said:
“You stay at home and watch to see if anything happens.” Here are nine keys to the nine chambers of the palace. You can unlock eight rooms. There you will see all my wealth. Just don’t unlock the ninth room - if you open it, you’ll feel bad.
The king went hunting. The son-in-law remained in the palace and, having nothing to do, went to inspect the royal chambers. He opened eight rooms one after another and saw in them a lot of gold, silver, precious stones, weapons and armor. Finally I approached the ninth room and thought: “I have never been afraid of anything. Am I really going to be afraid to enter this room?”
And he unlocked it. He sees a man sitting in a room with an iron hoop around his neck, his hands and feet chained. In front of him, water flows along a golden chute and immediately pours into a golden trough. Nearby there is a jug decorated with precious stones. A man wants to get drunk, but the chains do not allow him to move.
The prince saw all this and backed away in fear, and the man said:
- Please, come in! The prince entered, and the chained man said:
- Do me a favor, give me a jug of water to drink, and as a reward you will receive another life from me
The prince took pity on the prisoner and gave him a jug of water. When he got drunk, the prince asked:
- Tell me, what is your name?
- My name is Bash-Celik. Give me another jug of water and I will give you a second life.
The prince gave him another drink and turned to the door to leave, but Bash-Chelik asked again:
- Don't go, good job. You have already done a good deed twice, do it a third time. I will give you a third life if you take a jug, fill it with water and pour it on my head.
“He gives me three lives, and I also have my own - what’s better!” - thought the prince.
He filled a jug with water and poured it on the chained man’s head. As soon as the water poured, the iron hoop on Bash-Chelik’s neck cracked and fell apart. At the same moment, Bash-Celik tensed and broke the chains in which he was chained. Before the prince could blink an eye, he spread his wings and flew out of the room. At this time, the princess was walking in the garden. Bash-Chelik grabbed her under his wing and instantly disappeared from sight.
- Oh, what have I, foolish, done? - the prince clasped his hands.
When the king returned from the hunt, he told him in order about everything that had happened. Hearing about this, the king groaned and cried with grief, and began to tear out his hair. They calmed him down by force. After all, tears won’t help your grief!
“Don’t be angry and don’t freak out, king,” said the prince. “I will find Bash-Chelik, wherever he hides, underground or under water, and I will return his wife!”
But the king began to dissuade him:
- Don't think about it. You don't know who Bash-Celik is. I lost a lot of troops before I managed to catch him. Better stay with me. I am already old and, perhaps, I will die soon; then there will be no one to inherit my royal throne.
But the prince stood his ground, and the king agreed to let him go. Without wasting any time, the prince got ready for the road, mounted his horse and rode around the world to look for the kidnapper of his wife. The prince wandered for a long time, visited many kingdoms and finally arrived in an unfamiliar city. He is driving down the street and suddenly hears someone calling out to him:
- Hey, good job! Get off your horse and go into the yard.
He entered the yard, and a girl was walking towards him. The prince looked at her and recognized his older sister. They hugged and kissed. His sister brought him to the palace, and they told each other about everything that had happened to them. The sister told the prince. that she is married to the king of snakes.
My husband has a strict personality,” she said. “Let me hide you better, otherwise he threatened that he would kill his brothers-in-law if he saw them.” I will first find out if he will do anything bad to you, and then I will tell about you. “And she hid her brother and his horse.”
Evening came. The snake flew in, and everything in the palace lit up and sparkled. The king of snakes immediately said to his wife;
“It smells like the human spirit here.” Who's there, speak up now!
The wife replied that there was no one in the palace, quickly set the table and began to distract her husband with various conversations. They talked about this and that. Then she asked:
“Tell me, hubby, what will happen to my brothers if they come here?”
“I’ll kill the eldest and middle ones, but I won’t touch the youngest.”
Then she brought her brother into the room. The snake king stood up, hugged his brother-in-law and kissed him. Then he sat me down at the table. At dinner, the prince told about everything that had happened to him and why he was wandering around the world. The king of snakes listened to him and said:
- Your business is bad. I'm afraid it won't work out for you. When Bash-Chelik flew here with your wife, I met him with seven thousand kites, but I could not do anything with him! And you certainly won’t be able to defeat him. Give up this matter. I will give you as much gold and silver as you want, and go home in good health!
But the prince didn’t even want to hear about it. The king of the snakes saw that he could not dissuade him, he tore out one feather from himself, gave it to the prince and said:
- Here's my pen for you. When you find Bash-Chelik and you need my help, light it - and at that very moment I will fly to you with all my army.
The prince took the feather and thanked the king of snakes. The next morning he set off again. I drove and drove and arrived in an unfamiliar city. He is driving down the street and hears someone calling out to him:
- Hey, good job! Get off your horse and go into the yard.
The prince entered the courtyard, and there his middle sister met him. They hugged and kissed. They started asking each other about everything. The sister said that she was married to the falcon king.
“He'll be back soon,” she said. -
Let me hide you, how can I know how he will meet you, he doesn’t love my brothers. She hid her brother and his horse. A little later the palace began to tremble. It was the falcon king who arrived.
- I feel the human spirit. Who's here? - he asked his wife.
“There is no one in the palace,” she answered, sat her husband down to dinner, and began to distract him with conversations. They talked about this and that. And then the wife asks:
- If one of my brothers comes here, what will happen?
“I’ll kill the eldest and middle ones, but I won’t do anything to the youngest.”
Then she told him about her brother. The Falcon King immediately ordered him to be brought and stood up to meet him. They hugged and kissed.
At dinner the prince told everything in order. And the falcon king began to dissuade him:
- Don't go any further! On the day when Bash-Chelik kidnapped your wife, I went out to meet him with five thousand falcons. We fought with him tooth and nail, we shed blood up to our knees, but we couldn’t do anything with him. How can you defeat him alone? Take my advice: take as many jewels as you want from my treasury and return home while you still have your head on your shoulders.
“Thank you for everything, but I decided not to return until I find Bash-Chelik and take his wife away from him,” the prince answered, and thought to himself: “After all, besides my life, I have three more!”
The Falcon King saw that he could not be dissuaded, he snatched the feather from himself and gave it to his brother-in-law with the words:
- When trouble comes, set it on fire - and I will fly to your aid with all my strength.
The prince took the pen and moved on the next morning. He arrives in the third city, drives along the street and hears someone calling out to him:
- Hey, good job! Get off your horse and go into the yard.
The prince entered the courtyard, and his younger sister met him. They hugged and kissed. Then they started asking each other.
- Who is your husband? - the prince asked his sister.
- My husband is the eagle king. Let me better hide you from him, otherwise he doesn’t like my brothers,” she said and hid her brother and his horse.
A little later the trees swayed and the earth groaned. It was the eagle king who arrived.
- Who is in our palace? It smells like the human spirit.
But the wife hid from her husband that her brother had come to her. When they sat down to dinner, she asked him:
“What would you do with my brothers if they came to visit me?”
“I would have killed the older and middle one, and tried to help the younger one.”
Then the sister called her brother. The Eagle Tsar and the Tsarevich hugged and kissed.
They sat down at the table to eat, drink and talk.
The prince told about everything that had happened to him and why he was traveling around the world, but the eagle king began to dissuade him:
- Stop looking for this villain, brother-in-law. Stay with me, you will be happy with everything.
But the prince stood his ground. The eagle king understood. that there was no way to dissuade him, he snatched the pen from himself and said:
- Here's my pen for you! If you get into trouble, light a pen - and I will fly to your aid with all my eagles.
The prince took the feather and thanked the eagle king. The next morning he again went to look for Bash-Celik. He rode, rode through valleys and mountains, from city to city, further and further. And he arrived in a deserted mountain region. There. Among the gloomy rocks, he found his wife in a large cave. The prince was very tired from the long search, but then he immediately took courage and felt new strength in himself. When his wife saw him, she was delighted, but immediately asked in fear:
Tell me how you got to this wild land. Where has no man gone before?
The prince told her the whole truth and said:
- Let's run quickly, wife!
-Where should we run? Bash-Chelik will immediately overtake us - he will kill you and bring me back.
But the prince persuaded his wife to run away. They had barely set off when Bash-Celik learned of their flight and rushed in pursuit. He overtook the fugitives and shouted:
- Hey, prince! For the first time, I give you life, as I promised. Now go back to where you came from and don’t appear in these places again, otherwise you will die!
Bash-Chelik took the princess away, and the prince was left alone among the gloomy rocks, not knowing what to do. He thought and thought and finally decided to follow his wife again. He got close to the cave, waited until the hour when Bash-Chelik flew away, and persuaded his wife to run away again. But Bash-Chelik immediately found out about this, set off in pursuit, overtook the prince, took out an arrow and shouted:
- Hey. Well done! What do you want to die from: an arrow or a sword?
The prince began to beg for mercy, and Bash-Celik said:
- Okay, I’ll give you a second life, but don’t come into my sight again. Next time I'll kill you on the spot!
He said this and took the princess away, and the prince was again left alone and began to think about how to save his wife.
"Why should I be afraid of Bash-Celik? After all, I have two more lives - one of my own, and the other that he gave me!"
The prince spent the night in the forest, and the next morning he came to the cave. For a long time he tried to persuade his wife to run away. She still did not agree, she was afraid that Bash-Celik would kill her husband. But then she agreed. They rushed to run, but the villain Bash-Chelik soon overtook them and shouted so that the rocks shook:
- Stop! I won't forgive you again! The prince began to beg for mercy, and Bash-Celik said:
- Remember, I promised to give you three lives? So I give you a third, final life. Go home and take care of the life you received from your mother at birth.
There is nothing to do. You can't go against force. The prince went wherever his eyes looked. He walks with his head down, sighs and thinks, what should he do now? Then he remembered the feathers that his sons-in-law gave him, and decided:
“I’ll come back for the fourth time and take my wife away, and if Bash-Chelik catches up again, I’ll light my feathers and my sons-in-law will fly to my aid.”
The prince returned, waited for the hour when Bash-Chelik flew away somewhere, and entered the cave. He told his wife about his sons-in-law, that they were all ready to come to his aid, and asked:
- Let's run away again, and then whatever happens!
They started to run, but Bash-Chelik immediately found out about it and gave chase. From afar, he shouted so loudly that the earth shook and the mountains began to roar.
- Stop, prince! You still can't escape!
The prince quickly took out the feathers and flint, struck a fire and lit all three feathers. But at the same moment, Bash-Chelik ran into the prince, swung his sword and cut him in half. As soon as he committed this atrocity, the sky darkened - the king of snakes flew in with his snakes, the falcon king with his falcons, and the eagle king with his eagles. They grappled with Bash-Chelik and a terrible battle began. Rivers of blood flowed, the mountains resounded with mortal cries and groans. But Bash-Chelik still managed to grab the princess and hide in the depths of his cave.
The kings gathered around his brother-in-law, examined him and decided to revive him. They asked the fastest flying falcons, eagles and kites which of them would be most likely to bring water from the Jordan River.
“I can turn around in half an hour,” said one of the falcons.
“I’ll be there at a quarter of an hour,” said one of the eagles.
“And I’ll do it in nine seconds,” said one of the kites.
The kings shouted to him:
-Well, then hurry up!
The serpent strained its fiery power and, indeed, nine seconds later brought water from the Jordan. The kings sprinkled the prince with that water, and he immediately jumped to his feet, as if nothing had happened.
Then his sons-in-law began to advise him:
- Go home now, fortunately you were saved from death.
But the prince replied that he would try his luck again and try to take his wife away.
- Don’t go, you’ll probably die!
But the prince did not want to listen to anything.
Then the kings said:
“Well, if you decide to go at any cost, then first tell your wife to find out from Bash-Chelik what his strength is, and then come and tell us, and we will help you defeat him.” There is no other way out.
The prince slowly made his way to his wife and ordered her to find out from Bash-Chelik what his strength was.
Bash-Chelik returned to the cave, and the princess began to ask him:
- Tell me, what is your strength? Why are you so invincible?
“My strength is in this sword.” The princess began to pray to the sword, bow to it, and kiss it. And Bash-Celik laughs and says:
- You stupid woman! My strength is not in the sword, but in this arrow.
The princess began to pray to the arrow, bow to it, and kiss it. And Bash-Celik says:
- Wife! Has anyone taught you to find out what my strength is?
She began to swear that no one taught her, and there was no one to teach her.
“You yourself killed my husband, but who dares to come to these wild places?”
“Well, if you respect my strength so much, I’ll tell you the truth.” Far from here there is a high, high mountain, and on that mountain there is a fox, the fox has a heart, and in the heart there is a bird, and in that bird is my strength. But that fox is not easy to catch: it can take on different forms.
In the morning, when Bash-Chelik left home, the prince came and his wife told him everything. He went straight to his sons-in-law and told them everything he had learned from his wife. The kings immediately gathered their troops and flew to the mountain. There, sharp-sighted eagles saw the fox and rushed to catch it. But the fox ran to the lake, and on the way it turned into a six-winged wild duck. The falcons set off after her and drove her away from the lake. Then the duck turned into a lark and soared under the clouds. Snakes flew after her and almost grabbed her. Then she turned into a fox again and tried to sneak into the hole. But the eagles managed to catch her.
The prince lit a fire, cut the fox open, and took out the heart. Then he cut the heart, took out the bird and threw it into the fire. As soon as the bird burned, Bash-Celik gave up the ghost. And the prince took his wife and returned with her to her father.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru