There may or may not have been a poor hunter. One day he was walking through a field and saw: an eagle sitting on an oak tree, and covering two neighboring oak trees with its wings, it was so big. The hunter pulled the bowstring, aimed the arrow, and then the eagle said:
“Don’t kill, hunter, my wing is broken.” Take me to you, treat me, feed me. I will repay you kindly.
The hunter brought the bird home. The wife shouted - we have nothing to eat ourselves, but here we go feed the eagle!
They were indeed very poor - they lived from hand to mouth, there was nothing to get stuck in their teeth.
Three weeks have passed. The eagle recovered, became stronger and said:
“I’ll try to fly to the oak trees.”
The eagle flapped its wings and barely flew across the yard and landed on the ground.
“Take me back, man,” the bird asks, “I still don’t have the same strength.”
Two weeks have passed. The eagle took off again to try its strength. He rushed to three oak trees and landed on them. I wanted to fly further but couldn’t. He returned again to the hunter.
The hunter's wife scolds him, but he doesn't listen to her - he nurses the eagle, feeds it, gives it water, and heals its broken wing.
Another week passed, and now the eagle has completely recovered.
He soared into the sky, flew over three oak trees, made a circle over the distant forest and landed again in front of the hunter's house.
“Thank you, good man, I’ve recovered,” says the eagle. “Sit on my back, I’ll take you to my family.” They will bring you gifts, but you don’t take anything, ask for a rusty box.
The eagle soared under the very clouds, flew to the high rocks behind the forest and landed at the nest. He told his family how a hunter saved him from death.
Then the eagle laid out gold and silver, precious stones, and all kinds of treasures in front of the hunter.
- Take what you like.
The hunter does not look at anything, refuses everything.
- What do you want, man?
-Give me a rusty box.
The eagle doesn’t seem to hear. Shows the hunter strange things - one more beautiful than the other. The hunter stood up as if he wanted to leave.
“Okay, don’t go, I’ll give you a box!” says the eagle, and she again pours gold and silver in front of him.
The hunter got angry. The eagle's son also became angry:
- I'll fly away from you! The man saved my life, but you feel sorry for the rusty box!
The eagle was afraid that he would fly away with the man, and she gave the hunter a rusty box and punished him:
- Until you get home, don’t unlock it, don’t open it!
The hunter goes home, and he himself begins to doubt: why did he take the rusty box? “Maybe they tricked me? Let me see what’s in the box,” he thinks.
I opened the box, and houses, shops, and people fell out! Instantly a noisy city spread out - residents were bustling about, merchants were trading, there was noise and cheerful hubbub everywhere. And new houses are emerging from the box, people are jumping out.
The hunter was dumbfounded, confused, and didn’t know how to close the box. And the city is growing and growing.
Then the Black Dev suddenly appeared - as if he had grown out of the ground.
“Why are you killing yourself, man?” asks the dev.
The hunter told him about his misfortune. And the dev says:
“Give me something you don’t know about, and I’ll put the city back in the box.”
“I’ll give you,” the hunter promised.
And he did not know that while he was with the eagle, his wife gave birth to a golden-haired boy, and the deva heard about it.
The devs put the whole city into a box and slammed the lid. It became empty again.
“Don’t forget about the agreement,” says the dev. “In fifteen years you will send what you promised.”
The hunter returned home, and at home he had a golden-haired son! The poor man realized that he would have to give it to the deva. He grieved, grieved, and calmed down - there are fifteen whole years ahead, you never know what else will happen: maybe the deva will die by then.
But fifteen years have passed. The hunter's son grew up - beautiful and brave.
The hunter told his son what promise he had to give to the Black Dev.
- Don’t worry, father, I’m not afraid of the Black Dev. I'll go to him. If I don’t come back, consider that you never had a son.
The mother prepared the young man for the journey and gave him a leather skin with bread and sheep’s cheese. He kissed his parents and went to look for the Black Dev.
He walked and walked and in the evening he met an ancient old woman.
-Where are you going, son? she asks.
— I’m going to the Black Dev.
“Don’t go to him, son, the devs will eat you.”
- I'm not afraid of him!
- If so, take my advice. When you reach the domain of the Black Dev, you will see a river. In the mornings, the deva’s daughter bathes in that river. Hide her dress and don’t give it back until she gives you the word to help you.
The young man did everything as the old woman ordered. He hid in the bushes on the shore and waited. At dawn the girl went down to the river. She was swimming, splashing in the water, and the young man ran out of the bushes, grabbed her clothes and hid her. The girl swam to the shore, was about to get out of the water, and looked: a young man was standing on the shore, but her dress was missing.
“Put the dress back in its place, or I’ll call my father!” The young man is silent.
- Put it down, I say! My father will eat you anyway, you won’t be the first!
- Help me, and he won’t eat it.
“Give me back my dress, then I’ll help you escape,” the girl promised.
The young man gave her the dress and told her why he ended up in her father’s possession.
“As soon as your father gives you a task, come to me,” the girl told him and left.
And the young man appeared before the deva and said:
“My father sent me to you, as he promised.” Why do you need me, Black Dev?
- It’s good that I sent you and didn’t force you to follow you. Now you are my prisoner. Rest today, and tomorrow go to get the water of life. I give it three days. If you don’t bring it, you have yourself to blame.
Morning has come. The young man went to the deva’s daughter to ask what to do.
— A spring of living water behind nine mountains in a narrow gorge, and the entrance to the gorge is guarded by lions. You need to take two sheep with you and give each one one. Only it’s a year’s journey to get to this spring; in three days you won’t be able to turn around without a winged horse. Rashi is chained to a tall poplar in the forest across the river. If you manage to bridle him, you will get living water, but if you don’t, my father will eat you.
The young man went to the forest beyond the river.
In the dense thicket he heard a quiet neighing. He sees that the skinny Rashi is tied to the poplar with a bridle with diamond bits. And around him the ground is bare - not a blade of grass, not a blade of grass.
- Save me, man, don’t let me die of hunger. “I will serve you faithfully,” the Rashi asks.
The young man untied the winged horse and led him by the bridle to a clearing where tall, lush grass grew, and he himself went and got two sheep. For two days the Rashi gained strength, and on the third he put a young man on himself with his sheep, soared into the sky, flew over nine mountains and dropped the rider at the entrance to the gorge. The young man threw a sheep to the lions and rushed past them to the spring of living water.
A young man looks: a spring comes out of the ground, and an old man sits next to him - a beard down to his knees, his face overgrown with moss.
- Get out of here, son! Any minute now the hundred-headed deva will return from the hunt and swallow you alive!
The young man only laughed in response. He filled the jug and handed it to the old man:
- Drink the living water, do not be afraid of the hundred-headed deva.
The mossy old man drank water and became a slender young man.
He thanked the brave stranger and left the gorge with him.
Rashi carried the hunter's son back to the deva's domain. He flies faster than the wind, he is in a hurry, soon the sun will set, and the young man will not have time to bring living water to the deva on time.
As soon as the Rashi descended to the ground, the sun set.
The young man brought living water to the Black Dev, but he was not happy.
“Okay, let’s see,” he says, “are you really that skilled!” I have a horse. If you manage to travel around it, you will remain alive; If you fail, you will lose your head.
The young man went to the deva’s daughter and told him what other task her father had given him.
- This is not an easy task. My father himself will turn into a horse that needs to be ridden. I will give you an iron hammer and a bridle. When a horse takes off into the sky and wants to pin you down, crush you into a cake, move under its belly, and if it starts tossing you around the mountains, hit you on the head with a hammer and return home.
It's morning.
The young man took the bridle and hammer and jumped onto the deva horse.
The horse soared into the sky and wanted to pin the rider to the sky, but he grabbed the mane and moved under the horse’s belly. Then the horse flew to the ground like a stone, but the young man managed to throw himself onto his back. Three times the dev-horse soared to the sky and three times he flew to the
earth, but the young man was saved from death every time. The deva saw that he could not outwit the young man, and in a whirlwind he carried him to the high mountains - tossing him along the peaks and slopes. The young man took out a hammer and began to hit the deva on the head. The dev could not stand it and returned to his home. The young man jumped to the ground, grabbed the horse by the bridle and once again hit him with the whip. The dev-horse jerked in pain, tore off his bridle and quickly went to the stable. There he took on his real appearance and went out into the courtyard.
- What's wrong with you, Black Dev? Your whole head is covered in bumps, you’re all covered in bruises,” the young man feigned surprise.
- You beat me. He didn’t sit on a horse, but on me!” the dev admitted. “I see that you are brave, savvy.” Bring me Rashi Tvalchyta from the herd of my sworn enemy, the nine-headed deva. Then I will let you go on all four sides.
The young man went again to the deva’s daughter.
“My father gave you a difficult task, but don’t worry.” Ask him for nine bridles, nine diamond bits, a diamond chain and a saddle. Twalchita, the fastest of all winged horses, is not given to anyone, but we will try to catch him.
In the morning the young man asked the deva for nine bridles, nine diamond bits, a diamond chain, and a saddle and went with the girl to the mountain pasture. There was a herd of nine-headed devas grazing there.
The girl took a red apple from her pocket and said:
- In the hour of need, I appeal to you, appear, red giants!
Nine tall red giants immediately appeared before her. She pointed them to Rashi Tvalchyta, gave them bridles and bits and ordered them to catch him.
And Tvalchita plucks the grass and glances around to see if anyone is sneaking up on him.
As soon as the red giants approached, Twalchita reared up and scattered them with his hooves.
The girl became sad and cried. If the red giants did not catch Twalchita, how could the son of a man cope with him! She feels sorry for the brave young man. She took out a sharp knife and said to him:
- If you die, I won’t live either!
They hugged, said goodbye, and the young man went to catch the Rashi.
Tvalchita heard everything and saw everything.
“I don’t want you to die,” he said. “Come sit on me, I’ll take you wherever you want.”
The girl and the boy ran up to the Rashi, hugged him by the neck, and kissed him on both eyes.
“Take us to my native land,” said the young man.
Tvalchita soared into the sky like a whirlwind, rushing like a stream into a gorge, like the wind in the mountains. And the Black Dev is waiting for the young man, waiting. He's tired of waiting. He called his daughter and wanted to send her to see what had become of the prisoner. The girl doesn’t respond, she’s nowhere to be found. The dev guessed that his daughter had gone to help the young man. He rushed to the mountainside where the Rashi was grazing, but there was no sign of him! The dev climbed to the top and looked around. He saw a horse with two riders in the distance and set off after him.
Tvalchita heard the clatter of the deva’s knives and turned the girl into a ripe cornfield, the young man into an oak tree, and himself into a mower.
The dev ran up and saw a mower standing under an oak tree, wiping the sweat with his hand.
“Listen, man, have you seen a young man and a girl riding a horse?” asks the deva.
“I’ve been living here since the morning, I’m dying from the heat, I don’t care about passers-by!” I didn't see anyone.
The Black Dev turned back. He walked a little and slapped himself on the forehead - he guessed that Tvalchita had tricked him. He rushed after him again.
The fugitives rushed far away, the deva could barely see them. He runs after them, overtakes them, and suddenly they disappear from sight in the very dense forest.
At the edge of the forest, a decrepit old man wanders around, collecting dry wood. It was Twalchita who turned into an old man. He turned the young man into grass, and the girl into flowers.
“Listen, man, have you seen a young man and a girl riding a horse?” the deva asks the old man.
“I’ve been here since the morning, I’m tired, I can barely drag my feet, I have no time for passers-by or people driving by!” I didn't see anyone.
The stupid dev turned back. I walked a little and realized that Twalchit had outwitted him again.
“I’m a fool, a fool, I let myself be fooled again,” the deva scolds himself.
For the third time he set off after the fugitives. Tvalchita took them far away.
The Black Dev runs and now catches up with the cunning Tvalchita, but the Rashi turned himself into a bottomless lake, and the young man and girl into ducks. The water in the lake glistens, shimmers, small ripples run, ducks swim calmly.
The Black Dev sees: Tvalchita has disappeared and a lake has appeared in that place. He guessed where the fugitives had gone.
“Now you can’t deceive me!” shouted the dev.
He ran to the lake and fell down to the water. He drinks, drinks without a break, wants to drink the whole lake, catch ducks. The deva was swollen from the water, so swollen that he fell and burst.
And Tvalchita again turned into a winged horse, returned his friends to their former appearance and rushed them further, to the young man’s native land.
They have lived there happily ever since.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru