Once upon a time there lived a man who had three sons. Every day they came early in the morning to their father to find out if he was healthy and if he needed anything. One day they came and saw him in great sadness.
- What's wrong with you, father? - asked the sons. - Did the bad news upset you or what trouble happened? Why are you so sad?
“There was no bad news, and no trouble happened to me either,” answered the father. “The dream I saw that night haunts me.” I dreamed that the sun rose over the sea, and after it a snow-white horse swam to the seashore. In one moment, he ran three times around the earth and again sank into the sea, and after him, my heart fell to the bottom of the sea. From the hour I saw this dream, our house and the whole world became not dear to me. I want to get this horse!
- Calm down, father! - said the sons. - We will go after this miracle and get it or not return.
They jumped on their horses and rode off. At noon on the third day, the brothers found themselves at the crossroads of three roads and saw a stone on which the following words were carved: “Whoever goes to the right will live. Whoever goes to the left will also live. Whoever goes straight will either find happiness or perish.” The older brother rode along the right road, the middle one turned left, and the younger brother drove the horse straight.
- Why are you driving along this dangerous road? - the brothers shouted. -Come with us!
“No,” he answered. “Come what may... If I die, tell my father how you parted.”
And he galloped off, without looking back, along the straight path. He rode and rode... He rode during the day, rode at night, left stormy rivers behind, crossed one of our mountains and two others’, passed three valleys and five gorges, and lost count of the paths. Finally I reached the dense forest. He was lost in this forest for a day, lost for a week, lost for a month, lost for a year, but he could not find any trace of a person, no habitation, or a way out of the forest. Hunger and thirst tormented him, his clothes were worn out and hung in tatters, his horse fell, and his battle sword was covered with rust.
And so, when the young man was completely desperate, he saw a trace of a human foot on the ground. Only that leg was amazing: three arshins long, an arshin wide. The young man was not afraid and followed the trail. The forest parted before him, and he came out into a large clearing, in the middle of which stood a palace, tall, reaching to the sky. The young man entered the palace and saw the giantess, the old woman Kart, who was dozing by the fireplace. In an instant, he ran up to her and touched her breasts with his lips - as a sign that he wanted to be her son.
- Well, you are cunning! - said the old woman Cart. - Now, according to our custom, you have become my named son, and I have become your mother. If you had not done this, things would have gone badly for you. Where are you from and what do you need?
The young man told her about the snow-white horse. Old woman Kart thought:
“There really is such a horse.” This is the horse of the Sea Shah that lives at the bottom of the sea. Every day, at sunrise, a horse swims onto land in an instant, runs around the world three times, bathes along the way in a milky lake, lies on the white sand and goes under the water again... There, on the seashore where he frolics, stands a plane tree. It is so high that its top reaches to the sky, and on its top hang a golden saddle and a silver bridle. Whoever catches a sea horse and puts this harness on it will be its master...
The old woman Kart fed the young man, gave him clothes, weapons, a good horse and showed him the way to the sea. He rode for a long time, he rode hard, he rode during the day, he rode at night. He finally arrived at the seashore, took the golden saddle and silver bridle from the plane tree, dug a hole in the sand and hid in it.
He didn't sleep a wink until sunrise. When it began to get light and the sun rose from behind the quiet sea, the young man saw a snow-white horse follow the sun from the depths of the sea. In an instant, that horse ran three times around the earth, swam in the milky lake and began to lie on the white sand. Then the young man jumped onto his horse and wrapped himself around his neck. The sea horse jumped up to the clouds, and then hit the shore. The ground trembled under his hooves, but the young man did not open his arms and only pressed himself closer to the horse’s neck. This went on until late at night.
- You won! Now I’m yours forever,” the horse finally said in a human voice. “Saddle me, put on the bridle, and I’ll take you wherever you want.”
The young man saddled the horse with a golden saddle, put a silver bridle on it and said:
- Take me to my father!
Suddenly, in the middle of the night, it became as bright as day. The young man asked:
- What is that glowing?
They went to the light and saw in a small clearing a golden feather that sparkled like the sun.
“What a beautiful feather!” exclaimed the young man. - Should I take it or not, what do you think?
- If you don’t take it, you’ll regret it. “If you take it, you will repent,” the sea horse answered him.
“It’s better to take it and repent than not to take it and regret it,” said the young man.
He picked up the feather, stuck it in his hat, and they moved on. Soon they saw a large city ruled by the Crooked Shah. Strong walls surrounded the city, and all the gates were closed at night. The horse drank from a spring near the city wall and asked:
- Let me go to the grass. And when you need me, just click - and even if I’m miles away, I’ll come to you in an instant.
The young man let go of his horse, hid the feather in his pocket, covered himself with a cloak and fell asleep, like a man who had not slept for six nights. And the inhabitants of that city, seeing that the night suddenly became as bright as day, and then darkened again, rushed to the Crooked Shah and told him about this miracle. The crooked Shah was even more frightened than his subjects, and ordered one hundred sentinels to be placed on the city wall. He didn't close his eyes all night out of fear.
As soon as it began to get light, the Crooked Shah sent a detachment of horsemen, armed as for battle, on reconnaissance. They saw the young man, woke him up and took him to the palace.
- You were found sleeping near the city wall -. said the Shah. “Don’t you know that it shone tonight like the sun, and then suddenly went out?”
“I know,” said the young man and took a golden feather from his pocket.
The Shah's hands shook with greed. He grabbed the feather and ordered to hide it in his treasury.
“Now bring me the bird that dropped the golden feather!” - the Shah shouted. “I want to own this bird!”
- Send your servants, oh Shah! — the young man answered. “I’m in a hurry to get home.” My father can't wait for me...
- You're just a coward! - And the Shah stamped his feet in rage. “You are a coward, and my heralds will shout about it throughout the world!”
The young man was offended. “Wait,” he thought, “I’ll show you what a coward I am!” A young man came to the field and began to call the sea horse. Out of nowhere, a snow-white horse appeared in front of him.
- Why are you so sad? - the horse asked the owner. “I promised the Crooked Shah to catch the bird that dropped the golden feather, but I don’t know where to look for it.”
“Don’t be sad,” said the sea horse. “Everything would be just as easy for us in the future.” Do you remember the lake where I swam?
“I remember,” answered the young man. “The Shah of the Sea has three daughters,” the horse continued. “Every day they turn into pigeons and fly in to swim in this lake.” The feather that you and I found was dropped from her wing by the youngest daughter. You hide in the bushes on the shore. When the sea princesses fly in to swim and drop their plumage onto the sand, take the plumage of the youngest and hide it in your bosom.
The girl will cry, but you don’t give her the plumage, and then she will follow you everywhere...
The young man was delighted, sat on his horse, and the horse carried him to the lake in one leap. The young man hid in the bushes and began to wait. It was noon and three pigeons flew in. So they dropped their golden plumage onto the sand and turned into beautiful girls. And when they entered the water, a young man jumped out of the bushes and grabbed the plumage of his youngest daughter. The youngest daughter began to cry, but the young man did not take pity on her and hid the feathers in his bosom, as the horse told him. And the two older sisters turned into birds and began to circle above the younger one.
“Sisters,” the youngest cried with tears, “the time has come for us to part!.. Bring my chest of clothes!”
Before the young man had time to look back, the doves flew in with the chest, threw it onto the shore of the lake and soared into the blue sky. The girl got dressed. The young man jumped on his horse, put her in the saddle behind him, and they set off.
“Where are we going?” asked the beauty. - We are going to the Crooked Shah. “He threatened to call me a coward if I didn’t come,” the young man answered.
- I don’t want to go to him! - the girl screamed.
“And I don’t want to be branded a coward!” - the young man objected.
And while they were saying this, the good horse had already galloped to the very city where the Crooked Shah ruled.
“Here,” said the young man. -Now, Shah, don’t you dare tell me that I’m a coward! A bird dropping golden feathers is in front of you...
The Crooked Shah saw the sea princess and wanted to marry her.
“You are old enough to be my grandfather,” said the sea princess.
- If you were young, I might still think...
- How can I become young? - the Shah shouted. “Teach me!”
“Have them dig a well sixty arshins deep outside the city,” said the girl, “fill it with the milk of red cows, bathe in that milk, and you will turn into a young man...”
- What kind of invention! There are not so many red cows in my entire kingdom! - The Crooked Shah got angry.
“Here, take this,” said the beauty and threw him a small red handkerchief. “Send someone to that high mountain over there.” Let him stand there and wave this handkerchief.
As soon as the man climbed to the top of a high mountain and waved his red handkerchief, red cows began to come running to the city from the mountains, from green meadows, from forests and from thousands of different countries. While the sea princess was milking them, the Shah's servants dug a well sixty arshins deep and poured all the milk into the well.
- Well, go for a swim! - said the princess.
But the Crooked Shah was afraid - the well was sixty arshins deep...
- That's how it is! It turns out you yourself are a coward! - the beauty laughed.
The Crooked Shah was offended by these words, jumped into the well and, like lead, sank to the bottom. They say he still lies there.
And the young man said goodbye to the residents of the city (they were very glad that the Crooked Shah had drowned), mounted a sea horse and rode with the sea princess to his father. They drove slowly and then one day they stopped for the night in a small village. They were hungry, and the young man went to buy chureki. Suddenly the poor man from whom he bought chureki rushed to hug him. It turns out it was the older brother who went to the right. He did not find a horse, and was ashamed to return home empty-handed and now lived by baking and selling chureki.
The young man bought clothes, weapons, and a horse for his older brother, and the three of them rode on. We drove slowly, not counting the days, and stopped in a small town to rest. There they met the middle brother, who went along the left road. And he did not find a horse and now lived by selling cold water at the market.
The younger brother bought the middle brother clothes, weapons, a horse, and the four of them went straight to their father’s house. But the closer they got to their native places, the more the unlucky older brothers envied the successful younger brother and quietly said to each other:
- How will we continue to live in the world? How will we show ourselves to our father? No no! We must somehow get rid of this boy, and then the horse and daughter of the Sea Shah will go to us.
“On our way, I know, there will be a deep abyss,” said the elder brother. “As we begin to approach it, let’s invite this lucky guy of ours to ride for a bet: whose horse is faster.” His horse, of course, will rush forward and fall into the abyss.
That's what they decided on.
So they began to approach the abyss, and the older brothers said to the younger:
- Let's race for a bet: let's see whose horse is faster.
-Are you kidding? — the young man was surprised. “My horse can run around the world three times in one moment.” How can you compete with me?
- Nothing! - the elders answered. - But we will see how your horse gallops.
And they galloped off. The sea horse, ringing its horseshoes, rushed like a whirlwind towards the abyss and stopped rooted to the spot at its edge. The young man could not stay in the saddle and flew headfirst into the abyss, and the daughter of the Shah of the Sea fell to the ground. The brothers rushed to catch the sea horse, but barely reached out their hands to it before it disappeared from sight. The older brothers arrived in their hometown, locked the sea princess and went to their father. For one lie they piled ten, for ten they built a hundred, and told him about their dexterity and prowess.
“And the horse you saw in your dream, father,” they finished their story, “is not in the world.” There is no place left on earth where we would not look for it. - I don’t need a horse! Tell me, where is your younger brother? - asked the father. “He drove alone along a dangerous road. “He didn’t listen to us,” the brothers answered, “and he probably died on the way.”
The father's grief was great. He dressed in black clothes, and all the neighbors mourned with him the death of the brave young man. And the older brothers continually sent matchmakers to the daughter of the Sea Shah, and each matchmaker praised her groom.
- Let these deceivers beware! - the princess answered the matchmakers. - I myself know who I will marry!
And she looked out the window, where she sat all day, not taking her eyes off the road. One early morning, the daughter of the Shah of the Sea finally saw a sea horse circling in the distance, gnawing at the bit and squinting at her with a fiery eye. She waved her hand to him, and immediately the sea horse stood under her window.
“Where is your master?” she asked.
“You know: he fell into the abyss,” answered the horse. - We have to save him! – exclaimed the daughter of the Sea Shah.
“Throw a longer rope around my neck,” said the horse, “I’ll pull him out of the abyss.”
The beauty did not have a rope. She cut off her golden braid, twisted it into a long rope and threw it around the horse’s neck. At that same moment, the horse found itself at the abyss and lowered the golden rope to the very bottom. The young man grabbed her, climbed out into the world, mounted a sea horse and rode to his hometown.
And the older brothers, when they heard the familiar ringing of horseshoes, took off running: one to the west, the other to the east, and are probably still running. So the brave young man got his father a snow-white seahorse and married the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Sea. The wedding was a lot of fun! They blew into a leather zurna and beat into a copper drum. Whoever came left full and drunk. They say they still drink and eat.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru