Merge lived alone far from people. He had a large, nice yurt, and there were more than a hundred barns with all sorts of goods. All the time he hunted and killed many different animals.
“I won’t go into the forest today,” thought Merge and stayed in the yurt. He slept for a long time, and when he woke up, he saw that someone was approaching his yurt. The newcomer said hello and began to complain that someone had stolen his wife.
“Let’s go together, I’ll help you find it,” Merge said to the newcomer. They spent the night and left the next morning.
They drove for a long time, and suddenly an old woman came across them. They began to question her.
“Do you know who kidnapped my wife?” - asked the husband. “The old woman said that beyond the large lake lives a mighty hero who recently rode home and took many women with him. Merge and the husband who had lost his wife realized that this hero had also kidnapped the one they were looking for.
They went where the old woman showed them, and three days later they actually went to a large lake. On the shore of this lake they saw a large yurt in which the hero Sagdi-Mukhan lived. Before they had time to drive up to the yurt, Mukhan jumped out to meet them. But the husband was afraid of the hero and began to hide behind Merge. Then Merge grabbed his guide* and entered into battle with Sagdi-Mukhan. They fought for a long time. But as soon as the guide or saber of the hero Sagdi-Mukhan breaks, his daughter immediately gives him a new one, and no one helps Merge. Both his guide and his saber had broken long ago.
So Merge thought to himself: “Do I really not have anyone who would help me at least a little?” And as soon as he thought, a duck immediately flew in and said in a human voice:
“You cannot kill the hero Sagdi-Mukhan with a weapon, but he has a small spot on his forehead, which is the only thing not covered with iron skin.” Take more saliva and spit on his forehead. If you hit a speck, it will die.
Merge did as the duck told him: he spat with force right in the middle of Sagdi-Mukhan’s forehead. The hero swayed and fell dead.
Merge took the daughter and all the wives of Sagdi-Mukhan, as well as the one she and her husband were looking for, and he took the husband himself as a “nyaka” (slave). Merge wanted to go home, but the duck spoke again in a human voice:
- Don't rush to return home. You must find the hero Alkhu-Mukhan, who killed your father when you were still a little boy, and he still keeps your mother with him.
- How will I find Alkhu-Mukhan? - Merge asked the duck.
“Walk along the shore of this lake for three days, and on the fourth you will come out to the river.” Go up this river, and the first yurt will be the one in which Alkhu-Mukhan lives.
Merge put all his people on boats and went to where the duck pointed him. He went along this river and after nine days he saw a large yurt. Alkhu-Mukhan saw them, ran out to meet them and began shouting loudly.
- Why are you coming to me, unfortunate Merge? Don't you know that there is no one stronger than me among the Golds? I will kill you and throw your meat to the Busseu.
Merge came ashore and went to meet Alhu-Mukhan. They started a fight. They fought for a long time, but neither could overpower the other. Suddenly a duck, who had previously spoken humanly to Merge, flew in, followed by a whole flock of crows. The duck screamed loudly, addressing Merge:
- Catch, Merge, quickly the egg that I will throw to you, but don’t let it fall to the ground and scare the crows well. This egg is not simple: it contains ergeni (soul).
Merge caught the egg and held it tightly in his hands, and Alkhu-Mukhan cried bitter tears and said:
- Give me this egg, and take all my daughters and wives.
- No, I won’t give it to you. “You killed my father and tortured my mother, and you yourself know well what to do with you,” Merge answered him, and he himself
swung and hit him in the forehead with an egg. The egg broke, and Alhu-Mukhan fell dead.
Merge took all the daughters and wives of Alhu-Mukhan, found his mother and went home with all his people. There he lived happily and richly.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru