Once Ognebog Semargl was riding through the valleys and jumping over rivers. And he drove up to a wide rosstan, where the white Alatyr stone lies. And on that pebble there is an inscription:
“If you go to the right, you’ll be rich; if you go to the left, you’ll be married; if you go straight, you won’t be alive.”
Semargl was surprised and drove along the road where he supposedly “wouldn’t be alive.” And he rode between the high mountains against Kashchei’s army. Koshchei’s servants wanted to take Semargl’s horse away - Semargl became angry. He began to burn the black power and trample and chop down the Koshcheevs’ servants. Then he returned to the flammable stone and updated the inscription: “Where Semargl’s son Svarozhich passed, the path was cleared.”
And Semargl’s son Svarozhich drove along the path where he “would be married.” And he drove into a wide yard. Call it a tower - it will be small, call it a city - it will be large.
Its roof is the blue sky itself, around the crown there is a lunar path, frequent stars weave a round dance. “The Book of Kolyada”, X b
And then twelve maidens came out of the tower to Semargl. Among them was the princess herself - Devana Perunovna.
- Ay, you are a daring son of Svarozhich! - said Devana. - Perhaps you should come to my high palace!
And Semargl went into Devanushka’s mansion, sat down at the white oak table, began to eat and drink, and so cooled off until the evening. And towards evening he said to Devana:
- Oh Devanushka, maiden of the moon! Where, tell me, is yours, maiden, bedroom? Where is your plank bed? Tell me, on earth, or in the sky - where is the Moon hiding in the clouds?
She took Devan Svarozhich to her bedroom. And here Semargl saw a crib - the crib was well decorated, all its sides were like an animal, and its sides were like a snake. And he thought that the crib was fake.
He grabbed Devana by the white hands and threw her onto that crib. The crib turned around, and Devana fell from the crib straight into the dark cellar. And that gap did not just lead to the cellar - it was the path from Yavi to Nav.
Then Semargl left the tower and walked along the starry path, and he found a door leading to Nav. He tore off the locks and opened the iron gates. And he released kings and princes, mighty knights, magicians and magicians from Navi.
- Come out of the kingdom of death! Come out of Dewana's holes! And go home on the lunar road!
He sees Devan coming too. And then Semargl took out his sword and cut the lunar Devanushka.
And since then, the Moon has been walking along the starry path in the blue sky. It grows again, but the mighty god again cuts it with a sword. “The Book of Kolyada”, X 6
Semargl drove along the third path, on which he “would be rich.” And he ran into a cross in a field. And under that cross there were untold riches, and not gold and silver, but the Starry Book itself, the Clear Book - the Golden Book of the Vedas.
The myth of Devan and Semargl was restored based on the epic about the three trips of Ilya Muromets and other heroes (Perun could not marry his daughter, because Semarga the Lunar corresponds to Ilya here, it is he who cuts the Moon to Devan).
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru