Esak was the son of the king of Troy, Priam, brother of the great hero Hector. He was born on the slopes of wooded Ida, by the beautiful nymph Alexiroe, daughter of the river god Granik. Having grown up in the mountains, Esak did not like cities and avoided living in the luxurious palace of his father Priam. He loved the solitude of the mountains and shady forests, and loved the open space of the fields.
Esak rarely appeared in Troy and in the council of the Trojans. Despite Esak's solitary life, his character was not wild and rude, he was friendly, and his heart was accessible to feelings of love. The young son of Priam often met the beautiful nymph Hesperia in the forests and fields. He fell in love with her passionately. The nymph was hiding as soon as she saw Esak.
One day Esak found the beautiful Hesperia on the bank of the Kebrena River while she was drying her lush hair in the sun. The nymph saw the young man, got scared and ran away from him. Esak chased after her.
Suddenly, a snake hiding in the grass bit the nymph in the leg and the poison of the snake’s teeth remained in the wound. The flight ended along with life. Hesperia fell into the arms of Esak, who ran up. Having embraced the deceased, mad with grief, Esak exclaimed:
- Oh, grief! woe! How I hate this persecution now! I didn’t think I would win at such a high price! We both killed you, Hesperia! The snake inflicted a mortal wound on you, and I am the culprit. I will be more insidious than a snake if I do not atone for your death with my death!
Esak threw himself from a high cliff into the foamy waves of the sea, which crashed noisily against the rock. Thetis took pity on the unfortunate young man, affectionately received him in the waves and dressed him all in feathers when he plunged into the depths of the sea. The death that he so desired did not befall the son of Priam. Esak floated to the surface of the sea like a bird. He is indignant that he must live against his will. He flies high on his newly grown wings and rushes into the sea with a flourish, but his feathers protect him when he falls. Esak again and again rushes into the sea, he wants to find death in the depths of the sea. No death for him! He just dives in the waves of the sea! Esak's body is losing weight, his legs have become dry and thin, his neck has become elongated, and he has turned into a duck.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru