There once lived a man, and he had forty sons. One day the older brothers came to their father and said:
- Find us, father, forty sisters as brides.
“Do as they ask, father,” advised the youngest of the sons, Malik-Mamed. “Only when you go to look for brides, make sure you don’t stop for the night near the city of Palas.”
“I’m already old,” answered the father, “and it will be difficult for me to travel.” However, what can’t you do for such fellows!
And, leaving Malik-Mamed at home, he set off with the rest of his sons on the road.
It didn't take long to travel. Soon they met a beggar.
“Where are you going, poor man?” asked the old man.
“Oh, don’t ask, traveler!” answered the beggar. “I was once a kind master, but unfortunately, my wife gave birth to forty daughters, and I have nothing to feed them.” So I walk around with a bag and a staff, begging for alms.
“We need you, buddy!” cried the overjoyed father.
He and his sons went to the poor man's house, took forty of his daughters and, cheerful, went home with them.
Although they were in a hurry to get home before dark, night overtook them on the way, and they had to stop for the night near a large city, the road to which was blocked by a river that shone dimly during the new moon.
In the morning, the old man was the first to wake up and saw that it was not the river that lay in front of them at night, but a huge serpent of ashdag, and this serpent was now entwined in rings around their camp; its scales sparkled and shimmered in the sun.
“Woe, my children!” the father groaned. “Here it is, the city of Palas, which Malik-Mamed ordered to beware of!”
So a day passed, another passed, and in the evening of the third day, when they were all exhausted from hunger and thirst, the old man said to the ashdag snake:
- Hey, cruel one, either eat it or let it go! Have pity on us.
“Send your youngest to me, and I will release you all unharmed,” answered the snake.
There was nothing to be done - the old man sent one of his sons for Malik-Mamed.
He came home and cried:
- Brother, trouble has happened! We spent the night where you didn't tell us to. And now the evil ashdaga has taken us captive and does not want to release us until you come to him.
- Well, brother, let's go!
Malik-Mamed saddled his horse and hurried to the rescue.
“What do you want from me, snake?” Malik-Mamed asked when the ashdaga, raising the tip of his tail, released his father, all the brothers and girls from captivity.
- Bring me the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas as my wife. If you don’t bring it, I will catch you wherever you are.
Malik-Mamed mounted his good horse and rode out on the road.
He lost count of the days and nights, searching for the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas; his horse became lame, and he himself was tired. And then one day, at the entrance to a remote gorge, the young man saw an old wolf resting, resting his head on his gray paws.
“Where are you going, Malik-Mamed?” asked the wolf in a human voice.
“The Ashdag serpent sent me to find for him the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas.
“Come back,” advised the wolf. “This is a difficult matter, and your horse is bad.” Get yourself a good horse to replace this nag that stumbles at every step.
Malik-Mamed obeyed, asked the wolf to guard his horse and went to get himself a good horse, and the old wolf sat on the road and honestly guarded his horse.
Returning, Malik-Mamed gave it to the wolf in gratitude for the advice, and the wolf said to him:
- Drive forward, without turning anywhere. At the other end of this gorge, from which you will emerge after two months of travel, lies the kingdom of the devas... I wish you good luck!.. When you go back, come and visit me.
Whether Malik-Mamed rode for two months or longer, I don’t know, but when he left the gorge, he saw a fleet-footed young man who was milking a running doe as he walked.
“However, you are also agile!” Malik-Mamed praised him.
“What is that!” answered Swift. “You are much quicker if you agreed to go after the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas.”
- Do you know me?
“How could I not know!” he shouted. “I’ve heard about you for a long time and I want to be your comrade.”
The two of them set off, and a little later they saw a giant breaking off a rock and throwing huge stones into the gorge.
“Well, you’re strong!” Malik-Mamed envied.
“What is that!” answered the Cliffbreaker. “It’s obvious that you are stronger than everyone else if you dared to go after the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas.”
- Do you really know me?
“How can I not know!” he was offended. “I know and I think I’ll be your comrade.”
The three of them set off, and a little later they met a fat man who was amusing himself by drinking the river in one gulp and then spitting it back out.
“What a dexterity you are!” Malik-Mamed admired.
- What am I doing! You must be very clever if you dared to follow the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas.
- And it turns out you know me?
“How can you not know!” the Water-Holder became angry. “I’m sitting here, waiting for you here to ask to be your comrade.”
And the four of them went to the Shah of the Devas.
-What do you want? - the formidable Shah of the Devas asked them.
“We want to take your daughter away,” answered Malik-Mamed.
“That’s it!” the Shah of the Devas grinned. “Well, follow my three orders - I’ll give you my daughter.” If you don't do it, I'll kill all four of you!
And he ordered them to first spend the night in an iron sakla, from which no one had ever come out alive.
“Take your time, friends,” said Vodohleb and drained the nearest river in one gulp.
And then they entered the iron hut, and the servants of the Shah of the Devas locked them there with a large padlock.
At night, the Shah of the Devas ordered to lay a fire under the floor of that sakla and burn it until the guests were fried on the iron floor, as if in a frying pan.
At midnight, the friends suddenly felt that they were getting very hot, and became worried, but Vodohleb only
he laughed and began to spit out a little of the water that he had drunk in the evening.
It became cool in the hut, and the friends fell asleep sweetly and slept until the morning.
In the morning, the servants of the Shah of the Devas opened the iron door and saw that Malik-Mamed and his comrades were alive, unharmed and sleeping peacefully up to their necks in water.
The Shah of the Devas did not like this very much, and he said to Malik-Mamed:
- Okay! Now you and a lame old woman who lives with me out of mercy must go into the forest and bring me deer’s milk. Just look: if she returns from the forest before you, you won’t be alive!
He deceived Malik-Mamed, saying that the old woman was lame: the old woman ran like the wind.
And then Swiftfoot got down to business.
“Be calm!” he said to Malik-Mamed. “I will do this.”
And he and the old woman rushed into the forest, and when Swiftfoot had just begun to milk the first doe, the old woman was already returning back with a full jug of milk. “Good!” he thought and, having milked the milk, flew after the old woman faster than a whirlwind and caught up with her.
- Why are you in such a hurry, mother? he asked.
“Son,” she answered, “I’m lame.” I’m afraid you’ll overtake me,” and she gave him a piece of salty flatbread to refresh himself.
Swiftfoot ate the salty flatbread and became very thirsty. The old woman gave him sweet water to drink. He drank sweet water, but his thirst tormented him more and more. The cunning old woman treated him to strong wine, from which he fell asleep, falling halfway, and she put his jug of milk on his head and ran away.
Malik-Mamed, standing on the tower of the Shah's palace, saw that Quickfoot had fallen asleep halfway, and almost cried with frustration. He took his bow, pulled it and shot an arrow, so accurately that it broke the jug and knocked the sleeping man off his head without hitting him.
Swiftfoot jumped up, and the old woman was already approaching the city gates! He rushed faster than a whirlwind and a storm, caught up with her, snatched a jug full of milk from her hands, and brought it to Malik-Mamed.
The Shah of the Devas was very angry, but, there was nothing to do, he took the jug from Malik-Mamed and said:
- Now, daredevil, fight with my main strongman.
Then a strong man came out, as tall as a stone mountain and strong as a stone, and Malik-Mamed was horrified when he saw him.
“Wait!” said the Cliffbreaker then. “I will fight him.”
He grabbed the strong man from across, lifted him above his head and threw him so far that they could hardly find him later.
There was nothing to say to the Shah of the Devas. He had to give his beautiful daughter Malik-Mammad. And her friends set off with her on the way back.
Vodokhlob remained on the bank of the first river they encountered, Cliffbreaker stopped when he saw the first stone mountain, and Swiftfoot chased the first doe that came across their path. Malik-Mamed and the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas went further alone.
“Where are you taking me, Malik-Mamed?” asked the beauty.
“Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I’m taking you to the terrible serpent ashdag,” answered Malik-Mamed.
The beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas began to cry bitterly.
“Kill the snake,” she asked, “and I will become your wife.” __ If only someone could teach me how to kill him,” Malik-Mamed sighed.
And then he remembered the wise wolf, who called him to stop by for a visit on the way back.
The old wolf lay at the exit of the gorge, resting his head on his gray paws, and was very happy to see Malik-Mamed.
There was nothing to say to the Shah of the Devas. He had to give his beautiful daughter Malik-Mammad. And her friends set off with her on the way back.
Vodokhlob remained on the bank of the first river they encountered, Cliffbreaker stopped when he saw the first stone mountain, and Swiftfoot chased the first doe that came across their path. Malik-Mamed and the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas went further alone.
“Where are you taking me, Malik-Mamed?” asked the beauty.
“Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I’m taking you to the terrible serpent ashdag,” answered Malik-Mamed.
The beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas began to cry bitterly.
“Kill the snake,” she asked, “and I will become your wife.”
“If only someone could teach me how to kill him,” Malik-Mamed sighed.
And then he remembered the wise wolf, who called him to stop by for a visit on the way back.
The old wolf lay at the exit of the gorge, resting his head on his gray paws, and was very happy to see Malik-Mamed.
- What should I do, wolf? “How to get rid of the snake?” asked the young man.
And the wolf answered him:
— In the meadow through which you will drive, there lives a huge gray partridge, the size of a donkey. She sleeps for seven days and seven nights, and then does not sleep for one day: she grazes in this green meadow. Kill her while she's sleeping and get the egg out of her. The soul of the snake lives in this egg. And as soon as you break the egg, the ashdaga will die.
Malik-Mamed rode out into a green meadow, killed a gray partridge the size of a donkey, cut it up, took out an egg from it and was just about to break it on a stone when he saw an ashdag snake rushing towards him, rattling and smoking along the road.
Malik-Mamed was not at a loss and threw the egg. It broke and the snake fell to the ground dead.
Then the happy Malik-Mamed went with the beautiful daughter of the Shah of the Devas to his father and married her, and his thirty-nine brothers married the old man’s thirty-nine daughters.
I was married on the fortieth day. I heard all this from her and told you.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru