Nart Shuzhey, having separated from his wife, did not hesitate and immediately sent a matchmaker to Father Malechipkh.
— Shuzhey separated from his wife. Why don't you give your beautiful daughter to such a venerable Nart? - the matchmaker said to old Zhagisha.
No matter how much Zhagisha racked his brain, he could not understand why Shuzha decided to give up his portly gouache and marry little Malechipkh.
“My daughter is smart,” Zhagisha answered the matchmaker, “as she wants, so it will be!”
Malechiph, having learned what Shuzhey had planned, laughed loudly.
- I agree. Just let him fill this purse with gold,” she said and gave the matchmaker a small purse, the size of a weasel skin.
Father Malechiph shrugged, seeing that no more than a handful of gold would fit there. However, knowing the disposition of his daughter, Zhagisha was not averse to her agreeing to get married. “Rather than playing with dolls, wouldn’t it be better for her to become a bride?” - he thought.
The matchmaker took Malechipkh's tiny leather wallet and went to Shuzhey.
“If you fill this purse with gold, she will marry you!” - he said.
Shuzhey was very happy: “If so, then today I will become the husband of little Malechipkh.” He thought so because he had a chest full of gold. He opened the chest, put his huge hand inside and, picking up a handful of gold, poured it into a small purse. However, it was not noticeable that the wallet was filled. Shuzhey added two more handfuls - and still not enough! Impatiently, he began to pour gold into the pouch with both hands, and then with a shovel. But the wallet did not fill, but stretched more and more. Shuzhey grabbed a shovel and began pouring gold with it. Now the chest is empty, but the purse is not filled.
Shuzha became angry and infuriated. He borrowed as much gold as his comrades, the brave sledges, had, and poured it into his wallet. But the wallet was still not filled, because it was stretched out as if it had been sewn from the skins of nine bison.
Not finding another grain of gold, Shuzhey returned the other’s and poured his own back into the chest. Then the purse, the size of nine bison skins, shrank and again became so small, as if it had been sewn from one weasel skin.
“I won’t give Malechiph’s wallet back until I find out what it’s made of!” - Shuzhey decided and called his friends, the daredevil Narts.
They looked at the wallet for a long time, passed it from hand to hand and shook their heads in bewilderment.
At that time, in the Country of the Narts there lived an ancient old woman named Warsar, who had answers to all the riddles.
“If Warsar doesn’t know this,” said the Narts, “then we will never know!” - And they took the wallet to the old woman.
- Look, Warsar, what a miracle! How much gold we, the daring Narts, had, we poured into this small purse and could not fill it!
The old woman took the purse, looked at it carefully and said to the Narts:
- Oh, sons! Even if you pour all the gold of the Nart Country here, you won’t be able to fill it. Is there a sledge in the world who would see it full? If you want to fill your wallet, first pour a pinch of earth into it, and then add gold. This wallet is not simple: it is made of the skin of the heart.
As the old woman said, so the Narts did: first they poured in a pinch of earth, and then a handful of gold. This was enough to fill the wallet. Delighted, Shuzha again sent a matchmaker to Malechipkh.
“Malechiph,” said Zhagisha, “you will have to marry the Nart Shuzhey.” He filled your purse with gold.
“My father, are you sure that the purse is really filled with gold?” - asked Male chiph.
- Gold, pure gold! - answered Zhagisha.
“Gold, beauty, gold!” the matchmaker echoed.
“My purse is not filled with gold,” said Malechiph. - In the entire Nart Country there is not enough gold to fill it!
- Why not gold? Look with your own eyes!
The father and the matchmaker untied the small, tightly stuffed purse. There was gold in it.
- Let me be a liar, my father, if there is no land there! - Malechiph objected.
Zhagisha turned out a small purse, and a little gold and a pinch of earth spilled out of it.
“Now separate the earth and put the gold back into the purse,” said Malechipkh. They did so, but the wallet was not filled.
- Whatever it is, marry Shuzhey! - Zhagisha said to his daughter, wanting to finally marry her off.
But Malechiph turned to the matchmaker:
“Tell Nart Shuzhey that this is not the kind of husband I need!” He wanted to fill his wallet with gold. Can gold replace love? He could not fill my heart with love because he has no love for me. He poured earth into my heart and wanted to bury me. No, this is not the kind of husband I need!
The matchmaker conveyed Malechipkh’s refusal to Shuzhei word for word, but stubborn Shuzhei again sent the matchmaker to Zhagishi’s house. “Tell Malechiph, if I didn’t love her, would I have separated from my wife? Tell Malechiph, if I didn’t love her, why would I marry her? Tell Malechiph that she captivated my heart with her beauty and wisdom!”
After listening to the matchmaker, Malechipkh answered him:
“This Nart’s wife couldn’t guess what turns sweet into bitter, and bitter into sweet.” That's why he broke up with her. This reason is too insignificant to divorce your wife. They don’t kill a dog without guilt, and they don’t separate from a wife who is innocent of anything! And for me he cannot become a lifelong friend! Let Shuzhey not wait for me and return to his gouache. He couldn't find a better one!
Then Nart Shuzhey was ashamed and returned to his wife.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru