There was an Aldar in the village. When he grew old, he called his son Koya to him and gave him the order:
“I have grown old and will soon die.” I order you to keep the property that you receive.
Aldar died, and Coy began to spend the fortune he had inherited. He added nothing to it, but squandered it all. When there was nothing left in the house except his father’s horse and his military armor, Koy went to become the herder of the village.
Another Aldar appeared in the village. He had a son and daughter. The son of Aldar betrothed the sister of the seven Uaigs.
On the wedding day, the kindzhons gathered. The Aldar's daughter saw that Koy, the herdsman, was not among them and refused to participate in the wedding. And the girl was prophetic. They went to her and asked why she refused to take part in the wedding:
“I can’t be at the wedding,” she answered, “if our herdsman Koy isn’t there.”
Aldar found her words offensive.
“Do I really have to gather herdsmen for the wedding of my only son?” - he said.
The daughter still insisted:
“I won’t take a step unless Coy is invited!” After a long conversation, Aldar agreed to invite Koy.
They sent for him to tell him that the Aldar was inviting him to his son’s wedding as a kindzhon.
“I’m a herdsman,” answered Coy, “I don’t have time.” They conveyed his answer to Aldar’s daughter:
- He doesn't have time. He can't leave the herd.
“If he doesn’t want to be a kindzhon,” said Aldar’s daughter, “then I don’t want to participate in the wedding and I won’t go for the bride!”
Then Aldar himself went to invite Koy. He came to him and said:
- Get ready, you must be a kindzhon! Coy agreed and said:
- Okay, I’ll be a kindzhon at the wedding.
The Kindzkhons have already left, and Koi is still grazing his cattle. When on the third morning he drove his cattle out to graze, the Aldar again came to him:
- Why didn’t you keep your word? Now drive your cattle home and go catch up with the Kindzhons!
Koy returned home with Aldar and told him:
“Saddle my horse, and in the meantime I’ll change clothes!” Aldar went into the house and tried to lift the saddle, but could not do it; he came back out and said to the young herdsman:
“I have no time, I’m going home, and you yourself saddle your horse and catch up with your comrades!”
The young herder changed clothes, saddled his horse and rode out. Outside the village, he hit his horse with a whip, got him hot, and he rushed and flew. In the steppe he noticed some silhouette, directed his horse there, rode up and saw: the dragon surrounded the Aldar kindzhons, thrusting its tail into its mouth, and did not let them go.
Seeing this, Coy pulled out his saber and chopped the dragon into small pieces. The Kindzhons were glad that he saved them from the dragon.
They went along their own road freely. We drove for a long time and at dusk we suddenly heard screams: someone was fighting to the side of the road. Koy stopped his horse, invited the Kindzhons to go their own way, and he himself stayed to find out whose screams they were, who was fighting with whom.
He turned his horse away from the road and headed towards where the screams were coming from. He approached the place and heard a man shout:
“Oh, if my unfamiliar Ardhord Coy were here, we would have dealt with you!”
When Coy arrived at the place, he found his unfamiliar ardhord killed. The killer stood by his body. Coy struck him with a saber. The killer turned into a lump of blood and rolled off into the steppe. Coy chased him for some time, but did not catch up. He ran towards the dead man and buried him; He tied his horse to his grave, and then rode out after his comrades and overtook them in the house of seven Uaigs.
When Coy entered the courtyard, all seven Uaigs came out to meet him and led him into a special room; they were very happy about him.
After quite a long time, a certain Black Horseman appeared. He was taken into the same room where Coy was. The Black Horseman wooed the sister of the seven giants to marry his younger brother.
Once in the same room, Coy and the Black Rider began to argue. Black Rider said:
- You will not take the girl away from here! A Coy said:
- Well, no, we’ll take our bride away! Their bickering turned into a quarrel, and Coy said:
“In that case, let’s bring our horses together, and whose horse is killed, we will cut off its head.”
The Black Rider agreed. They went out into the yard and set their horses at each other. Koy's horse very quickly tore out the liver from the Black Horseman's horse, and Koy cut off the Black Horseman's head.
Then the Black Horseman’s brother, the White Horseman, showed up. He dismounted before the gates of the seven uaigs. The Waigs led him into the room where Coy was sitting. The White Horseman also started a quarrel with him.
Coy also suggested to him:
“Let’s leave the threats, it’s better to let our horses get closer to each other.” If your horse overpowers mine, then you will cut off my head, but if my horse overpowers yours, then I will cut off your head.
The White Horseman agreed, and they brought their horses together. Koy's horse quickly tore out the liver from the White Horseman's horse, and Koy cut off the White Horseman's head.
After this, the youngest of the brothers, the Red Horseman, appeared. He drove into the yard of the seven waigs and dismounted. His seven wags led him into the room where Coy was sitting.
He also started an argument, and Coy told him:
- If you swear, I will send you along the path of your brothers. There are our horses standing there, let’s let them get close to each other, and whose horse overpowers him will cut off the head of the other.
The red horseman also agreed to this condition. They let their horses approach each other, and Koya's horse quickly tore out the liver from the Red Horseman's horse. Coy cut off the head of the Red Rider.
When the seven Uaigs and Kindzhons saw this, they all poured into the yard and began to enthusiastically carry him in their arms. Uaigi said:
“If Koya had not been with us today, then both us and the Kindz-hons would have died.”
And then everyone was convinced that the Aldar daughter was prophetic and that it was not in vain that she demanded Koy’s invitation.
After this, the kindzkhons began to eat and drink and sat at the table for a whole week; then they took the bride with them and headed home.
When Koi reached the place where his ardhord was killed, he said to the kindzhon and his bride:
- Well, now have a good trip, I’ll go in search of the beast I wounded.
And he headed along the path along which the lump of blood rolled.
He drove and drove and ended up in some gorge. He sees: one side of the gorge is covered with grass up to the waist, and the other side seems to be shaved with a razor. He reached one herdsman and asked him:
- Why do you graze cattle on this side and starve them? Why don't you graze your cattle where there is grass?
The herder answered him:
“This is the land of the boar, I can’t graze cattle there.”
-Whose herd are you, then? Coy asked.
“I am an Aldar herdsman,” he answered.
Koy tore out one bristle from his horse, set him free and came to the village. He walked through the streets, shouting so that he could be heard:
-Who needs a farmhand?
The Aldar's daughter heard this cry, went to her father and told him:
“There’s some young man offering himself as a farm laborer.”
Aldar ordered to call him. They brought him to the aldar and asked him what he was looking for.
“I’m looking for a job as a farm laborer,” he answered.
“We need a farm laborer,” said the Aldar, “but what will the payment be, how much do you require?”
Coy thought a little and replied:
“I demand the following payment: every morning and every evening let me drink araki three times and dance three times with your three daughters.”
Aldar thought the pay was cheap, and he hired him as a farm laborer.
In the morning, Koy drank araki three times, danced with the three daughters of Aldar and drove the cattle to graze. He drove her to the other side of the river, to the land of the boar. I caught her there, and suddenly a boar appeared with an angry snort and cry:
- What dog, what donkey dared to drive cattle to graze on my land? After all, birds don’t even dare fly over my head, and ants don’t dare crawl under me!
Coy didn't even move from his seat. The boar approached him and asked:
- Why did you drive the cattle onto my land?
“I’m a new farmhand for the Aldar,” said Koy, “and I didn’t know whose land this was.”
“In that case, I forgive you as a guest,” said the boar, “but don’t bring the cattle here again!”
The boar returned to his place, and Koy drove his cattle into the Aldar’s yard, which could barely move from satiety. Aldar went out into the yard, saw his well-fed cattle and was surprised, but did not dare to ask Koy anything. And Koy went into the house, drank three glasses of araki and danced three times with the three daughters of Aldar.
The next morning it was the same: he drank araki three times, danced three times with Aldar’s three daughters, and drove Aldar’s cattle to graze.
Aldar sent another farmhand for him:
- Go find out where he grazes the cattle?
He followed Koy and saw that he was grazing cattle on the land of the boar. The farmhand hid behind a stone to find out what would happen next. Here the boar appears and shouts:
- Who dared to drive cattle onto my land when birds are afraid to even fly over my head, and ants are afraid to crawl under me?
And they grappled with Koy in a fight. We fought until the evening. Neither of them defeated the other, and from exhaustion they fell in different directions.
The boar said:
“Oh, if I could now drink from the spring that flows from under the stone, I would break you in two!”
“And if the youngest daughter of the Aldar had given me one drink of araki with her own hand,” said Koy, “then I would have chopped you into small pieces right there!”
The farmhand whom the Aldar sent after Coy heard these words, returned to the Aldar's house and told him everything that he had seen and heard.
Koy drove his cattle into the Aldar's courtyard, drank his araki three times, danced three times with the Aldar's three daughters and went to bed. In the morning he got up and again, as usual, drank araki three times, danced with Aldar’s three daughters and again drove Aldar’s cattle to graze.
Aldar sent his youngest daughter and a farm laborer after him. He gave araki to his daughter and ordered him to bring it to Koy as soon as he said: “Oh, if only the youngest daughter of Aldar would give me araki with her own hand!”
Coy again drove his cattle to the land of the boar. Meanwhile, the Aldar’s daughter and his farmhand crept close to Koy and hid behind a stone.
After some time, the angry boar appeared again:
- What is it, whose dog, whose donkey is not letting me live? They grappled again and fought until evening, and the boar again said:
“Oh, if I could drink water from that spring that comes out from under the stone, I would cut you into two parts!”
And Coy responds:
“Oh, if Aldar’s daughter had given me araki to drink with her own hand, I would have immediately chopped you into small pieces!”
When the Aldar's daughter heard these words, she jumped up, flew up to Koy and gave him, as he wanted, to drink araki with her own hand. Koy became brave, jumped up, again entered into battle with the boar and chopped it into small pieces with his saber.
When the Aldar's daughter and the farmhand saw this, they began to hug him in delight, then drove their cattle home and drove it into the Aldar's yard. The daughter told her father how it happened and how Coy chopped up the boar.
When the Aldar realized what power Coy had, he was overcome by fear. He thought for a long time and decided:
- He will still take away the Aldar from me; I’d rather give him his good.
He called Koy to him and said to him:
“From today on, I cede my aldarship to you, I give you in marriage to one of my daughters that you like; live here and live here!
Coy answered him:
“I didn’t come here to make a gift and not to marry one of your daughters.” Here is the land for you, and from today onwards you can safely graze your cattle, and I will go on my way.
He said goodbye to the Aldar and went on his way. Going out of the village, he pulled out a horse bristle from the gazyr, which he kept there, set it on fire, and immediately his horse appeared before him. He mounted his horse and headed deep into the gorge. God knows how long he drove, and he reached a place where such a stench came from that it was impossible to go further into the gorge. This stench, from which neither he nor his horse could breathe, came from the seven-headed uaig who sat in a cave under the Black Rock. Because of this stench, no one dared to approach it.
Koy began to look around and saw: a horse standing in a saddle and in a bridle. He approached the horse, and he asked him:
-Where are you planning to go? Coy answered him:
“The tracks of the animal I killed lead here, and I follow them. Then the horse said to him:
“He sits in the large cave of the Black Rock, but your horse will not be able to ride up to him, so get off him and sit on me, tighten my girths, strike me with your whip such blows that pieces of skin will jump off my thighs, and blisters will appear on your palms, and when I reach the Black Rock, try to jump off me as quickly as possible!”
Coy did just that. He mounted his horse, struck him with blows, and in an instant they found themselves under the Black Rock. Coy jumped off his horse, and he returned to his place.
Coy entered the large cave of the Black Rock, where a large seven-headed uaig sat.
“Good afternoon, stinking donkey,” Coy addresses him.
- Hello, mountain bird! - Waig answers him.
They grabbed each other and began to fight. The uaig, in the middle of the Khadzar in which they fought, had a cellar covered with a large stone slab. When Uaig realized that he could not overpower Koy, he began to push him towards this cellar, quietly pushed the slab to the side with his foot, and Koy flew into the hole, and Uaig covered him with a stone slab.
The wife of the unknown ardhord Koy was prophetic, and she learned that her husband's ardhord was in the giant's cellar. She let her husband know about this, and he went out to snatch Koy from the hands of the uaig. He quickly rode to where the horse stood, which belonged to Koy's unknown friend. Ardhord Koya mounted this horse, whipped him, and they found themselves in front of the large cave of the Black Rock. Ardhord jumped off his horse and let him go, the horse quickly returned to its place.
Ardhord entered the cave and saw a seven-headed uaig in it.
- Good afternoon, stinking donkey! - the ardhord turned to him.
He replied:
- Hello, mountain bird!
They entered into a fight; They fought and fought, and the seven-headed guy began to slowly push him towards the cellar. When he moved the stone slab away from the cellar, Coy quickly jumped out of there. The two of them attacked the seven-headed uaig and chopped him into pieces. Having calmed down, they asked each other about everything and got to know each other. Then they left the cave and came to their horses, mounted them and rode back together.
They drove for a while, then Coy had to turn right and his ardhord had to turn left. Coy said to his ard-hord:
- Well, goodbye! I haven't been home for a long time and I'm going home, and have a good trip!
Ardhord began to beg him:
- Let's go to my place and meet my family!
And the ardhord’s wife knew that Coy would refuse to come see them; She eavesdropped on them for a while, and then turned into a silver fox and jumped out into the road in front of them. Coy, without waiting for his comrade, began shooting at her and chasing her. God knows how long he pursued her; she disappeared into the steppe under the crypt. While Coy was catching up with her, she turned back into a woman. Koy reached the crypt, and a beautiful woman looked out and greeted him:
- Hello, guest!
Coy was dumbfounded and said:
- Hello! But tell me, where did the silver fox go? She said in surprise:
- What fox? We live here, and there was no fox here. Better come, guest, to us, you will find shelter with us!
Coy went under the crypt. There was a house there, the moon and the sun shone on its ceiling, and stars on the walls.
She treated him very well, gave him the opportunity to rest, and then suggested:
- Let's play!
“Go ahead,” agreed Coy. The woman told him:
“I’ll go and hide, and if you find me, then I will fulfill any of your wishes, and if; If you don't find me, I'll stab you.
Koy said:
- Hide!
She went straight to heaven to the goldsmiths, from whom she ordered earrings for herself. But Coy picked up her scent and went after her. As soon as she asked the goldsmiths: “Are my earrings ready?” - He immediately entered the room and hid behind the door.
The goldsmiths answer:
— One earring is ready, but the other is not yet. Do you like her? - they show her the earring.
She looked at it and put it down, and Coy grabbed the earring, ran away from there, returned and sat sadly in the woman’s house. Meanwhile, a woman appeared and asked him:
-Did you find me or not?
“Where could I find you,” Coy answers, “when you weren’t on this earth?!”
“Then I must kill you,” the woman rejoiced.
- Cut! - Coy told her. But the woman said to him:
- This time I forgive you. I will hide again, and if you don’t find me again, then I will stab you.
She left and went down to the underworld to the Dalimons, from whom she ordered shoes for herself. At that moment, when she was talking with the Dalimons about how one of her shoes was ready, but the other was not yet, Coy was already right there. He grabbed the finished shoe, returned to the woman’s house and again sat sadly.
A woman appeared and asked him again:
-Did you find me or not? Coy answered quietly, barely intelligibly:
“Where could I find you when you were nowhere on this earth?!”
The woman was delighted and said:
- In that case, I must kill you!
- As you wish, kill it!
“Okay, this time I forgive you,” said the woman. “I’ll hide for the third time, and if you don’t find me again, then I’ll definitely kill you.”
She left and hid in the cave where her husband and Coy killed the seven-headed uaig. At that moment, when she was having fun with her husband, Coy crept up on them and stole from them the knife with which she was going to stab him. He returned back to the woman’s house and again sat sadly.
The woman returned and asked him:
-Did you find me or not?
- No! - Coy answered her. “How could I find you when you weren’t on this earth?!”
The woman smiled and said:
- Well, in that case, it’s impossible not to stab you!
Coy also could not help but keep his word. The woman brought out the table and said to him:
- Lie down on the table, I'll stab you!
Coy stretched out on the table. The woman is looking for her knife and cannot find it. Coy tells her:
- Well, rather, how long will you torment me?
“I can’t find my knife,” the woman answers. Koy says:
- Here's my knife, stab me with it!
And he handed her the knife that he had stolen when she was having fun with her husband in the cave of the Black Rock.
The woman was amazed, she made Koy get up from the table and asked him:
- How did this knife get to you?
“When you were having fun with my unknown ardhord, I pulled it out of your pocket,” Coy replies.
Then he took out her earring, showed it to her and said:
- Isn’t this the same earring that you ordered from the heavenly Kurdalagonovs?
The woman admitted that it was that earring.
And he took out his shoe and said to her again:
- Isn’t this the same shoe that you ordered from the Dalimonovs of the underworld?
And the woman again admitted that it was that shoe and that she had lost the bet. At that moment, the unknown ardhord Koya, the husband of this woman, entered the door. He was incredibly happy, but pretended to know nothing.
— I invited my ardhord to my place, but he refused. What is he doing here?
So they rejoiced at each other, drank and ate. Then the ardhord said to Coy:
- Let's go, I'll show you my herds!
He led him to the steppe and divided everything he had: herds of large and small cattle, schools of horses - into two parts, and gave half to his ardhord Koi. Together with Koy, they drove herds of cattle and shoals of horses, and when they reached the lands of the Aldar, for whom Koy was a herdsman, the land on which he killed the boar, then from the mill on the outskirts of the village they heard a frantic female cry:
Koi could not resist, flew up to the mill and saw: the devil put a woman on a spinning mill wheel, he stopped the wheel and threw the woman off. She turned out to be the youngest daughter of Aldar, the one who gave him araki to drink with her own hand when he fought with the boar in mortal combat.
Koy and his ardhord took the girl with them and arrived at the house of Aldar, who was unusually glad to see them and said to him:
- We need to move on; therefore, equip our bride as it should be.
Coy wooed the Aldar's youngest daughter, and they took her with them.
They travel further, driving their herds of cattle. They see: a huge herd of cattle is grazing in the steppe, and the shepherd is either crying or singing.
- What a miracle? said Coy and his friend. They approached the shepherd and asked:
- Brother, why are you crying and then singing?
- How can I not cry? - answers the shepherd. “I was a strong young man and one day I went on a journey.” I met a seven-headed guy, I grappled with him, and he killed me. God knows who buried me. God only knows how long I stayed in the grave, and then they dug me up and gave me a light blow with a felt whip. I came to life and saw my horse and one man near me. Not even half of my strength remained, and this man took me with him. And now I spend my days as a shepherd. I cry because I no longer have my strength and I cannot take revenge on him.
Hearing the shepherd’s words, Coy realized that this was his unknown ardhord, whom the seven-headed uaig had killed. He asked:
- And you don’t know anyone?
“I had an unknown ardhord Koy,” he answered, “but I haven’t seen him yet, I haven’t met him.”
Then Coy hugged him and said:
“I am Coy, your ardhord.”
He introduced him to the third ardhord. They asked Koy:
- What should we do now, as you say?
“I agree with whatever you wish,” he replied. Then they said:
“In that case, our desire is this: let’s drive all the herds ahead of us.”
He agreed with them. They mixed their herd with the herds that their absentee ardhord was grazing, and sent all the cattle to the village where Koy lived. Approaching the village, they decided:
“Come on, let’s ask Aldar and find out what his mood is.” They sent to tell him:
- Koy brought a herd with his ardhords, is it possible for him to settle on your land?
Aldar sent in response to tell them:
- And don’t come close to my land!
They realized that the Aldar did not want their arrival, and went to heaven to the Kurdalagonovs; They ordered them to make iron clubs. When the clubs were ready, they were brought to Koya where he settled with his ardhords.
Coy launched one club from his place, and it cut off half the Aldar’s tower. Aldar's daughter understood what was happening and said to her father:
- Allow them to settle on your land, don’t irritate them any more, otherwise it will be worse!
But the Aldar did not listen to his daughter and did not allow Koy and his ard-hords to settle on their land. Then Coy launched a second club, and it destroyed to the ground what was left of the Aldar's tower. When the Aldar was convinced that Coy and his Ardhords would not leave him alone, he sent to them to say:
- Drive your cattle to my land and move yourself!
Koi and his sworn brothers drove a huge herd into the village. Aldar had no choice but to greet them kindly. They settled there and married the Aldar's daughter to their younger Ardhord.
Koy took the Aldar ownership upon himself, especially since it had previously belonged to him.
One day that ardhord of Koya, who gave him herds of all kinds of cattle, said to him:
- It's time for me to leave, I need to check out my house!
Coy and his eldest ardhord thanked each other, and the eldest ardhord left for home.
Koy stayed to live with the younger ardhord, and they still live and do well today.
And you live safely until they return! May you receive as much good as the words we said. And it’s Timafe’s turn to tell the tale.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru