When Bataraz was still a youth, a wise old Nart Uazirmes lived in the Country of the Narts. Uazirmes had a beautiful daughter who fell in love with Batarazu. And Uazyrmes was not averse to having such a brave man as Bataraz as a son-in-law.
One-eyed giants who lived behind the mountain ranges kidnapped Uazirmes one night and took him with them to the mountains. The chase returned empty-handed.
At this time, Bataraz married the daughter of Uazirmes. The wedding of Bataraza was noisily celebrated: the Narts feasted, danced and horse-rided. But Bataraza’s young wife, kind and friendly, was silent and sad.
- What's wrong with you? - Bataraz asked her. -What are you sad about?
“You yourself could guess the reason for my sadness,” answered the young wife. - How can I not shackle him when my beloved father is a prisoner of the one-eyed. If you want to see me joyful, go and rescue my father Uazirmes!
Bataraz left silently and went to his adoptive mother Wakwa for advice.
“It’s a difficult matter,” said Vakva. “Far away, behind the mountain ranges, live the Inyzhi who kidnapped Uazirmes.” You can't get there on your horse. Only the horse of Uazirmes himself will carry you across these mountains, but out of longing for his owner he hid in a cave and comes out from there only at night; even the sun cannot see this horse.
“Okay...” thought Bataraz and, putting the saddle of Uazirmes’s horse on his shoulder and tucking the bridle into his belt, he went to look for the cave in which the horse was hiding. Noticing a wild path, the knight walked along it for a long time, without turning off the path. Finally he saw a cave, but did not go into it, but climbed a tall branchy tree nearby and began to wait for night. Exactly at midnight, a stately horse ran out of the cave and headed towards the lake, and at that moment, when he ran under the tree, Bataraz jumped straight onto the horse. No matter how the horse resisted or resisted, Bataraz reined him in, saddled him and set off on his way.
The country of foreigners was behind seven mountains. Having overcome six mountain ranges, Bataraz entered a wide valley, where he met a decrepit old herd-keeper. When the old man saw the horse on which Bataraz was riding, he cried bitterly, and the horse moved towards him and leaned its head on his shoulder.
“Is it really the owner of the horse, Uazyrmes?” the knight thought; the old man seemed very decrepit and emaciated to him. “Uazyrmes was not like that when he lived in the Country of the Narts!”
-What are you crying about, grandfather? - asked Bataraz.
- My faithful horse is under you, young man. We have accomplished many glorious deeds with him. I saw him, remembered my homeland, my loved ones, and I felt heavy.
- So, then you are Uazirmes? I crossed mountain ranges in search of you. Take comfort, I'll take you home.
“Eh, good knight,” Uazirmes objected, “the one-eyed ones will destroy you, they are so strong that no one can defeat them—if we run away, they will immediately overtake us.”
“Let’s see who will defeat whom, I’m not going to run away from them, I want to openly fight them and repay them for all your suffering.” Don’t be sad, but rather tell me: how can I get to them?
“Cross another mountain range, and behind it a large valley, and there you will see a high tower of the one-eyed people,” answered Uazirmes, marveling at the bravery of the horseman and not believing in his salvation.
“Keep grazing the horses, and I will soon return to you,” Bataraz said cheerfully and drove along the path indicated by Uazirmes. He crossed another mountain range, found himself in a wide green valley and, drawing his sword and letting go of the reins, walked thoughtfully towards the tower. At the entrance to the tower, Bataraz saw a sleeping seven-headed monster and next to him a girl who was driving flies away from him. Bataraz swung his sword at the seven-headed giant, but the girl stood between the giant and the knight. Bataraz lowered his sword - he could not hit the woman.
- Brave alien! - said the girl, - you cannot defeat the other with your sword, - here hangs his sword, take it and kill the seven-headed one.
Bataraz took a heavy sword and with one swing cut off six of the monster’s heads.
The giant woke up and said:
- Well, hit it again.
“One blow of mine is equal to many,” the knight answered him.
- Oh, you brave Nart, you attacked the sleeping man. You would have woken me up, then you would have cut me with your sword.
“I have never attacked a sleeping person,” said Bataraz, “but you, the one-eyed tribe, are so cruel and treacherous that I decided to respond with treachery to treachery.” And I will fulfill your dying request. - And the Nart struck the seventh head of the monster with his sword, but the seventh head remained intact, and six heads suddenly grew back.
With a loud roar, the warrior attacked the knight, and a fierce fight began between them. The ringing of two swords, like peals of thunder, rang out in the valley; sparks from the strikes, like thunderbolts, illuminated her. The girl watched the fight in fear. Finally, the inyzha's sword shattered into pieces from the sled's blows. The young man threw the enemy aside like an armful of hay and raised a sharp knife over the fallen man. He thrust it into the other's heart, and the seven-headed man gave up the ghost.
Bataraz put the girl on his horse and rode off. The one-eyed men who returned from the campaign did not dare to chase the brave conqueror of the monster.
-Where are you from? — Bata once asked the captive he had rescued on the way.
The girl said:
“My family lived peacefully on the seashore, but the one-eyed people killed my parents and took me away. Many girls were killed by ferocious foreigners, and the one you killed left me alive so that I could drive away the flies from his seven heads.
Soon they met Uazirmes. The old man mounted his horse, and the riders rode off to the Country of the Narts. Dear Bataraz asked Uazirmes:
- What would you do if your daughter got married without your consent?
“I would take her away from her husband and marry her to the bravest of the brave, who accomplished something that no one could do before,” answered Uazirmes.
Bataraz remained silent and thought: “Perhaps now Uazirmes will not be angry that I married his daughter.”
When they arrived at the Narts' domain, the wedding feast became even more fun, even noisier. And in honor of the return of Uazirmes, the Narts held a sanitary drinking party that lasted many days and many nights.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru