Once upon a time there lived a poor shepherd Chemid-Chudzin.
Since childhood, he was strong and dexterous, stronger than all his peers. And as he grew older, adults began to fear and respect him. Everyone knew that none of them could cope with the strong man Chemid-Chujin in battle: he could easily defeat anyone with one hand.
For many years the poor shepherd Chemid-Chudzin tended the flock of the rich Chanar. But one day the rich man became angry with his shepherd and drove him away. Chemid-Chujin put the knapsack on his shoulders and walked wherever his eyes led him.
He walked for a long time and was tired.
The road led him into a dense forest. Chemid-Chujin chose a shady clearing, put his knapsack under a tree, lay down and fell asleep.
He sleeps and has a dream - as if an old man with a large white beard comes up to him and says:
“Hello, hero.”
“What a hero I am! I am a simple shepherd,” answers Chemid-Chudzin.
"No, you are a hero. Listen to what I tell you. Under this tree, in the shade of which you sleep, there is an iron door. This door leads to a dungeon. For a hundred and four years, a magic horse has been standing there and is waiting for a hero to saddle him. Sit on it, and you will become a real hero. Do not offend the weak, help the poor and punish the evil and rich."
Chemid-Chudzin woke up - and he himself does not know whether to believe his dream or not. He got to his feet, grabbed the tree he was sleeping under by the lower branches, pulled it out and saw a large iron door in the depths of the hole.
“It seems the old man told me the truth,” thought Chemid-Chudzin. He opened the door and went down into the dungeon.
He had not walked even three steps when a snow-white horse appeared in front of him, as if from underground. The horse's mane is ringed, the wool is silk, the horseshoes are made of pure gold. A precious saddle is on a horse, and a heroic weapon is hung from the saddle.
The horse stopped in front of Chemid-Chudzin and neighed as if with joy. Chemid-Chujin did not hesitate for long. He jumped on his horse, rode out of the dungeon and rushed along the forest road.
He reached the first crossroads and met an unfamiliar hero on a gray horse.
-Where are you going, hero? - asks Chemid-Chujin.
- I'm going to Turkish land. Heroes from all over the world gather there. Whoever turns out to be the strongest will give his daughter to the padishah.
-What's your name?
- My name is Sahib-Ali.
- Sahib-Ali, take me with you.
“Let’s go, the road is wide—there’s enough room for two.”
The heroes rode for a long time through dense forests and high mountains. They swam across many fast rivers, reached the crossroads of three roads - and they met a hero on a black horse.
-Where are you going, heroes? - asks.
“To the Turkish land,” the heroes answer. “Strong men from all over the world gather there.” He will give his daughter as a wife to the most powerful padishah.
“Take me with you,” their new comrade asks.
-What's your name?
— My name is Mukhamed-Kerim.
“Let’s go, the road is wide—there’s enough room for three.”
The heroes are riding, having a friendly conversation, and Sahib-Ali says:
- Brothers, it’s in vain that all three of us are going to Turkish land. After all, there the padishah will force us to fight each other. We will have to raise our hands against each other in single combat. Let's better cast lots: let one of us go to the Turkish padishah and the other two will disperse from the intersection to the right and left.
The heroes agreed, cast lots, and the lot fell on Chemid-Chudzin.
“You go to Turkish land,” Sahib-Ali and Muhamed-Kerim tell him, “and we, one to the right, and the other to the left.” And in exactly three years we will all gather at this crossroads. And if one of the three does not come, it means that some misfortune has happened to him. Let us swear that we will help each other, no matter what happens.
The heroes swore an oath, said goodbye and went in different directions.
Sahib-Ali went to the right. He traveled to many countries, defended many weak and offended people, did a lot of good to people - and his name became known from sea to sea.
One day, when he was driving through a dense forest, he heard a voice:
- Bogatyr, save me from evil death, help me. An evil wizard is holding me here in captivity.
Sahib-Ali drove up to the edge of the road and saw that a young beautiful girl was tied to a tree.
The hero jumped off his horse and cut the ropes. And the girl suddenly turned into a huge snake and swallowed him.
The black horse neighed in fear and rushed away from the road into the thicket.
And Chemid-Chudzin rode and rode the straight road to Turkish land. On the third day of his journey, he met an old man with a large beard.
“Where did I see him?” - thought Chemid-Chudzin and remembered: this old man talked to him in his sleep.
Now he stopped the hero and asked:
- Where are you going, son?
“To the Turkish kingdom,” answers Chemid-Chudzin. “I want to fight with other heroes, to test my happiness.”
“You will always have time,” the old man answers, “you’d better go to the Kyrgyz kingdom, fight with King Zamigul.”
- Why should I fight him? - asks Chemid-Chujin.
“King Zamigul,” says the old man, “has a magic stone.” Whoever holds it in his hands, all his wishes come true. This stone can even resurrect the dead. If you defeat Zamigul, this stone will become yours.
“Thank you for the good advice, father,” says Chemid-Chudzin. “Of course, I’d rather go to Zamigul.”
He turned his horse and rode to the Kyrgyz kingdom.
His horse brought him to the Kyrgyz kingdom, to the very court of King Zamigul.
There is a royal tent - all made of red silk, surrounded by a golden lattice, and on the lattice are severed human heads. However, the brave hero Chemid-Chudzin was not afraid, jumped off his horse and climbed over the bars.
He enters the royal tent.
An ancient old woman is sitting in a tent, embroidering a felt blanket for a horse with silk and gold.
The hero greeted her, and the old woman said:
- How did you get here, good fellow? After all, this is the tent of the evil king Zamigul. If he finds you here he will kill you. Do you see how many people he has already killed and hung their heads on bars?
“Maybe he won’t kill me,” Chemid-Chudzin answers. “I came here, grandma, for business.” We need to find out where Zamigul has hidden the magic stone. Help me if you can.
At this time, a horse's tramp and a loud cry were heard behind the fence.
“It’s Zamigul who has returned,” says the old woman, “hide quickly.”
She sat him in a corner and covered him with old felt.
King Zamigul enters the tent. He is wearing a silk robe, a skullcap embroidered with pearls, black hair braided in small braids, and a belt whip in his hands.
Zamigul sits down at the table.
“Come on, old woman, let’s eat,” I got hungry. The old woman gives him golden dishes with food, and she asks:
- You've been traveling for a long time, Zamigul. Did you chase through the forests?
“Yes,” the king answers, “I was hunting.” I was just about to drive a white deer, but he dodged me and disappeared into the mountains. Well, I'll find him anyway.
- How will you find him? - asks the old lady.
Zamigul grinned:
- I have a magic stone. This stone reveals to me everything I want to know. I’ll lower it into the code, look at the bottom - and nothing will hide from me.
Zamigul ate, got up, took the golden sword from the wall and lowered its hilt into a vat of water.
- Look, there's an old woman. The stone is inserted into the hilt of the sword. I look at the bottom of the vat and see that a deer has hidden in a mountain cave. I'll go there tomorrow and get it.
Zamigul hung the sword back on the wall and lay down on the soft pillows to rest. Chemid-Chudzin came out of the corner, took the magic sword from the wall, ran out into the yard and shouted:
- King Zamigul, get up! I came to fight with you, to take your head off my shoulders.
Zamigul heard and rose from the pillows:
- You are too young, hero, to fight with Zamigul. I'm not afraid of anyone. It was predicted to me from a young age that my death was written only by the hand of the hero Chemid-Chudzin. Who are you?
- And I am the hero Chemid-Chudzin!
Zamigul jumped out of the tent in a hurry and forgot about his sword. And Chemid-Chudzin is waiting for him, galloping around the tent on a horse, waving a magic sword.
Zamigul jumped onto his horse, and when he saw that the hero was holding his sword in his hands, he was scared.
He rushed at Chemid-Chudzin, wanting to take the sword away, but the hero only raised his hand with the magic sword - Zamigul fell dead.
Chemid-Chudzin entered the tent.
- No more, grandmother, the villain Zamigul. Now he will not execute good people innocently. And the old woman looked at the hero and said:
- You did a good deed, hero. I've been waiting for you for a long time. My father, the old eagle, sent me here to help people. Now I can return to my native steppes.
The old woman turned into a young eagle, flew out of the tent and flew away over the distant mountains.
The hero bowed after her, mounted his horse and rode to the crossroads, where he parted with Sahib-Ali and Muhamed-Kerim.
He arrives there and sees that there are no heroes. Only the gray horse and the black horse wander, dejected, with their saddles knocked to one side.
“Apparently, something bad happened to my brothers,” thinks Chemid-Chudzin. And suddenly he hears a voice:
- Help me, good hero. Save me from the wizard who is holding me captive.
Chemid-Chujin turned around, and by the road a young girl was tied to a tree.
“I’ll check now if you’re telling the truth,” the hero answers.
He lowered the magic sword into the stream, looked at the bottom and found out the whole truth.
“You’re not a girl, you’re a fierce snake.” You swallowed my brothers. Give them back now, otherwise things will go wrong for you! - Chemid-Chujin shouted.
The girl got scared, turned into a snake to rush at the hero, and Chemid-Chudzin struck with a magic sword, cutting the snake into two parts. The sworn brothers came out and began to hug Chemid-Chudzin.
“How dare you fight this magical snake?” - they ask. And the hero answers:
- But we gave each other our word - to stand for each other in trouble.
Both Sahib-Ali and Muhamed-Kerim never parted with Chemid-Chudzin and, like siblings, loved him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru