Once upon a time, there lived a Mer-gen and his wife somewhere, far, far away from people. There was an impenetrable forest all around. This husband and wife really wanted to have children. They have already begun to grow old and worry: “After our death, will there really be no trace of us left?”
My wife felt a movement under her heart. I didn’t believe it myself, I didn’t speak for a long time
to my husband. The child began to move more and more. The wife thinks:
"It was God who heard us."
The husband returned from hunting angry and gloomy. My wife, as always, packs lunch. He eats reluctantly.
“You eat, rest, I’ll tell you something,” says the wife.
“What does a woman know? - the husband thinks, is surprised - Why is the wife happy? There are no children in the house - and there is no joy. The sun seems to be shining less.”
The husband ate and went to bed. The woman sat down at the head of the room.
- You know, we will have a joyful day. The husband immediately guessed what she was talking about.
Now they live happily. My husband goes hunting all the time. Without him, his wife gave birth to a girl, so bright, so beautiful. The girl’s mother, although not very pretty, was affectionate, hard-working and a craftswoman. No matter how much fur her husband brings, she won’t throw away a piece of skin in vain. From small pieces he makes a big one. I don’t know when a maid, kekechen, appeared in their house. No one knows where it came from. She does everything in the house, cooks food, and never leaves the baby’s side. Everything rocks, he sings songs. The girl listens and falls asleep, listens and falls asleep, and smiles in her sleep. And the mother is already preparing her daughter’s dowry, filling several barns with beautiful clothes.
One day, out of the blue, the girl’s mother fell ill. I got very sick. Waiting: I wish my husband would return from hunting soon.
Mergen came in the evening.
She only managed to say: “Mergen, take care of our daughter,” and she died.
Mergen doesn’t understand what kind of misfortune this is: she didn’t complain about anything in the morning, and died in the evening.
He buried his wife, and Kekechen, as if on purpose, disappeared. The girl was completely orphaned. For as long as Kekechen lived, Mergen never saw her face and doesn’t remember what she was like. My daughter was five or six years old, small. What to do? It’s impossible not to go hunting. Her father leaves her alone. When she returns, her daughter is combed, washed, and everything at home is so clean, as if someone had cleaned it up. When the father sees the girl, he forgets all his grief. He goes hunting and misses his wife. So time passed, and Mergen did not notice when his Fudiken grew up.
There was a lake not far from their house. Fudiken loved to go to him. He will sit down near the lake and lower his scythe into the water. And the lake, no matter how strong the wind rages, remains smooth and clean, as if filled with oil. The girl puts her braid into the water, a quiet current appears from somewhere, it seems to be combing her hair, stroking it and washing it. It’s good by Lake Fudiken, sitting and singing songs.
One day a young man came to them, handsome, stately, with a thick braid, and a spear in his hand. Mergen liked the beauty. The father rejoices:
- Where are you from, Mergen? There are no people nearby here.
- I was walking around the world and came across you.
This mighty hunter is Mergen. He will come from the taiga, bring a lot of fur, and lay it at Fudin’s feet.
One day Fudin was left alone at home and heard: somewhere someone was calling her in a voice exactly the same as hers. And he sings her favorite song. The girl felt uneasy and felt bad in her heart. She never went out into the street with her head uncovered and covered her face. She went to the lake and lowered her scythe into the water. Te-
He appeared and began stroking her hair. Fudin started singing a song. And as soon as she began to sing, circles began to flow through the water, the waves rolled, the water began to rise higher, higher, and he came out of the water, a man rose to his waist and stood. The braid is thick, you can’t even see where it ends. This Mergen was more handsome than Fudin's groom. Asks her:
- Do you know who I am? Do you remember how Kekechen sang songs to you and rocked you to sleep? It was I who raised you and entertained you. And don’t think about marrying anyone else. You are my bride, I want you to become my wife. Let's go, I'll show you my possessions.
“I can’t walk under water,” Fudin answers. - I am an earthly person.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mergen replies. And right before Fuding’s eyes, the water parted, as if someone had pulled back the blanket. A marble staircase leads down, the deeper it is, the more beautiful it is. A girl is going down it. Pisces bow to her. Fudin doesn’t recognize herself: she has a crown on her head, her dress is sparkling.
- Well, do you like my possessions? - asks Mergen.
— I don’t know, it’s kind of cold here.
They walk and walk, and gold, like simple stones, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls are scattered around. A large village - Irgen appeared. There
- people are not people: half fish, half people, all Fuding bow and greet her. And she is uncomfortable, cold. She asks Mergen:
“Let me go home, so I can at least see my father.” An honest person will never marry by deception.
Then Fudin sees that two streams have appeared across the road: gold flows along one, silver flows through the other. One of her braids fell into a golden stream, the other
- in silver. She didn't notice. So they came out to the place from where they entered the lake.
- Look, Fudin, don’t forget me, otherwise something bad will happen.
“I won’t forget,” but I’m just cold with you.
“Nothing,” Mergen replies, “you’ll get used to it.” Fudin came home - no one was there, her father and wife
They went hunting without anyone. She suddenly noticed: her braids were trailing behind her, one was gold, the other was silver. Ooh, maybe the groom will notice! She put the braids in a silk bag and tied them well.
The hunters have returned. The groom lay down next to Fudin and began stroking her head. The bag untied, fell, and braids, gold and silver, were sent out. The groom even covered his eyes with his hand.
- Where did you get this from, Fudin?
- Mergen, I have a second fiancé. So, apparently, it was destined for me. You give up on me, it will be better for both of us.
He replied:
“If I clench my hand into a fist, I’ll never unclench it.” - He said nothing more, took the debgo-spear and went to the lake.
The lake has never been like this: the waves move like boulders. Mergen calls in Fudin’s voice:
- Mue edeni, water king! I miss you. Come out.
From somewhere far away it is heard:
- Don’t be cunning, you are my rival, you came to fight with me,
- No, I am a willow-photographer. Come out!
“I’m not a coward, I’ll go out if you need it.” — He rose from the water, first to his neck, then to his chest.
Mergen provokes the Water King:
- Rise higher, higher, to the waist.
Mue edeni rose higher and was not afraid. Mergen threw a debgo spear at him and then jumped on his opponent.
Fudin feels that something bad is happening on the lake. She jumped out of the house and ran. A restless lake, instead of water there is blood in it. Fudin is crying: neither the water nor the earthly groom is visible, the battle is under water! The girl is standing, waiting, how much time has passed - she doesn’t know. She began to remember her childhood, her affectionate maid, and began to sing her songs. Slowly, slowly, the water in the lake calmed down, became clean and transparent. Looked into the water
in his ear, he sees his reflection: a gnarled, gnarled willow photo is standing.
So the girl turned into a willow tree, because willow always stands near water and does not grow on rivers. The willow girl is waiting for one of the suitors to come out of the lake. She lowered her arms and branches to the water. Standing, waiting.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru