Once upon a time there lived a wise peasant Lagu. He had three sons: Makva, Mazhv and Khyankkut. Makwa and Mazhv loved to travel, and Hyanchkut was a shepherd. All he did was herd cows - they didn’t teach him anything else.
This is how they all lived together. But one day their father fell ill, and there was no hope that he would recover. Before his death, Lagu called his sons and told them:
- My sons, I am dying. Be friends after my death and do not lose the honor of your father! On the first night after you bury me, you, Makva, as the eldest, guard the grave, on the second night you, Mazhv, guard it, and on the third night, you, Khyankkut. All three of you will find your happiness there. Just don't forget to take a lasso with you.
Lagu said so and died.
The sons set a day for the funeral, sent riders with sad news to relatives and friends so that they would come to say goodbye to the deceased, and bury their father with honor.
On the first night, Makva was supposed to guard the grave of his father, but Khyankkut sees that his elder brother is not going to go to the grave. He approached him and asked:
“Have you forgotten what our father punished us, and won’t you go guard his grave?”
And Makva answered him:
“You, Hyanchkut, only know how to herd your cows and don’t understand anything else!” When he died, my father was feverish and delirious, and because of this I have to suffer all night?
Makva mounted his horse and immediately rode off somewhere, as if on business. And Khyankkut took the lasso and went to his father’s grave.
A large oak tree grew near the grave on the north side. Khyankkut hung a lasso on this oak tree and hid nearby.
At midnight a black cloud descended to the foot of the oak tree. A black-colored Arash came out of it and galloped straight to the grave. Then he hit the lasso with his head. The arash tore and tore, but could not escape from the lasso. When Khyankkut approached Arash, he prayed:
- Let me go! I promise you that whenever you call Nenya, I will immediately appear and fulfill your every desire!
Khyankkut did not answer Arash, he walked up and silently untied him.
– Thank you, Hyanchkut! - Arash said then. - If you need anything, come to the oak tree and shout: “Black arash!” - and strike the oak trunk three times with the whip. In that very moment I will be right there.
Arash said this, reared up and disappeared.
When it was completely dawn, Khyankkut came home and drove the cows out to pasture. And in the evening, while the oxen were being unharnessed, he drove the herd back home.
That night, the middle brother Mazhv was supposed to guard his father’s grave, but he did not go and began to make excuses:
- Why am I going to the grave? Our father was hot and muttered something incomprehensible... And besides, I have to go...
And he went somewhere about his business.
Khyankkut said nothing and went to his father’s grave again. He hung the lasso on the oak tree again.
At midnight, a fiery cloud descended to the foot of the oak tree. A bay-colored Arash came out of the cloud and went to the grave. But on the way, he hit his head in the lasso, began to neigh loudly and tear, but could not escape. When Khyankkut approached him, Arash prayed:
- If you are a kind person, let me go! And for this I will always serve you faithfully. If any trouble happens to you, come here to this oak tree, hit it three times with a whip and shout: “Bay arash!” – and I’ll be right there.
Khyankkut believed Arash, removed the lasso from him and set him free, and he himself returned home. The next night it was Hyanchkut’s turn, and he went to guard his father’s grave. He hung the lasso on a branch and hid behind an oak tree.
Midnight came, but no one appeared, and only when it began to get light, a white cloud descended to the oak tree and a white arang came out of it. He ran to the grave and immediately fell into the lasso. When Khyankkut approached him, the white Arash spoke:
- Let me go! I will be your faithful servant. If you need anything, come here, hit the oak tree three times with your whip and shout: “White arash!” - and I will stand in front of you at that very moment.
Khyankkut released the white Arash and returned home as if nothing had happened.
A little time passed when the news spread throughout that country that the king would give his daughter as a wife to that skilled horseman who would ride his horse to the top of the tower. The princess will sit there, and the horseman must remove the diamond ring from her hand.
On the appointed day, many horsemen gathered at the royal court. peaks, but they all jigged in vain - none of them could jump to the top of the tower and even look at the princess. Among these riders were the Hyanchkuta brothers.
Horsemen gathered at the tower on both the second and third days, but none of them could reach the princess.
Khyankkut, from stories, knew what the best riders achieve on their horses, but he pretended that he knew nothing and asked the brothers:
– Where do you go every day and why do you return home hanging your heads?
And the brothers responded:
- It's none of your business! You better be careful that the wolf doesn't kill your cows!
Khyankkut did not answer them, but the next day, when the brothers mounted their horses and rode away, he took the whip and went to the oak tree. He hit the trunk with his whip three times and shouted:
- Raven Arash, I need you!
And immediately in front of him, as if from the ground, a black arash appeared,
– What do you need, how can I help you? he asked. Hyanchkut said:
– The Tsar’s daughter is sitting on the balcony of the palace tower. The king promised her as a wife to the horseman who could jump up to her on a horse and remove the diamond ring from her hand. Can you help me?
“We can handle this matter,” said the black arash. - Get into my left ear and come out through my right!
Khyankkut did just that: he climbed into Arash’s left ear, and when he came out of the right ear, he found himself dressed in black all over, from head to head. He was wearing a beautiful black Circassian coat and a hat made of the best black sheepskin. No one would have been able to recognize the former shepherd Hyanchkut. Anyone seeing such a smart and handsome young man would want to become his friend.
“Now ride me!” - said Arash. Khyanchkut jumped on him, the arash soared into the sky and carried Khyanchkut. If you look from below, Arash looked like a small black bird - he rose so high.
Not far from the palace, Arash descended, caught up with the Hyanchkut brothers and slipped between them. He pushed them so quickly that the brothers almost flew off their saddles. When the black arash flew into the royal courtyard, where many people had already gathered, they involuntarily admired the unprecedented horseman.
Khyankkut began to deftly horse around the yard, then he whispered to Arash:
- Now soar so that there is only one fathom left to the tower balcony, and then rush out of the yard as quickly as possible!
No sooner said than done. Arash soared so that there was only one fathom left before the princess, and then he turned and galloped away.
Khyankkut returned to the oak tree, climbed into the right ear of the black arash, climbed out through the left and again found himself in his shepherd’s clothes and returned home.
The next day Makwa and Mazhv left again. And Khyankkut took the whip, went to the oak tree and called the bay Arash.
How a bay Arash appeared from underground and asked:
- What do you need? What will be your order?
“Take me to the royal court,” said Hyanchkut, “I’ll ride to the balcony of the palace tower, where the princess sits.” When I touch her with my hand, rush back now!
Arash said:
- This is not a difficult matter! Everything will be according to your word. Now get into my left ear and get out of my right ear!
Khyankkut did as the bay Arash told him. He climbed into his left ear and came out of his right, all from head to toe, dressed in all red to match the color of an arash: a scarlet Circassian cap and a sheepskin cap shone with a fiery shine.
Khyankkut jumped onto the arash and rushed across the field. On the way, Hyanchkut caught up with his brothers and, like a fiery arrow, flew between them. The brothers ran away screaming in fear. Khyankkut found himself in the royal court and began to horse-drive. He galloped around the yard three times and amazed everyone with his art. Arash asked him:
– What should we do next?
By order of Hyanchkut, the arash soared so high that the princess could touch the rider with her hand. But as soon as she tried to extend her hand with the ring, Khyankkut turned his arash and quickly disappeared.
The next day, Makwa and Mazhv left again for the competition. And Khyankkut drove his herd out to pasture. When the sun rose higher, he went to the oak tree and called the white arash.
A white Arash appeared and asked:
- What do you need? What will be your order?
Khyankkut told Arash what he needed. The white Arash listened to him and said:
- Get into my left ear and come out of my right!
Khyankkut did as the white Arash told him, and found himself dressed from head to toe in white: his hat sparkled with mountain snow, and his Circassian coat was whiter than cheese.
He jumped onto the arash and rushed off like a white cloud. When he caught up with his brothers, they froze in surprise - they could not say a word to each other.
Khyankkut rushed to the royal courtyard, showed his dexterity in horseback riding and ordered the white arash to fly up to the very railing of the balcony. The princess saw the horseman, clasped her hands in amazement... At that moment, Hyanchkut quickly took the diamond ring off her finger and was like that...
There was a noise, shouts, applause, everyone congratulated the king on such an excellent son-in-law.
But a whole month passed, and the groom still did not come for the bride. The king was at a loss what to do. Finally he sent to his daughter and ordered to ask her:
– What did the groom say? When did he set the wedding day? The princess replied:
– Dzhigit didn’t tell me when the wedding would take place... He didn’t tell me his name, didn’t tell me who he was and where he lived. But if I see him, I will recognize him immediately. Gather all the horsemen of your kingdom!
The king did just that. They gathered horsemen from all over the kingdom and brought them in a row. The princess walked around the horsemen twice, but did not recognize her fiancé in any of them.
Then the king decided to gather every single one of the young men, no matter what their rank or what they did. Khyankkut came to the royal court in his old, rusty cloak and stood behind everyone.
The tsar's daughter began to walk among people and began to look for her fiancé. She finally approached Hyanchkut and, when he was adjusting his burqa, she saw her diamond ring on his finger. Princess Hyanchkut took him by the hand, led him to his father and said:
- This is my fiancé, and your son-in-law!
The king did not like the groom. This is not the kind of son-in-law he wanted for himself - a simple shepherd. But what could he do? Whatever the groom was, I now had to give him my daughter...
Reluctantly, the king gave his daughter in marriage to Hyanchkut and settled the young couple in an empty corn farm: the shepherd should not be allowed into the palace!
From that day on, the king ordered his daughter not to show herself to him and considered her as if dead. The king's eldest daughters were married to princes, and the old king recognized only their husbands as sons-in-law. And these princes mocked the new royal son-in-law in every possible way, despised him and ridiculed him.
- It’s disgusting to get close to him! - they said everywhere.
But Khyankkut remained silent, as if he had not seen or heard anything.
How much time passed, and suddenly the king fell ill: a severe headache began to torment him. Day and night, the king's sons-in-law traveled everywhere, looking for a cure, but could not find it.
Meanwhile, Khyankkut lived in the corn farm, sleeping on the dirt floor in front of the fireplace. One day he said to his wife:
“I’ll go and look for medicine for the king!”
He sent a man to the king asking the king to give him a horse. To this the king angrily replied:
- Give him some kind of nag - because of him I’m getting sick! Let him go: maybe somewhere, to my joy, he will break his neck!
They found the lousiest, skinniest nag and saddled it with a worn saddle. Khyankkut put on his old, rusty cloak and sat on the nag. The nag began to hobble around the courtyard, and the royal servants looked, laughed and mocked the pitiful rider:
- Well, he won’t go far on such a horse!
Somehow Khyankkut got to the gate and drove off. On the way, he stopped by an acquaintance, left his nag with him and said:
- Save it until I return!
After that, Khyankkut went to the oak tree, hit the trunk three times with his whip, called the black arash and said to him:
“The king, my father-in-law, has a severe headache. I volunteered to get medicine for him. Can you help me with this?
“Don’t worry, Khyankkut,” answered Arash, “this is not such a difficult matter!” Listen to me: a huge fish swims in the middle of the sea. Her back with a fin sticks out above the water. In the stomach of this fish you will find a cure for headaches. I will carry you across the sea, and when we find ourselves above the fish, hit me on my right side, so hard that a piece of skin the length of your whip will come off me. Then I will hit the fish with my hooves and it will break in half. You grab a saber and cut down all the living ones who jump out of the fish’s stomach, and pick up what falls into the water. Khyankkut rushed to the sea and, when he saw the fish’s back, he whipped the black arash so hard that his skin peeled off the entire length of the whip. And then Arash rushed at the fish and with a blow of his hoof tore it into two parts. At that moment, a roe deer jumped out of the fish’s stomach. Khyankkut hit her on the back with his saber and cut her in half... A hare jumped out of the roe deer’s belly. Khyankkut cut him open too. A small casket fell out of the hare's stomach. Khyankkut picked up this chest on the fly and turned his horse towards the shore.
Then the black arash said to him:
- There is a sparrow in this casket. His brain is the cure for headaches.
Khyankkut took out the sparrow's brain, put it in his gasyr and went home.
[Gazyr – here: wooden cartridge case for gunpowder.]
Driving through a large forest, he jumped off the arash, tied it to a tree and sat down to rest. Suddenly he sees two royal sons-in-law coming. They didn't recognize him and passed by. But Khyankkut called out to them.
The brothers-in-law came up.
“What will this stranger tell us?” - they thought. And Khyankkut asked them where they were and what they were looking for.
“Our father-in-law, the king, has a severe headache. We are looking for a cure for this pain, but a month and a half has already passed, and we still cannot find it...
- Oh, that’s it! - exclaimed Hyanchkut. - Well, if someone gets such a medicine, how can you reward him?
– What would we not give to such a person! We'll give everything away! Then Hyanchkut said:
“I will give you this medicine, but in exchange you both cut off your index fingers and give it to me.”
“We’ll give it willingly,” the king’s sons-in-law responded.
They both wanted to curry favor with the king so much that, without hesitation, they cut off their fingers and gave them to Hyanchkut. Khyankkut took the sparrow's brain out of the gazyr and gave it to the king's sons-in-law.
Joyful and satisfied, they took the sparrow's brain, returned to the king and anointed his head with this medicine. And the pain immediately went away - as if it had gone away.
And Khyankkut let go of the black arash, came to where he had left his nag, sat on it and rode into the royal courtyard.
The king was informed that his younger son-in-law had also returned, but empty-handed.
- It's a pity that he came back! – the king said with annoyance. “It would be better if he completely disappeared somewhere!”
Soon after this, the king was overcome by a new illness - his back ached. The pain twisted him so much that he could not get out of bed, could not move, lay there and just groaned. The sons-in-law went again to look for medicine, but everyone did not return home.
Khyankkut again sent a man to the king asking the king to give him a horse.
The king became even more angry:
- May this scoundrel burn! I got sick because of him, and he pesters me with his requests! Give him some kind of nag - maybe this time he will get stuck somewhere or fall through!
They gave Hyanchkut a nag. He sat down on it and rode out of the royal court. I drove to my friend’s place, left the nag with him, and he called the bay Arash and told him about his desire.
“It’s not that difficult to do,” Arash answered him. – Behind the seven mountains, in the gorge, lies a big bear. He is five hundred years old. The brain from the bones of this bear is precisely the medicine for the royal back. I'll take you to that gorge. When I get there, hit me with the whip so that my skin peels off the entire length of the whip - then everything will be successful.
The bay Arash said this and rushed off. Soon he was already in the gorge.
Khyankkut lashed the horse with his whip as hard as he could. The bay arash rose up, hit the bear in the leg with his hoof and broke it. Khyankkut took the bone marrow, and Arash carried it out of the gorge and galloped through the forest.
At the same place where before, Khyankkut met the royal sons-in-law. And they again did not recognize him. Khyankkut asked them where and on what business they were going.
“The king, our father-in-law, had a severe back pain. “We went to get him medicine and for this we will not regret anything,” the sons-in-law answered.
– I have such medicine! - said Hyanchkut. “But I don’t want money or cattle for him.” Cut off your little fingers, give them to me, and you will get the cure.
The sons-in-law really wanted to curry favor with the king. Therefore, without arguing, they cut off the little fingers and gave them to Hyanchkut. They hurried to the palace with the medicine, lubricated his back, and the king immediately recovered.
Following them, Hyanchkut returned to the palace.
As soon as the people noticed Hyanchkut returning astride a nag, they immediately ran to the king and reported that Hyanchkut had returned safe and sound.
- Of course he came back, where could he go! – the king grumbled with annoyance.
Khyankkut came to his home and sat down by the fireplace.
The princess, Hyanchkut's wife, knew that the king did not tolerate her husband, but she guessed that her husband was not such a simpleton as everyone thought.
Soon the king fell ill again: his stomach was upset; The king cannot eat or feed; he lies, writhes, and screams. The sons-in-law jumped on their horses and rode off to look for medicine. But they themselves didn’t know where to find him.
Khyankkut also learned about the king’s illness. He decided to get a cure for the royal illness and began to ask to be given a horse. This time the king became even more angry:
- He bores me to death! After all, it is because of him that I suffer! Don't give him a horse, let him ride whatever he wants! DEZ. –
This is what the royal servants told Hyanchkut about.
Then Khyankkut put on his old red cloak and went on foot. He came to an oak tree, hit the trunk three times with a whip and called a white arash.
- How can I serve you? - Arash asked.
“My father-in-law, the king, had a stomach ache, and I undertook to get him medicine,” said Hyanchkut.
“It’s not that difficult,” answered the white arash. - Behind the nine mountains a deer grazes. Only her milk can heal the king. When I pass the ninth mountain, hit me with a whip so that the entire length of the whip peels off my skin, and then I will knock down the deer as I gallop. And you manage to milk it.
Khyankkut jumped on the white arash, and they rushed off.
The white arash rushed so fast that Hyanchkut only had flashes in his eyes. So Arash jumped over eight mountains. When he passed the ninth mountain, Hyanchkut noticed below, in flight, a large deer with her fawns. Then he hit his horse with the whip with all his might. The white arash descended into the meadow and, at full gallop, knocked the deer onto her side. While the doe came to her senses, Khyankkut managed to grab the gazyri and milk milk in them.
After that, he galloped back.
On the way, Khyankkut met the royal sons-in-law, saddened by the unsuccessful search.
This time, Hyanchkut offered them a different condition.
– Lift up your shirts and then get the medicine! - he said. The royal sons-in-law hesitated a little and lifted their shirts. Hyanchkut said:
- Arash, go up to them and hit each one below the back with your hoof - give them a mark!
[Brand is a mark, a sign on the body of animals.]
When Arash did this, Khyankkut gave the deer’s milk to the king’s sons-in-law. They immediately jumped on their horses and, satisfied, hurried to the palace.
As soon as the king drank this milk, he immediately recovered.
And Khyankkut returned with the same thing he left with. When the king learned that Hyanchkut had returned safe and sound, he fell into despair and groaned as if in the most severe pain:
- Look! Misfortune befalls a good person, but the devil himself bypasses a bad person!..
From that time on, the king stopped getting sick. But soon a new misfortune befell him: he received news that his neighbors were at war and had invaded his domain. The king's army was numerous and brave, but despite this, the king was still defeated and began to retreat.
As soon as Khyankkut found out about this, he called a black arash, jumped on him, turned into a horseman and bravely attacked the enemy army. He fought so skillfully and bravely that he carried away the entire army with him, and the enemy wavered and retreated. During the battle, Hyanchka was wounded in the arm. The king noticed this and bandaged his wound with a handkerchief.
After this, the king, satisfied with the victory, returned to his palace. Hyanchkut returned home and lay down to rest. And so that his wife would not notice that he was wounded, he put his hand under his head.
The next day, the king gathered the people under his control and began to ask:
– Which hero defeated our enemy?
- We don’t know! - the people answered.
“I must reward this hero,” said the king, “but I don’t know who he is.” I only know that my handkerchief bandaged the wound on his hand. Raise all your hands and show me!
Here everyone raised their hands, but no one had the royal scarf.
And at that time Khyankkut was fast asleep, with his hand under his head.
The king's daughter learned about the royal scarf and thought:
“Let me look at my husband’s hands - maybe he was the savior of our country?”
She approached the sleeping Hyanchkut and saw that his hand was not tied with the royal scarf.
Now she sent a messenger to her father.
As soon as the king found out about this, he immediately hurried to the cornfield and became convinced that it was his younger son-in-law who turned out to be such a hero.
The king felt very ashamed, and he ordered his son-in-law and daughter to be immediately transported to the palace. Khyankkut was sleeping so soundly that he did not even feel how he was transferred to a new home.
Finally he woke up and saw that he was lying in the royal chambers, and the king himself was sitting at the head of the room.
- King, who brought me here? What's happened? – Khyachkut was surprised.
“I only realized today what kind of person you are,” said the king. “I recognized you by my scarf.” Ask me for anything you want!
- Ah, so that’s how it is! Well, then call your two princes-in-law here!
The king sent messengers for them, and the sons-in-law immediately appeared. Hyanchkut said:
- I want to ask you a question, king! They say you were seriously ill?
“Yes,” answered the king, “I almost died from this disease!”
-Who cured you?
“My brothers-in-law cured me.” “They brought me medicine,” the king replied, “and for this I generously rewarded them.”
Khyankkut looked at the royal sons-in-law and asked:
-Where did you get the medicine for the king? The sons-in-law see that it is useless to lie, and they answer:
- You gave it to us. Then you were sitting on a black horse.
– What did I take from you in return? – asks Hyanchkut. The sons-in-law show their hands and answer:
“I took each one’s index finger.”
- Right! - said Khyankkut and turned to the king: - King, it seems that you were ill again after that?
“Yes, I was sick again,” the king admitted. “And my sons-in-law again got medicine for me.”
- How did you get a cure for this disease? – Khyankkut asked the royal sons-in-law.
The brothers-in-law are ashamed, but there is nothing to do, whether you like it or not, you have to confess.
“And you also gave us this medicine,” they say. “Then you were sitting on a bay arash.”
- How did you pay me?
“We paid with our little fingers,” the sons-in-law answer and show their hands...
– And when the king fell ill for the third time, where did you find the medicine?
- You gave it to us again. Then you were sitting on a white arash... - What did I take from you for medicine? The sons-in-law looked down, blushed and answered: “I didn’t take anything.”
- How - nothing? Come on, pick up your shirts!
What should the noble royal sons-in-law do? They lifted their shirts, and everyone saw that they had huge bruises below their backs that looked like a brand.
-What are these bruises? – asks Hyanchkut.
“These are the hoof marks of your white arash,” the sons-in-law answer. Then the king exclaimed:
“I didn’t appreciate you as you deserved, my dear younger son-in-law!” I'm sorry! You are worthy to be king! If you want, I will give you my kingdom right now!
Hyanchkut said:
“Now bring my brothers here!”
The servants ran, brought the brothers, and placed them in front of Hyanch-kut.
Hyanchkut says:
- Well, brothers, you always considered yourself great smart people, and me a fool. And you considered the last will of our late father to be unreasonable chatter. You did not want to fulfill his will and lost your happiness. The black aragd was your happiness, Makva, the bay arash was your happiness, Mazhv, and the white arash was my happiness. But you did not fulfill your father’s last wish, so your happiness went to me.
So Khyankkut, the son of Lagu, became king and wisely ruled the country. And in order to know the whole truth, he surrounded himself not with princes, not with rich people, but with the best people from the people.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru