In ancient times, there was a wonderful country in the foothills of the Himalayas. In this country lived strange creatures - keinnars *, half-birds, half-humans. The king ruled in the beautiful city of Suwannacon - the Golden City, and he had seven princess daughters, one more beautiful than the other, but everyone was eclipsed in beauty by the youngest daughter, named Manora. Every month on the full moon, seven sisters flew with their friends to a distant forest lake. There they shed their feathers and turned into beautiful girls. All night they frolicked on the shore, swam in clear water, and danced. And none of the people had the opportunity to see the magical round dance of keinnar.
And that forest lake was located in the country of Poikala, where a powerful king ruled and the skillful hunter Bun lived, who understood the language of birds and animals.
In the same year, month and day when King Keinnar’s seventh daughter, Manora, was born in Suwannakona, a boy was born in the royal palace of Ponkala; it was a prince who was given the name Suton. When Suton grew up, he loved to wander through the forest and often came to the shore of a distant lake with clear water. He made friends with the old and wise hunter Boone, and he taught the young man the language of the forest inhabitants.
One day Suton got lost in the forest, got tired and decided to spend the night on the shore of a forest lake. He climbed an old tree and fell asleep. He was awakened by the gentle singing of girlish voices. Suton parted the branches and saw sparkling feathers lying near the water, and beautiful girls dancing on the shore. All are dazzlingly beautiful, but one of them has no equal. The prince looked at her with bated breath and could not take his eyes off. But then it began to get light. The dancers threw colorful feathers over their shoulders, spread their wings and soared into the sky. The prince rubbed his eyes - there was no one around anymore.
Returning to the capital, Suton told his friend, the hunter Boon, about what he had seen.
“I want to catch the princess and bring her to the palace,” Suton decided.
Then the hunter began to dissuade the prince: the Cainnas are not people, they are used to living in their own country, the princess will die in Ponkala, among people. But Prince Suton didn’t want to hear anything, all his thoughts were about the Manor.
On the next full moon night, he ordered the hunter to take a stronger rope and follow him to the forest lake. Both hid in the bushes on the shore and began to wait. At midnight, the sound of wings was heard, and a flock of strange birds landed on the shore. They quickly threw off their shiny feathers and began to dance on the sand. The moon was shining brightly, and Suton looked at Manora with all his eyes. When, dancing, she approached him, he threw a loop of strong hunting rope over her shoulders. Manora screamed here and began to struggle, but Suton tightened the knot tightly. Manora's sisters and friends were frightened, quickly picked up their feathers and rose above the lake.
“Hurry up and fly home!” Manora managed to shout to them.
Suton took his prey in his arms, ordered Bun to collect the princess's precious plumage, and everyone moved to the capital of the kingdom of Ponkala.
Manora grieved greatly, cried and suffered, remembering her sisters and her hometown of Suwannacon. Prince Suton tenderly consoled her and swore his love. Soon her sadness passed, the princess calmed down and fell in love with her captor. The king-father agreed to his son's wedding with the beautiful Manora, and a big celebration was organized in the capital.
But the happiness of the lovers did not last long. The neighboring ruler went to war against Ponkala. Prince Suton, at the head of a large army, set out on a campaign against the enemy. And he had to part with Manora. It was a bitter farewell. She didn’t want to let Prince Manor go to war, as if she foresaw trouble. And trouble did not keep itself waiting.
A famous astrologer lived in the palace of King Ponkala: he cast horoscopes*, predicted fate and gave advice to the sovereign himself. He was an evil and cunning man. From the first day he disliked Manora. And the reason for this was this. The astrologer secretly decided to marry off his daughter, an ugly hunchback, to Prince Suton. Yes, the prince didn’t even pay attention to her! And when I married Manora, I completely forgot to think about the astrologer’s daughter. So, the astrologer failed to become related to the king. So he decided to take revenge. I only waited an hour.
Soon after Suton's army left the capital, the king had a bad dream: as if birds of prey flew into the city and ate all the grain in the reserves. The king called the astrologer and told him to explain the dream. The astrologer thought for a long time, and then answered like this:
“Our army is defeated, and the country is in danger of misfortune!”
- What should I do? How to save the country from troubles? - asked the king.
“The cause of all the misfortunes is Princess Manora,” answered the astrologer. He now knew that the time for revenge had come. “She is not a person, but a forest monster.” She brings death to us all. We must appease the heavens. Let the impudent sovereign command to light a fire and throw Manora there. The ashes will scatter throughout the earth, and our misfortunes will go with them.
After listening to the astrologer's speech, the king was horrified. And the queen began to beg the astrologer to change his prediction. However, he was inexorable: only the death of Manora would save Ponkala from death.
No matter how much the king grieved, he was afraid to disobey the astrologer. Great sadness took possession of the entire capital here. Only Manora herself was calm. She already knew what to do.
The next morning they lit a big fire. A guard was placed around him. The king and queen watched the preparations from the high palace wall. Manora bowed to them and asked permission to put on her wings for a farewell dance. Having put on a precious feather outfit, she slowly swam around the fire. Her dance became faster, and suddenly, flapping her wings, Manora rose into the air and, having made a farewell circle over the city, disappeared from view. Hunter Boone realized that the princess had flown to her home country of Keinnar.
And in the evening Prince Suton returned to the capital in victory. Having learned about what had happened, he became very angry and ordered an astrologer to be called to him. He denied it for a long time, but then admitted that he had given a false explanation for the royal dream. The prince asked his father to adequately punish the villain, and the insidious fortuneteller was expelled from the kingdom of Poikala. And the saddened Suton vowed that he would go in search of his lost wife.
“My prince,” the hunter Boone told him. “She left this gold ring for you.” But it is useless to look for it. No people have yet penetrated into the country of Keinnar.
“I’ll still find my Manora!” exclaimed Suton. “Let me then have to reach the sky!”
- Go, my prince! And take a monkey as your guide! She knows all the ways. And on the way, eat only what she will eat!—This was the order of the wise hunter Boone.
Accompanied by a monkey, the prince set off on his journey. And he walked for seven years, seven months and seven days. And then I completely lost track of time. He remembered Boone's advice. He ate what the monkey found: nuts, berries, roots, leaves. And, like her, he deftly avoided encounters with wild animals and bad people. After the hardships of the journey, he was completely exhausted.
One day at dusk, a tired prince sat down to rest on the shore of a clear mountain lake. And suddenly his ear caught the noise of a bird. Bird girls with water jugs descended to the shore. Suton hid in the bushes and listened to their conversation.
“Today our king will receive Manora,” said one. “The rite of purification lasted seven years, seven months and seven days.”
“Soon there will be a final bath,” confirmed another, “it will rid the princess even of the memories of life among people!”
The bird girls filled their jugs with light and cool water from the mountain lake. Here Suton carefully parted the bushes and quietly threw the Manora ring into one of the jugs.
When the servants sprinkled the beautiful Manor for the last time and emptied the last jug, a ring suddenly fell out of it, the princess grabbed it and squeezed it in her hand: she realized that her beloved husband was not far away.
Then she was dressed in a new outfit of sparkling peacock feathers, adorned with precious stones and taken to the royal palace of Keinnar. Here Manora, surrounded by her sisters, appeared before her father and mother.
“Tell us, O daughter, how you were kidnapped and what happened to you in the land of people,” said the king.
And Manora told about all her adventures in Ponkala. And in the end she said.”
“Prince Suton, my husband, is very kind and gentle. He loves me and will always be devoted to me.
“Well, if he is such a good and devoted husband, why didn’t he follow you to our mountain palace?” asked King Keinnar.
And all the courtiers nodded their heads in agreement.
“And you, father, would you allow me to reunite with him?”
- Of course, if you love each other so much...
“Prince Suton is very close!” - exclaimed Manora. - He is now at the mountain lake. Let them bring him!
The court keinnars went to the shore of the lake and found Suton. Entering the royal chambers, he knelt as a sign of respect to the ruler of Keinnar.
“I heard that you are kind and noble,” said the king. “You love my daughter Manora and are faithful to her.” And I will accept you as a son if you recognize your wife among her sisters.
The prince raised his eyes and was stunned: seven beauties, seven princesses in bird plumage, danced in front of him; precious stones sparkled in their dresses, and
the outfits shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. And all seven seemed similar to him, like pearls in the crown of the ruler of Keinnar. The dance of the sisters was swift, they flapped their bright wings in harmony, while covering their faces, and Prince Suton could not recognize the features of his beloved wife.
Despair took over him for a moment. But then, as if lightning had struck in the darkness, the ring on Manora’s finger lit up with a bright light. The prince recognized the ring and extended his hands to Manora. The king made a sign - the dance was over. And everyone smiled joyfully.
The celebration lasted for seven days and nights in the mountain palace of Keinnar. And then Suton and Manora returned to Ponkala. Soon the prince became king. He ruled long and justly. And the keinnars, half-birds and half-people, lived with him peacefully and happily.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru