One man had nine sons; the youngest was called Bulat. So they grew up and asked their father to marry them.
“Just,” said the sons, “find a man so that he has as many daughters as we have brothers, otherwise we won’t get married.”
“My children, be happy, I’m only afraid that I won’t find such a person.” Still, I’ll look and help you,” the father said and set off.
He walked and walked and came to the dwelling of one deva.
- Hey, Dev! How many daughters do you have?
“Eight,” says the dev.
- So we can’t be related.
I moved on.
He walked and walked and reached another deva.
- Hey, Dev! How many daughters do you have?
“Seven,” says the dev.
- You and I will not become related.
I moved on. He walked and walked and came to one king. I learned that the king had eight daughters, all brides, one more beautiful than the other. The father thought. What to do? To become related to the king - one son is left without a wife, but if not, where can one find nine sisters?
“Eh, what will be will be!” - he thought and sent a matchmaker to the king.
The king agreed, dressed up all his daughters for the wedding, gave them half the kingdom as a dowry and sent them to the grooms.
The father is driving home, carrying eight royal daughters. Here they are crossing the bridge, they lingered on it for a while.
Suddenly the Red Dev leaned out from under the bridge, grabbed that man and did not allow him to go forward or back.
- Who are you, what do you need?
- I am the Red Dev, promise to send your son Bulat to me, otherwise I will not let you go.
What to do, there is no way out - the father promised.
The father drove on, you couldn’t pry his lips apart with a knife - he was so sad, as if someone had exterminated all his nine sons.
The sons saw their father and went out to meet him. Bulat gallops ahead of everyone.
- Glory to you, father! And he returned happily and brought all the brides.
Father doesn't answer. Bulat was surprised and repeated the greeting:
- Father, glory to you! And he returned happily and brought brides to his sons.
And the father does not answer this.
Bulat became sad, went to his mother, and asked:
“Mother, won’t you ask father why he doesn’t talk to me?”
The father brought eight brides to the house.
Mother asks:
- Why don’t you talk to Bulat?
- Eh, it would be better to lose all my sons, otherwise I wouldn’t see him: The Red Dev stopped me on the bridge, demanded Bulat’s head - he wouldn’t let me in otherwise, that’s why it’s so hard for me, that’s why I don’t talk to him.
Bulat stands outside the door and hears everything. As soon as the father said, Bulat rushed to him and said:
- Father! Don't worry about it. I’ll go to the deva today, he won’t do anything to me.
Bulat got ready and went to the dev. And he waits for him with his mouth open. As soon as he saw it, he was delighted, as if the doors to heaven had opened for him.
- Bulat, go...
“Oh, you so-and-so, dirty, unwashed,” Bulat interrupted, “I don’t know anything, I’m not going anywhere... Let me rest earlier, we’ll see.”
Bulat rested, and the dev speaks again:
- Hey, Bulat, go to the king, he has one daughter, the most beautiful, bring her to me as my wife.
Bulat came out from the deva. Stands there, doesn’t know what to do. He sees an old lady coming.
- Hey, grandma, do a good deed, teach me how to act.
“Many people went to this king for his daughter, but no one returned alive.” Just don’t be afraid, do as I teach you, everything will be fine. You will meet three people on the way: one who eats a lot, another who drinks a lot, a third who carries a lot on himself. Take all three with you, the king will need them.
Bulat said goodbye to the old woman and moved on. He walks through a field, sees a man swallowing whole clods of earth, and he keeps saying:
- Oh, I want to eat, oh, I want more!
Bulat asked that man to go with him. Let's go together.
They walked and walked and saw a man standing, putting his mouth under the waterfall, drinking, and he kept saying:
- Oh, I’m thirsty, oh, I’m still thirsty!
And Bulat asked him to go with him. Let's go, three of us.
They walked and walked and saw a man putting all the stones from the field on his back, and saying:
- Not enough, not enough, I want more!
Bulat called him too, and he went too. There are four of them going.
We came to the king. Bulat asked the king's daughter to marry him.
The king said:
“If you eat nine baskets of bread before evening, I’ll give you my daughter.”
Bulat said to the eater:
“You swallowed soil in the field and kept saying: “I want to eat, I want more” - now show yourself.
They brought nine baskets of bread. They let the guy in, and by evening there wasn’t even a crumb of bread left.
Bulat reported this to the king and asked his daughter to be his wife.
The king said:
- I’ll ask you one more task, complete it - take your daughter. If you drink a full vat of beer with your comrades, I’ll give you my daughter.
Bulat asked for what he drank from the waterfall. He bent down to the vat, lapped it all up and didn’t leave a drop.
They reported to the king. He didn’t like it, he doesn’t want to give his daughter to Bulat, but what can he do?
The king said:
“Give me three days, I’ll give you my daughter.”
Bulat disagrees.
- If you give, then give, but if not, we’ll take it anyway.
Bulat told his comrade that he was carrying stones on his back:
“That’s when I needed your help.” Let's put the king's palace on our backs and let's go.
The guy grabbed the entire palace, put it on his back and carried it away. The king and his daughter are sitting in the palace.
The king got scared and asked Bulat:
- At least leave me, but take your daughter.
Bulat agreed. The king gave a lot of goods for his daughter, blessed her and released her.
Bulat goes and rejoices. His only concern is that the king’s daughter must be given to the deva. He did not go to the deva, but went to an old woman he knew. I told you that this is my business, teach me what to do?
The old lady said:
“Don’t bring a girl into the deva’s house, but tell the deva: you brought a beauty, come out and look at her.” He will come out, and you quickly lower the millstone that hangs on a chain above his door on his head. If you can do it, your job is done.
Bulat did just that. Said to the dev:
- Hey, you dirty guy! I brought you the king’s daughter, here she is, come out and take a look!
The dev was delighted and jumped out. As soon as he came out, Bulat lowered the chain, the millstone fell right on the deva, and razed him to the ground.
Bulat divided the deva's goods into four parts, gave three parts to his comrades, the fourth to the old woman, took the beauty for himself and went home.
Everyone was happy about Bulat and had fun for a long time.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru