Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife. They had three sons and three daughters. They married three sons during their lifetime. When the mother fell ill, she called her three sons and told them:
“I’m dying, but I’m leaving three of my sisters in your care.” No matter who matches them - whether a feathered animal or an animal, do not refuse him!
Mother died. Her father followed her. The brothers did not forget their mother’s will, they remembered it.
A raven came to them to woo one of the sisters, and the brothers married their elder sister to him.
An eagle appeared to them, and they married their middle sister to him.
A wolf came to them, and they married their younger sister to him.
The eldest son-in-law made one revolution in the heavens a day, the middle one - two, and the younger son-in-law - three revolutions, and they lived in different places at the fork in seven roads.
One day, the younger brother’s wife, an extraordinary beauty, walked out onto the water, and a seven-headed giant on his mighty horse kidnapped her from the river bank. Seeing that the daughter-in-law was not returning home for a long time, the wives of the two older brothers began to look for her, they searched for three days, but did not find her. Then they announced this to the brothers. Her husband found out that his wife had been kidnapped by the seven-headed creature; He called his best man and godfather and asked them:
-Which of you has what talent?
Shafer said:
“If a person dies, then I can breathe a soul into him again.” And the godfather said:
“If the deceased’s bones were not damaged, but only his meat was finely chopped, as if for fidgun, then I can put everything in its place one to one.
And then they asked him:
- Why do you need our talents? He replied:
“Your dear sister has been kidnapped by a seven-headed giant, and we need to go find her.” If something happens to us somewhere, we may die without any talent.
They prepared provisions, all three mounted their horses and set off on the road. Three days later they met a fox on the road. From hunger she rolled on her back, first in one direction, then in the other.
The best man offered to kill her, but then the fox told them:
“Instead of killing, feed me, and on the right day I will be useful to you.”
They fed her so much that she didn't want to eat anymore. The fox gave them three white hairs from her head and said:
“If you need me, then light my hair with a match and I will come to you.”
They drove on and met a wolf, also hungry. They fed him too. He also gave them three hairs. They reached the seashore. The sea threw a large fish onto land, and all three said in one voice:
- We need food for the road, this is wonderful food for us!
And the fish answers them:
“Eating me won’t do you any good.” Better take three scales from my back and throw me into the water. And I will be useful to you. If you need me, then set my scales on fire with a match, and I will appear to you.
They reached the eldest son-in-law, the raven. The sister was delighted with them and asked:
- What's wrong with you, what's your news?
The brother told her about his affairs, and she answered him:
“If something happened somewhere, then my husband, who makes one revolution in the sky a day, will see it.” In the meantime, hide!
Meanwhile, the wind rose from the flapping of the crow's wings. Raven arrived home, angrily entered the room, immediately sat down on a chair, and the legs of the chair went halfway into the ground.
- What's wrong with you? - his wife tells him. “You have never been as angry as you are today.”
- What to do? - he answers. “For how many years have I been making one revolution every day around the vault of heaven, and I have never seen a more wonderful thing than today: a seven-headed, one-eyed giant was carrying away the famous beauty.” God has given me the right to one strike. I struck him, and his horse went into the ground up to his ankles. That's why I'm angry. Leave it alone, mistress, tell me better, what is that Allon-Billon spirit that smells?
She answers:
- I have allon-billons, but I’m afraid to show them to you, you can do something with them.
He gave her his word that he would not cause them any harm, and she showed them to him. They told each other about their affairs, and the eldest son-in-law, the raven, said to them:
“You will destroy yourself if you don’t cope with him.” It will be better if you go back home.
They did not listen to him and in the morning, mounting their horses, they rode on their way. We reached the second son-in-law. The brother and sister asked each other about everything, and he told her about his affairs. She said to her brother and his comrades:
“My husband makes two revolutions a day across the firmament, and if anything happens anywhere, he will know about it.
In the evening, the son-in-law arrived home, angrily sat down on the bench, and the legs of the bench completely sunk into the ground.
- What's wrong with you? - asks his wife. “You have never been as angry as you are today.”
- Don't ask me about that! But why does it carry the Allon-Billon spirit here?
- And you yourself are allon, and you yourself are billon. Tell me, what's wrong with you?
- What should I tell you? I have the right to make two revolutions in the vault of heaven per day, and I have not seen a more wonderful thing than today: a seven-headed giant carried away the famous beauty. I struck him twice, his horse sank into the ground up to his knees, and yet he did not stop, did not wait for me.
His wife showed him her allon-billons. They told each other about their affairs, and the middle son-in-law said:
“You can’t do anything with him.” Better go home!
They didn’t listen to him either and went to their younger son-in-law. We came to him. The younger sister was also very happy about her brother and his comrades. They told each other about their affairs. Younger sister says:
“If something happened somewhere, our husband will see it, since he makes three revolutions a day across the vault of heaven.”
In the evening the son-in-law returned. He quickly entered his house, sat down on the bench in anger, and it fell apart under him into two equal parts.
-Why did you come home so angry? - his wife tells him. “Where and what did you see?”
- Don't ask me about that. But why do you smell like a mountain bird?
- I'll tell you about it. But first, tell me what you saw?
“Since the day I was born, I have made three revolutions across the firmament a day and have never seen anything more wonderful than today: a seven-headed, one-eyed iron giant on a horse carrying away an amazing beauty. I struck him three blows, and from the third blow his horse went head over heels into the ground—and yet he did not stop.
His wife tells him:
“It was my younger brother’s wife.” The three of them are looking for her. If you do not harm them, I will show them to you.
He promised her, and she showed him her brother and his two comrades. He told them:
- Don't look for him! You won’t do anything with it, you’ll just destroy yourself!
And yet they did not listen to him. The best man and godfather remained there, and the husband went in search of the seven-headed giant. He found his house. He sees: the seven-headed iron giant is sleeping; from his mouth he throws out hot coals; a young beauty drives flies away from him. She saw her husband at the door, they immediately recognized each other, and he gave her a sign with his hand: come out so we can escape! His wife tells him:
“Tell me, don’t be afraid that he will wake up, he usually sleeps for a whole week!”
She went out to him and they mounted the horse.
Four days have passed. The giant's iron horse hit the wall with its hind leg, and the wall collapsed on the seven-headed giant.
- May the dogs eat you! - the giant shouted at his horse.
- Let the dogs eat me, but your beautiful wife is no longer here! - the horse answers him.
— Should I hurry or hesitate? - the giant asks him.
- And this is as you want. Gear up the way you want!
He slowly equipped himself as he wanted, mounted his horse and chased after them.
And the husband punished his wife:
“Maybe he’ll catch up with us.” Don't let him break my bones then. Place my body in the khurjins, tie them to the horse’s saddle and deal him one blow to the croup.
The seven-headed giant quickly caught up with the fugitive. He chopped him into small pieces.
His wife put his body in khurjins, tied them to the horse's saddle, hit the horse once on the croup, and he galloped off the same way he had come here.
The giant returned with the beauty to his place. And the horse galloped to his son-in-law's house. They placed parts of the dead man's body on a black cloak. The godfather put each part in its place, the best man struck the body with a felt whip, and the young man came to life.
“Prepare some food for me quickly, I’ll go to Baltz,” he said to his sister.
She quickly prepared everything she needed for the trip. He mounted his horse and set off. I stopped by a certain Aldar, told him about my affairs and asked the Aldar:
- Give me a foal mare. Aldar answers him:
“If anything happens to my mare, I will take your head off and put her on the hundredth stake.” Just on one hundred stakes of my fence one head is missing.
He gave him the foal mare. He began to graze her, holding her by the bridle. But by morning he fell asleep, and the bridle fell out of his hands. The mare ran off to a watering hole. He woke up and ran around, but didn’t find her. Then he set fire to the fox's hair, she immediately came to him and said:
- Follow me!
He caught the mare on the bank of the Terek at the moment when she was drinking water, and brought her to the Aldar. Aldar was very surprised by this and lent him the mare for the second night. He again began to graze her, holding her by the bridle. By morning she was gone. He woke up, ran back and forth, but did not find the mare. Then he brought a match to the hairs of the wolf, the wolf came to him and said:
- Follow me!
They quickly found the mare while she was drinking water from the spring. He brought her back to the Aldar. He gave him the mare on the third night, but severely punished him:
“Tonight, by early morning, my mare should foal; by dawn she will turn her back towards the river.”
He took the mare away and began to graze, holding the bridle with his hand. But in the middle of the night he fell asleep, the bridle fell out of his hands, and the mare disappeared. He soon woke up and began to fuss, but he couldn’t find the mare, poor fellow. Then he remembered about the fish: after all, she promised me something! He brought a match to the scales, and the fish, cutting through the sea like a ship, immediately swam up to him and said:
- Follow me!
She brought him to the mare, and he quickly caught her. Aldar warned him how the mare would foal:
“When the foal’s head appears, put your bridle on it.” When a place for a saddle appears, quickly saddle it. Don't let him touch the ground, take him in your arms, let him take three sips of his mother's milk and then sit on him! After that he will obey you.
Having fulfilled the Aldar’s instructions, he went to his sister’s house, arrived there and told her:
- Now what is destined by God will happen!
He went to the seven-headed giant. In three days I galloped to where it had been three months. He tied his horse at the gate, and he himself entered the house. He sees the seven-headed giant sleeping, and his wife is driving the flies away from him.
- Let's go, don't be afraid of anything anymore! - he said to his wife. They mounted their horses and fled.
And the giant’s one-eyed iron horse hit the wall with its hind leg, and the seven-headed giant ended up under the boards.
— Should I hurry or hesitate? - the giant asks him again.
“Hurry up, as quickly as possible,” he answers.
- What happened to you? - the giant tells him. “You’ve never spoken like this before.”
“The horse they ride on was given birth to by the same mother who gave birth to me,” answered the iron horse. “When I was born, you gave me the opportunity to sip only one sip of mother’s milk, but he was given the opportunity to sip three times, and he has greater strength than me.” That's why I'm giving you this answer this time.
The giant hastily mounted his horse and chased after them. He chases them, but cannot catch up. They had to jump over some gorge. The foal jumped and found himself on the other side, ten fathoms from the edge of the gorge. The giant's horse also jumped, but, having reached the middle, fell into the gorge and crashed there along with the giant.
The young man went home joyfully, and his best man and godfather went with him. Just as you haven’t seen any of this, don’t let any illness visit you! May you have as much goodness as the words you have spoken! And it’s your turn to tell a fairy tale!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru