Once upon a time there lived a famous man, whose name no one now remembers. He was famous for his beautiful daughter. Many wanted to take her as a wife, but the old man never wanted to part with her. One day a girl was kidnapped. The famous man was overcome with despair. Not knowing what to do to find his daughter, he called all his neighbors and said:
- Woe is me! My daughter was kidnapped. Is there a brave soul among you who would find and return my daughter to me? But everyone was silent. And suddenly a voice came from the crowd:
“We, sitting here, are unable to help you.” But I know someone who can do it. The Teacher of the Eight Brothers lives not far from here. Contact him.
The Famous Man rejoiced and immediately went to the Teacher of the Eight Brothers. He received him well and, having learned about his misfortune, said:
- Only my students can help you.
And he called his disciples. When the young men appeared, the Famous Man addressed them with a question:
- What can you do? The elder brother said:
- I can follow in the footsteps of any living creature both during the day and in the darkest night. The second young man said:
— I can see any objects at the farthest distance.
The third young man said:
- I can cross seas and rivers on my hat.
The fourth youth said:
“I know how to snatch prey from the claws of a bird of prey without it immediately noticing.”
The fifth youth said:
“I can use a gun to separate birds hugging each other in flight without harming them.”
The sixth youth said:
— I can catch objects falling from above on the fly. The last two brothers also spoke about their skills. After listening to the young men, the famous man said:
- Find me my daughter. To the one of you who does this, I will give her as a wife.
The brothers willingly went on a search. The older brother quickly found the trace of the girl in the forest where she was walking. Everyone followed the trail together. But now the trail ends. In the distance lies an endless steppe.
Here the second young man showed his abilities. He quickly scanned the area for tens of thousands of steps around. Not far away he saw a river with rocky banks hanging over it. On the other side of the river, a huge double-headed eagle sat on a rock, holding a girl in its clawed paws. The brothers hurried to the river. Using the hat of the third young man, they crossed to the other side. The fourth young man, quietly creeping up to the predator, freed the girl from his terrible claws and hurried back to his brothers who were waiting for him. But as soon as he descended from the cliff and joined his brothers, the eagle realized that he had been tricked. He flapped his mighty wings, covering half the sky with them. Having circled over the confused young men, he snatched the girl from their hands and again soared high, high.
The fifth brother was the first to come to his senses. He raised his gun and a shot rang out. The girl separated from the eagle and flew down like a stone. But the sixth young man did not sleep. He caught the girl in flight, preventing her from breaking on the sharp rocks.
The eagle did not want to part with its prey. He chased after his brothers again. But the seventh youth instantly built a huge iron fortress. The brothers and the girl took refuge behind thick impenetrable walls. Now the pursuit did not frighten them. But how to get to the village where the Famous Man lives? As soon as they leave the fortress, the enemy will overtake them again. Then the youngest brother stepped forward and said:
- Now we will be at the yurt of the Famous Man!
And he kicked the ground three times. At that very moment they found themselves in front of the Famous Man. Hugging his daughter warmly, he asked the young men which of them saved the girl.
The young men said that they all saved his daughter, that none of them would have returned the daughter to her father without the help of the others.
The famous man thought. After all, he promised to marry the girl to the one who would return her to him. Who should you give preference to? After thinking, he said:
“Your talents are equally worthy of reward, but the Teacher who gave you wisdom is even more worthy of it.” Therefore, I will give my daughter as a wife to your Teacher.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru