Once upon a time there lived a Shah in the city of Isfahan. This Shah had three sons. The Shah felt the approach of death. He called his sons and said:
“Oh, my children, I don’t have much time left to live, I’m old, I won’t die today or tomorrow.” Listen to what I tell you,” he turned to his eldest son. - To you, Ahmed, I leave the throne, Mohammed will be the vizier, and you, Hasan, as the youngest, will be an adviser. I have another will. Look, don’t forget about him under any circumstances. In the fortieth room of my palace, a chest is kept under seven locks. And in the chest lies a rusty sword. If you have to go on a long journey, take this sword with you, and then no one will be afraid of you.
The Shah said and died. And the eldest son took the reins.
During the first period of his reign, everything was quiet. The Shah was involved in government affairs, held court, and when he got bored with business, he decided to travel. He gathered his army, left his middle brother in his place and was about to set off, but suddenly his younger brother stopped him:
- Fulfill your father's will. You are going on a long journey, take a rusty sword.
Ahmed looked at his brother and laughed.
- And I thought you were a smart guy. The old man said something stupid before he died, and you want all the people to laugh at me. Is it fitting for me, the Shah, to carry a rusty sword? I give it to you.
He said and went on his way. He walked a little, he walked a lot, and finally reached an unfamiliar fortress. Ahmed Shah looked around and froze: he had never seen such beautiful places. The fortress was surrounded by a forest, where the trees were so tall that it was eerie.
Ahmed ordered his army to dismount. They pitched their tents and settled down to rest. They ate and drank, and in the morning Ahmed headed towards the fortress. The gates were tightly closed. But Ahmed Shah was not the kind of person to be stopped by castles. He broke them, entered and saw that the fortress was even more beautiful inside. Immediately behind the wall there is a garden, and that garden is buried in flowers, and nightingales sing on every bush. In the middle of the garden is a huge pool, lined with gold and silver bricks, and inside, clear water like a tear gushes from seventy-seven water cannons. And there was no one around. And Ahmed decided to take a swim. But as soon as he undressed and stuck one leg into the water, lightning suddenly flashed, thunder roared, the sky became covered with clouds and a hero appeared on a winged horse. Before he even got off his horse, he shouted:
- How dare you climb into my garden? I'll kill you now!
With these words, the hero pulled out his sword and in the blink of an eye killed Akhmed and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
Mohammed waited for a long time for his brother, but he never came. He gathered an army and went in search of the Shah. And he did not take the rusty sword with him. He reached the same fortress. He saw that its walls were made of human skulls, and under the wall lay his brother. The vizier got scared and decided to turn back, but suddenly a hero appeared above his head. And everything happened again, just like with my older brother.
The younger brother, Hasan, waited a long time for the brothers to return, did not wait and also began to get ready for the journey. And he was stronger and smarter than his older brothers. There has not yet been a single hero who could put him on his shoulder.
Before leaving, his mother called him to her and said:
- Son, you want to go look for your brothers. I bless you. Just listen. Take a rusty sword with you. As long as you have this sword with you, no one will defeat you. If along the way you meet a person who is in trouble, spare no effort and time, help him. Then you will be lucky. The mother said this, opened the chest and took out a rusty sword from it. Hasan tied his father’s gift to his belt and immediately felt that the strength in his hands had increased.
Hasan with a small army set off on the road. You never know, he walked a long way, and finally reached that very fortress. I saw piles of human bones lying around. The gates of the fortress opened before him, he entered and saw the clothes of his brothers. Hasan realized that both of his brothers died here. He began to look for their bodies to bury. Suddenly there was thunder, lightning flashed, a black cloud, flying over the forest, covered the entire sky, from that black cloud on a winged horse a hero with a face covered with a visor descended to the ground and shouted:
- How dare you come to my garden? Hasan answered boldly:
- Don't shout, villain! You killed my brothers. I have come to avenge them. And I will kill you.
Hasan took out his sword and rushed towards the hero. Their battle lasted forty days and forty nights, and neither could defeat the other. Finally, on the forty-first day, Hasan laid the hero down on both shoulder blades. Then the hat fell from the hero’s head, and Hasan saw that it was not a young man, but a girl of amazing beauty. From surprise, he lost consciousness and fell dead. And when I came to my senses, there was no one nearby. There was just a piece of paper lying there. The hero girl wrote: "I am the daughter of the Frankish king, Peri. My father wanted to marry me, but I did not go and promised myself that I would become the wife of the one who would overcome me. You turned out to be such a person. If you want, you can come and ask for my hand from the Frankish king. I will wait for you."
Hasan gathered his army and returned home. He told his mother about everything, put the vizier in his place, said goodbye to his mother, mounted his horse and left alone. He walked for a long time, he walked a lot, and finally reached a clearing. And in the clearing the diva lay and groaned heavily. Div was so huge that the earth shook from his groans. Hasan approached the diva and saw that a splinter was stuck in his leg - a whole log. Hasan decided to pull out the splinter, but thought: “What if the diva jumps up and kills me? We need to come up with something.” And he dug a hole under the diva’s foot, covered it with brushwood, climbed into this hole and began to drag the splinter out of there. But it was not so easy to get her out. Apparently, the diva was in pain. He shouted:
-Who is this tormenting me? Wait, if you fall into my clutches, I’ll tear you to pieces.
Hasan, not paying attention to this cry, pulled the log again and pulled it out. Blood gushed from the diva's leg. And when it flowed out, the diva calmed down and fell asleep.
He slept for a long time, and when he woke up, he felt that he was completely healthy, and began to look for who helped him. But I didn’t see anyone around me. He got to his feet, walked around the clearing, but did not find anyone. And then the diva shouted in a loud voice:
- O he who helped me, appear before me, I will repay you a hundredfold for your goodness!
Hasan climbed out of the hole and approached the diva. The diva saw him, knelt down and said:
- O son of man, you saved me from death. Tell me, how can I serve you? Hasan replied:
- Div, I want us to become brothers. Help me find the daughter of the Frankish king, Peri.
“O son of man,” exclaimed the diva, “I am glad to be your brother, but I do not know the places where the Frankish king lives.” Get on top of me, let's fly to my brother, maybe he knows.
As soon as Hasan climbed onto the diva’s back, he rose into the air, flew over the villages, over the valleys and landed in the forest where the palace stood. And in front of the entrance to the palace sat a huge white diva. He greeted his brother with a smile:
- Oh, brother, welcome, I haven’t eaten human flesh for a long time. You probably guessed this and brought the man here. Wow, I'll enjoy it!
But the younger diva replied:
“My brother, if you touch this man, I will complain to my father, and I myself will be your enemy for the rest of my life.” This man saved me from death. Hearing these words, the white diva raised Hasan to his very face and began to kiss him.
“If you are my brother’s brother, then you are my brother too.” The divas showed Hasan all sorts of honors, but when asked where to look for the princess, the white diva replied:
- Brother, I also don’t know where the possessions of the Frankish king are. Our elder brother knows this, go to him.
Hasan said goodbye to the white div, sat astride the younger div, and they rose into the air again. We flew over villages, over fields, and saw a high mountain. And at the foot of the mountain stood a wonderful palace, and in front of it sat a huge gray diva. Hasan and the div went down to the palace, and the gray div, seeing his brother, laughed:
- Welcome, brother, where have you been for so long? Is this the man you brought me for dinner?
“Brother,” replied the younger diva, “never touch this man.” He saved me from death, now he is a brother to me and the white diva.
Having learned what happened, the gray diva hugged Hasan, pressed him to his chest and showed the way to the Frankish king. Hasan and the younger div walked for forty days and forty nights. And on the forty-first day, on the border of the possessions of the Frankish king, the div gave his sworn brother a piece of wool and said:
“If you find it difficult, set fire to this wool, and I will immediately appear before you.”
And Hasan took a knife out of his pocket and marveled:
“When blood appears on the blade of this knife, know that I feel bad.” And hurry to my aid.
They said goodbye, Hasan walked a little and met a shepherd.
“Hello, shepherd,” he said, “would you sell me a sheep?”
“I see, brother, you are a foreigner,” answered the shepherd, “and according to the customs of our country, foreigners are given all sorts of honors.” I give you a ram, choose any one.
Hasan thanked the shepherd, chose a ram, slaughtered it, gutted it, cleaned out the stomach and put it on his head. And he immediately looked like he was bald.
So he reached the capital of the Frankish king; in the center of the capital I saw a beautiful garden in which all the delights of the world were collected. Hasan made his way into the garden, swam in the pond, ate shuds and fell asleep under a tree. In the morning the guards caught him and took him to the king.
The king asked menacingly:
- Bald, who are you?
“Your Majesty,” Hasan answered, “I walk around the world, looking for work.” And I have nowhere to sleep. So I fell asleep in your garden. If I am guilty of anything, they order me to cut off my head. The king saw that he was dealing with an intelligent young man and had mercy.
“I see, bald man, you are cunning - herd my geese, and for this you will receive shelter and food.”
Hasan agreed. One day the princess came out into the garden. She saw a stranger sleeping under a tree. But when she came closer, she immediately recognized Hasan, only in disguise, with a lamb skin on his head. Peri said nothing and ran away to her room. But from that day on she became sad and thoughtful. The king noticed this. He went to his wife and asked:
- What's wrong with our daughter? Why is she so sad? Talk to her. I think it's time to marry her off. The queen seized an opportune moment and asked her daughter:
- Why don’t you laugh or dance? What is your sadness?
But the princess answered that she had no sadness. The Queen continued:
“You’re not little anymore, until when will you live with us?” Your father wants to marry you off. What do you say to this? The girl answered obediently:
“Mother, tell your father, since he wants to marry me off, I won’t resist.” Just let him give it out according to our customs.
And the custom in those places was that the grooms had to pass under the bride’s balcony, and she would choose the one she liked, and as a sign of this she would throw an apple down.
The king immediately ordered all the young men of his kingdom to pass under the princess's balcony, but she did not like anyone. The king became angry, and Peri lowered her head and answered:
“Father, the one I expected didn’t come.”
The king thought for a long time about who else was in his country, and could not remember. Finally the vizier prompted:
“The only one left is the bald one, who tends the geese.”
“Well, bring him, let him pass under my daughter’s balcony.”
The vizier saw Hasan out. As soon as the princess saw him, she immediately threw the apple. Hasan caught the apple, kissed it and put his hand to his heart. And the king became terribly angry and ordered both the daughter and the bald man to be expelled from the city. But they were not sad, but began to live in a small village in love and harmony.
And it so happened that soon the king fell ill. No matter how many doctors were brought, no one could cure him. Hasan heard about this, went to the clearing and burned the diva’s wool. At that same second the diva appeared.
- What do you order, my brother? - he asked, kissing Hasan.
“My father-in-law, the king of the Franks, is seriously ill. How to cure it? “We need to shoot a goitered gazelle, boil its head and give the patient a decoction to drink.” As soon as he drinks, he will be healed instantly.
Hasan immediately shot the gazelle, boiled its head, poured a full bowl of broth, changed his clothes and went to the king. He did not recognize his son-in-law and asked:
- Who are you, good man? What did you come with?
Hasan replied:
- May the king be healthy! I'm a doctor, I brought medicine.
“Oh, young man,” exclaimed the king, “if you can cure me, I will give you everything you want.” But if your drinking does not help, know that I will order your head to be cut off.
Hasan knelt in agreement and handed the king a bowl of healing broth. He drank and felt how the disease immediately left his flesh. He stood up, stretched and asked:
- O young man, what can I give you? Ask for everything, even half the kingdom. But Hasan bowed and modestly answered:
- May the king be healthy, I don’t need any wealth. I have only one request - make peace with your daughter and son-in-law.
The king really didn’t want this, but he gave his word of honor and agreed. The next day he ordered his daughter and her husband to be summoned. When the princess entered, the king saw that his doctor from yesterday was walking with her.
“Daughter,” he asked, “did you drive away your bald one?” What does it mean?
Hasan put a lamb skin on his head and became bald as before. The king was surprised.
“Father,” said Peri, kneeling down, “the young man who defeated me is standing in front of you.” He is the son of the Shah of Isfahan.
The king asked Hassan for an apology and gave them a wedding. For seven days and seven nights there was a feast in the palace, and the whole world learned that the Frankish princess had gotten married.
And I must say that the king of another country wanted to marry her, but she rejected him long ago. That night, when the wedding ended, he saw in a dream that the Frankish king had given his daughter away to an unknown young man. He did not believe this and, getting up in the morning, sent matchmakers to the Frankish king. The matchmakers returned empty-handed. “The princess is already married,” they reported. Then the offended groom gathered a huge army and attacked the Franks. Seeing such a thing, Hasan asked his father-in-law for permission and went alone to meet the enemy. A battle broke out so bloody as the world had never seen. Hasan took large chains in his hands and killed so many enemies that corpses were lying around like a mountain, but the army did not decrease.
Hasan fought for forty days and forty nights. The enemy saw that he could not defeat the hero, and decided to use a trick. The king called all the witches and said:
“Whichever of you can deceive or bewitch Hasan will receive as much gold as she herself weighs.” Baba Yaga was the first to respond. She said:
- Give me ten strong heroes, and I will bring him to you.
The king gave her ten heroes.
The witch planted them in a clay pot, perched herself on top and flew to the Franl land. She dropped into the forest, hid the jug and the heroes, and went through the cities and villages to beg. I walked and wandered around and found myself on Peri’s balcony just as she came out. Baba Yaga asked:
-Whose house is this, daughter?
- Don't you know? This is the home of the royal son-in-law Hasan.
“Daughter,” cried the old woman, “may Allah protect him; if it weren’t for him, the enemy would have killed us all long ago.” He is an invincible hero. But what is his strength?
Peri let slip her husband's secret.
Having learned that the hero’s strength was in his rusty sword, Baba Yaga returned to the forest and began to wait for the evening. As soon as everyone fell asleep, she led the heroes to Hasan’s house. Late at night, when Hasan was fast asleep, they pulled a sword from his belt, which made Hassan fall asleep even more soundly. The heroes tied him hand and foot, grabbed him and his wife and returned to their king in the same clay pot. He put Hasan in prison, and took his wife to his harem.
On the same day, he took out a marvel knife and saw that blood was dripping from its blade. He raised the alarm and called all his brothers. All the divas gathered and surrounded the capital of the Frankish king. The king woke up early in the morning and saw that the divas had surrounded the city with a living wall. He sent soldiers to find out what was the matter, but no one dared even come close to them. Then the king saw that one diva was heading towards the palace. Everyone hid. The king wanted to crawl under the throne out of fear, but the diva shouted to him:
- O son of man, do not be afraid, just tell me, where is our brother Hasan? What happened to him?
The king told about everything that had happened, and the div ordered his army to surround the enemy city. Then he sent a messenger to tell the king, who attacked the Franks, that if he did not immediately return Hassan and his wife alive and unharmed, then there would be no stone left on his land. The king was so frightened that at the same hour he gave up the princess and Hasan. But Hasan was still sleeping soundly. The divas became worried, and the princess explained:
— They stole his magic rusty sword. Until the sword is returned, Hasan will not wake up.
And the head of the divas ordered, even from underground, to find Hasan’s rusty sword and deliver it to him. At that same hour the divas rushed to the enemy, took away the rusty sword, and brought it to their master. As soon as they tied the sword to Hasan’s belt, he sneezed and woke up.
The divas joyfully celebrated the rescue of Hasan and his wife.
And the young couple returned to Hasan’s homeland and began to live amicably and happily.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru