Before Nogai’s eyes deteriorated, there was no man who had traveled more than him. They said that there was no place in this world where he had not been. Having gone blind, he unsaddled his horse and stopped riding.
Blind Nogai had three sons. One day he called them to him and said:
- Saddle my horse and hit the road. If you go where my horse’s hooves have never gone before and bring back a piece of earth, I will rub my eyes with it and become sighted again.
Whoever agrees to go, let him set off and not say that he has gone too far, no matter where my horse may take him. Tell me, who decided to go?
The eldest son mounted his father's horse and set off. He galloped for several days and nights and galloped to a tree that stood at the fork in seven roads. Here Nogai's eldest son stopped and rested. He carefully examined the tree, but found no traces of people being here. The young man decided that his father had never been here, took some soil from the root of the tree and returned home.
When he told his father where he got the land, blind Nogai sighed.
- Oh, my son, you haven’t gone far! When I set out on the road, I made my first stop at this tree.
On the second day, the middle son mounted a gray horse and set off. He rode for several days and nights and reached that tree that stood at the fork in seven roads.
He dismounted and rested under it. Then he mounted his horse and rode for several more days and nights. He drove up to a thicket of reeds, through which a narrow path ran. He drove around the reeds, but did not dare to go along that path - he thought that his father probably did not get here. He took some land and returned home. Arriving to his father, he told him where he got the land. When Nogai heard that his middle son had only reached the reeds, he said:
- Eh, my son, I paved this path in the reeds. I passed the reed thickets in one day. Well done, you have already left the outskirts of the village and traveled further than your older brother. But you couldn’t go far either.
When the youngest son got ready to set off, his father said to him:
- You are the youngest of the brothers - do not say that you have gone too far, and do not return without the earth that will heal my eyes.
The younger brother saddled his horse and set off. He drove up to a tree that stood at the fork in seven roads, said: “Here is my father’s old hitching post,” and continued on his way. He soon arrived at a thicket of reeds and crossed them along a narrow path laid by his father. “Now I’ve just passed the outskirts of our father’s village,” he said and rode on.
He traveled for many days and many nights, and his travel supplies ran out. But he continued on his way. One day, something long and thin flashed on the road in front of him. The horseman rode up, dismounted and picked up the thing that sparkled in the sun - it turned out to be a golden feather of some kind of bird.
He passed a golden feather between the horse's ears - it was so large that it covered the horse's croup all the way to the tail - and galloped on.
He rode for a long time and arrived at some village. He didn’t want to go into the village - he took a detour. But the pshi of the aul noticed the stranger and sent his horsemen to him, ordering them:
- Quickly bring back this horseman!
The son of blind Nogai returned and stopped by Psha. Psha treated him for three days. When three days had passed, Pshi, as is customary, asked the horseman:
- Tell me, who are you and where are you from, where are you going and why, what kind of golden feather is on your horse?
The son of blind Nogai replied:
“I have no family, no tribe, I went on a journey and got lost, so I ended up in your village.”
“I don’t have a son, be like a son to me,” Pshi suggested then.
The son of blind Nogai did not agree for a long time, but Pshi asked so persistently that he gave in.
Pshi was delighted and ordered to tell everyone in the village that he now had a son.
Soon Pshi showed the young man all his lands and wealth, and then said:
– I have seven peluan workers. I entrust them to you, make them work the way you want.
Seven Peluans - seven stalwart fellows - did not obey the psha at all, and the son of blind Nogai had to force them to work every now and then. They harbored a grudge against the young man and began to think about how to kill him. Having come up with nothing, they turned to the sorcerer-usarez for help.
- Help us destroy the adopted son of Psha - you will receive any reward. If you don’t help, you’ll lose your life, even if you have seven souls,” the Peluans said.
“Come tomorrow, I’ll think about it and tell you how to kill him,” the villager answered them.
The next day the Peluans came to the Usarezh, and he said to them:
- You can defeat this horseman only by cunning. Therefore, tell your pshi like this: “Today, when we were taking a break from work, we heard your adopted son say: “If I want, I can get for walking that golden bird that illuminates the whole world and whose feather lies on my horse. But why should I do this?” Inga will be angry and will destroy her adopted son.
In the evening, when Pshi returned to the village, the Peluans greeted him with the words:
– It’s interesting what your adopted son said today!
- What did he say? - Pshi asked.
“If I wanted, I could get for my wheat that golden bird that illuminates the whole world and whose golden feather lies on my horse, but why should I do that?”
Pshi immediately ordered his son to be brought to him and asked if the Peluans were telling the truth. No matter how much the horseman tried to convince him that this was not true, Pshi did not believe it and ordered the wonderful bird to be obtained for him at any cost.
The son of blind Nogai became sad. His faithful friend - the gray horse - noticed that the owner was not eating or sleeping, and was thinking about what to do. The horse neighed in the stable, and the horseman went to him.
-What makes you sad? Why did you lose weight and become sad? – the gray-haired man asked the owner.
He told him about the Psha's order.
“It’s not difficult, we can get the bird.” But don't hit the road right away. In a few days the pshi will ask you why you are not going; tell him that you need his help. Let him order his peluans to keep me for two weeks so that I do not touch either the ground or the sky, let them feed me the best food. You should also be well rested. After this, let them load thirty carts of millet and give you companions who will help carry it.
Several days passed, and the son of blind Nogai had not yet set off. Pshi called him to him and asked why he was not going for the golden bird. The horseman answered as the horse ordered.
For fifteen days and nights the Peluans fed the gray horse with selected feed, and the son of the blind Nogai had a good rest. After this, he was given thirty cartloads of millet and companions, and he set off.
The horseman spent many days and nights on the road, but it’s not without reason that they say that if you walk all the time, you will reach the end of the road. When the road was nearing its end, the gray horse spoke again.
- Now listen to me, master! Soon we will approach a large forest. As we pass it, you will see a large white poplar. I will stop under it, and you ordered to unload all the millet and leave it under this poplar and release the companions. When they move further away, you climb up onto the pile of millet, press yourself against the tree and sit motionless. Soon that big golden bird that lost its feather will fly to the tree. She will shout “quag” three times and then speak bird language with other birds. After this, the birds will fly away, and the golden bird will jump from branch to branch, go down and see the millet. When she is so close that you can reach her with your hand and looks down, grab her leg and hold her tightly. Be careful not to let it fly up, otherwise it will take you to the skies. Therefore, you hold her with all your might, I will come to your aid, and together we will hold her. If you do everything as I said, the bird will be in your hands.
The son of blind Nogai did everything the horse said.
Having reached a large poplar, he stopped and ordered all the millet to be poured into a pile. Having sent his companions back, he climbed onto a pile of millet and hid behind a tree trunk. After a while it became lighter than on the sunniest day - then a golden bird flew in. Looking around, she sat down on the top of the tree. When she shouted “quag” three times, all the birds that were in this world flocked to the tree and sat on the tree. After the golden bird spoke to them, it shouted “quag” three times and all the birds flew away. Looking down, the golden bird saw the millet and, jumping from branch to branch, went down. Then the son of the blind Nogai grabbed her leg.
The big bird screamed for a long time and flapped its wings so hard that the wind from them almost knocked down a tree. But her son, blind Nogai, held her tightly, and then the gray horse arrived in time. They caught the bird and brought it to the farm.
The inhabitants of the village were surprised when they learned that the adopted son of Psha had caught a wonderful bird - he had accomplished something that no one had been able to do until now. The news of the horseman's courage spread far and wide, and many came to look at the golden bird, many congratulated the prince.
And the seven Peluans did not abandon their evil intent to destroy the son of blind Nogai at any cost. They again went to the villager for advice.
And again the sarezh advised them to go to the pshi and tell him that they had heard the following words from his adopted son: “At the foot of a mountain, between the rocks, lives a lioness with two cubs. If I want, I can get these lion cubs and raise them for food. But why should I do this? “I promise you that this time the pshi will be angry and will destroy his adopted son,” said the usarezh.
As the first time, in the evening, when Pshi was returning to the village, the Yeluans met him and said:
- O pshi, ruler of an entire country, we have no secrets from you, and we cannot hide what we heard today from your adopted son!
Interrupting each other, the Peluans told the pshi what the Usarezh had taught them.
- Is that what he said?
- That's what he said.
“Then bring him to me.” The son of blind Nogai came to Psha.
“Go and bring me those lion cubs that the lioness is raising at the foot of the mountain,” Pshi ordered him.
“Don’t send me after lion cubs that I haven’t even heard of!” – the young man begged.
But Pshi was relentless.
New grief fell on Nogai’s son. He became sad. His faithful friend - the gray horse - noticed that his master was not eating or sleeping, and was thinking about what to do. The horse neighed in the stable, and the horseman went to him.
-What makes you sad? Why did you lose weight and become sad? – the gray horse asked the owner.
He said that he was sad.
“We will bring lion cubs, although it is more difficult than getting a golden bird.” Go to the mountain and wait until morning. At dawn, the lioness will leave the shelter, look around and, not noticing anyone, go into the forest for food for her cubs, but will return very quickly. You will hide behind the mountain, and I will stand closer to the lioness’s shelter. As soon as the lioness enters the forest, you will carry out the cubs, jump with them on my back, and I will carry you away. Stay tight in the saddle, hold the lion cubs even tighter, and I won’t let you down.
For fifteen days the Peluans fed the horse with selected feed, and the son of blind Nogai had a good rest. After that, he mounted his horse and set off. He spent many days and nights on the road. When the horseman approached the mountain where the lioness lived, he dismounted and hid behind the mountain. The horse also hid.
At dawn the lioness came out of her shelter. Sparks flew from her eyes, and everything around her became as light as on the sunny day. These sparks burned everything around, and therefore the lioness easily defeated any enemy. The lioness was strong and scary.
The son of the blind Nogai tracked her down when she entered the forest, grabbed the lion cubs and jumped on a gray horse.
The cubs roared, and the mother immediately jumped out of the forest. In a few leaps she almost caught up with the young man, but the gray horse rushed at full speed and carried away its owner. The lioness chased them for a long time, but finally became exhausted and turned back.
The son of blind Nogai brought the lion cubs to Psha.
But the Peluans again did not abandon their intention to destroy the glorious horseman. For the third time they went to the village for advice.
– Until now we have not been able to get rid of Psha’s adopted son. If you give us bad advice again, we will ruin you.
The villager thought and said:
“Now tell Psha that you heard these words from his adopted son: “Behind the mountains lives a huge boar - each of its tusks is thirty steps long. There is no person in the world except me who would dare to approach that boar. If I wanted, I could bring boar tusks to our psha, and he could surround his yard with a fence of boar tusks. But why do I need this? The young man will not escape this boar alive, and you will send him to certain death.
For the third time, the Peluans met the Pshi and told him what the Usarezh had taught them.
Again Pshi ordered the young man to be called to him and ordered the tusks of that boar to be brought.
No matter how much the son of the blind Nogai Pshi convinced him that he knew nothing about such a boar and did not say anything, Pshi stood his ground.
With his head bowed, the young man went out into the yard. The gray horse neighed when he saw the sadness of his master.
-What else happened? - asked the horse. The young man told his faithful friend everything.
- Let's carry out this order too. It would be worse if we were ordered to bring boar tusks before we got the lion cubs. Now don’t get discouraged. The lion cubs have already become real lions and will help us - we will take them with us. Let's hit the road together. When we reach the bridge, I will go to the boar myself. The journey from the bridge to the wild boar’s habitat is still seven days and nights, but if the wild boar chases me, I will gallop away from it in three days and three nights. When you hear the sound of my hooves and the breathing of the boar, let the lions go. They will grab the boar from both sides, and you cut it from behind with your sword. Remember, you cannot approach the boar from the side, otherwise it will cut you with its tusks. If you do everything as I told you, you will defeat the boar.
And again for fifteen days the Peluans fed the horse with selected feed, and the horseman had a good rest. After this, the son of blind Nogai mounted a gray horse, took the lions with him and set off.
When they reached the bridge, the horse left its owner here along with the lions, and he galloped on.
The son of blind Nogai waited for nine days and nights for the return of his horse. On the tenth night he heard the clatter of his hooves and the heavy breathing of a boar. He immediately released the lions, and as soon as the boar stepped onto the bridge, the lions grabbed onto him so that he could not move. Then the son of blind Nogai jumped up behind him and began to chop him with a sword. The young man dealt many blows before the forest giant fell lifeless.
And for the third time the young man returned victorious, and the pshi ordered his yard to be surrounded by a fence made of boar's tusks.
Again the Peluans went to the village. This time he advised them to tell the pshi that they had heard new swag from his adopted son.
“Tell me that in the east of our region there lives a beauty named Gegulez - there is no more beautiful woman in the world than her.” Pshi will send his adopted son after this beauty, and from there he will never return alive. It is impossible to approach her - a hundred dogs, a hundred eagles and a hundred horses of the Jinjif breed guard her. The girl has a magical short whip, the blow of which turns a person into a stone tombstone. None of those who wanted to marry this beauty have yet returned. “Even the son of blind Nogai will not survive,” finished Usarezh.
And this time the Peluans met the Pshi and told him about the beautiful Hegulez, as the Usarezh advised them.
Angry, he returned home and ordered his son to be called to him.
“You boasted today that if you want, you can get me the beautiful Hegulez as a wife.” So, go and don’t come back without her, otherwise my peluans will blow your head off on my orders,” he said menacingly.
Pshi did not even listen to the fact that the young man had never heard of this beauty and had never told anyone about her.
-What else happened? - asked the horse. He told everything to his faithful friend.
- Don’t worry, we’ll carry out this order too. It will be more difficult than getting a bird, lion cubs or defeating a wild boar. You need to gain strength again, and feed me well.
When fifteen days and nights have passed, you will send a large
Copper lagup and seven carts with var to where we are going. When we get to the place, we will need to unload the cargo and lags from the carts, and let the drivers go.
– Why do we need lagup and var? - asked the young man.
“We won’t be able to get the beautiful Hegulez without them.” Your father went for this girl many times, but was never able to bring her. The beauty is guarded by one hundred dogs, one hundred eagles and one hundred stallions of the Jinjif breed. But her most important guardian is a stallion, with whom no horse in the world can compare in strength. We need Var in order to defeat this guard stallion. We will melt the var, and you will smear it on me until my body is covered with a thick layer of var. You will remain at your post, and I will go forward. The guard stallion will chase me. When I reach the bridge, I stop and we start biting each other. When the guard stallion bites me, he will tear off the varus, and when I bite, I will tear off his meat. But he will still get to my body. And when I feel trouble, I'll laugh. Then you too join the battle, together we will defeat him and take a promise from him to help us.
After this, the son of blind Nogai and his horse rested for fifteen days and nights, became stronger and set off on their journey.
The young man did everything as the horse taught him. He took enough travel provisions, a large copper lagup, seven carts with var and set off. When we got to the place, we unloaded provisions, firewood, var and lagup from the carts, lit a fire, and sent the drivers back. The son of blind Jogai melted the var and began to smear his horse with it, ordered him to dive into the river and again smeared him with var until he was completely covered with a thick layer of var. After this, the horseman remained on the bridge, and the gray horse galloped forward.
The son of blind Nogai began to wait for the horse to return. Nine days and nights passed. On the tenth night a hurricane arose, the bridge swayed and horses trampled. This guard stallion was chasing a gray horse and overtook him on the bridge. They began to bite each other. If a gray guard stallion bites, it tears off the tar. If a gray horse bites, it tears the body of the guard. They fought for a long time, and the gray horse had already lost hope of winning. He neighed, and at the same moment the son of the blind Nogai entered the battle. He began to strike blow after blow. Finally, the guard stallion Jinjif spoke:
– Don’t kill me, tell me what you need, I’ll help you.
“Help us get Hegulez,” said the young man.
The stallion suggested how to take the girl away.
“First of all, you must prepare a hundred mutton skins and a hundred carcasses of meat,” said the Dzhindzhif stallion. “Throw carcasses to a hundred watchdogs, throw skins to a hundred eagles, and while they fight, you will go to Hegulez.” The beauty herself will come out to you and say: “Be a guest, son of blind Nogai!” She will order the baykul* to take your horse and take care of it, and she will invite you to her place and ask: “Have you come to relieve boredom or to woo me?” “I came as a matchmaker, not to have fun. I’ll take you whether you like it or not,” you tell her. “Why take them away by force, if I am fit to be your wife, and you are fit to be my husband, son of blind Nogai?” Hegulez will say and stand up.
She will take a small leather bag and begin to open it. But don’t let her do this, because it contains a whip, from the blow of which a person turns into a stone tombstone. As soon as she starts to open the bag, grab her by the hair and throw her to the floor. If you do everything as I said, the beautiful Hegules will be in your hands.
The son of blind Nogai released the jinjif horse, heated water in the la-gupa and washed off the remains of the tar from his horse. He mounted a gray horse and rode to a shepherd, from whom he bought a hundred sheep. He ordered them to be slaughtered, skinned and loaded with skins on one cart and lamb carcasses on the other.
When he approached the Hegulez property, a hundred dogs rushed at him - he threw them lamb carcasses. A hundred eagles swooped down on him, and he threw them mutton skins. While the dogs were squabbling for meat and the eagles were fighting for skins, the son of the blind Nogai rode into the yard of the beautiful Hegulez and dismounted.
The beautiful Hegulez left the house and greeted him with these words:
- Be a guest, son of blind Nogai! If you stay for a year, it will seem like a week to me; if you stay for a month, it will seem like one day.
She called the baykul and ordered to prepare a parking lot for the gray horse. She invited the blind son Nogai into the house, sat him down, and she sat down on the silk bed.
“Tell me, son of blind Nogai, what brought you here - did you come to marry me or did you accidentally turn me in?” – she asked.
“I didn’t come here by chance, I came as a matchmaker.” If you go with me, I’ll take you away, if you don’t go, I’ll steal you away. So choose,” said the son of blind Nogai.
“If you think that I can be your wife, I agree, you are worthy of being my husband,” said Hegulez and quickly stood up.
Then she took out a leather bag and opened it, but at the same moment the horseman jumped up and, before she could take the whip, grabbed her by the braids and threw her to the floor.
- Listen, son of blind Nogai, why are you throwing me on the floor if I promised to become your wife? – asked Gegulez.
But the son of blind Nogai, without listening to her, took a leather bag and pulled out a short whip folded in half. He swung as if he wanted to hit the girl.
- Don't hit me, I will submit to you. Your happiness won,” said Gegulez. “Until now, with the blow of this whip, I turned all the suitors into stones, and there were less than a hundred of them.” You saw their stone tombstones near the house. But you defeated me, now I will be what you want,” she said obediently.
The son of blind Nogai took the whip and went out into the yard. He walked along the stone wall, hit the petrified people with whips and revived them.
“Aferem, glorious son of blind Nogai, you saved a hundred men,” they told him with gratitude.
The men to whom the horseman had restored life became his matchmakers and together with him and the beautiful Gegulez they all set off on the journey.
Good news travels fast. And the news of the return of the blind son Nogai spread throughout the village. In the evening guests began to come to them.
Pshi arranged a feast for six weeks. While they were drinking and eating, while the great feast was taking place, Gegulez learned all about the exploits of the son of the blind Nogai, about how they wanted to destroy him, and that Pshi himself wanted to marry her.
After the feast ended, the beautiful Hegulez ordered the pshi to be handed over:
“Before you come to me, let Pshi order you to prepare a large lagup and pour forty buckets of milk into it.” When it is heated so much that steam comes out, let the millet dive into the trough at one end and emerge from the other. After the pshi bathes in hot milk, he can come to me,” said Gegulez.
How long did it take to order pshi - the Unauts prepared a copper lagup and a trough, boiled forty buckets of milk and poured the trough. When it seemed that the milk had cooled down enough, the pshi dipped into the hot milk and boiled in it.
“Whoever bathes in hot milk, I will become his wife and give the kingdom,” the girl promised the Peluans.
Seven Peluans took turns jumping into the trough and were boiled, just like their pshi.
Thus Pshi and his seven Peluans met their doom.
“Let the beautiful Hegulez go to the one who brought her, and let him be our pshi,” the people said.
“Beauty Hegulez wants to be my wife, but I cannot stay here, I must return to my village, to my father and mother, I left on business, and not to stay here,” said the son of blind Nogai.
- How can we live without psha? – people asked Nogai.
- May you never have psha, they do more harm than good. About how to live, consult with smart men. If you begin to consult, you will achieve agreement and a happy life. “Be healthy and happy, I will return to my people,” said the son of the blind Nogai, took the beautiful Hegulez with him and set off on the return journey.
The village residents generously presented him with gifts, and hundreds of horsemen escorted him to his parents' house.
The son of blind Nogai rode for a long time and arrived at the outskirts of his native village. From here he sent messengers to his father to report the return of his son.
When the news about his son was brought to the blind Nogai, he told the messengers:
“The son you were talking about has been missing for seven years.” We thought he was dead, and yesterday we held a wake for him. Now tell me who he will take as his wife.
“He is taking Hegulez as his wife, who is not more beautiful in this world,” they told him.
“Then know that I tried many times to bring Hegulez, but I did not succeed, although there was a rumor about me that I had traveled all over the world and nothing was impossible for me. It was a great shame for me not to get this girl, and then I pretended to be blind and stopped going on raids. Now that this beauty has become my son's wife, he has no place in my house. So tell him I won't let him in. Let him stop where he is now.
The messengers returned and said to the son of Nogai:
“Your father has seen the light, this is the good swag we brought you.” He told you to stay where you are.
“It’s good that my father received his sight and was convinced that I had reached the ground where his horse’s hooves had never trod,” Nogai’s son said then.
He carried out his father's order and settled in the place where he heard his father's words. He began to live richly and happily with the beautiful Hegulez.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru