Once upon a time, a mountain prince had a son. It was called Fusht-Beig. The baby often cried, and his father, to calm him down, used to say:
“Don’t cry, son, don’t cry, I’ll marry you to the beautiful Jinagaz.”
The boy got used to these words, they sank into his soul.
Years passed, Fusht-Beig grew up, became a handsome guy, but he did not look at girls. All his comrades got married, and he sat alone at home and was sad. One day the father asks:
- Why are you, son, so sad? Why don't you look at girls?
- Father, in distant childhood you promised to marry me to the beautiful Jinagaz. Where is the beauty? I only want to marry her. - That’s what the son answered.
The father thought and said:
“I don’t know where this beauty is, I don’t even know if she exists in the world, but if you want to get married, I will marry you to any of the prince’s daughters.”
“I don’t need princely daughters,” says the son. - I need the beautiful Jinagaz. I'll go look for her and find her. Give me, father, a worthy horse.
The father gave his son the best of his horses, gave him his best weapon, and Fusht-Beig went in search of a bride. He traveled a lot of lands, spent a lot of time on the road, and then one day he stopped for the night in an abandoned hut by the lake.
Early in the morning he drove on. Suddenly a very beautiful hare jumped out of the coastal reeds. The guy admired him and wanted to catch him. But the hare disappeared into the reeds. The 11aren returned to the hut to see the hare again tomorrow morning. The next day the hare again jumped out of the reeds, but Fusht-Beig again did not catch up with him. Only on the third day did I catch up with the hare. As soon as he extended his hand to him, the hare turned into a beautiful girl.
Beauty says:
- Don't destroy me, Fusht-Beig. I'm ready to become your wife. My name is Jinagaz.
“I promise not to touch you, beautiful Jinagaz,” says Fusht-Beig.
- Then go home, to your village. In a week, on Friday, I will come to you and become your wife, meet me on the hill behind the village,” said the beauty.
Fusht-Beig returned home. It turned out that during his travels his mother died and his father took a young wife. Fusht-Beig told his father and stepmother how many lands he had traveled, how many wonders he had seen, and talked about the most wondrous miracle - how a beautiful hare turned into the beautiful Jinagaz, the same beauty that his father had told him about in his distant childhood. This beauty agreed to become his wife. She will arrive on Friday, and he will meet her on the hill behind the village.
The stepmother immediately disliked Fusht-Beig. She ordered her faithful servant to prevent the meeting on Friday.
The servant came to Fusht-Beig and said:
“When you go to meet the bride, take me with you, generous Fusht-Beig.” I will accompany you, I will be your servant.
“I don’t need guides, I don’t need servants,” the guy answered. “I traveled the earth for a long time, traveled alone, and I found my bride, the beautiful Jinagaz, alone.
But the servant did not lag behind, and Fusht-Beig had to agree. On Friday he got up at dawn and went to the hill that rose behind the village. A servant went with him. They arrived at the appointed place very early, Fusht-Beig laid out his burka and lay down to rest. As soon as he dozed off, a servant brought a sleeping potion to his nose. The guy fell into a long, deep sleep.
By noon, horses and carts appeared, and the beautiful Jinagaz, accompanied by forty girls, rode up the hill. The girls began to dance and have fun, and Jinagaz, seeing that her fiancé was sleeping, tried to wake him up. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wake him up. She got angry and said to the servant:
- I am his bride Jinagaz, I came to become his wife. He is supposed to meet me, but he is sleeping! Tell your master that I am angry and that I will come again in seven days, on Friday.
Fusht-Beig slept until evening. When he woke up, he asked the servant:
- Tell me: what happened here during the day, who came? It turns out I slept until the evening!
Servant says:
— Girls came here. They danced and had fun. The most beautiful one wanted to wake you up, but she couldn’t. She got angry and asked me to tell you that she would come again in seven days, on Friday.
The next Friday it happened again.
On the third Friday, Fusht-Beig left very early, long before light. At dawn he was already there. And again he could not stand it, he lay down, and again the servant gave him a sniff of the sleeping potion. The beautiful Jinagaz did not wake him up the third time. She put a gold ring on his finger and said to the servant:
- I won't come here again. I left him a ring as a keepsake.
Fusht-Beig returned home. Now he was even sadder than before.
- What's wrong with you, dear son? - asks the father. - Why are you so sad?
The son told his father how three times he went to meet the beauty and how he slept through the meeting three times.
“I don’t understand what happened to me, but I slept like the dead and couldn’t wake up until the evening.”
The father realized that his young wife was to blame for everything. He came to her and said:
- Admit what you did against my son?!
The wife confessed everything. But what's the point? Fusht-Beig again went in search of a bride. Again he spent a lot of time on the road, again traveled a lot of lands, and then one day in the wild, waterless steppe he saw a girl walking with a jug on the water. He hurried towards her. She hadn’t drunk it for three days and could barely move her legs. Sensing the water, she rushed forward and fell exhausted. The girl went to the well, drew water and gave it to the horse to drink. The horse came to life and rose to its feet. Fusht-Beig greeted the girl and said that he had been on the road for a long time, and for the last few days he had been traveling through the waterless steppe; in three days he had not met a single well.
“Thank you,” he said, “for giving my horse water.” Tell me: who are you and where are you from?
“I serve the prince’s daughter Jinagaz,” the girl answered. “Forty girls work in the beauty’s palace, and we all take turns coming here for water.”
— Is this water for the beautiful Jinagaz? - asked Fusht-Beig.
- Yes, this water is for her.
“Give me a drink too,” Fusht-Beig asked, “I, like my horse, haven’t drunk for three days.”
The girl handed him the jug. Fusht-Beig got drunk and quietly threw into the jug the golden ring that the beautiful Jinagaz had left for him. The girl left, and Fusht-Beig calmly went to sleep in the middle of the steppe. Now he knew: his bride was not far away.
The beautiful Jinagaz was washing her face. Suddenly a ring fell out of the jug. She recognized him immediately, called the maids and asked:
-Who walked on water today? Why does the water smell like a person?
The girl who brought the water says:
— Today I walked on water. A horse fell at the well from heat and thirst. I gave her and the rider a drink.
Jinagaz sent servants to look for the rider. They found him at the well, he was sleeping. The servants woke him up and said:
“Beauty Jinagaz ordered us to find you and bring you to her.” Get on your horse and ride with us.
Fusht-Beig mounted his horse and soon saw his bride. He married her, and they lived cheerfully and happily.
After some time, news came that the sister of the beautiful Jinagaz was getting married. The beauty says to her husband:
- I'll go to my sister. You live without me. You will be the only owner here. Live, have fun, do whatever you want, just don’t open the doors of the last room in my palace.
The beauty left. Fusht-Beig was bored, he walked around all the rooms of the palace, there was nothing to do. “I wish I could find out what’s in the last room,” he thought. “Why did my wife forbid me to go there? What will happen if I look in? My wife won’t know anything...” And he opened the door to the last room. There, in the darkness, stood a huge, fur-covered garbash (humanoid monster), chained to the wall. Fusht-Beig got scared and stepped back. But garbash says:
- Don't be afraid of me, hero. Give me freedom, and I will serve you, I will do good for you.
Fusht-Beig agreed. He tried to break the chains, but could not. Garbash says:
“You don’t have the strength to break chains.” Yes, and you don’t need to do this. There's a key on the shelf over there. Open the locks for them.
Fusht-Beig freed one of the garbash's hands. He says:
- No more. Then I can handle it myself.
He reached out, shook his shoulders, grabbed the chain with both hands and easily broke it. Just as easily, with both hands, he broke the chains that bound his legs.
“Now I am the master of this palace,” said the garbash and began to drink, feast and have fun.
That same day, the beautiful Jinagaz felt that she was in trouble at home. She said goodbye to her sister and hurried home. At the palace she was met by a new owner - a huge, furry, scary garbash.
She realized that her husband did not listen to her ban and freed the monster.
“You disobeyed me,” she told her husband, “and ruined our whole life.” Now we won’t go to you, the garbash won’t let you go, and there’s no way to escape from it.
This gharbash ate a whole bull in one sitting, and then went to bed for three days. Fusht-Beig says to his wife:
- We will escape from the garbash. When he has eaten and falls asleep, we will mount my fast-footed horse and rush to my village.
When the garbash fell asleep, they did so. Garbash's horse, which had only three legs, immediately sensed this. He stood in a copper stable, entangled in iron fetters. He broke the iron bonds, broke down the copper door, ran up to the garbash, stamped his hoof firmly and shouted:
“You’re snoring here, and the beautiful Jinagaz ran away from home!”
Garbash woke up and asked the horse:
- What, friend, will we do: refresh ourselves and catch up, or, without refreshment, will we catch up?
“And, having refreshed ourselves, we will catch up, and, without refreshment, we will catch up,” the horse answers.
Garbash mounted his three-legged horse and quickly caught up with the fugitives. He returned them home to the palace and said:
“You didn’t ask my permission to leave, Fusht-Beig.” You ran and deserved to die. But I promised to repay you with kindness and therefore I give life.
And soon Fusht-Beig and Jinagaz again ran away from the garbash while he was sleeping, and again the horse woke up the owner, and again the garbash caught up with the fugitives. He said:
“I’m giving you life for the second time, fugitive.” But don't expect mercy the third time!
The next day Fusht-Beig says to his wife:
“We can’t escape the garbash.” His horse is not an ordinary one. Even though he has three legs, he easily catches up with the fastest horse. What kind of horse does he have? Where did he get it? We will not leave here until we get the same horse.
The beautiful Jinagaz told her husband how the garbash got himself a horse:
“Once he spent three days and three nights tending the mares of a witch. For three days and three nights the witch frightened him, but the garbash firmly held the reins of all three mares and did not let go for a moment. At the end of the third night, one of the mares foaled. At that same moment, birds of prey flocked from nowhere and all rushed to the foal. Among the birds were three huge eagles. Garbash held the mares with one hand and protected the foal with the other. His sword struck all the birds, but one of the eagles still managed to break through to the foal and snatch its front leg. The garbash worked for this foal, and he received it as a reward. From the foal grew the fastest horse. Although he has three legs, he has no equal on earth.
“I want to try my luck and earn a foal from a witch,” says Fusht-Beig.
“It’s very difficult,” says the beauty. “If you don’t save her mares, the witch will kill you.” There is no need to go to her. It would be better if we lived here in my palace. Garbash doesn’t stop us from living, he just doesn’t allow us to leave.
“We need to return to my homeland,” says Fusht-Beig. “We must live on my native land, on the land of my ancestors, and for this we need the fastest-footed of horses.” Until we have it, we will not see freedom! I'll go to the witch.
Fusht-Beig rode for a long time to the places where the witch lived. Supplies have run out. “A piece of at least some meat would have saved me,” he thought. Suddenly an eagle with a broken wing appeared on the road.
- Now I’ll eat! - says Fusht-Beig.
- Have pity on me! - says the eagle. - I'm wounded, help me. And I will be useful to you someday.
Fusht-Beig washed his wound, smeared it with healing ointment and released the eagle. Soon he met a fox with a broken paw.
- Well, now I’ll eat! - says Fusht-Beig.
- Have pity on me! - says the fox. - I'm injured, help me. And someday I will serve you.
Fusht-Beig bandaged the fox's paw and released it. Then he saw a large fish on the river bank. She lay on the sand, her gills swollen.
- Well, now I’ll finally eat! - Fusht-Beig shouted and ran up to the fish.
- Oh, have pity on me! - the fish said in a weak voice. - Help me, push me into the water. I will help you someday.
Fusht-Beig pushed the fish into the water and, hungry, moved on. And so I came to where the witch lived.
- Why are you here, man? - asks the witch.
“I came to try my luck, to work for you, to catch your mares.” I want to earn a foal.
“Whoever does not save my mares, I kill,” says the witch. - Twenty daredevils herded my mares. I cut off twenty heads with my sword. Do you want your head to become twenty-first?
“I need to earn an extraordinary foal.” “I will graze your mares,” said Fusht-Beig.
The first night has arrived. The brave man wrapped the reins around his hand and led the three mares onto the lush grass. And then lightning flashed around him, thunder roared, and hail fell. And then a snow storm arose, howled, and a blizzard began to swirl. Fusht-Beig was scared, but he did not let go of the reins and did not take his eyes off the witch mares. The witch saw that nothing could defeat this brave man, and then she said right in his ear:
“You are guarding the mares here, and the shaggy garbash took your wife, the beautiful Jinagaz, to unknown lands.
Fusht-Beig turned his head, looked back for a moment at the voice, and then looked at the mares, but there was no trace of them. He rushed into the darkness of the night to search. But there was nothing to be seen anywhere. He became depressed and suddenly came across a sleeping eagle. It was the same eagle that he spared and nursed back to health. Fusht-Beig woke him up and told him about his trouble. Eagle says:
“The witch hides her mares in a cave, over there in those mountains in the east.”
He flew high into the mountains and drove the mares to Fusht Beig. He took them tightly by the reins, and when dawn broke, he led them to the witch. She says:
- Thank you for your work, you did a great job, you managed to save them.
The second night came. The witch was exhausted - she tried so hard to scare him, but Fusht-Beig was not afraid of thunder, hail, or lightning. Then she again said right in his ear that the shaggy garbash had taken his wife away. Fusht-Beig looked back for a moment - the mares had disappeared. Again he rushed into the darkness of the night in search and came across a sleeping fox. It was the same fox that he spared and cured. Fusht-Beig woke her up and told her about his trouble. Fox says:
“The witch hides her mares in the dark forest, in those mountains in the west.
She ran to the mountains, drove the mares out of the forest and drove them to Fusht-Beig. He caught them, wrapped the reins around his hand, and when dawn broke, he brought them to the witch. She says:
- You managed to save them again... Now hold on - the last night is ahead!
On the third night everything happened again. Fusht-Beig ran to look for the mares and stopped by the river. He remembered that the big fish promised to help him. He called that fish, she stuck her head out of the water and said:
— The witch hides her mares at the bottom of the sea. I'll bring them to you now.
The fish went into the water, swam out to sea, found the witch mares at the bottom and drove them to Fusht-Beig. He caught them and wrapped the reins tightly around his hand. In the morning one of the mares foaled. And then a lot of birds of prey flew in from nowhere. They all rushed towards the foal. Fusht-Beig held the mares with one hand and fought with the birds with the other. He cut with his sword without missing a beat. By sunrise all the enemies were killed. The foal survived! He stood on all four legs!
Fusht-Beig pushed him towards his mother to suck his mother's milk. The foal drank milk and became an adult powerful horse. Fusht-Beig brought the mares to the witch and said:
“I’ve done your job, I’ve done you a service, now give me the foal!”
The witch was surprised. She could not understand how Fusht-Beig found the mares at the bottom of the sea. But there was nothing to be done, I had to give up the foal - now not a foal, but an adult, beautiful horse.
Fusht-Beig returned to his wife, the beautiful Jinagaz. Again they waited until the garbash fell asleep, mounted their horse and rushed to the homeland of Fusht-Beig.
Garbash woke up and asked his horse:
- What, friend, will we do: refresh ourselves and catch up, or, without refreshment, will we catch up?
“Even if we refresh ourselves, or even if we don’t refresh ourselves, now we still won’t catch up,” the horse answers.
But the garbash sat on him and rushed after the fugitives. The three-legged horse ran as fast as the wind. But the four-legged one ran faster. The three-legged one was a little tired, and then the garbash began to urge it on - hitting it on the sides with a heavy club. The three-legged one shouts to the four-legged one:
- Let me catch up with you, have mercy on me, dear brother! We were born from the same mother! I don’t have the strength to catch up with you, and now the garbash is beating me with his heavy club. A little more and I'll fall!
The four-legged one answers:
“I feel sorry for you, dear brother, but I won’t let myself be caught up, because your master wants to kill mine.” I will help you in a different way - I will help you get rid of the evil owner. I will kick the ground hard and dig a deep hole. Stop at the edge at full speed, and your rider will fly out of the saddle and fall into the hole.
Three-legged agreed. At full gallop, he stopped at the edge of the hole that the four-legged man had made, and the garbash flew into the hole. It was covered with earth forever.
And the brave Fusht-Beig with the beautiful Jinagaz came home to his native village. And they began to live calmly and happily.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru