One king had a vizier who became famous for his extraordinary intelligence. Until a very old age he was the king's right hand. But now, weighed down by years, he asked to be relieved of his post and allowed to go home. The king agreed, but on the condition that he find a successor equal in dignity. The vizier accepted this condition, went home and ordered his eldest son to go to the king instead of his father. When saying goodbye, the father gave his son the instruction: “Do not give in to danger, and do not yield to your father in mind.”
The father blessed his son, put him on a horse and sent him on his way. And he got on another Arash and set off along the shortest road to cross.
He wanted to see if his son was really capable of being a hero. To do this, he hid behind a large stump and tied a handkerchief around his mouth to change his voice, and when his son drove by, he shouted:
- Stop! You won't go any further! Give up your weapons! - and fired several shots into the air.
The son was stubborn for a long time, did not want to give up the weapon, but the father, without ceasing to threaten, stood his ground.
The son submitted. Then the father demanded that, as a sign of submission, he shift his weapon from the left side to the right and return back home. He obeyed and carried out the order. The father returned home by the shortest route. Soon the son returned.
He didn’t tell anyone what had happened to him or the reason for his return, but he couldn’t hide his failure.
The next day the father sent his youngest son to the king. Just as the day before, the father set out to cross his younger son and treated him the same way as he had treated the eldest. The youngest son could not resist either - he was frightened by the threat and returned home.
The embarrassed, saddened brothers could not hide their grief from each other and from those around them.
- Tell me the truth, what happened to you on the way? - the sister began to ask, but they didn’t answer her,
Then she began to ask her father to let her go on her own in order to find out what they encountered along the way. Father allowed.
She put on men's clothes and left. The father acted with her in the same way as with his sons: he galloped across, hid behind a stump, and when his daughter approached, he began shooting and demanded that he surrender his weapon. But the daughter was not afraid - she began to shoot back.
Then he blessed her for her heroism on her further path to the king.
A little later she saw a locked gate, behind which was the castle of three giants. The girl hit the whip of her arash, and he opened the gate.
The giants were not at home; they had gone hunting. The girl was met by the sisters of the giants, who were amazed by the courage of the rider. The giants returned from the hunt and saw the gates wide open.
-Who dared to do this?! - they shouted.
But, having seen the stranger, they softened and began to ask: who is he, where is he from and where is he going. The guest answered evasively, and yet the giants liked him. After consulting among themselves, they decided to make him their son-in-law and immediately invited the guest to choose one of their sisters as his wife. The guest agreed. On his wedding night he was sent with his elder sister to Amhara.
“I am going to the king on a special matter, and until I return from him, I cannot be close to you, and therefore you and I must lie on separate beds,” said the guest, left alone with the bride.
The next day, the sister told how the groom treated her. The brothers were greatly saddened, thought that the guest did not like the older sister, and offered him the middle one as a wife. But the guest treated her in the same way as he did with the eldest. Finally, the brothers offered their younger sister to the guest, but he did not touch the younger one either.
Meanwhile, the younger sister of the giants had things, but no one knew about it, and neither did the brothers. And so she says to the guest:
“I know you are not a man, but a woman, but in the future you will turn into a man.” When you leave, my brothers will offer you to choose a horse from our herd. Choose the worst one, he will always be your faithful assistant.
The guest did just that. He chose the worst horse, saddled it and rode off.
Suddenly the horse spoke in a human voice:
- Hold the reins tight. Press your legs to the sides of the horse so that your heels come together, and whoop at the top of your lungs.
The girl pulled the reins, squeezed the horse with her legs and whooped. The horse flew up into the sky, turned over in the air with its belly up, but sank to the ground on all four legs. The girl held on to him.
“I wanted to check you,” said the horse, “what kind of hero you are.” Now let's move on.
The rest of the journey passed calmly, and they came to the king. The king received the new vizier very well. But to make sure of his abilities, he ordered him to carry out the assignment:
“Beyond the seven mountains, in the seventh clearing, in one of the seven swamps, find a large black boar, take out its heart and liver and bring it to me,” said the king.
The girl turned to the horse and began to ask him for advice.
“Ask the king for a strong, sharp knife with a black handle,” said the horse.
The king gave the girl such a knife, and she went on the road.
There were many obstacles on her way, but she still reached her goal. In the seventh clearing, a large black boar crawled out of the swamp, lay down on dry land and immediately fell asleep. The boar slept for three days and three nights. The girl began to cut the boar's belly. Barely by the third day, when the boar was ready to wake up, she reached the liver and heart and took them out. She barely had time to mount her horse when the boar woke up and chased her. But soon weakening, he fell and died.
The girl came to the king and gave him a boar's liver and heart.
“Okay,” said the king. “Now complete another task: beyond the seven seas, beyond the seven mountains, a white deer grazes.” Go there, find the deer and bring three glasses of reindeer milk.
The girl mounted her horse, crossed the seven seas, and by evening reached the seventh mountain. An insurmountable obstacle arose before her: the mountains either converged or diverged with their peaks and collided so much that sparks rained down all around. The girl lost heart and asked the horse what to do.
“It won’t be easy for me,” the horse answered, “but maybe we’ll pass this place safely.” Don't worry, gather your strength. When the mountains part, pull the reins tighter, squeeze me with your knees, hit me with a whip, whoop, and maybe I’ll be able to get through.
No sooner said than done. However, the mountains closed in and held the horse by the tail. The girl flew out of the saddle over the horse’s head from the push, but remained unharmed. Getting to her feet, she saw a city in the valley. As I came closer, I noticed that the people in it were all made of white stone, frozen in different positions - some of them were standing, others were standing, others were petrified as they walked.
- Hello! - the girl said to one of them.
- Welcome! - answered the motionless man.
- Why is everyone standing petrified? - the girl asked.
- Our queen is very angry. She was angry with her husband because “he reduced our taxes and made our life easier.” “Why do I need lazy subjects,” she said, “It’s better not to do anything?”
do and become like stones!” And she bewitched us. If you threaten her with a weapon, she will break the spell on us. But make sure she doesn't speak more than three times. If she manages to speak a fourth time, we will all die. Therefore, cut off her head as soon as she manages to speak three times,” the petrified man warned the girl.
She came to the queen and, threatening her with a dagger, ordered to immediately revive all the petrified people. The queen was frightened and said:
- Let everyone come to life. Then, after a pause, she added:
- Let all women turn into men. Speaking for the third time, she said:
- Let all men turn into women.
Then she wanted to add something else, but the girl pulled out a dagger and cut off the queen’s head.
And suddenly all the petrified people in the city came to life. Women turned into men, and men into women. The hero girl herself also turned into a man. When this man left the palace, a horse that had already broken free ran up to him. Only his tail became shorter.
They found a doe and got three glasses of milk from her, and then returned to the king. The king, convinced of the strength and resourcefulness of the messenger, recognized him as a hero and generously rewarded him.
“Go home and rest,” he told him, “until I call you.”
On the way, the hero stopped by the giants and married his younger sister, and took the two older ones as brides to his brothers. At home, his father and brothers solemnly welcomed him, and they lived happily, each acquiring their own family.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru