In a certain kingdom there lived a rich merchant. And he had a son. The son grew up and decided, following his father’s example, to go into trading. But the father did not want his only son to do this business. Therefore, he endowed his son with great wealth and sent him overseas so that he could choose some other occupation for himself there. In a foreign country, the son started a household, which he ran very well. The merchant's son was invited to all feasts, funerals, and family celebrations.
One day he met a funeral procession on the street.
Suddenly he sees that several people grabbed the dead man, threw a noose around his neck and dragged him along the ground, while others were lashing him with long twigs. In bewilderment, the merchant's son asked what caused such desecration of the dead man. They told him: “This man died without paying his debts to those who are now dragging and beating him. And it is their right to do so.”
Having stopped the funeral, the merchant's son paid off the debtors, reassured them, and forced the creditors to bury the former debtor with honor.
After some time, the king of this country celebrated a feast. He invited the merchant's son to the feast.
The merchant's son rode to the wedding on horseback. On the way, he met a stranger armed with an axe.
“I won’t let you go where you’re going,” he said.
The merchant's son considered it shameful for himself to return halfway and began to ask the stranger to let him through.
“Don’t disgrace me,” he said, “don’t deprive me of the opportunity to attend the royal feast, for this I will shower you with gold and silver.”
The stranger was implacable, but after long requests from the merchant’s son, he gave in.
“I’ll let you in if you give me half of what you get there.”
The merchant's son did not hope to get anything at the wedding. However, he vowed to give the stranger half of what he received at the feast. Then the stranger let him through.
At the feast, the king’s daughter, and the king himself, really liked the young man. After the feast the king says to him:
- I will marry my daughter to you.
The princess was beautiful. The merchant's son thought that happiness had fallen at his feet, and gratefully answered the king with consent.
The newlyweds were put to bed in the bedroom for the night. Suddenly it seemed to the merchant's son that someone was standing motionless in the corner of the upper room. It was an old stranger.
The newlywed decided that he had imagined it and, hugging his young wife, fell asleep. At midnight, a snake crawled out of the princess’s mouth and was about to bite the young man lying next to her. But the one who stood in the corner instantly found himself near the sleeping people; He cut off the snake's head with a silent blow of an ax. After some time, another snake crawled out of the princess’s mouth, intending to sting her husband, but the stranger cut off its head too. After some time, a third snake appeared, but when it saw a stranger with an axe, it crawled back.
Until the morning, a stranger stood over the newlyweds and protected their sleep. In the morning, the courtiers were surprised to see the newlywed unharmed. It turns out that he was not the first person to whom the king married his daughter, but the husbands died from a snake bite on the very first night.
The next day, the king threw a magnificent feast, blessed his son-in-law and daughter and sent them to the homeland of the merchant's son.
The stranger followed them. When they reached the place where the merchant's son met him, the stranger turned to him with the words:
“Now, if you don’t want to break your oath, you must give me my share of what you received from the king.”
“What I received from the king is my wife.” How will we divide it? - asked the young man.
The stranger stubbornly stood his ground. Finally the young man said:
- Well, no matter how hard it is for me, I cannot go back on my word.
The stranger swung an ax at the newlywed, she screamed in horror, a snake slipped out of her mouth and fell to the ground. The stranger cut off her head with one blow. Then he took out the heads of previously killed snakes from his bag and said:
- Now take your wife and live happily with her.
- You saved my life! - exclaimed the young man. “I want to know who to thank.”
“I am the dead man who was dragged on a rope and flogged with rods, whose debts you paid,” answered the stranger and disappeared.
The merchant's son and his young wife returned to his father.
There was a feast at home. At the feast there was something to drink and something to eat.
So it turns out: having done good, even if you throw it into water, it will not be lost.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru