To make you happy, to make you happy, to make you happy, I will tell you this fairy tale...
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a warrior. He traveled around the world, helped good people out of trouble, and instilled fear in their enemies. He saw different countries, visited many battles, and when he felt that his youth had passed and old age was approaching, he decided to return to the places where he was born and raised. And he was born in an aul among high mountains, near the fast Terek. That's where he sent his war horse. He didn’t linger at rest stops, he chose a shorter road, where he met a river, he swam across, where he met a forest, he didn’t go around it, but made his way straight through the thicket. And he kept hurrying his horse: he wanted to see his native mountains as soon as possible.
And then, on the twenty-third day of the journey, the hero found himself at the fast Terek. A steep rocky road led into the mountains. When the horse began to climb up the road, the rider held him back and said:
- Ride more quietly, my faithful horse. While we were driving to these mountains, I hurried you, asked you to rush faster than the wind. He didn’t linger at rest stops, he chose a shorter road, where he met a river, he swam across, where he met a forest, he didn’t go around it, but made his way straight through the thicket. I couldn’t wait, I wanted to see my native mountains as soon as possible.
You took me to the fast Terek. Now let's go slowly: I want to see enough of the mountains, I want to see every stone, every tree better. After all, since I left here, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge in Terek, many times the leaves have fallen in the forests.
The faithful horse listened to its rider and walked along the road at a pace. And the warrior, having let go of the reins, remembered his youth, looked around, examined the mountains, tried not to miss a single tree, a single stone.
And then an aul appeared in the distance. The hero immediately recognized him, was delighted and said to his horse:
- Finally, I see my village again. I will live in it and will never leave it again. Tell me, my faithful horse, what do you want - to live with me or to travel around the world?
— I want to travel around the world again! Give me to the brave young horseman,” the horse answered in a human voice.
The horseman thought and thought and said:
-Have it your way. It is not proper for a war horse to stand in a stable. I will give you to a horseless horseman, whom we will meet on the way. Just check him first to see if he values you. If he passes the test, serve him by faith, as you served me. And when he lets you go, find me again.
“Okay,” said the horse, “I will fulfill your order.”
While the rider and his horse were talking, a man appeared from the village where he was heading. He was walking towards me along the same road. The horseman rode closer and saw a young horseman.
When the warrior caught up with him, the horseman respectfully greeted him and stepped aside.
- How far are you going, horseman? - asked the hero.
- How far away, I don’t even know. I'm going to look for my happiness.
- Why are you walking, don’t you have a horse?
- I'm an orphan. I have neither father nor mother.
Who will give me a horse?
- Do you like my horse? Do you want me to give it to you?
“I have only seen such beautiful horses in my dreams.” But how will you go further if you give me the horse?
- Take it, take it, it’s just a stone’s throw from the village, my feet will carry me. And I had no intention of going any further. Get into the saddle, you can’t go on a long journey without a horse.
The horseman helped the warrior get off his horse, jumped into the saddle, and took the reins in his hands.
The old warrior said:
- Now go, look for your happiness, but remember what I will tell you goodbye. There is only one better horse in the world than my horse. Until you find him, don’t change my horse or give it to anyone. And if you get that horse, release mine, he will find me.
- Thank you for the horse. “And I will firmly remember your order,” answered the young horseman.
He said goodbye to the old warrior, looked after him and drove down the rocky mountain road.
“Now I have a horse. I won’t return to the village until I find my happiness,” Dzhigit said to himself and spurred his horse. The horse ran faster than the wind. The mountains parted, the Terek remained behind, and the horse kept rushing and rushing.
They traveled like this for three days. On the morning of the fourth day, water suddenly sparkled ahead. The young man drove closer and found himself on the shore of a huge, wide and deep lake. In the middle of the lake one could see an island with a high stone tower. It shone in the sun with a golden roof and silver windows.
“I’ll swim to this tower and see who lives in it,” the horseman decided and directed his horse into the water. The horse obeyed and swam to a small island. But he did not forget the order of his old master and decided to check whether the new master valued it. When there was less than half the way to the island, the horse pretended to be drowning.
- I don’t want to live without you! - the horseman exclaimed and let go of his horse. - Get out to the shore, it’s better for me to die!
But the horse did not let him drown.
“Hold on to the saddle,” he shouted in a human voice, “we’ll both get to the shore!” I just wanted to check if you value me.
And they moved on. The horse swam, and the horseman held on to the saddle.
They swam and swam until the wave carried them both ashore.
The horseman took the horse by the bridle, led it to the tower and tied it to an iron ring, which he noticed at the very entrance. Then he opened the silver door and boldly climbed into the tower. And in that tower lived a beauty like the sun. Dzhigit came in, said hello and asked the girl for a drink. The girl served him water in an expensive bowl and threw a gold ring into it. The young man understood what this meant: the girl saw his wet beshmet and asked if it had risen from under the water. He took a few sips, threw a twig into the bowl and returned it to the girl. This was the answer: I came here by water.
Sit down, be my guest and tell me what brings you here,” said the hostess.
Dzhigit silently looked at the girl and could not take his eyes off, and then said:
“I went out in search of my happiness, and when I saw you, I immediately realized that I would be happy with you.”
The beauty replied:
- I like you too, horseman. It’s not easy to get to me here. If you want me to become your wife, you must return to the shore, find a man named Silaima, find out if his wife is healthy, and find out his secret. But don’t tell anyone where you are going, and don’t ask anyone for directions.
- How will I recognize that Silaima? - asked the horseman.
And the girl replied:
“It’s not difficult to recognize Silaima: he doesn’t have the tip of his nose, but no one knows why he’s missing.” This is the secret of Silaima. He gave his word to open it only to those who would accomplish a real feat. I can't tell you anything more. If you want it, look for Silaima; if you don’t want it, go home.
- I will find Silaima, find out everything about his wife and find out his secret! - the horseman exclaimed and immediately said goodbye to the mistress of the tower.
He went out to his horse, jumped into the saddle, climbed ashore and set off. Whether he rode long or short, he caught up with an unfamiliar rider.
- Salaam alaikum, good man!
- Wa-alaikum salaam! - answered the rider.
-Where are you going?
- I’m returning to my home. Where are you going? - asked the stranger.
- And I’m looking for my happiness.
They drove side by side. Dzhigit thought and thought and said:
- I want to make friends with you.
“First we’ll test the strength of the horses, then we’ll measure our strength ourselves, and then we’ll see if you can be my friend,” answered the stranger.
They let the horses gallop - the horseman rushed forward. Then they dismounted and began to measure their strength. The dzhigit contrived and put the stranger on his shoulder blades. The stranger said:
“Now I see that you can be my friend.” Until now, not a single horseman has ever defeated me.
They mounted their horses and rode on. Horsemen ride and tell each other different stories. Here we saw a large stone house on a hill. As we drove past, a girl ran out of the house and said:
- Don’t make noise near this house: if Berzy Kaza wakes up, he won’t blow your head off.
- Who is this Berzy Kaza that everyone should be afraid of him? - the horseman asked loudly.
- Quiet! - his companion was frightened. - Berzy Kaza is a terrible wolf. In the whole wide world there is no one more dangerous than him. I’m not afraid of any monsters, but I don’t dare meet him. I’m afraid for my horse: he’s been scared of wolves since he was a child.
But Berzy Kaza had already woken up. His menacing growl was heard from the house.
“I’ll take the fight to him, my horse is not a timid one.” And you drive further away, go down into the ravine and wait for me! - the horseman shouted to his new friend.
As soon as his companion drove away, the terrible wolf Berza Kaza appeared from the house. “He was shaggy, huge, with huge fangs. Dzhigit was not afraid. His horse also stood as if nothing had happened.
- Let's fight! - Berzy Kaza shouted.
- Come on! - the horseman answered boldly and got off his horse.
They started to fight. We fought for an hour, we fought for three. Finally, the horseman overpowered Berzy Kaz and crushed him under him. Without allowing the wolf to come to his senses, he pulled out his dagger and cut off its head. And then he jumped on his horse and rode into the ravine, where his friend was waiting for him.
They headed further and soon found themselves at some castle. A friend drove up to the gate and said:
- This is the castle I live in. Do me a favor and be my guest.
He brought the horseman to the kunatskaya, sat him down, and went out for a treat. Dzhigit looked around and noticed that some kind of radiance was penetrating through one of the doors. He approached, opened the door and was surprised: a beauty was lying on a high bed. The radiance came from her face, from her hair. But the beauty's eyes were closed. The beauty tossed and turned heavily and moaned. When the owner returned, the horseman could not stand it and asked who it was lying in the next room.
- This is my brother's wife. For some reason she suddenly fell ill and became weaker every day. My brother and I don’t know how to cure her. We visited all the doctors, tried all the drugs, but she got worse and worse. My brother left again to look for medicine, it is unknown whether he will bring it or not.
“Until I find a medicine for her, I won’t go further,” the horseman decided. He didn’t say anything to his friend. “I’ll be back with the medicine, then I’ll tell you.” Let him stay here for now. You never know what might happen, you will need help, but there will be no one to help." When his friend left the room, the horseman ran out of the castle, jumped on his horse and rode out into the field.
- What did you decide? Where should we go? - the horse asked him after three days of travel.
— My friend has a brother, his wife is more beautiful than the rays of the sun. But she suddenly fell ill and lay dying in the castle. I want to help her heal. Until I find a cure for her, I won’t calm down,” the young man answered.
“The medicine is far from here, behind two high mountains that stand so close to one another that not even an ant can crawl between them.” From time to time the mountains move apart, but this only lasts for a moment. When they separate, a rider can slip between them. The mountains immediately converge with thunder and roar. Everything that falls between the mountains turns to dust. When we get close, you shout as if fifteen people were shouting, and hit me with a whip as if eighteen people had hit me. “I’ll rush forward and we’ll gallop between the mountains,” the horse advised.
“Okay, I’ll do everything as you said, just go quickly so that we can return as quickly as possible,” answered the horseman.
The horse rushed forward. And then the mountains appeared ahead. Dzhigit drove closer and saw: two mountains stood so close that even an ant could not crawl between them. The horseman got off his horse, picked up a fallen dry tree, went up to two mountains and, when they separated, put the tree between them. The mountains moved with roar and thunder and crushed the tree into powder. “The horse told me the truth, this place is dangerous,” thought the horseman. But he didn’t hesitate and jumped on his horse. His whole body tensed, as if it had become stone, and his heart began to beat loudly. The horseman shouted as if fifteen people had shouted at once - the mountains parted, he whipped his horse as if eighteen people had whipped him, and rushed into the gap. The mountains closed in with roar and thunder, but the brave rider managed to get through.
The horseman rode across the plain. I drove and drove and noticed a huge lion in the distance. The lion roared loudly and rolled on the ground.
“This lion stabbed his leg with a sharp piece of stone,” said the horse, “that’s why he rushes about like that.” You dig a hole and we will hide in it. And then start teasing the lion. The lion will rush towards us, jump over the hole, and the sharp stone lodged in its paw will fall out. Leo will calm down, become humble and help us get the medicine we are looking for.
Dzhigit listened to good advice. He quickly dug a hole, hid in it with his horse and began to tease the lion. The lion rushed to the cry and jumped over the hole. The sharp stone flew out, the pain in the paw went away. The lion lay down on the grass and rumbled contentedly. When the horseman got out of the hole, the lion said in a human voice:
“Did you save me from torment?” Now I'm your friend. Tell me what brought you to these parts. Few people can get here, and those who get there cannot return.
“I’m looking for a remedy to cure one person,” the horseman answered and told the lion who he was and where he was from.
“Follow me,” the lion said briefly. They walked and walked and finally reached a deep cave.
“Wait for me here,” said the lion, and he disappeared into the cave. He came out from there with a jug of milk and gave it to the young man with these words:
“If you sprinkle this milk on a sick person three times, he will immediately become healthy.”
The horseman thanked the lion and set off on his way back.
I drove and drove and again found myself at two mountains. He rode up close to them, shouted as if fifteen people had shouted, and whipped his horse as if eighteen people had been whipped. The mountains parted for an instant, and the horse rushed into the gap. The mountains moved with a roar, but the brave rider had already passed through.
Whether it was a long or short journey, the horseman finally arrived to his friend. They went into the room where the beauty was lying and sprinkled milk on her three times. She immediately got out of bed, as if she had never been sick. The horseman's friend ran after his brother. And the beauty looked at the horseman and said:
“When my husband sees me healthy, he will be very happy and ask what to give you.” You answer: “Give me that saber with the broken end and that gray nag that is grazing in the meadow; I don’t need anything else.” This saber is not simple: whoever wields it, no one will defeat him in a duel. But the horse just looks unsightly. There is no other horse in the world faster than him.
Dzhigit listened to her and thought: “Apparently, I found the horse that the old warrior told me about when he gave away his horse.”
And then the husband arrived, saw that his wife had recovered, was delighted and exclaimed, turning to the young horseman:
- For what you did for me, ask me whatever you want!
“Give me a saber with a broken end and a gray nag that grazes near the castle,” the young man asked, “I don’t need anything else.”
- Why do you need a broken saber and an old horse? — the owner of the castle was surprised. - I would have taken something better.
But the horseman stood his ground. The owner gave him a saber and an old nag.
While the owner of the castle was talking to him, the horseman looked at his face in surprise: the owner did not have the tip of his nose. “Isn’t this the Silaima I need to find?” - he thought. Then he gathered his courage and asked:
- Tell me, please, is your name Silaima?
- Yes, I am Silaima, nicknamed Noseless, but why do you need to know this?
“The beauty who lives in a tower in the middle of the lake gave her word to become my wife if I find out the secret of a man named Silaima.” Tell me, what feat must I accomplish for you to reveal your secret to me?
“Didn’t you accomplish a feat by getting medicine for my wife?” Listen to what happened to me.
In one high tower that stood in the middle of the sea, there lived two sisters. I wooed the eldest of them (it was you who cured her). She replied that she would marry me if I brought a herd of horses from a seven-headed mountain serpent along with a tiger-like stallion. I took eight comrades with me and went after this herd. We stole the herd while the seven-headed snake was sleeping. But he soon woke up, found out that we had stolen his horses, and rushed after us. As soon as we got out of the mountains and drove out onto the plain, a noise and rumble arose from behind. It was the snake rushing after us. He broke off the top of the mountain and threw it at us. He killed eight of my comrades with a block of stone. I rode ahead on a tiger-like stallion, and the stone did not reach me. But a small piece of stone cut off the tip of my nose. Since then they called me Noseless Silaima. Here's my secret for you.
Dzhigit listened to Silaima's story and hurried on the road. He said goodbye to Silaima, his beautiful wife, his brother, his friend, took the magic saber and went to his horses: the one on which he arrived, and the one that Silaima gave him.
First, he released the horse that the old warrior had given him at his native village:
- Go, find your first master, give him my regards and live with him.
“Farewell, young horseman,” the horse said in a human voice and galloped away.
Then the horseman saddled the gray nag, and when he sat on it, she shook her mane, shook her head and turned into a slender gray horse.
-Where should I take you, brave horseman? - asked the horse in a human voice.
- Take me to the big lake, where my bride lives in a tower under a golden roof.
The gray horse rushed forward. He flew more through the air than on the ground, and by evening he ended up at the lake.
“Have you found a man named Silaima, found out how his wife is doing, and found out his secret?” - asked the beautiful girl when she saw the horseman.
“And I found Silaima, and I saw his wife, and I found out his secret. “Now I’ll tell you everything how it was,” answered the horseman.
He told her about his adventures: how he made friends with Silaima’s brother, how he defeated the terrible wolf Berza Kaza, how he got wonderful milk, cured Silaima’s beautiful wife. He also told the secret of Silaima.
“You found Silaima and learned his secret. “You obtained wonderful milk and saved the life of a beauty who is my sister,” the girl exclaimed, “I agree to become your wife!”
The young man married her, and they began to live and get along. If enemies flew into their land, the young horseman took out his magic saber, mounted a wonderful horse, rode out to meet the enemies and put them to flight. And word spread from village to village about the good, invincible hero and his beautiful wife.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru