In ancient times there lived one khan. This khan was very evil and greedy. He brutally oppressed the people.
Every week he shaved his head, for this the khan called a new person each time and did not let him go home. The people were in constant fear and so intimidated that they did not know how to escape from the khan, whom no one dared to disobey.
One day the khan called the son of some poor old men to his place. They had three sons. The eldest son went to the khan and did not return. A week later, the khan called his other son. The middle son went to the khan and also did not return home. The old man and the old woman were in despair. A week later they came from the khan to call his last son.
The old people lived very poorly. The mother had already given everything they had to eat for the journey to the eldest and middle sons, but the youngest had nothing to give. The old man and the old woman were very saddened by this. But the mother still came up with something to give her son for the journey. She kneaded quinoa dough with her milk and baked cakes. He took these flat cakes, said goodbye to his parents and hit the road.
He went out onto the hill, looked back for the last time at his native place, where he was born and raised, and with great melancholy in his heart he sang, saying goodbye to his native Irandok, to the murmuring streams, fragrant meadows and bushes, to the shady forest and native mountains.
A few days later the eget reached the Khan's palace. As soon as he was brought to the khan, the khan gave him his sharp razor and ordered him to shave his head.
The khan took off his crown, and the eget froze in surprise: the khan had a horn sticking out of his head. But there was no time to be surprised.
When the eget shaved the khan's head, the khan said:
“Sit here,” and left. And the egg really wanted to eat. He took out the last homemade tortilla and began to eat it. At this time the khan returned, he saw that the eget was greedily eating something that he himself had never seen or tasted.
Khan said to the eget:
- What are you eating? Break it off and let me try it.
Eget broke off a piece of flatbread for the khan. Khan ate and said:
- How delicious! What is it baked from?
“My mother kneaded quinoa dough with her milk and baked these cakes,” answered the eget. Khan was amazed and did not know what to think. “I ate cakes baked with his mother’s milk! Now it turns out that I have become his foster brother, and I cannot shed his blood. If I don’t kill him, he will tell everyone that I have a horn on my head,” thought the khan. “To get rid of this eget, perhaps it would be better to take him to a place where no man has gone before and leave him there,” the khan decided.
The Khan called his executioners and ordered them to take the eget into the dense forest.
The Khan's executioners tied the eget hand and foot, blindfolded him and took him away. Then they unseated him from his horse and threw him into an impenetrable forest where only wild animals roam.
The eget lived there for a long time, eating roots and berries. He made a bow and arrows and hunted animals, and made clothes for himself from the skins, because his old clothes were all worn out. All the time he missed his parents - his father and mother - and with all his heart he strove for his native Irandek, but did not know how to get there.
One day, while wandering through the forest, he got tired and lay down under a tree to rest. A strong wind rose.
Suddenly, wondrous sounds began to reach the eget’s ears. Eget jumped to his feet and walked in that direction. He walked for a long time, not knowing where, and finally climbed to the top of the mountain. Then he saw a tall plant with a hairy head. It swayed in the wind and made a pleasant sound. Eget picked this plant, made a long pipe, blew into it and again heard the pleasant sounds that came from the stem of the plant.
Eget was glad that he had found a friend. Every day he spent a long time learning to play this pipe. Finally, he learned to play various songs that he knew at home and which came to his mind. His heart became lighter and calmer.
One day he walked and walked and reached his native place. The eget got tired from the road and sat down on a hillock, and then began to play. The surrounding people who lived on Yaylau heard pleasant sounds and came to the eget.
Eget told the people about everything he had seen: about how the khan killed young Egets, about how he himself escaped death. Then all the people rose up against the khan and dealt with him according to his deserts.
And since then, among the Bashkir people, the kurai has been passed down from generation to generation and good, sincere songs are played on it.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru