Once upon a time there lived a poor man. His name was Tleubokozh. Notable people also came to see him - peasants and nobles. They often took him with them on campaigns as a khagra, but never allowed him to look after their horses. They did not know that even though Tleubokozh was a poor man, he owned wonderful horses and heroic strength.
Tleubokozh was a proud and independent man, and one pshi decided to destroy him.
One morning Pshi went to see Moldskin. He lived on the edge of the village, his poor yard was all overgrown with grass. He drove up to the fence and called the owner. He left the house of Tleubokozh.
“Welcome, pshi,” he invited the guest.
“Thank you,” Pshi replied. - Come with me, if you don’t have a horse with a saddle, I’ll give it to you.
“I have a horse,” said Tleubokozh.
He went around the corner of his poor saklya and brought out two horses - gray and black with a white mark on the nose. Pshi sat on the black one, Tleubokozh - on the gray one.
And the horsemen galloped off.
They rode for a long time, galloped for a long time and met in the steppe a herd of horses of the famous Tleguts-zhache. They captured the herd and drove it towards them.
- How will you go - in front of the herd or behind? – Tleubokozh asked the wheat.
“I’ll go behind,” answered Pshi.
“Then keep an eye on that stallion, he keeps trying to return to his owner.”
The stallion tried several times to break away from the herd and leave, but each time the horse forced him to turn back. Suddenly the stallion broke free and ran away.
“The stallion has galloped away,” said Pshi to Moldskin.
“It would be better not to miss him,” he replied.
After some time, the stallion returned, and the owner of the herd, Inyzh, galloped along with him. He drove up to the psha and asked:
-Are you stealing my horses?
- You see, I'm stealing it.
“You won’t be able to steal my herd; only the Mallowskin can do that.”
And he went to Tleubokozhu. Inga galloped after the other. And then three horsemen met. Tleubokozh dismounted, and Inyzh, the owner of the herd, also dismounted.
Tleubokozh grappled with the other, and the duel began. Tleubokozh defeated Inyzha, and at the same moment Inyzha’s stallion galloped back - Pshi could not hold him back. The stallion left, and Pshi and Tleubokozh rode on.
A little time passed. Suddenly they hear that a second horse on the same stallion is catching up with them.
-Are you stealing my horses? - he asked Psha.
- You see, I'm stealing it.
“You won’t be able to steal my herd; only the Mallowskin can do that.” “And he went to Mlyubokozhu.” Pshi galloped after Inyzh, and the three horsemen met again. The Inyzh dismounted, and Tleubokozh also dismounted. They grappled and the duel began.
The moulder-skinned one knocked down the giant, and at the same moment the stallion of Inyzha galloped back - Pshi could not hold him back.
Soon the father of the murdered foreigners arrived on it - the most greedy, the most important of them - Tleguts-zhache.
-Are you stealing my horses? - he asked Psha.
- You see, I'm stealing it.
“You won’t be able to steal my herd; only Moulder-skin can do that.” “And he went to Mlyubokozhu.” Pshi galloped after Tleguts-zhache.
Tleguts-zhachae dismounted, and Tleubokozh also dismounted.
- Maybe I can defeat him? - said Mold-skinned Psha. - If I kill him, the stallion will not go anywhere - he will be left without an owner.
The duel began. They fought for a long time. Finally, Tleubokozh defeated Tleguts-zhache, but he himself was seriously wounded. The stallion went into the herd.
“I’ll die after sunset,” said Mallowskin. “You cover me with a cloak, and sit on my horse and tie yourself tightly to the saddle, otherwise the wind will blow you off your horse.” You hit the horse three times with a whip, and he will run, and when necessary, he will stop on his own. As soon as the horse stops, shout three times: “Milbokozha is no longer alive!” - and leave.
As the sun set, Tleubokozh died. Pshi covered him with a cloak, mounted his horse, tied himself tightly to the saddle and struck the horse three times with a whip.
Whether the horse galloped a lot or a little, he didn’t know how much. When the horse stopped, Pshi shouted three times: “Tleubokozha is no longer alive!”, and rode to where he left the dead men, Tleubokozha and the herd.
The psha drives up to the place of the duel and can’t believe his eyes - Tleubokozh is alive, urging the herd on. They drove their horses and returned to the village. Tleubokozh took a stallion and seven mares.
Before saying goodbye to Pshi, Tleubokozh told him:
“If you say a word to anyone about what happened to us during the campaign, I will deal with you and all your family.”
Melubokozh let the stallion and seven mares graze in the field.
Summer has passed. Winter has come. In the spring, the mares foaled, but six foals did not live more than one day.
“What is this, what is happening to them?” - Tleubokozh began to think and decided not to sleep that night when the last foal was supposed to be born.
At dawn the foal was born, and immediately someone burst into the stable. The aphrodisiac fired, the newcomer jumped out and went into the reeds.
It was spring. Autumn has come.
Tleubokozh had a mother, and he had a brother and a sister. One autumn, his mother and sister went to the field for reeds and found a legless stranger there.
- What happened to you, or why don’t you have legs? - asked the mother.
“Your son is to blame for this,” the foreigner answered.
– What should we do now? - asked the mother and daughter.
“Take me to your place, cure me, and I will take you both as my wife,” the foreigner promised.
“Okay,” said the women.
They put the giant on a cart, covered him with reeds and took him to their place. They put him in a dungeon and treated him for a long time in secret from Moldskin. Inyzh was the husband of both Tleubokozha’s mother and sister.
Soon Sister Tleubokozha gave birth.
– What should we do now? – the women were scared. - After all, if Moldskin finds out, he will kill us.
“Tell your brother that you are sick,” said the foreigner. My sister did just that.
“I’m sick,” she told her brother.
- How to treat you? - he said and went for the doctor. No matter whom Tleubokozh brought, none of the doctors could cure his sister.
- What should we do? – the foreigner became worried. “If Molebokozh finds out what happened, he will kill us all.” Tell him this: far from our land, beyond seven mountains and valleys, there lives an extraordinary girl, she has a wonderful garden, and an apple tree grows in it, only her apple will heal you. The aphid will go for this apple and will not return, and we will live in peace.
When Tleubokozh returned, his sister told him what Inyzh had taught her.
Tleubokozh saddled the stallion that Tleguts-zhache had driven along with the herd, and went for a wonderful apple.
He drove for a long time - only he knew how much he drove.
One day he met an old Kalmyk on the road. He was carrying a beautiful girl on a cart. Kalmyk sang a song, and the girl cried bitterly.
- Tell me, old man, why are you singing and the girl crying? - Asked the Tleubokozh. ; “The village I came from has been captured by God, he threatens to eat all the inhabitants if we don’t give him a girl for lunch every day.” Today it was the lot of this girl to be eaten, and that is why she is crying. I will remain alive, and that is why I sing.
“That’s the same thing,” said Tleubokozh and drove after the cart.
The old man rode slowly, Tleubokozh even dozed off in the saddle. Having woken up, he asked the arobchik:
-Are we there yet?
- No, we haven’t arrived.
They drove on. A little more time passed, and again the horseman asked:
-Are we there yet?
“No,” the old man answered again.
The third time Tleubokozh asked the same question, and the third time he answered “no.”
“Oh, you, born of a dog,” shouted Tleubokozh, “how long can you go?!”
The old man jumped off the cart and threw himself into the reeds, but Tleubokozh forced him to return and ordered:
- Take the cart to the side of the road and unharness the bulls! The old man tied the bulls to the cart. The girl left the road and stood by the cart.
Moldskin also dismounted, and immediately a three-headed devil appeared on the road. He saw a horseman:
- Hey, Tleubokozh, have you come to deprive me of a pleasant dinner?
- People like you were left without tidbits!
They rushed at each other. The fight did not last long. Mollyskin killed the dragon, threw one of its heads onto the cart and told the old man to take the girl back, and he drove on.
And in the house where they took the girl for the fucking purpose, they already began to mourn her. At this time the old man returned with the girl. Everyone was happy. They began to ask how the girl managed to escape. The old man said that it was he who killed the monster, took one of its heads and saved the girl.
The village residents were surprised.
– Is the old man telling the truth? - they asked the girl.
“If this is true, let him pull the devil’s head out of the cart and put it in front of you.”
The old man wanted to raise his head, but he couldn’t.
“You see, this old man could not kill the monster, he was killed by a young guy, he is driving along that road,” said the girl.
People went after Tleubokozh and asked him to come back and stay with them in the village.
The horseman has returned. They slaughtered a barn cow for him and held a big feast in his honor.
“If you hadn’t saved our daughter, you would have fucking eaten her.” “We will give her to you as a wife,” they told him.
Tleubokozh agreed. Before going to his wife's room, he said:
“Put a mare in the stable for my stallion.” And so they did. In the morning, before leaving, Tleubokozh said to his wife:
“You will have a son, and the mare will have a foal.” If you raise them together, it will turn out to be good for you someday.
So he said and left.
As he rode, he again met an old man and a girl on a cart. The old man sings, the girl cries.
- Why, dada, are you singing and the girl is crying? - Asked the Tleubokozh.
- There is grief in our village. Blyago has surrounded it and is threatening to eat all the inhabitants if we don’t give him a girl for lunch every day. Today it’s this girl’s turn, and that’s why she’s crying. I will remain alive and that is why I sing.
Tleubokozh went for the cart and dozed off in the saddle again. Waking up, he asked the old man:
-Are we there yet?
“No,” he answered.
A little more time passed, and again the horseman asked:
-Are we there yet?
“No,” the old man answered again.
The third time he asked Tleubokozh the same question, and the third time he answered “no.”
“Oh, you, born of a dog,” shouted Tleubokozh, “how long can you go?”
The old man rushed to the side, into the reeds. Mollyskin forced him to return and ordered:
- Take the cart to the side of the road and unharness the oxen. The girl got off the cart and was running next to her.
Tleubokozh also dismounted.
Suddenly a dragon appeared with three fire-breathing heads. He saw Leaf-skinned.
- Hey, Tleubokozh, have you come to deprive me of a pleasant dinner? – asked.
“It’s not people like you who were left without tidbits,” answered the horseman.
They grappled, and Tleubokozh killed the devil, took off one of his heads, threw it into the cart and sent the old man and the girl back.
A lot of people gathered in the yard of the girl’s parents. They cried and wailed loudly. When they saw the girl alive, they rushed to her and began asking how she managed to escape.
“I fucking killed it,” the old man suddenly said.
– Is the old man telling the truth? - they asked the girl.
“If this is true, let him pull the dragon’s head out of the cart and place it in front of you.”
The old man wanted to raise his fucking head, but he couldn’t.
“You see, this old man could not kill the monster, he was killed by a young guy, he is driving along that road,” said the girl.
Several horsemen rode for Tleubokozh and asked him to return and stay with them in the village.
The horseman has returned. A barn cow was slaughtered and a great feast was held in his honor.
“You saved our daughter, and we are giving her to you as a wife,” the girl’s parents told him.
Tleubokozh agreed.
“Put a mare in the stable for my stallion,” he said.
And so they did.
He spent the night with his wife, and the next morning, leaving, he said to her:
“You will have a son, and the mare will have a foal.” If you raise them together, someday it will turn out to be good for you.
So he said and set off again. As he rode, he again met a cart on which the old man was carrying a girl.
- Why, dada, are you singing and the girl is crying?
- Our village has a terrible enemy - damn. He threatens to destroy us all if we don’t give him a girl for lunch every day. I sing because I will return, and she mourns her bitter fate.
Tleubokozh went with them.
He was driving and asked:
-Have you arrived?
“Not yet,” answered the old man. I asked a second time, the old man answered “no.”
- When will you get there? - Tleubokozh got angry; The old man jumped out of the cart in fright and ran into the bushes.
Tleubokozh returned him and ordered the bulls to be unharnessed. The girl came out and stood next to the cart. Mollyskin also dismounted. Blago immediately headed towards them.
- What, Tleubokozh, came to leave me without lunch?
“It’s okay, bear with me, I left people like you without lunch.”
They rushed at each other and a fight began. We fought for a long time. Finally, defeated, he fucking fell. He tore off his head, threw it on the cart and sent the old man and the girl back.
A lot of people gathered in the yard of the girl’s parents, they were crying and wailing loudly. When they saw that the girl had returned home, everyone rushed to her and began to ask how she managed to escape.
“I fucking killed it,” said the old man.
The girl said that one horseman killed the dragon and went on his way, and she showed where. They brought him back, feasted with him, treated him, and gave him the girl as his wife.
Before going to his young wife, Tleubokozh said:
“Put a mare in the stable for my stallion.” And so they did.
Tleubokozh spent the night with his wife. In the morning, before leaving, he told her that she would give birth to a boy, the mare would give birth to a foal, and that if she raised them together, someday it would turn out good for her.
“Suddenly, you and I became husband and wife,” she said. - Tell me where and why are you going?
- Far away, beyond seven mountains and valleys, there is a beautiful girl, she has a wonderful garden. I am going to get an apple from this orchard to heal my sick sister.
– Before going there, you need to prepare well. You will rest here for a week, and I will get you ready for the journey. That garden is guarded by a hundred eagles and a hundred archers, seven naguchitsa walk around it, and a dog guards it. There is an army around the garden. Around noon, one army leaves, and half an hour later another arrives,” the woman said.
She prepared one hundred chickens for one hundred eagles. For a hundred shooters - a hundred arrows. Seven naguchitsa are covered with one smushka - she prepared beautiful bedspreads for them.
“The horse will have meat in his trough, and the dog will have hay.” “You give the meat to the dog, the hay to the horse,” said the wife of the Tleubkoko-zha. - Tell me, how to find you if you don’t return at the appointed time?
“My horse leaves extraordinary tracks, and one can use them to find me,” answered Mallowskin. He left his ring to his wife, took with him chickens, arrows, blankets and set off on the road.
When he saw the eagles, he threw chickens to them, and when he met the shooters, he gave them arrows: each of them wanted to grab more for themselves. Meanwhile, Tleubokozh passed safely. He threw expensive bedspreads to the naguchits. Soon Tleubokozh saw a horse, in whose feeder there was meat, and a dog, in whose feeder there was hay, and changed their food.
Around noon he arrived at the garden. It was just time to change troops. When one army had left and the other had not yet arrived, Tleubokozh chose the right moment, climbed into the garden and picked a wonderful apple.
The owner of the garden saw him and shouted:
- My horse, help!
But the horse didn’t even move, he just whispered:
- Bon voyage, well done, you did me good!
- My dog, help! – the girl then shouted. But the dog didn’t move either:
- Bon voyage to you, my savior!
The girl called for help from naguchits, and shooters, and eagles, but none of them even moved.
A lot of time has passed since Tleubokozh went for a wonderful apple. His wives gave birth to sons, and his mares foaled. The sons turned eighteen years old. The eldest son saddled the horse and rode to the middle one, and with him to the younger brother.
The third wife of Tleubokozha gathered all her sons and said:
“Your father set out on the road a long time ago and has been sitting in the saddle for many years. If he's alive, find him. His horse leaves extraordinary marks. Follow the tracks and you will find him.
She put her husband's ring on her son's finger and said:
- When you meet your father, drive past him so that he sees this ring. If he says: “Go back,” go back, if he doesn’t say anything, drive past.
The sons went in search of their father. They followed the trail left by his horse, and finally met his father. They recognized him immediately - the mother of the youngest son told them in detail what he was like.
When Tleubokozh saw his ring on the hand of one of the horsemen, he immediately guessed that these were his sons. But he did not call out to the young men, and they drove past. When they were very far away and began to be lost from sight, Tleubokozh called out to them, and the young men instantly galloped up to him.
Together with his sons, Tleubokozh visited his younger wife. Here he was greeted with great joy, generously presented with gifts and escorted on his way. Then he visited his second wife. And here they met him with honor and saw him off with rich gifts. And the first wife greeted him well, and her relatives arranged a seven-day feast in honor of her son-in-law.
Tleubokozh finally arrived at his father’s village. He left his sons with the herds in the reeds, and he himself went to find out what happened in the village in his absence.
He rides through the village and meets a herd of horses the same as those of his sons. Suddenly he sees a man with a long beard and almost naked in the pit - and it was already late autumn, it was cold.
Tleubokozh stopped and asked in surprise:
- Whose family are you from?
“I am the younger brother of Mallowskin.”
– What kind of swag is there in the village?
“Here are some swags,” and the brother told Tleubokozh everything: how his mother and sister found a legless stranger in the reeds, how they cured him, how he took them both as his wife, how his sister carried him and how she, fearing her brother’s punishment, sent him in search of the treasured apple, because of which Tleubokozh was supposed to die. And indeed, he still has not returned; he is probably dead. Mother and sister gave birth to twenty-five inyzhi, who devoured almost all the inhabitants of the village. They made me a herder. They give me some food, but they give me almost no clothes.
- How can I meet all twenty-five people together? - Asked the Tleubokozh.
“If you start stealing our herd, all twenty-five others will chase you at once,” the brother answered.
He came out of the pit, Tleubokozh gave him clothes and led him to his sons. He asked his eldest son:
– How many foreigners could you handle?
“Before the water boils for making pasta, I will kill ten.”
Mollyskin asked the middle one how many others he could kill.
“Before the pasta is cooked, I’ll kill fifteen,” he answered. To the same question from his father, the younger replied:
- While you skin the sheep, I will kill all twenty-five.
“Then let’s go,” said Mallowskin and drove the herd of horses. All twenty-five formidable foreigners galloped after them.
The father and sons dealt with them - they destroyed them all. Tleubokozh and his sons returned to their home.
The sons killed his sister, who sent his brother to certain death.
“Kill the mother too,” Tleubokozh said to his sons.
“No, we can’t do that,” they answered. Then Tleubokozh took out his mother along with the one-legged giant and threw them in the reeds with the words:
“Mother, you really loved the one who was lying here, now you too lie with him.”
Tleubokozh remained with three wives and all his sons and lived for a long time, so long that he could not answer how many years he lived.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru