One old man had three daughters. This old man was poor and had no means to support his family. Once, going out into the field and wandering there, he accidentally came across an apple tree. He picked three apples, one for each daughter, put them in his leggings, returned to his daughters and told the eldest of them.
- Take off my leggings.
“Do I care about you when I’m dying of hunger,” she said and did not agree.
Then the old man made the same request to his middle daughter, but she also refused. Then the youngest daughter stood up and, saying: “Poor father, when you were rich, everyone looked after you, but now you, impoverished, no one wants to know,” she took off his leggings, from which three apples fell out.
Then the older girls asked the younger one to give them an apple. Although the younger one answered: “Why would I give it to you when you didn’t want to take off your leggings,” but she gave them each an apple.
Then the old man told his daughters that he would take them the next day to pick apples from the apple tree. In the morning he left before them, saying that he would go and whittle a stick, and they would follow him along this trail. Arriving at the apple tree, the old man dug a large hole and covered it with a carpet; then, shaking the apple tree thoroughly, he covered the carpet with apples.
When the girls arrived and ran onto the carpet, all three fell into the hole and remained there. The old man, having thoroughly covered the pit from above, returned home. The eldest of the three girls asked God to make a hole in the flooring of the pit, at least no larger than the eye of a needle. At her request, a hole opened in the pit flooring. The middle one asked: “God, open the top of the pit and let us come out of it.” As she asked, the top of the pit was removed by itself, and they came out of it. Then the youngest asked: “God, send us one dish full of lybzha.” As she asked, a dish of lybzha appeared in front of the three girls. They ate well and then went up to the apple tree.
While they were sitting there, one khan, who was hunting with his comrades, drove up to them and asked what kind of people they were. They replied that they were Adyghe. Then the khan asked what kind of work they could do.
The eldest said that in one day she could prepare all the clothes for his riders; the middle one said that she would prepare clothes for fifty horsemen; the younger one said: “And if I give birth, I will give birth to two children: one male child, the other female; each of them will have one half of white gold, the other of yellow gold.”
Then the khan, having considered what the girls had said, chose the youngest of them as his wife, and gave the two older ones to his comrades. They took the girls and left. Having heard that the khan had brought himself a wife, they arranged a big feast. Soon the khan's wife became pregnant; but before she had time to give birth, the khan left on a long journey, from where he could not return before a year later. In his absence, his wife resolved and, as she said, gave birth to twins. But as soon as she gave birth, her sisters came running and replaced the children with two puppies; they carried the little ones and threw them into the water.
When the time came for the khan to return, they went out to meet him and said that his wife had delivered her pregnancy and gave birth to two puppies. The Khan ordered those who met him to immediately return, slaughter the bull, remove the skin from it without cutting it, put the khansha in this skin and then tie it to the gate. As soon as they returned, they immediately slaughtered the bull, put the khan’s wife in its skin and tied it to the gate.
The children thrown into the water were taken by the river lady.
The khan's wife, tied to the gate, saw every day how her children sat on a large stone located in the middle of the river. One day she saw a woman passing by and asked her for some flour. She gave her torment. Then the khan's wife made two cakes from this flour, kneading one of them with milk from her breast, and the other with water. She sent these cakes to the children sitting on the stone through a woman walking on the water, asking her to place those cakes on a large stone in the water.
The woman carried and placed the cakes on the stone. When the children, as usual, went out to the stone, they saw cakes on it and hastily grabbed them; The boy came across a flatbread made with milk, and the girl got one made with water. The boy, having tasted his cake, cried out:
- Allah, Allah, it’s so delicious, it’s as if it was cooked with breast milk!
The girl said:
- And mine seemed to be kneaded in water.
Saying this, they ate the cakes. Then they returned to the lady of the river; she asked them what they saw today. The children replied that they found two cakes on a stone: one of them seemed to be mixed with breast milk, the other with water, and they ate them. Then the river lady said that in this case they could not become her children and let them go. The children went to the forest. The boy built a log house and settled in it with his sister. He killed deer every day, and that was how they lived.
One day, when the people gathered together to make a sacrifice, one poor man, not having anything to put into the pool, went into the forest, wondering if he would find either a dead hare or a deer there to add to the general collection. Walking through the forest, he came across a boy's house. “Perhaps, dada, come to us, we are people just like you,” the boy said and then called him in, fed him enough, gave him as much meat as he could take, and sent him home. The old man, still amazed at what he had seen, returned to the village and, going to the two women who threw the children into the water, said that he had seen some miracle in the forest and wanted to tell the khan about it.
- May you perish, you scoundrel! If you saw some shaitan's house, is it possible to tell the khan about it?! - the women said and did not allow the old man to see the khan.
Both women then went to the girl and, saying to her: “Poor thing, what joy can you have if your brother does not get you such and such a dove, located in such and such a place,” they returned home.
The returning brother found his sister crying. When asked what she was crying about, she explained that she would not know peace until he brought her a dove located in such and such a place. The brother went to the river lady and announced to her:
- What should I do now? My sister is crying, demanding that I bring her a dove.
“God would strike those who taught her this,” said the river lady, “but there is nothing to do, we must go after him.” On the way you will meet one pear, the fruits of which will be so sour that it is impossible to put them in your mouth; but you tell me how delicious they are, pick three pears, eat one of them, and put the other two in your bosom - then you will pass by this pear, otherwise it will not let you through. After passing the pear tree, you will meet a very muddy river. Tell me: what a wonderful river this is! Get off your horse, wash yourself and drink this water - then the river will become shallow and you will pass it, otherwise it will not let you through. After this river you will meet sands. Say: what wonderful sand, oh, if only it were in my region! Then take some sand and put it in your bosom - then the sands will let you through. After driving through the sands, you will meet a pigeon sitting on a shandak. You grab it and jump back. The owner of the dove will then shout after you: “Hail, my sands, don’t let him in!” But the sands will let you through, saying: “Let them sacrifice you to him! When the maids took the sand, you scolded them, saying that they were dirtying the door.” When you arrive at the river, he will shout again: “Hahai, my river, don’t let him in!” But the river will also let you through, saying: “Let them sacrifice you to him! When the maids brought two buckets of water, you scolded them, saying that they brought sand instead of water.” Finally he will shout: “Hahai, my pear, don’t let him in!” But she, too, answered: “Let them sacrifice you to him! When the boy brought pears to you, you scolded them, saying that they brought sour pears,” he would let you through and you would return home with a dove.
The boy set off. As the river lady said, he did so and brought a dove to his sister. From then on, the girl spent her time playing with the pigeon.
One day the same poor old man went again into the forest and again came across the boy’s house; he called him in, fed him plenty and, giving him as much meat as possible, sent him home. The old man again told the two women, as before, everything he had seen. The women ran towards the girl. Her brother was not at home, and she sat amused by the dove. “Most unfortunate, and you are content with having some worthless little pigeon! What kind of life is yours if your daughter-in-law is not Irish-Irisha-kan,” the women said to the girl and left.
When the brother returned, he found his sister sobbing. He asks what happened. The sister replied that he should take Irish-Irisha-kan as his wife.
- What a misfortune, where can I get it! - said the brother and went to the river lady.
She asked why he came.
“This is why I came: my sister is crying and demands that I give her Irish-Irisha-kan as her daughter-in-law,” he said.
“What can we do, your sister probably wants to destroy you at all costs.” Go, she is in such and such a place. Because of her, a hundred people have already turned into stone pillars. And you stand at their very edge and shout her name three times; if she turns and looks at you, take her and come back; “If she doesn’t look back, then you too will turn into a pillar,” the river lady told him.
The young man rode off and, standing like a pillar at the very edge, shouted at the top of his lungs: “Hahai, Irish!” She didn’t look back, and his legs turned to stone up to his knees. The second time he shouted: “Hahai, Irish!” – and this time she didn’t look back, and he turned to stone up to the waist. Finally, when he shouted for the third time: “Hahai, Irish!” - and she didn’t look back, he completely turned into stone.
Meanwhile, the sister looks and listens - her brother is gone, he has disappeared. Finally she goes to the river lady.
“My brother is missing,” she tells her.
- Who is to blame? You, worthless one, did not rest until you had destroyed him. Go to those pillars; the most extreme of them is your brother. Stand next to him and shout three times: “Hahai, Irish!” If she looks back, your brother will return, but if she doesn’t look back, you will also turn into a pillar,” the river lady told her.
The girl went and stood at the very edge of the pillars. She shouted once: “Hahai, Irish!” – she didn’t look back, and the girl became stone up to her knees. She shouted a second time: “Hahai, Irish!” – she didn’t look back, and the girl turned to the waist into a stone pillar. Finally, when for the third time the girl shouted: “Irish-Irisha-kan, let the dogs’ mouths spoil your father, why don’t you want to look back for me!” – she laughed: “Kick, kick, kick,” and looked around. Then all the pillars came to life again. Those who remembered their home went home, those who did not remember joined the young man, who immediately returned home with his sister.
The old man came to the forest again and saw that the young man was having a big feast. They invited him to come in, fed him, gave him meat and sent him home. Returning, the old man came to the khan and said: “I saw a miracle in the forest: some young man lives there, and with him there is one girl and many other people.” The Khan ordered the horse to be saddled quickly, rode into the forest and found a feast and great fun there.
“Selam alaikum,” said the khan, stopping in front of the house.
“Aleikum selam,” answered the young man, leaving the house to see the khan and inviting him to dismount from his horse and be a guest.
“I don’t have time to get off my horse, but I would like to know who you are,” said the khan.
“I don’t tell everyone I meet who I am,” the young man answered. - Come to my house, then you will find out who I am.
Khan came to see him. They vaccinated him in the best way possible, fed him, watered him and entertained him as much as they could. Khan again asked who he was, the young man.
“I’ll tell you who I am when I come to stay with you,” the young man answered.
- Very good; “Only on the day when you come to me, let me know about it,” the khan answered and left home, having received the young man’s consent to his request.
The young man, choosing one Friday, went to the khan. Before reaching the khan a little, the young man sent to him to say that he was on his way, but would not enter his yard until the woman tied to the gate was untied. Two dogs, the same ones that were given to the khan’s wife as puppies, met and hugged him, one in front, the other behind, and thus the young man rode. The khan turned the messenger back, saying that he would not untie the woman.
“If he doesn’t want to untie me, then I’m not going to him,” said the young man and wanted to go back.
Then the khan said that, there was nothing to do, he would untie the woman, and ordered, having untied her, to lock her in a catukha. Then the young man arrived along with two dogs, at which all the people were extremely surprised, saying: how could such evil dogs become attached to him, not allowing anyone passage!
The young man rode into the courtyard, dismounted from his horse - the khan gave him a big feast. The young man ordered to bring him some old cup. Putting into this cup all kinds of dishes that were brought during the entire feast, he sent them to the woman who was tied to the gate. The feast is over.
“Tell me now who you are,” the khan then asked the young man.
“If you want to know who I am, then you are my father, and the woman tied to the gate is my mother,” said the young man. “If you don’t believe me, tell her to call her two sisters and ask.”
Then the khan ordered those two women to be brought and, tying them to the tails of unbroken horses, he let them go into the steppe.
From that time on, the khan, recognizing the young man as a son, his sister as a daughter and his wife again as a wife, lives with them to this day. On this occasion, they say, a custom has been established that princes and khans do not divorce their wives.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru