The Pomegranate Seed

Once upon a time, there lived a king. This king had a son—his only heir. The king spent a great deal of money to buy his son a fiery sword. The prince spent his days doing nothing but riding through mountains and forests, hunting, and feasting with his friends.

One day, the boys in the city started spinning tops. The prince joined them, spinning his own top, but it slipped, jumped up, and shattered a jug belonging to a poor old woman who was passing by, carrying water in it. The old woman grew angry with him because now she had nothing to carry water in, and she said:
— May you be cursed, you idle fool! May your heart be struck with love for a beauty named Pomegranate Seed.

As soon as she uttered these words, the prince felt that he must see the beautiful Pomegranate Seed. He took his fiery sword, mounted his horse, grabbed a sack of gold just in case, and set off on his journey.

He traveled through all the forests and mountains but could not find her. He sat down on the grass to have a bite to eat and rest a little when suddenly he saw a doe approach him, look at him, and then run away. He chased after her. He climbed seven mountains, descended from seven mountains, crossed seven gorges, all while pursuing her. Suddenly, he saw a small hut in the middle of the forest; the doe ran to this hut and slipped inside.

The prince rode up to the hut but saw neither doors nor windows. He swung his fiery sword, cut down half the wall, and entered. Inside, he saw a made-up bed by the wall, but no one was in the hut. Only a huge pomegranate lay on the bed. He split the pomegranate open, and out came a girl, small and very beautiful.

— How did you end up here? — the prince asked her.
— A three-headed Hovt hid me here, — she replied. — I lived with my father and mother, but the Hovt kidnapped me and won’t let me go.
— Where is this Hovt now?
— He’s fighting three devas who wanted to take me from him, but they can’t defeat him.
— How can three devas not defeat one Hovt?
— It’s because if you cut off his head, a new one grows back immediately. His soul isn’t in his body but is hidden in three birds, and the birds are in that box over there. Only a fiery sword can break the box.
— Well, — said the prince, — you wait here. I’ll go finish off the devas so they won’t hunt you, and then I’ll deal with the Hovt.
— Don’t go, — said Pomegranate Seed, — you can’t handle them alone.
— Don’t worry about me, — the prince replied.

The prince took the box, tucked it into his coat, and rode toward the battle. He saw that, just as Pomegranate Seed had said, the Hovt and the three devas were fighting in the gorge.
"Who should I start with? — thought the prince. — If I side with the devas and attack the Hovt, they’ll think I’m a coward. If I fight on the Hovt’s side, they’ll think I’m too arrogant and overconfident. Better to go up and greet them. Whoever greets me first, I’ll take their side."

He approached, greeted them, and the Hovt was the first to respond. The prince said to the Hovt:
— Step aside, I’ll deal with them myself. He drew his sword and killed all three devas in one stroke. The Hovt marveled at his strength and skill and thought: "If he finds out that I have the beautiful Pomegranate Seed, he’ll want to marry her. I must kill him today." He attacked the prince, but the prince was ready. He cut off all three of the Hovt’s heads, but the Hovt only laughed, for three new heads grew back instantly.

But the Hovt didn’t laugh for long. The prince took out the box, split it with his fiery sword, and three birds flew out. When the Hovt saw this, he begged for mercy.
— Spare me, — he said.
— Did you spare Pomegranate Seed? — the prince asked. And with that, he wrung the necks of all three birds. He mounted his horse and rode back to the beautiful Pomegranate Seed.
— Pomegranate Seed, — he said, — I’ve killed all your enemies. Will you agree to marry me?
And she joyfully agreed.

They set off for the city where the prince’s father, the king, lived. They hadn’t gone far when they saw three robbers on the road, plundering honest travelers.
— Aha, — they said upon seeing the prince, — we’ll rob him now and take the beauty riding his horse for ourselves.
But the fiery sword did not fail the prince this time either. He defended himself and all the travelers from the robbers and safely entered his father’s capital.

People ran to the king, bringing him joyful news: your son has returned. The king came out to meet his only son with trumpeters and his retinue and led them home in triumph. For seven days and seven nights, they celebrated the wedding of the prince and the beautiful Pomegranate Seed. Three apples fell from the sky: one for the one who told the story, one for the one who listened, and one for the whole world.

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The Pomegranate Seed

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