Zangi-Zrangi
Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife. They had two children: a boy and a girl. The boy was already quite grown up, while the girl was still very young. Ever since the girl turned five months old, strange things began to happen: when no one was home except the girl, food started disappearing. Milk and matzoon vanished from the jugs, bread from the breadbox, and butter from the pots. Other things disappeared too. At first, they thought thieves had been sneaking into the house. But the boy had his own thoughts on the matter.However, he didn’t dare tell anyone about them. One day, when his parents left the house, he hid in a dark corner. And what did he see? His sister got out of bed and devoured all the food left on the table. Then she went to the breadbox. Seeing that there was no bread left, only dough, she greedily pounced on it and swallowed it whole. After that, she began rummaging through all the shelves. She sniffed and searched for food, and when she realized there was none left, she lay back down in bed with the innocent look of a child.
When the mother returned home, she heated up the tonir and wanted to take the dough to bake bread, but she saw that the dough was gone. The boy came out of his hiding place, took his mother aside, and told her everything he had seen with his own eyes.
He said:
"You’d better know. It’s between you and your daughter. Do as you see fit, but I won’t stay in this house any longer. When she grows up, she’ll devour us all. She’s not human—she’s a demon, a real dragon."
Having said this, the boy left the house. He walked out of the village, and when it disappeared from view, he sat down by the side of the road to rest. He was very tired and hungry. After searching his pockets thoroughly, he found three dried apricots. He ate them and buried the pits by the road, thinking, "Let three big apricot trees grow from them."
The boy’s name was Tatuk. Tatuk decided to go to distant lands to find a new home. But along the way, he encountered neither cities nor villages. Instead, he came across a flock of sheep and goats. He walked straight toward them. He looked around: there was no shepherd in sight.
Waiting until dusk, Tatuk followed the flock as it slowly made its way home.
When the herd reached its pen, two people came out of a nearby house: a man and a woman. They were an elderly couple, both blind. They began milking the goats. After milking enough, the old couple crumbled bread into the milk and started eating. Slowly approaching the pot of food, Tatuk began eating with them. The blind old couple, of course, couldn’t see that someone was sharing their meal. They were blind, but they weren’t fools: sensing something was amiss, they decided to wait and see what would happen.
After some time, the husband said to his wife:
"Listen, wife. For several days now, I’ve been going hungry. But we’ve been taking the same amount of milk as always."
"Listen, husband. I thought you were eating a bit more than usual. I’ve been going hungry too. That can only mean one thing: someone is eating with us."
"That must be it. I’ve noticed something else: before, we often had to herd the flock ourselves, but now it comes back to the pen on its own."
"Someone must be herding it. Who could it be? Let’s do this: when we have lunch, I’ll give a signal—I’ll cough. Then you immediately stretch out both hands around the table. I’ll do the same. If someone is sitting between us, we’ll catch them and see who it is."
As agreed, that evening the old couple caught Tatuk.
"Who are you?" they asked. "And why are you hiding from us?"
Tatuk replied:
"I’m a stranger in these parts. Be my father and mother, and I’ll be your son. I’ll herd your flock and take care of you."
"Very well," the old couple agreed. "It must be God who sent you to us. We have no children, so be our son."
The next morning, the father called Tatuk and said:
"Listen to me, son. When you take the flock out to graze, make sure the sheep and goats don’t wander to the left or right hills. Only the middle hill is a safe pasture."
"Alright," said Tatuk.
But curiosity got the better of him. On the second day, Tatuk drove the flock to the hill on the right side of the house. He looked and saw devils celebrating a wedding! They had gathered in a circle, merrymaking, playing the zurna and dool. When they saw Tatuk, they rushed to him, dragged him into their circle, and began dancing. Then they said:
"You know what, boy? We’re having a celebration. A wedding. So chop some firewood for us, and make it a lot."
Tatuk agreed. He took an axe and began splitting a huge log. He made a crack in it, wedged it open, and called the devils:
"Hey, everyone, come here! Hurry, I’ll show you a trick! It’ll make your wedding even more fun."
The devils all came, including the bride and groom:
"Come on, where’s your trick?"
Tatuk said:
"Put your hands in the crack, or the trick won’t work."
All the devils stuck their hands into the crack and waited for the trick. That’s when Tatuk knocked out the wedges from the log. The devils screeched:
"Ow! Ouch! What have you done? You’ve trapped our hands! Are you playing a joke on us? Is this your trick?"
Tatuk said:
"That’s just the beginning. Wait, the main joke is coming. But first, tell me: which of you blinded my father and mother? Give me back their clear eyes, or it’ll be the end of all of you!"
"Yes, yes! Ow, ouch!" said one devil, wincing in pain. "There they are, under the bush. Take them, and let us go."
Tatuk went, took the eyes, and said upon returning:
"I found them. But how do I restore my parents’ sight?"
"Just place the eyes in their sockets and wipe them with the bride’s veil. They’ll see again at once."
Tatuk took the veil from the bride.
"Now let us go!" the devils shouted.
"I could do that, but who knows what you devils are capable of? What if you tear me to pieces later? There’s no point in deluding myself that devils can be trusted. Prepare yourselves for what fate has in store for you, but I won’t make deals with devils."
The devils groaned. Their pleas and requests had no effect on Tatuk. But who would be foolish enough to trust devils? Tatuk took an axe and cut off all their heads. And so, the hill was cleansed of evil spirits. That evening, returning home, he placed eyes into the old men’s eye sockets and wiped them with the veil of the devil’s bride. The old men immediately regained their sight. They thanked Tatuk, kissing him with joy. Their happiness was so immense that they didn’t even know how to express this sudden fortune that had befallen them. Tatuk was inspired by what had happened. The next day, he drove his flock to the right hill. As he reached its peak, Tatuk heard a terrible howl.
The sheep and goats also heard the howl and, trembling, bolted back. Tatuk didn’t stop them but decided to see for himself what kind of beast could howl so frighteningly.
He followed the sound. He walked until he reached a cave where this strange beast sat. It looked like a lion, but it wasn’t a lion. It looked like a tiger, but it wasn’t a tiger. It looked like a boar, but it wasn’t a boar. Most of all, the beast resembled a dog. And this dog was the size of ten large dogs combined.
While Tatuk hid behind a rock, observing the dog, it noticed him:
"Hey, lad," it called to him in a human voice. "I’m barely enduring the pain and can’t move. Help me, come closer, don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you."
When the dog spoke in a human voice, Tatuk was delighted. He thought, "Someone who can speak like a human can be humane like a human." But as soon as he approached the dog, it said:
"If I give birth to an even number of puppies, I will swallow you. But if it’s an odd number, then so be it, you may live."
"That’s for you to decide," said Tatuk.
But he thought to himself, "What will be, will be." When the dog gave birth to the first puppy, Tatuk hid it in his shepherd’s bag. He did the same with the second puppy. And when the third one was born, and it became clear there would be no more, Tatuk placed it in front of the dog and said:
"Only one was born. Was it worth groaning so much for just one puppy?"
The dog felt ashamed:
"Alright, go then," it said. "I’ll spare your life. And if you ever wander into these parts again, don’t fear me. I won’t harm you or your flock."
Tatuk took the two puppies hidden in his bag with him. He fed them sheep’s milk and cared for them. And when the puppies grew up, they became the most loyal dogs in the world.
Tatuk named one Zangi and the other Zrangi. Wherever he went, he always took the dogs with him. At home, he kept them on a chain so they wouldn’t misbehave. About ten years passed, if not more. Tatuk decided to visit his homeland and see his father and mother. He told the old men about his plan. They agreed but asked him to return soon. Tatuk poured milk into a bowl, placed it on a shelf, and said:
"Keep an eye on this milk. If you notice it changes color, turns red or dark, know that something bad has happened to me. Then untie Zangi and Zrangi—they will come to my aid." With that, he set off for the village where he was born.
He reached the place where he had buried apricot pits. He saw three tall, sprawling apricot trees standing there. He rested in their shade and soon arrived at his native village. But what did he see? Not a single living soul in the village! It was completely empty. He rode his horse straight to the porch, dismounted, entered the house, and saw his sister sitting by the hearth. No one else was around.
His sister stood up, raised her hand in greeting, and said:
"Welcome back, brother, light of my eyes. Where have you been all this time? Why did you stay away for so long?"
With these words, his sister went outside, saw the horse, and noticed a bag tied to the saddle containing the provisions Tatuk had brought. She swallowed the entire bag whole, then returned to the house and said:
"Listen, brother, you came without a bag, didn’t you?"
"Yes," said Tatuk.
He immediately realized she had just swallowed the bag.
His sister went outside again, bit off one of the horse’s legs, and ate it. She returned and asked:
"Brother, my dear, did you come on a three-legged horse?"
"Yes," said Tatuk.
His sister went out again, bit off the horse’s second leg, ate it, and came back:
"Brother, my dear, did you come on a two-legged horse?"
"Yes," replied Tatuk.
His sister went out once more. She ate the horse’s third leg. She returned and said:
"Dear brother, did you come on a one-legged horse?"
"Yes," said Tatuk.
His sister went out again. She bit off the horse’s last leg, ate it, and returned:
"Dear brother, did you come on a legless horse?"
"Yes," replied Tatuk.
His heart raced: "Once she finishes the horse, she’ll come for me. What should I do?" he thought.
His sister went out a fourth time. She ate the horse’s last leg and returned to the house:
"Dear brother, did you come on foot?"
- Yes, sister. I came on foot. I'll leave on foot too, if you don't mind.
- Oh, brother, how could I let you go? I've been waiting for you for so long, and your arrival has filled my heart with joy. You must be hungry from the journey. I'll go and bring you some bread to eat.
As soon as the sister left, a rooster jumped out from a dark corner and said to Tatuk:
- Listen, lad, your sister went out to sharpen her teeth. She’ll come back and eat you. Save yourself!
- How can I save myself? I don’t know what to do! – replied Tatuk.
The rooster said:
- Take off your clothes, stuff them with ash, and hang them from the ceiling. Then run away without looking back. When your sister returns and attacks the clothes, the ash will get in her eyes. By the time she clears her vision, you’ll be far away!
Tatuk followed the advice and did just that. He had already left the village when he heard his sister catching up to him. Meanwhile, Tatuk reached a place where three apricot trees grew and climbed one of them. Just as he climbed up, his sister arrived. She tried to climb the tree but couldn’t. So, she started gnawing at the trunk. She gnawed and gnawed until the tree began to fall. But Tatuk jumped to the second tree. His sister started gnawing at that one too. She gnawed and gnawed, and the tree fell. Tatuk barely managed to jump to the top of the third and last tree. His sister rushed to it and began gnawing the trunk.
At that moment, Tatuk’s parents looked at the bowl of milk he had left before his departure. They saw that the milk had turned red. Immediately, they released Zangi and Zrang. Zangi and Zrang picked up their master’s scent and bounded down the road Tatuk had taken. Soon, they arrived at the scene. Tatuk saw them and shouted:
- Zangi, Zrang, swallow her quickly. Swallow her so that only a drop of blood remains.
The dogs swallowed the sister as Tatuk had asked: only a drop of blood fell onto an apricot leaf. After freeing their master, Zangi and Zrang wagged their tails and lay down at his feet. They were happy to have saved Tatuk in time. Meanwhile, he took the leaf with the drop of blood, tucked it into his shirt, and walked away from the place. He walked and walked until he encountered a caravan.
When the merchant—the owner of the caravan—saw Tatuk’s dogs, he immediately wanted them for himself. “If these lion-like dogs are mine, I won’t have to fear bandit raids anymore. Even if there are a hundred of them, these two dogs will defeat them,” he thought. He turned to Tatuk and said:
- Listen, lad, give me these dogs. Ask for as many mules as you want. Take them with all the baggage they carry.
- Even if you gave me your entire caravan, I wouldn’t trade my dogs for it.
- Are you saying that with these two dogs, you’re richer than me with my whole caravan?
- It seems so, – replied Tatuk. – This huge caravan won’t save your life. On the contrary, it might attract bandits who could take not only your property but also your life. My life, however, is safe.
They continued traveling together, chatting. Finally, the merchant said:
- If you don’t want to part with your dogs for any price, let’s do this: I’ll give you a riddle. If you solve it, the caravan is yours. If not, I take the dogs.
- Agreed, – said Tatuk. – Go ahead, ask.
- Do you see this cane? If you guess what kind of wood it’s made from, you can take the caravan. If not, the dogs are mine.
- Alright, – said Tatuk and began naming all the types of trees he knew: – Cedar, pear, ash…
He named every tree he knew, but none of his answers were correct.
- Well, then, hand over the dogs, – said the merchant.
- Wait a moment. Let me think for another minute, – said Tatuk. – I know one more type of tree. The name is on the tip of my tongue…
At that moment, something began to scratch and squeak:
- Wild dogwood… wild dogwood…
These sounds came from the drop of blood on the apricot leaf tucked in his shirt.
- I know! I know! – exclaimed Tatuk. – This cane is made of wild dogwood!
- Yes, you’re right, – said the merchant. – Well, now you can take my caravan.
- I don’t need your caravan, – replied Tatuk. – I’m a simple shepherd, not a merchant. Just give me some fine clothes so I can go and propose to my bride. That will be enough.
The merchant chose the finest clothes, added jewelry and other wedding ornaments, loaded them onto a mule, and gave them to the young man. Tatuk took the mule laden with goods and headed home. But as soon as the caravan disappeared from sight, he felt something moving inside his shirt. He reached in, pulled it out, and saw a huge snake. The drop of blood on the leaf had turned into a snake, and it was poised to bite Tatuk’s throat.
The young man shook the snake off his hand in disgust, but it grew bigger and bigger. Soon, it wasn’t a snake but a full-fledged dragon.
- Zangi, Zrang! Here! Swallow this monster so that not even a drop of blood remains!
The dogs did as commanded. The dragon-sister disappeared forever, and Tatuk, along with the mule laden with wedding gifts, safely returned home. He proposed to a beautiful girl, married her, and now lives happily with her. Their dreams came true, and may yours come true too.
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