About Two Brothers Who Had Unfaithful Wives

Whether it happened or not, there were three brothers. All three brothers were hunters. Every day they went hunting, and that’s how they made their living.

Time passed, and all three got married and settled down. But the two older brothers’ wives took devs (demons) as lovers. When the brothers went hunting, their wives would let the devs in and have fun.

Only the youngest brother’s wife sat alone in a corner, crying.

When the brothers returned from hunting, the devs would leave, and the unfaithful wives would greet their husbands with kisses and affection. But the youngest wife sat there gloomy and showed no affection to her husband.

The youngest brother watched his wife and said:

"Why are you sitting there like a sulking owl, not saying a kind word? Look how my brothers’ wives love and caress their husbands. Why are you so sad? What’s troubling you?"

His wife replied:

"Tomorrow, when you go hunting, think of something to separate from your brothers and come back home. Then you’ll find out what’s troubling me."

The next day, after the brothers had gone halfway on their hunt, the youngest brother lagged behind, turned around, and went home.

He entered and saw the older brothers’ wives embracing and kissing the devs, while his wife sat alone in the corner, crying.

What happened to the youngest brother was worse than any enemy could wish. It was as if he’d been shot with a gun. He rushed out and ran away. The unfaithful wives panicked, screaming and scratching their faces.

"Go," they told the devs, "kill him, or he’ll ruin us all."

The devs went to an old witch who lived in that land. They said to her:

"Old woman, if you don’t do something about that hunter and rid us of him, either you die, or we do!"

The old witch had a cauldron. She would climb into it, and it would carry her wherever she commanded.

The witch climbed into her cauldron and ordered:

"Cauldron, take me to the king!"

The king had been ill for seven months, and thousands of healers and doctors had treated him. They had given him all sorts of medicines, but nothing worked.

The witch arrived in her cauldron and said:

"Take me to the king. I know a remedy that will cure him."

They reported this to the king.

"Bring her in!" the king ordered.

They brought the witch in. She bowed to the king and stood there.

The king asked:

"Tell me, how will you cure me when all the healers have failed for seven months?"

"Great king," the witch said, "there’s a hunter in our village. Slaughter him, and his blood will cure you."

They gave the witch a bag of gold and sent her away.

The king ordered the hunter to be brought and locked in the stable. In three days, they would kill him, but the poor man didn’t know why he’d been brought there or what awaited him.

On the third night, as he slept, he heard someone calling him: "Unfortunate one, why are you sleeping? Wake up!"

The hunter jumped up, looked around, and wondered who it was. But there was no one in the stable, only horses in their stalls.

He lay down again, but the voice called once more:

"Get up, unfortunate one, you don’t know the trouble you’re in."

The hunter was frightened. He got up, lit a candle, and searched for the speaker. He checked every corner—no one. Then he looked between the horses’ legs, thinking someone might be hiding there.

Among the horses stood a skinny colt, tied up, and it said:

"Don’t be afraid, it was me calling you."

"Why were you calling me?" the hunter asked.

"Because they’re going to kill you today. When they take you to the king, tell him: ‘Don’t kill me, my blood won’t help you. I’ll cure you myself. Order nine cauldrons of water to be boiled until only one cauldron’s worth remains. And give me a pound of your speckled soap.’ When it’s done, cool the boiling water, put the king in it, lather him with the soap, and wash him in the water—he’ll recover. But be careful when he steps out of the cauldron; he’ll be so strong he might break your arm or leg."

The next morning, they took the hunter to the king. He said:

"Great king, my blood won’t help you. My enemies want to destroy me, but if you allow me, I’ll cure you myself."

"Just cure me," the king said, "and I’ll give you half my kingdom."

The hunter said:

"Order nine cauldrons of water to be boiled until only one cauldron’s worth remains."

They did as he commanded: filled the cauldron, boiled away eight cauldrons’ worth of water, and let it cool.

The hunter told the king:

"Now, please bathe. But first, bring me a pound of your speckled soap."

The king entered the water, washed with the soap, and the hunter poured the remaining water over him. The king leaped out like a bird.

In the courtyard was a large stone. When the king was healthy, he used to throw it to test his strength. He grabbed the stone and threw it with such force that it knocked off a corner of the house.

After enjoying his strength, the king turned to the hunter, hugged him, and kissed him so tightly that he bruised the hunter’s arm. The hunter winced.

"Did I hurt you?" the king asked.

"No, I just winced," the hunter said.

"How shall I reward you for curing me?" the king asked.

"Give me that skinny colt in your stable and a pound of your speckled soap."

The king was surprised by the modest request. He ordered the colt to be brought out immediately.

They saddled the colt, but it could barely stand on its legs, swaying as if it might collapse.

The colt said to the hunter:

"Take me to the river and bathe me, but lather me well with that speckled soap. And know this: once you’ve bathed me, quickly bridle me and mount me, or I’ll fly away, and you won’t be able to stop me."

The young man led the colt to the river, lathered it well with the soap, and bathed it. Before he could tighten all three girths, the colt transformed into a powerful horse and carried the young man away. They flew home.

When the hunters’ wives saw him, they panicked and told the devs:

"If you don’t destroy him, we’ll all perish."

The devs went to the witch.

"He’s returned unharmed. Destroy him!"

The witch climbed into her cauldron and rushed to the king. They brought her in.

"Now that you’re well, great king," the witch said, "you should marry the daughter of the Kaj king—you’ll be the happiest man alive."

"That would be good," the king said, "but who will bring her to me?"

"The one who cured you will bring her," the witch said.

The king summoned the hunter.

"Bring me the daughter of the Kaj king!"

The hunter went to his horse.

"The king orders me to bring him the daughter of the Kaj king. What should I do?"

"What should you do? Go ask the king for money for the journey, mount me, and we’ll go," the horse said.

The hunter went, took money from the king, mounted his horse, and set off.

The horse told him:

"When we approach the Kaj kingdom, they’ll be selling bulls and sheep. Buy them, but pay twice what they ask, so they’ll bless our journey. When we reach the Kaj palace, lions, tigers, and wolves will guard the gates. Throw the bulls to the lions and tigers, and the sheep to the wolves. They’ll let us pass.

"Once inside, the king’s daughter will be sleeping. Don’t wake her, or you’ll perish. Just cut off a lock of her hair and leave. She’ll follow you."

They rode on, and the road passed by the river where he had bathed his horse. The young man dismounted, bathed with the speckled soap, and became so strong he could squeeze milk from a stone without flinching.

He bridled the horse, mounted it, and rode on.

Whether he rode long or not, he eventually reached a house.
This is the dev’s house, and a girl sits locked inside.

A young man entered the house, and the girl rushed to meet him, kissing and embracing him joyfully, as if he were family, both crying and laughing.

“What luck that I’ve been able to see another person,” she said. “But woe is me! The dev will come and destroy you. I wish you hadn’t come at all!”

“Don’t be afraid,” said the young man. “Let him come, we’ll see what he takes from me!”

Then the dev arrived, grumbling:

“Who are you? What kind of hero dares to enter my house? Here, even the birds above don’t fly out of fear, and the ants below don’t crawl, so who are you to lounge so carelessly?”

“Well then, look into the book of your fate,” shouted the young man. “See whose hand is destined to destroy you, and you’ll know who I am!”

The dev looked, and indeed, it was written in his fate that he would perish at the hands of a hunter.

Enraged, the dev lunged at the young man, and they clashed.

The dev swung—and drove the young man into the ground up to his ankles.
The hunter swung—and drove the dev into the ground up to his knees.
The dev swung again—and drove the young man into the ground up to his knees.
The young man swung once more—and drove the dev into the ground up to his waist.

The young man cut off his head. The girl rejoiced, kissing his hands.

The hunter said:

“I am on my way to fetch the daughter of the Kaj king. You stay here and wait; I’ll take you with me on my way back.”

The girl said:

“Know this—there are two more dev houses on your path, belonging to the brothers of this one you’ve killed. They too hold captive girls. Be careful, lest those devs destroy you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll send them after their brother,” said the young man.

To cut a long story short, he killed those devs as well, freed their captives, told them to wait for him, and continued on his way.

He approached the Kaj kingdom. The young man bought bulls and sheep. Whatever price was asked, he paid double. He bought as much as he needed and rode on.

He approached the palace of the Kaj. Lions rushed out to meet him, but the hunter tore the bulls in half and threw them to the lions.

The lions let him pass.

Tigers rushed out—the young man fed them and rode on.

Wolves rushed out—he threw sheep to them and rode on.

He entered the palace, where the daughter of the Kaj king was sleeping. He approached her, cut off a lock of her hair, and left.

The king’s daughter woke up, saw her lock of hair was cut, and flew into a rage, tearing at her own hair.

She rushed to her lions, tigers, and wolves.

“How dare you let this man pass to me!”

“Ah,” said the animals, “you never even give us bones to gnaw on, but he threw us whole bulls and sheep, fed us to our fill.”

She flew after the hunter.

Wherever her foot touched, everything turned to ash.

Meanwhile, the hunter rode on. He picked up the three girls he had rescued from the devs and continued his journey with them.

They stopped to rest at a miller’s place. The miller welcomed them and invited them into his home. The miller had a goat. When he called out to the goat:

“Come on, my little goat Me-eka! Set the table for me!”

The goat walked around—and a table full of delicacies appeared, fit for a king.

The hunter liked the goat.

And the miller liked his girls. He said:

“I’ll hide, and you look for me. If you find me, the goat is yours. If not, the girls are mine.”

“Very well,” said the young man.

The young man’s horse whispered to him:

“Stand me near the goat, and go. Know this—the miller will hide in the chimney. Call out to him: ‘You’re in the stove, I’ve found you.’ If he doesn’t respond, call again. If he still doesn’t respond, climb onto the roof and throw a stone down the chimney. It will hit him on the head, and he’ll answer.”

The miller hid. The hunter pretended to search everywhere, as if he didn’t know where the miller was.

Finally, he approached the stove and called out:

“You’re here, come out!”

The miller didn’t respond.

The hunter called again:

“You’re in the stove, come out!”

The miller still didn’t respond.

The hunter climbed onto the roof, took a large stone, and threw it down the chimney, hitting the miller right on the head.

“I’m here, I’m here!” cried the miller.

He crawled out of the chimney, barely alive, but still stubborn:

“Now you hide, and I’ll look for you,” he said.

“Alright,” replied the young man.

He went to his horse and asked what to do.

“Here’s what,” said the horse, and it covered him with its body.

The miller searched and searched but couldn’t find the hunter.

The goat saw where the young man was hiding and wanted to call out to its master, but as soon as it opened its mouth, the horse bit it, and it stayed silent.

The miller searched and searched, then said:

“I couldn’t find you, come out, you’ve won.”

The hunter emerged. He took the goat and the girls, left the miller with nothing, and rode on.

The daughter of the Kaj king caught up with the hunter:

“Was it you who cut off my lock of hair?”

“It was me,” said the young man. “I want to give you in marriage to the king.”

She was furious, but there was nothing she could do.

The hunter brought her to the king, and he rode home with the girls.

His brothers were overjoyed and asked:

“Where have you been all this time?”

The youngest brother said:

“When we go hunting, turn back halfway—then you’ll see where I’ve been and what’s happened to me.”

All three brothers returned at noon. What did they see? The two older wives were sitting with their lovers, feasting and making merry, while the third sat crying.

“Come on, my little goat,” said the youngest brother, “take these unfaithful wives and their devs, string them on your tail, and toss them all into the abyss.”

The goat strung the unfaithful wives and their lovers on its tail, carried them to a cliff, and threw them all into the abyss.

The youngest brother married his older brothers to the two older girls, and the youngest girl he married off to a good man. And so they all lived together happily ever after.

Death there, feast here,
Chaff there, flour here.

More fairy tales

• The Fox, the Rooster, the Ram, and the Little Bird
• The Garden of Dariachanga
• Bototina and His Six Brothers
• The Fox and the Quail
• The Tale of Tsar Nesmeyan