The Horse Lurja

Once upon a time, though perhaps it never happened at all, there lived a king and a queen, and they had a daughter of such beauty as had never been seen under the sun. The king and queen hid their daughter far away in a tall tower, never seeing her themselves and never showing her to anyone.

In this kingdom lived an old witch, and she approached the queen:

"The king has fallen out of love with you. Think about how to win back his affection."

"What can I do?" said the queen. "Is this the time to think about love? And how can I make him love me again?"

But the old woman wouldn't relent. She said to the queen:

"Kill your daughter, eat her heart and liver, and love and tenderness will return between you."

The queen was persuaded. She went to her husband, they agreed, and they summoned their daughter to kill her.

The daughter went to her parents, overjoyed that they had finally remembered her, for she had never seen them before.

On her way, she met a horse named Lurdzha, who said:

"Why are you so happy to see your parents? They plan to kill you. Listen carefully: when you enter, say, 'Father and mother, I know what you have planned, and I cannot defy you. But grant me one last wish—dress me as a man before my death and give me a horse. I want to ride just once and see what the world is like.' If they let you, come out, mount me, and leave the rest to me."

The girl entered her parents' chambers and said everything as the horse had instructed. They let her go. She dressed as a man, hid her hair under a hat, took a whip in her hand, and went to her horse.

The horse said:

"Mount me, strike me three times, but do it so hard that three strips of skin fly off me and three off your hand. Hold on tight."

The girl jumped onto the horse, struck him once, twice, and a third time—and the horse flew off.

They flew and flew, crossing nine mountains. There, the prince was hunting. He saw the girl, dressed as a man, and invited her to be his guest.

The girl went. They treated her to a fine dinner and put her to bed.

The prince began to wonder—could this be a girl? She was too beautiful for a man. He said to his mother:

"Mother, this isn't a man. It's a girl."

But his mother replied:

"No, my son, what are you saying?"

But he insisted:

"No, it's a girl, a girl."

His mother said:

"Fine, tomorrow arrange a horse race. It will be easy to tell then—whether it's a young man or a girl."

The next day, the prince said to the girl:

"Let's go racing today."

The girl went to her horse and said:

"The prince has invited me to race, but how can I race? I'm no rider."

The horse replied:

"Don't be afraid. Just hold on tight. When we start, strike me once with the whip so hard that skin flies off both of us. Leave the rest to me."

The race began.

The girl struck her horse with the whip, and he flew, carrying the prince and his horse along: the prince in front, his horse behind, on the rump. They raced, had their fun, and flew back.

The prince returned to his mother.

"Well?" she asked.

"He rides better than I do."

"I told you, it's a young man. How could a girl ride like that?" said his mother.

But the prince insisted:

"No, it's a girl!"

"Fine," said his mother. "Take him to see our treasury. See what catches his eye. We'll find out if it's a young man or a girl."

The prince went to the girl and said:

"Come with me to our treasury. Maybe something will catch your eye."

The girl asked her horse what to do.

Lurdzha said:

"Go with him, but don't look around. When you enter, turn around. There's a sword hanging by the door. Take it off the wall and say, 'What a beauty, an old blade, and such a scabbard!' Slip it over your shoulder."

The girl did as she was told. When she entered the treasury, she didn't look around but turned and saw the sword. She exclaimed:

"What a sword, an old blade, and such a scabbard!"

She took it from the wall and hung it over her shoulder.

The prince went to his mother and told her everything.

"I told you, it's not a girl," said his mother.

"No, no," the prince insisted. "I don't believe it. It's a girl."

His mother said:

"Fine, invite him to drink wine with you. If he can't drink, then it's a girl."

"Very well," said the prince.

He went to the girl and said:

"Let's drink wine today and see who can outdrink whom."

The girl went to her horse and said:

"What should I do, Lurdzha? He's invited me to drink wine, but I've never had a drop in my life."

The horse said:

"Tell him, 'Let's drink, but I'm used to having my horse stand behind my chair.' And no matter how many toasts there are, as you take the horn, repeat to yourself, 'I drink, and Lurdzha gets drunk.'"

They did just that. The girl drank, repeating, "I drink, and Lurdzha gets drunk!" And she sat as if she hadn't drunk a thing.

Finally, the last toast—a blessing for the house—was made, and she forgot to say, "I drink, and Lurdzha gets drunk." She forgot, and all the drunkenness fell on her.

She grew tipsy, drowsy, and fell asleep at the table. Her hat fell off, and her hair spilled over her shoulders.

They undressed her, put her to bed, hid all her men's clothes, and laid out a golden, embroidered women's outfit beside her bed.

In the morning, the beauty woke up and saw that her men's clothes were gone, replaced by women's attire.

She cried, but what could she do? She dressed and went to her horse, weeping and lamenting:

"What will I do now? What will become of me?"

Lurdzha replied:

"Why are you crying? Marry him. Who else could you find better?"

They married and lived together peacefully and happily.

Time passed. She became pregnant, and the prince went to visit another king.

Before leaving, he said to his wife:

"Give me your horse."

The beauty replied:

"He is dearer to me than my own life, but not dearer than yours. Take him, but tell the grooms not to tie him up. Let him roam free."

The prince left.

She gave birth to a wonderful golden-haired boy.

Her in-laws sent a messenger with the joyful news: "Your wife has given birth to a golden-haired boy."

But the messenger's path led through the kingdom of the beauty's parents.

They invited him in, questioned him about his journey, and showed him the letter. They tore it up and wrote another:

"Your wife has given birth to something—whether a puppy or a kitten, we can't tell." They gave it to the messenger.

The messenger carried the letter to the prince. He read it, grieved, but what could he do? He wrote in reply:

"What is born is born. Take care of my wife and wait for my return."

The messenger, cursed by fate, passed through that kingdom again.

They invited him in, took the letter, tore it up, and wrote another: "Heat the oven for three days and throw my wife and her offspring into it."

They gave the letter to the king and queen.

They wept and lamented, but what could they do?

They heated the oven, stoked it, and made it red-hot.

On the third night, it was time to throw the poor woman into the oven. Meanwhile, at the prince's place, the grooms had tried to control Lurdzha but grew tired and tied him by the leg.

As they lifted the beauty, her bed, and her child to throw them into the oven, Lurdzha sensed the danger. He struggled and struggled, tore off his leg, and galloped on three legs.

Just as they were about to throw the mother and child into the oven, he flew in, grabbed them with the bed, and carried them far into the mountains.

Lurdzha set his burden down on a high mountain and said to the beauty:

"I am no servant to you on three legs. Kill me, place my three legs at three corners, and my head in the middle. Stand on my head and say, 'In the name of the righteousness and loyalty of my horse, let there be a temple here worthy of his service and devotion!'"

The woman wept and lamented: "How can I kill you with my own hands!"

But Lurdzha insisted.

She took a knife, killed him, and placed his legs at three corners and his head in the middle. She stood on his head and said:

"In the name of the righteousness and loyalty of my Lurdzha, let there be a temple here worthy of his service and devotion."

As soon as she spoke, it was done.

A marvelous temple rose from the remains of poor Lurdzha, a sight to behold and rejoice over.

There was also a house to live in and a spring with fresh water. All the animals in the world came to serve the mother and child.

The boy grew up, surrounded by wolves, bears, foxes, deer, and goats, who served him and protected him from harm.

Meanwhile, the prince returned home and asked where his wife and son were. They told him that, following his letter, they had heated the oven and were about to burn his wife and child when something had seized them and carried them away.

"No," said the prince. "You must have misunderstood my letter. I wrote to take care of them and wait for my return."

They realized their mistake, wept, and beat their chests. The entire city went into mourning. The prince wandered about, neither alive nor dead, grieving and weeping, unable to see the light of day.

The old king watched this sorrow and could bear it no longer. He took an iron staff, put on iron shoes, and set out to find his daughter-in-law and grandson.

He walked and walked, and after a long journey, he came to the stream where the mother and child lived.

He saw a boy running with a jug, accompanied by a deer and a goat.

The boy saw him and cried out:

"Grandfather is coming! My grandfather is coming!"

The old man was moved, his heart leapt, and he stood there weeping.

The boy filled the jug with water, and the old man approached, dropped a ring from his finger into the jug, and said:

"When your mother washes, tip the jug so the ring falls out."

The boy ran off, shouting:

"Mother, grandfather has come! Our grandfather!"

As the mother washed, the boy tipped the jug, and the ring fell into her hands.

She recognized her father-in-law's ring, went out to him, and invited him in.

The old man told her everything and begged her to return. But she refused:

"No, I will not go back to you. I was with you once, and you nearly burned me in the oven. I will not go."

She entered the temple, stood where her horse's head had been, and said:

"In the name of the righteousness and loyalty of my Lurdzha, unite this house with my husband's house, this city with that city."

And indeed, the houses stretched out one after another, and the two cities came together and merged.

The husband and wife lived happily ever after, forgetting the sorrow that had befallen them.

Death left there,
Feast came here.
Chaff scattered there,
Flour brought here. Fairy girl