The Hunter
Whether it happened or not, there once lived a hunter. One day, he went into the forest to hunt. He wandered all day but found nothing—no beast, no game. So, he returned home empty-handed. As he sat down to rest, he saw a young fawn grazing. The hunter took aim, fired, and killed the fawn. As he prepared to skin it, he stepped over the fawn's head and suddenly transformed into a beautiful maiden. The hunter was frightened, but what could he do? He remained a girl.The girl removed her weapons, hung them on a tree, and set off—she didn’t know where. After walking for some time, on the third day, she reached a city. She wandered through the unfamiliar streets, unsure where to go or with whom to share her sorrow.
In that city lived an old woman. In the evening, after milking her cows, she was carrying the milk home when she saw the girl and was surprised.
"Who are you, and where are you from? Who are your family, and why did they let you wander alone at night?"
The girl replied that she was an orphan with no family.
"Take me in, do a good deed," she pleaded. "You can be my mother, and I will be your daughter. I have the strength and skill to do whatever you ask."
The old woman was delighted and took her in. The girl turned out to be such a hard worker, so clever, and her beauty was beyond words—soon, word of her spread far and wide.
Suitors began to appear, and there was no peace from them. One day, a prince passed by that street, saw the beauty, and fell in love with her. He returned home sad. No matter how much they tried, they couldn’t cheer him up. The king grew concerned and asked,
"My son, what is troubling you? What sorrow gnaws at your heart?"
The prince confessed his love, saying he couldn’t live without that beauty. The king immediately sent for her. They found the old woman, brought the girl to the palace, and married her to the prince.
A year later, they had a son. One day, the beauty thought, "I’ll go and see if my weapons are still hanging on that tree or if someone has taken them."
She secretly left the palace and set off. She walked and walked until she reached the spot. There lay the fawn, and her weapons still hung untouched on the tree. The woman thought to herself, "If stepping over the fawn turned me into a girl, perhaps stepping over it again will turn me back into a man." She stepped over the fawn’s chest and transformed into a beautiful mare. The mare galloped, neighed, and returned to the palace. Though the mare had a human mind, she couldn’t speak. They caught the mare, led her to the stable, and fed her. Meanwhile, they searched for the king’s daughter-in-law but couldn’t find her—had the sky swallowed her, or had the earth taken her?
Time passed, and the mare gave birth to a foal, one like no other—sparks flew from its eyes, and no one had ever seen such a creature. One day, the king’s groom decided to ride the mare. He mounted her and struck her with a whip. The mare, unaccustomed to such treatment, threw him off and galloped away, not seeing the ground or the sky. She reached the forest, leaped over the fawn’s legs, and turned into a huge, fierce dog. The dog ran back to the palace. Meanwhile, they searched for the mare but couldn’t find her. The king’s grandson took a liking to the dog and wouldn’t leave its side. In time, the dog gave birth to puppies.
One day, the king’s grandson mounted the foal, took the dog with him, and went hunting. In the forest, he spotted a hare, and the dog chased it. The hare ran, and the dog followed. They ran and ran until they reached the dead fawn. The hare leaped over the fawn’s tail, and the dog followed, transforming back into the hunter. The hunter, overjoyed, took his weapons from the tree and went to find his son. The king’s grandson waited and waited but, growing impatient, decided to follow the trail—he didn’t want to lose his beloved dog.
He searched and searched until he saw a castle in the forest. The prince asked whose castle it was, who lived there, and why it was built in such a remote forest.
"In this castle lives a maiden of unparalleled beauty," they told him. "To win her, you must tell her three tales that no one has ever heard before, and all three must be true. The maiden has a golden cauldron with golden water and golden meat inside. If you tell the three tales correctly, the golden water will boil, and the golden meat will cook. Then, the maiden will marry you. But if you fail, you will lose your head."
The young man rode to the castle, knowing he couldn’t think of any tales that were unheard of yet true. Still, he decided to at least see the maiden of unparalleled beauty.
"Whatever happens, I’ll at least lay eyes on her," he thought.
As he rode, deep in thought, he met the hunter. The hunter’s horse stopped, neighed, and refused to go further, while the puppies circled the hunter. The prince stood there, both amazed and angry, urging his horse forward, but it wouldn’t budge. Enraged, the prince ordered the hunter killed. But the hunter said,
"Come, I’ll take you to the beauty and say such words that not only will the water in the cauldron boil, but even the stones will heat up, and the maiden of unparalleled beauty will be yours."
The young man was overjoyed and took the hunter with him. They arrived and sent a messenger to the maiden: "The grandson of such-and-such a king has arrived from such-and-such a kingdom and wishes to tell you three words so that the golden water in your cauldron boils and the golden meat cooks."
The hunter said to his son (for he had fathered this young man when he was a woman),
"When we arrive, stand aside. I’ll say, 'My master is tired and has ordered me to speak for him.'"
The young man agreed. They entered the castle, where the maiden of unparalleled beauty awaited them with her father and relatives. The hunter bowed and said,
"This young man is my master. He is very tired and has ordered me to speak for him. If you allow, I will speak."
"Speak, speak!" came the response from all sides. The hunter took the young man’s hand and said,
"Do you think I could have been the mother of this man?"
Flames ignited under the golden cauldron. The hunter continued,
"Or would you say that this horse was not born of me?"
The golden water in the cauldron began to boil. The hunter added,
"Would you believe that these puppies were also born of me?"
The golden meat in the cauldron cooked. The maiden of unparalleled beauty was given to the young man as his wife, and a grand wedding was held. As for the hunter, he disappeared. They searched for him for a long time but never found him.
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