Ossetian fairy tales in English. Александр Юрьевич Кожиев

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СКАЧАТЬ poor man and the rich khan

      In ancient times, a certain man called his son to him and gave him three instructions: never take orphans into your home, but support them outside your family; never lend money to someone richer than you; never reveal your innermost thoughts to your wife.

      When he gave these instructions to his son, he asked him to fulfill these instructions sacredly, not to violate them in any way, for violating them would put the son in a difficult situation.

      Soon the father died, and the son wanted to experience in his life the truth of his father's instructions. He took orphans into his house to bring them up. Then he lent money to khan, who was richer than him. He kept the orphans well and did not abuse them in anything.

      When the agreed term passed, he asked the khan to pay his debt. The khan got angry, ordered his servants to beat him and threatened him:

      – “What money are you talking about? If you remind me of your debt one more time, a great misfortune will befall your head!”

      In retaliation, the angry poor man stole a herd of khan's horses and put his tamga on them. But he was not satisfied with that. Thinking that this revenge was not enough for the khan, he decided to kidnap his son from him as well. For he did so: he kidnapped his only son from the khan and sent him to school to study.

      The Khan began to search for his son and horses. His search was in vain, and then he turned to a sorceress for help and advice:

      – “I can't find my son and the horses that were stolen from me!” – he said to her. “Such a case has never happened! Help me!”

      The sorceress said to him:

      – “Do not look for them in vain, and do not demand them from anyone except the one from whom you borrowed the money and have not repaid.”

      The khan had to be sure of this, so he asked the sorceress to find out from the poor man's wife whether her husband had really stolen his son and horses.

      The sorceress came to the poor man's wife's house and, as if sympathizing with her, said:

      – “Thy husband has suffered innocently, he asked for payment of the debt, and the rich khan ordered him to be beaten.”

      The wife of the poor man said to the sorceress in reply:

      – “I know nothing about it, my husband has told me nothing.”

      – “What kind of a wife are you in such a case, if your husband does not tell you about his affairs!” – said the sorceress to her.

      So she left this time without knowing anything. In the evening the poor man's wife told her husband about the visit of the sorceress. He answered her only this way:

      – “To whom what he has got, that is what belongs to him.”

      The next day the sorceress came again to the poor man's wife and asked:

      – “Well, again you have learned nothing?”

      – “He told me only this,” she replied: "Whoever gets what, let it be good for him!”

      The rejoiced sorceress hurriedly came to the khan and said to him:

      – “Did I not tell you that the horses and your son are with the one from whom you borrowed money and did not pay!”

      Then the khan calls the poor man to him and asked him:

      – “Do you have my son and horses?”

      – “I have them!” – answered the poor man.

      – “In that case I cede my khanate to you, you should be the khan, not me.”

      Meanwhile, the orphans, whom the poor man had taken into his family and had never wronged, turned against him, looking for an opportunity to kill him. And the poor man said:

      – “How right my father was! I was convinced by my own experience of the truth of his instructions.”

      The Wolf and the Seven Goats of Gazza

      Once upon a time there was a poor man. His name was Gazza. He had only seven goats, nothing else was in his household. The first goat had one belly, the second had two bellies, the third three bellies, the fourth – four, the fifth – five, the sixth – six and the seventh had seven bellies.

      Only around noon did the poor man let all seven goats go to graze.

      One day, when they were grazing, the one-bellied goat said to the two-bellied one:

      – “I've had enough, my belly is full. If you are full, let's go home.”

      And the one-bellied goat replied:

      – “My belly is still empty, wait for me.”

      – “No, I'm going home”, – said the one-bellied goat. She was walking along the road, and a wolf meets her.

      – “Whose are you?” – he asked.

      – “I'm the goat of Gazza”, – she replied.

      – “And what is that on your head and what is it for?” – The wolf points to her horns.

      – “These are the tips for Gazza's pitchfork, in case he needs them.”

      – “And what's that dangling between your legs? The wolf points to her udders.”

      And that's a soft udder full of milk for my baby goat.

      The wolf grabbed the goat and ate it. Then he went further along the road, stretched out there and watched, looking around.

      The two-bellied goat has filled both its bellies, is satiated and turns to the three-bellied goat:

      – “Let's go home!”

      – “Wait a little”, – answered the one. “My belly is still empty.”

      – “I will not wait for you”, – replied the two-bellied goat. “I'm going home.”

      She went along the road and came across a wolf who was guarding the place.

      – “Whose goat are you?” – asked the wolf.

      – “I'm Gazza's goat”, – she replied.

      – “What's that on your head?”

      – “Gazza's pitchfork tips.”

      – “And what's that dangling between your legs?”

      – “It's a soft udder full of milk for my goat.”

      – “I must eat her too!” – rejoiced the wolf. He jumped up to the goat, grabbed it and ate it.

      Meanwhile, the three-bellied goat has had enough and said to the four-bellied one:

      – “Let's go home!”

      – “Wait СКАЧАТЬ