Александр Юрьевич Кожиев "Ossetian fairy tales in English"

Ossetian tales are a wonderful world where the history, culture and philosophy of the people are intertwined. They are an integral part of Ossetian spirituality and are passed on from generation to generation, retaining their relevance and significance.Ossetian fairy tales carry a deep philosophical meaning. They teach respect for elders, love for the motherland, the value of friendship and brotherhood. Each fairy tale is not just a story, but a life lesson that helps to shape the moral values and identity of the people.These tales are not just a literary heritage, they are a living source of wisdom that continues to influence Ossetian culture and art. Their importance cannot be overestimated, as they help preserve the uniqueness and identity of the Ossetian people.

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update Дата обновления : 17.07.2024

– “It was them, but you did not recognize them. Now you won't be able to find them anymore! My daughter failed to recognize herself! She was a rascal and she ran away like a rascal! There's nothing we can do about her now, let's leave them.”

The daughter of the Jinn King recognized that the chase had turned back, and said to her husband:

– “Now let's go without fear!”

They came to his house. The old woman had already died, but her house under a thatched roof stood as before.

– “Here is our house for you!” – said the young man to his wife. “This is how poor I have lived!”

And his wife replied:

– “Property is a matter of time. Don't worry about that.”

She made a request to God:

– “Let there be tall houses on this spot before morning!”

And in the morning they woke up and saw tall houses. And the daughter of the Jinn King said again:

– “Let these houses be filled with gold ornaments as needed! Let there be garments for my husband of costly fabrics to dress himself from head to toe! And let the best of women's garments appear for myself, with two shifts!” And she also asked: “God, let there be a table the whole length of our house, filled with abundant food and drink!”

The husband and wife sat down at the table, partook of their food, and had heartfelt conversations with each other about their love. And they would not admire each other. Then she said again:

– “Let a guard stand at our doors, that we may be rid of idle visitors.”

So they made a life and live to this day.

As you have not seen them, so may you see no other misfortune, no other disease, and may God grant us a safe deliverance from this place.

The 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 a little”, – replied the three-bellied goat. “My belly is not quite full yet.”

– “Well, then stay in good health”, – said the three-bellied goat. “And I'm leaving.”

She went leisurely along the road. The wolf, already satiated, lay there and listened in order to catch anyone else who would show up. He raised his head and saw a goat walking along the road.

– “There is another goat”, – said the wolf to himself. “Today was a good day with God's help.”

The three-bellied goat came closer, and the wolf asked her:

– “Whose goat are you?”

– “I'm Gazza's goat”, – she replied.

– “And what is that on your head?” – he asked her.

– “And these are the tips for Gazza's pitchforks,” she answered just like the other goats.

– “And what is that dangling between your legs?”

– “And this is for my baby goat with a soft udder full of milk.”

The wolf seized the goat, and he pulled it up and said to himself:

– “I'm lucky today! And this goat tastes good.”

The three goats made the wolf completely bloated. Then he began to roll on the ground, and he felt better.

Meanwhile, the four-bellied goat has had enough and turns to the five-bellied goat:

– “Let's go home, five-bellied goat, our friends are probably resting at home.”

The five-bellied goat replied:

– “My one belly is not yet full, wait for me, and then we'll go home together.”

– “No, I'm going away”, – replied the four-bellied goat.

She went down the road, and the well-fed wolf was sleeping there. When he heard the footsteps, he woke up and raised his head, saw the goat and rejoiced.

– “God has given me a goat again”, – he said to himself. “She came to me by herself!”

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

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