Problems in probability theory
1.If chess player A. plays with white pieces, then he wins against chess player B. with probability 0.5. If A. plays black, then A. wins against B. with probability 0.32. Chess players A and B play two games, and in the second game they change the color of the pieces. Find the probability that A. wins both times.
2. 70 athletes are participating in the gymnastics championship: 25 from the USA, 17 from Mexico, the rest from Canada. The order in which the gymnasts perform is determined by lot. Find the probability that the athlete competing last is from Canada.
3. In a random experiment, two dice are rolled. Find the probability that the total will be 7 points. Round the result to hundredths.
4. In a random experiment, a symmetrical coin is tossed twice. Find the probability that you will get no heads at all.
5. On average, out of 900 garden pumps sold, 27 leak. Find the probability that one randomly selected pump does not leak.
6. Before the start of the 1st round of the tennis championship, participants are randomly divided into playing pairs. A total of 76 tennis players are participating in the championship, including 7 athletes from Russia, including Anatoly Moskvin. Find the probability that in the 1st round Anatoly will play with any tennis player from Russia.
7. There are 20 tickets in the collection of mathematics tickets, 16 of them contain a question on logarithms. Find the probability that a student will get a question on logarithms on a randomly selected ticket.
8. The probability that student A will solve more than 6 problems correctly on a physics test is 0.61. The probability that A. will solve more than 5 problems correctly is 0.66. Find the probability that A. will solve exactly 6 problems correctly.
9. There are 26 students in the class. Among them are two friends - Sergei and Andrey. Students are randomly divided into two equal groups. Find the probability that Sergey and Andrey will be in the same group.
10. The probability that at a random moment in time the body temperature of a healthy person will be below 36.8 C is 0.94. Find the probability that at a random moment in time the body temperature will be 36.8 C or higher.
11.There are 8 people in the group of tourists. By drawing lots they chose 6 people who should go to the village to buy food. What is the probability that tourist D., who is part of the group, will go to the village?
12. The factory produces bags. On average, 19 bags out of 160 have hidden defects. Find the probability that the purchased bag will be free of defects. Round the result to hundredths.
13. A mechanical watch with a twelve-hour dial at some point broke down and stopped working. Find the probability that the hour hand stops reaching 7 but not reaching 1.
14. Tonya, Arina, Masha, Denis, Lenya, Maxim cast lots for who to start the game. Find the probability that a girl will start the game.
15 In a random experiment, a symmetrical coin is tossed four times. Find the probability of getting heads exactly twice.
16. There are 26 students in the class, among them two twins - Ivan and Igor. The class is randomly divided into two groups of 13 people each. Find the probability that Ivan and Igor will be in the same group.
17. In the box there are tea bags mixed with black and green tea, identical in appearance, and there are 4 times more bags of black tea than green tea. Find the probability that a bag randomly selected from a box contains green tea.
150. One number is chosen at random from two-digit numbers. What is the probability that there will be
did you select a number whose decimal notation contains the digit 2?
149. Two people are playing dice - they throw the dice once. The one with the most points wins. If the coins come up equally, there is a draw. The first one rolled the dice and got 4 points. Find the probability that he will win.
148.Two factories produce the same glass for car headlights. The first factory produces 70% of these glasses, the second - 30%. The first factory produces 5% of defective glass, and the second - 4%. Find the probability that glass accidentally purchased in a store will be defective.
147. An agricultural company purchases chicken eggs from two households. 55% of eggs from the first farm are eggs of the highest category, and from the second farm - 35% of eggs of the highest category. In total, 45% of eggs receive the highest category. Find the probability that an egg purchased from this agricultural company will come from the first farm.
146. One number is chosen at random from a set of natural numbers from 10 to 19. What is the probability that it is divisible by 3?
145. Vitya has 10 bills in his pocket: three 100-ruble, six 50-ruble and one 10-ruble. Vitya got on the tram, the fare for which costs 20 rubles. To buy a ticket from the conductor, Vitya randomly took one bill out of his pocket. What is the probability that Vitya will be able to use it to pay for tram fare?
144. 50 schoolchildren are participating in a ski race. Before the start of the competition, a draw is held, where each participant receives a starting number from 1 to 50. What is the probability that Petya Ivanov, starting in this race, will receive a number containing the number 4 in his entry?
143. During practice, basketball player Michael hits a 3-point shot with probability 0.9 if he shoots with a Nike ball. If Michael shoots a 3-point shot with an Adidas ball, he hits with probability 0.7. There are 10 training balls in the basket: 6 from Nike and 4 from Adidas. Michael randomly takes the first ball he comes across from the basket and makes a 3-point shot. Find the probability that Michael's throw is accurate.
142. There are 25 students in the group of foreign students, and each of them speaks either only English, or only French, or two languages: English and French. It is known that 20 students in the group speak English, and 13 speak French. Find the probability that a group student randomly selected to participate in the conference speaks two languages.
141. According to legend, fortune telling once existed among young men. One of the guys held 10 steel rods in his hand so that their ends protruded from above and below, and the other young man tied these rods together in pairs from above and below. If at the same time all ten twigs turned out to be tied into one ring, then this should have meant that the young man would get married this year. What is the probability that the connected twigs will form a ring? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth.
140. There are 16 people in the class: 6 boys and 10 girls. Before the start of classes, the class teacher randomly selects two students from the class to be on duty in the cafeteria. What is the probability that a boy and a girl will go on duty in the canteen?
139. Vitya throws the dice twice. In total, he scored less than 10 points. Find the probability that none of the rolls result in a 6.
137.According to statistical data, the probability that a Samsung phone purchased at a Euroset store will last more than four years is 0.83. The probability that it will last more than five years is 0.66. Find the probability that a phone of this brand will fail within the fifth year of operation.
136. A bobsleigh team consists of four people. If at least one athlete gets sick, the team does not go to the start. The probability of getting sick for the first team member is 0.1, for the second – 0.2, for the third – 0.3, and for the fourth – 0.4. What is the probability that the bobsled team will not start?
135. During artillery fire, the automatic system fires a shot at the target. If the target is not destroyed, the system fires a second shot. Shots are repeated until the target is destroyed. The probability of destroying a certain target with the first shot is 0.3, with the second shot - 0.4, and with each subsequent shot - 0.6. How many shots will be required to ensure that the probability of destroying the target is at least 0.95?
: Before the opening of the Moscow metro, it was necessary to decide how to make a signal for the departure of the train. Having tried different types of whistles and horns, the metro managers eventually made the same choice as the prophet Mohammed in his time. What did they choose?
Question 13: The sixth were birds, the seventh was a bull, the eighth were mares, the tenth were cows, the eleventh were apples, the twelfth was a dog. Name the first and second.
Question 14: According to one ancient myth, when God created man, the devil wanted to repeat the experiment. But instead of a man, he got a wolf, who immediately bit his creator. For what place? Justify your answer.
Question 15: Recently, a championship in computer games of the “Action” genre was held in Moscow (for example, “DOOM” belongs to this genre). The result of the winner, a 15-year-old teenager, was 6.6 per minute. 6.6 what?
Question 16: The word "dvija" - "twice born" - was used by the ancient Indians to describe a representative of one of the three highest castes, as well as a part of the human body and a class of animals. Name the animal and body part. Answers that correctly name at least one of the two will be accepted.
Question 18: The production of Alexei Kruchenykh's opera "Victory over the Sun", which took place at the end of 1913, also marked a complete victory over realism. Even the sun on the set had nothing in common with the real thing. Who was the artist for this performance?
Question 19: The Romans used this word to describe harmonious playing of wind musical instruments, agreement, unanimity. Sometimes it acquired a negative connotation and meant: secret conspiracy to rebel. We call this word one of the necessary conditions for such a conspiracy. Name this word.
FOLKLORE:
LEGENDS AND TRADES
TOPONYMIC AND ETHNOGENETIC TRADES (ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE KIND)
MOUNTAIN AKKINTS
There are few oral (folklore) traditions about the origin of the Akki clans. However, they represent a very interesting source, although, of course, not entirely reliable. A folklore text, even if it is a historical legend, cannot be completely reliable, but can only contain some relatively reliable information or indications of some reliability of events.
All available texts can be conditionally attributed to different historical periods: the medieval period, the later historical period reflected in legends, and the period before the Middle Ages, that is, an earlier historical period. It is not difficult to establish a conventional historical framework for the events reflected in historical legends. One of the earliest recorded legends about the Akkin people, according to the stories of old Akkin people, dates back to the middle of the 19th century, but the events it narrates date back to the early Middle Ages [Ippolitov 1868]. The earliest (also oral) version of the origin of the Akkin people from Akki-lam is given in the famous work of Bashir Dalgat “The Primitive Religion of the Chechens”:
“There, in the direction of the Bash Lama, the old Chechens say, there are mountains from which rivers flow. Assa, Fortanga, Geha. These are the Akki-lam mountains; “Lam-Krists” (mountain Christians) live there, or at least lived there during the time of our ancestors. This is our cradle, like other Chechen clans. Fourteen generations have passed since our part of the “lam-crists” left their nest due to scarcity of land and stretched out until the sunrise. The Nakhchi (Chechens) clans ate pork at that time and were “Russian”, i.e. Christians. Judging by that legend, the Chechens in the mountains were Christians 400-500 years ago; Obviously, they remained so for a long time after they were evicted from the mountains to Ichkeria (foothills) and further to the plain. Until they began to forget the faith and teaching they brought from the mountains.” (However, I note that Bashir Dalgat quotes a Chechen’s story from a publication in the Terskie Vedomosti newspaper in 1870.)
Lam-Akka, according to legend, is the ancestral home of all Akki people, and folklore records already testify to the Akki-Aukh people who came from Lam-Akka already in the 1970s. “Once upon a time, the Akkin people who came out of Shami,” the legend says, “settled under Mount Kazbek, but, quarreling with the Batsavi-Gurji, they were forced to leave for the area of GIula, which, according to the narrator, was the Akkin people from the villages. Boni-yurt, was located in the upper reaches of the river. Armkhi or r. Assy. Kalmyk attacks forced the Akkintsy people to leave the GIul (cf. the right tributary of the Assy River - Guloikha) and settle on the river. Michik, but when the Kalmyks (GIlmakhoy) attacked them again, the Akkins moved to the mountains to the river. Yamansa, where they formed their settlements" [Volkova, 1974].
Among the legends about mountain societies, the legends about the Akkintsy stand out for their rare plots, including the description of the events presented about the beliefs of the Akkintsy, about their opposition to the external enemy together with neighboring societies.
There is evidence (legend - according to Ippolitov), dating back to the events of the 14th-15th centuries, about the arrival of certain European missionaries (?) - “firengs”, who settled near Lake Galanchozh, to the land of the Akkin society, and about the military clash of the Akkin people and Terloev people with "Firengi".
The very fact of such joint actions testifies both to friendly relations among tribes living nearby and neighboring each other, and to the perceived need to conclude an alliance among warring families or tribes in order to unite against a common enemy. “The Akin people claim that four hundred years or more ago, armed people, Europeans (fireng), came from the Galgai societies and settled near Lake Galanchozhskoe. On the mountain lying on its southern bank, they built a church, surrounded it with a stone fence, with four gates - for the Tushins, Galgaevites and local tribes. Each gate faced the mountains occupied by the mentioned tribes. The construction of the church was accompanied by great difficulties and obstacles on the part of the mountaineers, who were still pagans at that time, but despite this, the church was erected, and then, the legend adds, people began to flock from Chechnya, Georgia, Galgai and surrounding communities to pray to the church to the God of Christians, and each people entered separately through the gates made for them in the fence. This order of things continued for several years, and the Europeans were on the most peaceful and friendly terms with the natives. But then, little by little, they began to oppress these latter, taking away their women and property, and all the mountain families, even those who were at enmity with each other, having concluded an alliance, rebelled against the newcomers. After a short, but persistent and bloody war, the Europeans were defeated and retreated again along the same road through Galgai. The Akkinites and Terloevites are still [i.e. in 1868 - approx. mine: O.B.] still show the place where they had their last bloody battle with these foreigners, after which they were forced to retreat” [Ippolitov, 1868].
So, based on the information of the storytellers, the chronological framework of historical events according to the legends about the Akkin people ranges from “from 860 to 400-500 years ago,” that is, from the 10th century to the 13th century (!). Such a reference to the time of action in legends is not so unreliable for Chechens. Quite the contrary, considering that teip traditions oblige one to remember the names of one’s ancestors over several generations. The indigenous mountain people of Akkin, like representatives of other teips, despite life circumstances and the cataclysms of history, remember their ancestors as well as in the past. Nine to ten generations of long-livers, as the majority of the mountaineers are, constitutes the marked period of time - five to seven centuries!
In 1973 from a village resident. Bamut Ismail Medovich Muradov (born in 1929) I. Dakhkilgov recorded the genealogy of the performer, according to which the hero of the family legend Med is his ninth ancestor. So the events associated with the resettlement of Meda and the founding of settlements in Akki are actually correlated with the time of the great migration of peoples.
Historical legends are characterized by reference not only to real names or events, but also mention of material signs of time: bows and arrows, homes and clothing, details of everyday life and economic activities. What is not always amenable to true interpretation is certainly interpreted among the people in its own way and is never left without explanation. So, for example, in the legend “Akberg” we are talking about a solar burial ground, supposedly built in honor of Akberg’s daughter, and about the tower villages of his four sons, apparently built by these sons. Thus, the legend gives its own interpretation, its own explanation for the appearance of the burial ground in these places. We find the same local reinterpretation in many other legends. This occurs due to the fact that the connection between generations was once interrupted and, accordingly, the transfer of true knowledge about the subject has already been lost. Perhaps this happened as a result of simply relocating to places that had once been founded and inhabited by other tribes or clans, and therefore the new inhabitants of these places were not at all familiar with the previous traditions and customs that prevailed here. Thus, the original meaning of the famous Chechen stone crosses, about which they tried to learn from local residents back in the archaeological expedition of V.F., was probably forgotten or unknown. Miller in 1886. N. Kharuzin, describing this extraordinary expedition and meetings with local residents in the essay “Across the Mountains of the North Caucasus,” reports the following: “Krom? They consider the ruins of churches and Christian chapels to be sacred places. once upon a time, according to legend, there were crosses to which in ancient times people went to pray; and now, past many similar places, although not a trace of these crosses has survived, the local residents walk with vain fear, piously take off their hats and bow” [Kharuzin 1888].
In the legend about the petrified girl, two interpretations are given at once, but both are connected with the power of the curse word: (1) the girl, unable to help her beloved, curses herself - “May I turn into a cold stone!”; The mother, seeing her daughter having fun carefree by the river and forgetting about the work given to her, curses the girl - “May you stand like a stone that is colder than ice!” [Tales 1986, “Cross-Stone”].
As for the famous mountain towers in Akki and the surrounding area, the Akberg legend says nothing about their construction, and their presence is confirmed as an everyday fact, and it is unclear whether the towers were also built under the Tsesenyakans or by the Tsesenyakans themselves . Historians note the active construction of towers and the appointment of princes as an element of the feudalization of mountain societies precisely in the Middle Ages.
In all likelihood, such variants of the origin of Akka as a separate place of settlement for representatives of one clan and its villages reflected the motives for settlement through the deliberate seizure of someone else's land. Being from Tarki, a certain Akberg set his sights on the land of another family - the Tsesenyakans, who lived in the town of Mozarg. It is not known whether the Tsesenyakans were residents of these places for a long time or settled these areas shortly before Akberg; this is not mentioned in the legend, but the very fact of expelling people from their homes through sophisticated deception-forgery-cause for war (!) is clearly not noble and malicious. “There are towers in a beautiful place in Mozarg. The Tsese-nyakan clan lived in them. Akberg liked their land and dreamed of getting it. He was looking for a reason to start a quarrel with the Tsesenyakan family” [Skazki 1986, No. 18]. The insidiousness of an impartial reason takes on the character of an insult “tset” (“tsIet”). This is the only way, according to Akberg, to seize someone else’s land: deceive, accuse, scare, intimidate. The notes to the text of the legend note the following: “... in ancient times, tsIet was taken from the body of a killed enemy: either scalping the beards, or cutting off the right hand along with the forearm, or cutting off the ear. Usually such “trophies” were hung in front of the tower. Taking cet from a living person (say, cutting off an ear) was considered equal (sometimes more) to murder. In the legend, the staged theft of jewelry is presented not as ordinary theft (then it would not be such a serious act), but as the taking of tsets by means of an insult” [Fairy Tales 1986].
In another legend, the Akkin family is traced back to the legendary ancestor Ga, one of whose four sons was Akke. The historical period in this legend is the same - the Middle Ages. The text processor refers to the characteristic signs of that time. (“At that time there were no firearms yet. People wore chain mail and fought with arrows and spears”). The events that prompted the ancestors of the Akkins to “go to live with other peoples” are motivated in this legend as the impossibility of a peaceful life due to constant wars and raids by some enemy - “powerful but wild foreign people.”
Comparing two versions of legends about the origin of the clan, we are faced with an obvious contradiction: in one case, the Akkins are an alien people (“Akberg came to our mountains from Tarki”), whose offspring were given by the sons of Med, who seized someone else’s land - the land of the Tsesenyakans [ No. 18], in another - the Akkin people are aboriginal migrants, their ancestors - the ancestors of Akke, the son of Ga, fleeing from enemies, first went to the mountains, building towers there, and later “left our country and went to live among other peoples.” Also noteworthy is the inconsistency of informants-narrators regarding the fact that the towers belong to one or another clan: in the legend about Akberg, the towers belong to local residents (and, perhaps, were built by the Tsesenyakans themselves: “In the beautiful place of Mozarg there are towers. A clan lived in them Tsese-nyakan"), and the legend about Ga states that the towers in the mountains were built by the descendants of the sons of Ga, including the descendants of Akke. “The descendants of Nokhcho, Galgai, Akke, Myalkhe settled in the adjacent mountains and began to build strong towers” [Skazki 1986].
In contrast to the legend about Ga, the legend about Akberg also gives an interpretation of the names of the villages of the mountain Akkins Zingali, Vougi (Voygu), Itar-Kale, Kiy (Key) according to the names of Akberg’s sons and explains the names of their clans: “Akberg had four sons. “You are brave in battle,” he said to Kay’s son and settled him in a high place, on a mountain. “And you are a peaceful man,” he said to his son Itar and settled him down in the gorge. He settled his sons Zingal and Voiga among them. From these four sons came the Zingalovs, Voygovs, Keits and Itar-Kalakhois. The place where their tower villages stand is called Akka” [Skazki 1986].
Folk texts, as a rule, cannot be completely taken on faith, but it is also wrong to reject references to real events (descriptions of these events) or any historical information contained in them. Thus, these legends reflected a difficult time for many peoples, including the peoples of the North Caucasus, when a particularly destructive invasion of the Tatar-Mongols, and then the devastating campaigns of Tamerlane (Timur), forced many to seek salvation in inaccessible mountains. This migration, so characteristic of the medieval period, ultimately determined the locations of settlements for a long time.
The tribal legends of the Akkin people, as well as the legends of representatives of other clans, reflected various motives that are so characteristic of the socio-cultural local tradition, such as, for example, blood feud, twinning and atalacy, loyalty to a loved one, maternal love. Akkinets Med, distinguished by his exorbitant strength, does not take revenge on the Shedaloev who attacked him, but puts him on a tower, and when the mother of the Shedaloev comes for her captive son, he receives her as a guest, slaughters a ram and even becomes related to the Shedaloev. “The prisoner’s mother was received as an honored guest; in her honor, Med slaughtered a ram and lowered the prisoner down. Since then, Med and the Shedaloian became sworn brothers, and this relationship was observed by their descendants until recently” [Ibid., No. 106].
Mentions of various villages of Akki are found in legends with plots indirectly related to the Akki people. In the legend “Chopai Garsh” we are talking about a resident of a tower located near the village of Iter-Kale (in the text - Itar-Kala), near the Koivsa cave, and who lived on the fee that he charged from travelers passing along the trail. If the travelers did not pay, then the hero Chopay Garsh, a resident of Akka, distinguished by his strength, threw stones on them, making it difficult to advance and even threatening their lives. But there was someone who could resist the local strongman - a hero with fabulous strength, Cesc Solsa. Driving past the Chopay Garsha tower, he didn’t even pay attention to the stones - they seemed so insignificant to him. Seska Solsa shows her strength - she cuts a large stone in half (!). Thus, according to legend, signs appear in the vicinity of Akka, evidence of the life and presence of the famous Nart in these parts. The motif about the origin of the stone with an unusually smooth surface is directly related to the echoes of the Nart epic, which is a heroic epic for many Caucasian peoples. The appearance of this stone is attributed to the legendary Nart, Seska Solta, who, as an edification to the local strongman Chopay Garsh, cut the stone with a saber: “That stone is still called “The Stone Cut by Solta” [Skazki 1986]. The Salta Stone is located near Itar-Kale, that is, in Akka.
The legend “The Builder of Diskhi and His Bride” mentions “one of the villages of the Akkin Gorge,” where the skilled master builder of Diskhi towers lived. The name of the Dishi-vou tower is directly related to the name of this master [Ibid]. The Diskha Tower was examined in detail and described by V.I. Markovin.
There are also a number of recorded and published fragmentary evidence of the separation of the Akkinians, which, as is known, occurred from the 15th to the 17th centuries. But this evidence only states the fact (or facts) of the settlement of the Akkin people from Akka, and this only confirms that at the moment Akka already existed.
Fragmentary evidence that reports the settlement of the Akkin people in different directions: to the east, to the west, to the southwest, naturally, are not integral stories and legends, but, nevertheless, they are a valuable source of interesting information about the Akkin people and their deeds.
1. Oral evidence about the fact of the existence of the Akkin society in Akkin in the 16th century according to legends reporting the separation of part of the Akkin people and their departure to Ingushetia [hereinafter highlighted by me - O.B.] we find in Semenov. “Alikhan Marzabekov (from the village of Falkhan) reports that local residents consider themselves to be from the village of Aki (Chechnya) [emphasis added – O.B.]. Before them, it was not the Ingush who lived in Falkhan, but the descendants of some Gam. The first settlers of Falkhan left Aki at the same time as Dudarov [Dudarov, the founder of the famous Ossetian family, is considered by the Ingush to come from the Chechen-Ingush region - approx. author – Semenov L.P.]; they moved along the upper paths, and Dudarov along the lower ones. Alikhan named all his ancestors by name: 1) Moisir Buzi 2) Teibik 3) Mokhazhi 4) Tokk 5) Dzor 6) Jamurza 7) Bakhmet 8) Pachi 9) Esmurza 10) Toy 11) Alikhan. We heard the legend about the origin of the Falkhans from Aki from one of the local old men (79 years old); he also reported that the residents of Beyni were deportees from Falkhan; resettlement to Beyni occurred about 200 years ago” [Semyonov 1963].
“According to general recognition, Dudarov (in Chechen – Dudar) comes from Chechnya (from the village of Kiy or Aki)”; “According to legend, Dudarov was related to a family living in the village of Kiy Akievs(Matiev’s message) [emphasis added – O.B.] [Semyonov 1963].
2. Evidence of the existence of the Akkin society in Aki-lam according to legends reporting the separation of part of the Akkin people and their departure to the Bamut Gorge. “..a certain Akin man named Arshthoo, having moved out of his society [mountain Akin society - approx. U. Dalgat] and descended with his family into the Bamut Gorge, settled at the springs called the Black Keys [in Kumyk - Karabulak: note by U. Dalgat]. From the population founded here by Arshthoo, a special society was formed that called itself...Arshtkha” [Popov 1878].
3. Evidence of the existence of the Akkin society in Aki-Lam in the 16th century according to sources reporting the separation of part of the Akkin people and their departure from the mountains to the flat territory of Chechnya, essentially tells about the first resettlement of part of the Akkin people from Lam-Akka to Dagestan and the formation of the Aukh society . According to the legends of the Akkin-Aukh people themselves, their ancestors were forced to leave their native places. This happened due to complicated socio-economic and demographic living conditions, as well as due to wars with neighboring teips, Georgians, etc. “Aukh people are called Akkiy, they received this name from the fact that, having previously lived in the Argun district, they were members of the Akkin family . The meager soil of the land belonging to this society forced half of this family to move to Aukh, where the Kumyks and Russians called the settlers Aukhovtsy, but for themselves, as well as from the Chechens, they retained the name of the primitive surname Akkiy, i.e. people from Akka” [Laudaev 1872].
So, from folklore legends it follows that the legendary probable ancestors of the Akkins, as a result of either forced or voluntary migration, came to the mountains and founded new settlements there or assimilated local tribes:
Ga (Gam?) came to the mountains from the flat lands - sons: Nokhcho, Galgai, Akke, Mälhe
came to the mountains from Tarki Akberg– sons: Zingali, Vougi (Voygu), Itar-Kale, Kiy (Kay)
left the mountainous Akka and returned there again Vokkal– daughter of Vokkala = wife of Meda
Akmer, a resident of the mountainous Akki - son: Honey, who married Vokkal's daughter
Thus, the first, that is, the great-ancestor, was a certain Ga, then his son Akke, whose descendants were Akmer, his son Med, and Vokkal, his daughter, who became the wife of Med. The Akberg family probably intermarried with them, whose sons expanded the territory of the Akkins and founded the settlements of Itar-kale, Vougi, Zingali, and Kiy.
Despite all the inconsistency in the interpretations of the origin of the Akkins in the legend about Akberg and Ga, it is still possible to determine which of the legends is “older”. So, Akberg is from Tarki. At the same time, Akka is a place of settlement. The name, as we see, means a certain territory. Akberg was looking for the best place for his family, and, apparently, he was seduced not only by the beauty of nature, but also by the meadows rich in lush herbs.
Ga is the common ancestor of Nokhcho, Galgai, Myalkhe and Akke. Akke is the founder of a separate branch of the ancient Ga family, and Nokhcho, Galgai, Myalkhe are his siblings. The legend consolidated the idea of a community - a clan, when the need to defend together and protect the clan from enemies was relevant for the local population.
Ga came to the mountains from flat lands, but which ones and from where, from which side? If we accept the version that Ga is Gam, the legendary ancestor of the Ingush and Chechens, about whom there are many different kinds of legends, then all this once again testifies to the close kinship of the Ingush and Chechens (in this case the Akkins), and is actually proven by the kinship of languages , where Ingush and Akkin act as dialects. What could have made Ga (Gama) come, or rather, go to the mountains from the flatlands? It was probably a danger and threat of enslavement and death, otherwise who would voluntarily leave good lands suitable for agriculture. But what was this danger, from whom or what did it come? Who was (or could be) a potential enemy, destroying everything in its path, and posing a real threat of destruction of an entire people?
LITERATURE
Volkova N.G. Ethnonyms and tribal names of the North Caucasus. M., 1973.
Volkova N.G. Ethnic composition of the population of the North Caucasus in the 18th - early 19th centuries. M., 1974.
Dalgat B.K. Primitive religion of the Chechens // Terek collection. Vladikavkaz, 1893, issue 3, book. 2.
Dakhkilgov I.A. Folk etymology of some toponyms of mountainous Checheno-Ingushetia (According to legends and traditions).
Ippolitov A. P. Ethnographic essays of the Argun district // Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders. Tiflis, 1868, issue, 1.
Laudaev U. Chechen tribe // Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders. Tiflis, 1872.
Miller V.F. Terek region. Archaeological excursions/Materials on the history of the Caucasus. M., 1888, issue 1.
Semenov L. Ingush and Chechen folk literature. Vladikavkaz, 1928
Fairy tales peoples of the North Caucasus. Rostov-on-Don, 1959.
Fairy tales, tales and traditions of the Chechens and Ingush. Grozny, 1986.
TEXTS OF TRADES
AKBERG
Akberg came to our mountains from Tarki. He settled in the village of Geliche, which is part of the Yalkhoroi society. There are towers in a beautiful place called Mozargue. The Tsese-nyakan clan lived in them. Akberg liked their land and dreamed of getting it. He was looking for a reason to start a quarrel with the Tsesenyakan family. Akberg's daughter died in Gelich. Tsesenyakan residents were also with the people who arrived for the funeral. Their women joined the other crying women and tucked the hems of their dresses to keep them out of the way.
After the funeral, the Tsesnyakans set off on their journey. Taking a roundabout route, Akberg came out onto their road and said:
You disgraced me, you took “zet”* from me, took away my daughter’s gold and silver things.
The Tsese-nyakans said that all this was not true.
If you are right, let your women lower their hems and unfasten their belts,” Akberg demanded.
Not suspecting a trick, they lowered the hems and jewelry fell out of them, which, it turns out, was planted.
I declare enmity against you! From today, prepare your weapons. “Soon I will go to war against you,” said Akberg and galloped off to his place.
Frightened by the war, the Tsesnyakans left their places and settled near the village of Tsecha-akhka. Akberg settled in the town of Mozarg. He hired builders, paying sixty-three choice cows, and from the best stone he erected a two-story solar burial ground on this site for his daughter**.
Akberg had four sons. “You are brave in battle,” he said to Kay’s son and settled him in a high place, on a mountain. “And you are a peaceful man,” he said to his son Itar and settled him down in the gorge. He settled his sons Zingal and Voiga among them. From these four sons came the Zingalovs, Voygovs, Keits and Itar-Kalakhois. The place where their tower villages stand is called Akka.
Honey, living in the village of Kay, wanted to become a prince. He had three brothers. One day Honey told them:
We, like other nations, must have our own prince, and this will not violate fraternal kinship. Let's consider me a prince.
No,” the brothers answered, “now, perhaps, we won’t quarrel, but over time, your offspring will boast before our offspring, saying that we are of a princely family, and you are slaves.” No, none of us will be a prince.
From Akki came the family of Gazunkhoyevs (from the village of Gazun), Tolagoyevs (from the village of Tolaroy), Velkhoevs (from the village of Velakh) and Merzhoevs (from the villages of Dolte and Gerite).
In 1973, Visha Khasanovich Kagermanov (1918, resident of the village of Bamut, educated) told. Recorded by I. Dakhkilgov.
* Tset (tsIet) - in ancient times tsIet was taken from the body of a killed enemy: either scalping beards, or cutting off the right hand along with the forearm, or cutting off an ear. Usually such “trophies” were hung in front of the tower. Taking cet from a living person (say, cutting off an ear) was considered equal (sometimes more) to murder. In the legend, the staged theft of jewelry is presented not as ordinary theft (then it would not be such a serious act), but as taking a tset by means of an insult.
** This burial ground actually exists in Galanchozh and is well preserved.
GA'S ANCESTOR AND HIS OFFERING
They say that eight hundred and sixty years ago there lived a man named Ga. He was a very powerful man.
Ga had four sons: Nokhcho, Galga, Myalkhe, Akke. They produced very large offspring; from each of them a whole tribe was formed and each of them bore the name of its ancestor. No one dared to fight these tribes. There were no firearms at that time. People wore chain mail and fought with arrows and spears. One day they were attacked by powerful but savage foreign people. A bloody battle took place between them and the descendants of Ga. The descendants of Ga gained the upper hand and drove the enemies far from their borders.
The enemies consulted among themselves and realized that they could not defeat the descendants of Ga by force, so they decided to subdue them by deceit. They decided to disrupt the peace and harmony between the descendants of the sons of Ga. Enemies began to bribe some with gold and flattery, and hand out princely titles to others. Gradually they introduced the concepts of “prince” and “slave” among the descendants of Ga. Soon those who coveted money and titles began to go over to the side of the enemies.
Having violated the agreement between the descendants of Ga, the enemies gathered their strength and attacked them again and defeated them quite easily. The surviving descendants of Ga went to the mountains. The descendants of Nokhcho, Galgai, Akke, Myalkhe settled in the adjacent mountains and began to build strong towers. But the enemies, constantly attacking, did not allow people to live there. They were not allowed to plow or herd livestock. It was then that one hundred and twenty of the best families, they say, left our country and went to live among other nations.
In 1974, Gapur Elbazkievich Akhriev (1905, resident of the village of Dzherakh, illiterate) told. Recorded by I. Dakhkilgov.
From the collection “Fairy tales, legends and legends of the Chechens and Ingush”. Grozny, 1986.
VALERIK
The Vokkal man from the Akka mountain society wandered from the mountains to the plain and settled down to live near the Galgaev people who were already living there. Vocals uprooted the forest and made themselves an “irza” - a clearing for housing and farming. He lived on this “Irzu” for some time, but then he was supplanted by the Galgais. The vocal group was alone and did not resist. “If my sons grow up, then I will take revenge on the Galgai people,” he decided and went back to the mountains. But Vokkal only had one son. And then for five generations his sons did not multiply. From the fifth descendant of his Gumbolt, two sons grew up: Khazha and Durda. Then Khazhi had five sons, and Durda had nine. The fathers and their sons, all sixteen of them, demanded that the Galgai people return the Irza. But the Galgai people treated their demand so disdainfully that they began to dance in response. Then they fought against the Galgai people and drove them out. During this, two sons of Khazhi died: Elaha and Ali. Khazhi and his remaining sons, fearing the Galgaevites, did not live on the reclaimed land, but settled in the town of Mekhan Barz, which is located on the border of the villages of Valerik and Shalazhi.
Repeatedly the two brothers with their sons and the Galgaevites fought with each other. The brothers were helped by other Akin people to get some livestock for themselves. They say that one of the Galgaevites said:
- “Irzu” The vocals are very good, and we must defend it.
But the toastmaster of the Galgais answered:
This “irzu” is more disastrous than good (Valar irzo).
Galgaevites often went outside their village and sent curses towards Khazhi and his sons. In the further struggle for this “irzu”, Khazhi’s three sons died, and Durda’s – four or five. Khazha and Durda decided that they could not compete with the Galgaevites and settled in different places, changing their names to avoid the revenge of the Galgaevites. The Galgaevites called the “irzu” of Vokkal “Valaran irzo” (the clearing of destruction, or death), and the Khazhievs and Durdievs, believing that they would destroy them anyway, called them “Valargha” (who will perish, or perishing). For about thirty years, the descendants of the Khazhievs and Durdievs wandered from the persecution of the Galgaevites and finally settled on the border of the villages of Valerik and Shalazhi. They thought that the Galgaevites did not know them, but they knew and continued to take revenge, killing first one of them, then the other. The Galgaevites called their settlement Valarghoin-Yurt (the village of those who will die; they gave this name because they had the intention of dealing with them sooner or later. And now in those places there are gravestones on the graves of Khazhi and Durda.
Fearing the Galgaevites, the descendants of Khazhi and Durda began to move in with their same-tribal Kintsy and formed a village. There were so many people that they soon expelled the Galgais. A little less than a hundred years before the arrival of General Sleptsov, all Galgaevites were expelled from those places to the border where the village of Shaami-Yurt now lies.
All people know that the Galgaevs called the house of Khazhi the house of Valargha. But they hide this nickname and claim that Valerik was conquered by them, and they do not know who the former inhabitants, “Valarghoy”, were.
The Kin people called the river that flows near the village of Valerik and through the Valar-irzu clearing Valar-khiy (river of death, death).
In 1977, Magomed Elmurzaev (90 years old, resident of the village of Valerik, illiterate) told. Recorded by Z. Mumadov.
From the collection “Fairy tales, legends and legends of the Chechens and Ingush”. Grozny, 1986.
AKMEROV MED
Akmer and his son Med, who lived on the plane where Shovhal Tarkovsky lived, went to the mountains and settled in the place where the village of Akka is now located. Akmer had comrades with whom he went on raids for princely herds. One day, when they were going on another raid, thirteen-year-old Honey asked his father to take him with him. The father replied that Honey was still small and it was too early for him to go hiking.
Akmer and his comrades set off, followed by Med. Hiding and hiding, he followed them. When they began to approach the place where the village of Gozan is located, the father, looking back, accidentally saw his son. For disobedience and failure to fulfill his will, Akmer pointed a gun at his son, intending to kill him. But his comrades removed Akmer and told him that his son had already gone far from home, and let him go with them, let him catch up with them. Father allowed.
They reached the place where the village of Dot-bukh is located, not far from the village of Tsecha-Akhka. There a deer ran out of the forest, followed by a wolf. While those riding realized what was happening, Med quickly took the rifle off the shoulder of the horseman riding next to him, put it to his shoulder and fired: the deer fell; With the second shot, Honey killed the wolf. Since then they began to say about Honey: “Akmerov’s Honey, killing a deer and a wolf at a time.”
Honey has grown. At first he lived in Akki. One day his cow left the yard while in heat. He found her in the town of Zingal. Night fell, and Honey settled down there for the night. Sticking his staff into the ground, he lay down. In the morning, Honey saw that a dove had built a nest on his staff. Med realized that this place was very fertile, built a tower there and began to live in it.
In Akka there lived a certain man named Vokkal. Residents of the village of Shedal stole all his livestock along with the shepherds. At the same time, Med's friends, without letting Med know about this, wooed Vokkala's daughter for him. But their father refused them. He said: “They are people without a share and without arable land, they live wherever they come across. I will not give my daughter to Med.” Med knew nothing about the matchmaking carried out by his friends and about the words of Vokkal, but he knew that his cattle had been stolen. Honey began to call people and together with them followed the trail of the Shedaloi.
Between the towns of Guloevskoye Omche and Melkhinskoye Omche there is a large hill. The Shedaloi stopped there for the night. Med stopped with some people not far from them. He sent a messenger to the Shedalians to say: “A she-wolf with twelve cubs has come to you, she asks you for dinner.” One of the Shedaloi was more understanding than the others, and so he suggested to his comrades: “Send dinner and return the cattle to the owners, otherwise we will not have enough.” But the comrades replied that they were not afraid of anyone and would not return anything. Then this Shedalo man said to them: “If you do this, then I do not share in the share of this spoil. Me and my son are leaving." They are gone.
As soon as dawn began to break, Honey and his people, like a cloud, descended on the Shedaloi. A battle broke out, and all the Shedaloi were killed. Med took all the captured cattle and the shepherds who were with him to Akka and let them into the courtyard of Vokkal. Vokkal learned that this was the work of Med. He called the matchmakers who had visited him earlier. Vokkal told them to take the bride. This is how Med got married.
The Shedaloi people were very worried that such misfortune and such shame befell them. One of them stood out for his strength and courage. He said: “We need to capture Med. Shame on us. I’ll grab him myself. Tell me what he’s like.” One of the Shedaloi told everything he knew about Med: “His horse is gray with black knees. He is tall and loves to sing songs. For prey, he travels past the village of Gozan, and then through the land of the Galgai people. Returning with the loot, he drives up past Gozan, then enters the town of Muit-kera, rides along the middle mountain and descends to the village of Zingal. Along this road you can find Honey."
The Shedalo man sat in ambush near the town of Muit-kera. He saw Honey riding and humming a song. The honey had to travel between two huge stones. As soon as he was between them, the Shedalian jumped out from behind the stone, jumped onto Med's horse and sat down behind him. Then, from behind Med’s back, he pulled the reins of the bridle in the direction where the Melkhians lived; The Shedalian believed that Med was his prisoner, and he would allow himself to be taken to Shedal. But Med did not pay any attention to him, as if a fly had landed, and pulled the reins towards Zingal. The Shedalo man pulled the reins in his direction for the second time. Honey pulled into Zingal. When the Shedaloian pulled the reins for the third time, Med was tired of this game. With his right hand he grabbed the Shedaloi man sitting behind him by the neck, pulled him down and pinned his head under his right knee. They say that later the Shedalo man himself said: when Med pressed his knee, he could not breathe, if Med let go of his knee, he could somehow still breathe.
Med brought the Shedalois to Zingal and placed him on the top floor of his tower. The prisoner could not come down from there. The Shedalois mother learned that her son had been captured. She arrived in Zingal with gifts for Med and his mother. She brought a silk dress for her mother, and a silk beshmet for Honey. The mother’s shoulders couldn’t fit through the dress she gave her; even Med’s hand couldn’t fit into the sleeve of the beshmet. Meda's mother asked the guest to sit on her chair; when the guest sat down, her legs did not reach half of the floor. Such were the tall people in the Med family. The prisoner's mother was received as an honored guest; in her honor, Med slaughtered a ram and lowered the prisoner down. Since then, Med and the Shedaloian became sworn brothers, and this relationship was observed by their descendants until recently.
Shedaloets and his mother got ready to go home. Parting, the Shedalo man said: “In memory of myself, I want to leave one sign for your people. Sitting at the top of the tower, I noticed during these seventeen days: when the fog falls on the top of Kaiba Court, there will be bad weather, when the fog falls on the top where Alda was killed, good weather will set in.”
In the Akka gorge on the right there is a white solar burial ground. It has two floors. The time has come, Honey died and was placed in this burial ground. People still call this burial ground “Medkasha”.
In 1973, Ismail Medovich Muradov (1929, resident of the village of Bamut, illiterate) told. Recorded by I. Dakhkilgov. According to the genealogy given by the informant, Honey is his ninth ancestor.
From the collection “Fairy tales, legends and legends of the Chechens and Ingush”. Grozny, 1986.
CHOPAY-GARSH
There is a path leading from Itar-Kala that goes along the cliff of a high mountain. When you walk along this path, it is impossible to go up from it, and it is impossible to go down, because above the path there is a sheer cliff, and above the path there is a deep cliff. The trail leads to Koivsa Cave. There is a tower in front of the cave. The top of this tower was once connected to a sheer cliff by means of a bridge. Having walked along it, one could get into another tower built into the rock. This tower has one window.
Chopay Garsh once lived in the tower. Everyone who passed along that path was obliged to give a share of what he was carrying, and if the path went without anything, he was entitled to one bullet and a charge of gunpowder. If someone did not pay tribute for the passage, Chopay Garsh would throw stones at him from above.
One day Solta was riding along this path. Chopay Garsh shouted at him to put down the fare. Solta did not pay attention to his words. Chopay Garsh began throwing stones. And Solta did not pay attention to them. There was a large stone on the edge of the road. Solta cut him with a saber and shouted: “Do you want to scare me, such a man!” That stone is still called “The Stone Cut by Solta.” This stone is cut as if a wheel of cheese were cut with a knife.
Somehow it turned out to be a hungry year. Chopay Garsh went to the village of Velakh, which is located on the border with the Yalkhori society. He agreed to buy grain in the village. The owners took payment for a certain number of bags and told Chopay Garsh to fill the bags himself. The owners left on business. Their daughter remained at home. The grain was on the second floor of the tower, the girl was sitting on the first. Chopay Garsh filled the bags and hit them lightly so that the grain would settle down better. By the sound of the bags being kicked, the girl counted their number and discovered that Chopay Garsh was taking more bags than had been agreed upon. The girl raised the alarm, people came running, a fight ensued, and Chopay Garsh died.
Chopay's wife Garsha found out about the misfortune. She came out of the tower, stood on that bridge and shouted:
To those who want to settle here or go up to inspect the tower, let there be neither happiness nor good luck!
She was pregnant. The woman hit the bridge with her foot and together with it fell far into the abyss, where she died.
In 1975, Visha Khasanovich Kagermanov told. Recorded by I. Dakhkilgov.
From the collection “Fairy tales, tales and legends of the Chechens and
Ingush." Grozny, 1986.
STONE-CROSS
If you go from Nihaloy to Itum-Kale, there is a stone cross to the right of the road. They say he appeared a long time ago. A certain girl washed wool by the river every evening. She loved one young man who looked after and was kind to her when she washed wool. There were heavy rains, and then Arghun became very swollen. It was at such a time that the young man began to cross the river, suddenly he fell, and the stream carried him away. The girl, fiddling with the wool, heard the cry of her beloved, calling for help. She could not help him in any way and shouted in horror: “May I turn into a cold stone!” Immediately the girl turned into stone. So she stands, petrified, with outstretched arms, and this stone is very similar to a cross.
There are other stories about the same stone-cross. The mother gave her daughter a broom and wool, telling her to go to the river and quickly wash the wool. Girls and boys gathered there; there were jokes and laughter. The daughter was so carried away by the fun that she completely forgot about what her mother said. The mother, without waiting for her daughter, went to the river and saw that her daughter was having fun carefree, forgetting about everything. In her hearts, the mother uttered a curse: “May you stand like a stone that is colder than ice!” As soon as she uttered these words, the curse immediately came true, and the girl turned into stone.
In 1975, Bauddi Nasrudinovich Batashov (1900, Kurchaloy village, illiterate) told. Recorded by Patimat Saidulaeva.
From the collection “Fairy tales, legends and legends of the Chechens and Ingush”. Grozny, 1986.
DISKHA BUILDER AND HIS BRIDE
A long time ago, in the mountains lived a young man named Dishi, who was famous for the art of building high towers. In one of the villages of the Akkin Gorge, Diskhi wooed a girl. One day in the spring, when it is easiest to get sheepskins from young sheep in the mountains, Diskhi asked his bride to prepare the sheepskins and sew him a fur coat. The bride promised to fulfill the groom's request, but things were going very sluggishly for her: summer was already drawing to a close, cold matinees were beginning, and still there was no fur coat. The groom inquired whether his order had been fulfilled, and to his great chagrin he was convinced of the complete negligence of his bride; it turned out that the sheepskins had not yet been finished. Wanting to express his indignation as strongly as possible for such an inattentive attitude to his request, Diskhi became indignant and, in order to teach the bride a lesson, said that he himself would prepare everything necessary and build a high tower sooner than the fur coat would be ready. From words it came to action: Diskhi began to prepare stones, and then soon began building walls. In order not to lose face in front of the bride and to prove the veracity of his words, Diskhi, naturally, was in a hurry, and the work quickly moved forward. The walls are already finished, stone slabs are piled on high scaffolds; All that was left was to light the roof, when suddenly the logs of the scaffolding broke off under the excessive weight of the stone and... Diskhi flew from a height of five fathoms along with the material with which he was killed. The bride came running to the alarm and, seeing the disfigured corpse of her groom, threw herself on the dagger next to him and also fell dead. The famous master died, and the fatal tower is still called Dishi-vou.
Recorded by M. A. Ivanov in 1902.
From the article: Ivanov M.A. Upper reaches of the river Gekhi // News of the Caucasian Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. Tiflis, 1902. P. 286.
". A holiday whose roots go back to the 17th century. But, despite the fact that we have been celebrating this day for almost twenty years, many still find it difficult to answer what kind of day it is and why it is confused with November 7th.
It was on November 4 (October 22, old style) 1612 that the people's militia, led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, stormed Kitay-Gorod, thereby freeing Moscow from Polish invaders.
The expulsion of the Poles from Moscow ended the long period of the Time of Troubles in Russia. After the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow, a new tsar was elected in Russia - a representative of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich.
It is customary to refer to the events from the death of Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1584) to the election of the first sovereign from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich (1613), as the Time of Troubles. After the death of Ivan the Terrible, his son Fyodor I Ioannovich ascended the throne. However, he had no descendants, and the Rurik dynasty came to an end. However, everyone remembered about the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry, who died under mysterious circumstances during Fyodor’s lifetime. People began to say that perhaps he was alive. It was from this moment that the Time of Troubles began in Russia; impostors of False Dmitry began to lay claim to the throne.
In 1613, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich established a holiday - the day of the cleansing of Moscow from Polish invaders. It was celebrated on November 4th.
In 1649, this day was declared an Orthodox state holiday of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. According to legend, the icon was sent from Kazan to Dmitry Pozharsky. With her, the militia entered Moscow. Many believe that it was thanks to the icon that the Poles were driven out.
After the 1917 revolution, the tradition of celebrating the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders ceased.
In September 2004, the Interreligious Council of Russia proposed making November 4 a holiday and celebrating it as National Unity Day. The initiative was supported in the State Duma, and this day became a day off instead of November 7.
The explanatory note to the draft law on the introduction of a new holiday states the following:
"On November 4, 1612, the war of the people's militia led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharvsky took China Town by storm, liberating Moscow from Polish invaders and demonstrating an example of heroism and unity of the entire people, regardless of origin, religion and position in society."
The main events on National Unity Day take place in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod at the monuments to Minin and Pozharsky. Why in Nizhny Novgorod? It was there that the militia was convened, which expelled the Polish interventionists from Moscow.
Festive concerts are also held in other cities of Russia. Concerts, performances, charity events, rallies, and so on are held there on this day.
In 2018, National Unity Day falls on Sunday. Therefore, the day off will be moved to Monday, November 5th. Thus, Russians will have a holiday on November 3, 4 and 5. In Kurgan, National Unity Day will be celebrated with festive events that will begin on November 1 and end on November 4.
Latest news from the Kurgan region on the topic:
National Unity Day
In 2005, a new national holiday, National Unity Day, appeared on our calendar.
13.11.2018
On National Unity Day, November 4, the Kalmyk-Abdrashevsky leisure center held a festive concert for local residents, in which amateur artists played an active role.
13.11.2018
Administration of Safakulevsky district
We all know from historical chronicles that the National Unity Day holiday has its roots going back centuries.
12.11.2018
Administration of Shatrovsky district
07.11.2018 Administration of Shatrovsky district The day before, the head of the Department for Protection of the Population from Emergency Situations and Ensuring Fire Safety of the Kurgan Region, Sergei Ketov, was convinced of this,
03.03.2019 RTZN Department
Based on the evidence presented by the state prosecution, the Kurgan City Court issued a verdict against the former head of the Federal Tax Service of Russia for the Kurgan Region, Vladimir Ryzhuk.03/01/2019 Prosecutor's office
In order to increase interaction when conducting individual preventive work with adolescents registered in the PDN,03/01/2019 Administration of the Shchuchansky district photo by the news agency "Znak" The evidence collected by the investigative bodies of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kurgan Region was found by the court to be sufficient for a guilty verdict
02/28/2019 Investigative Committee
One of them was hospitalized with serious injuries in the district hospital. An accident occurred yesterday, February 28, at about 16:00 in the village of Zhitnikovskoye, Kargapol district.
03/01/2019 Kurgan and Kurgan people
A criminal case has been opened against a 40-year-old man. The incident occurred on February 13.
03/01/2019 Kurgan and Kurgan people
The Kurgan City Court sentenced three local residents to a total of 21.6 years in prison.
03/01/2019 Kurgan and Kurgan people
03/03/2019 TV channel Zauralye Under this motto, the ceremony of presenting the head of the city award for working youth was held in Kurgan on Thursday, February 28,
03/01/2019 Kurgan and Kurgan people The L. Kulikov Library will host a reading aloud competition “Happy Childhood” The L. Kulikov Library is holding a reading aloud competition “Happy Childhood” on March 3 at 13:00.
03/02/2019 Kurgan and Kurgan people
1. Fairies of Merlin's Rock
About two hundred years ago there lived a certain poor man. He worked as a farm laborer on a farm in Lanerkshire, was there, as they say, at his beck and call - he carried out various assignments and did everything that was ordered.
One day the owner sent him to dig peat in a peat bog. And I must tell you that at the end of this peat bog there was a rock, very strange in appearance. It was nicknamed "Merlin's Rock". It was called that way because, according to legend, the famous wizard Merlin once lived in it.
So the farmhand came to the peat bog and set to work with great zeal. He had been digging peat for a long time in the area next to Merlin's Rock and had already dug up a whole heap when he suddenly shuddered in surprise - in front of him stood such a tiny woman as he had never seen in his life - about two feet tall, no more. She was wearing a green dress and red stockings, and her long yellow hair was not tied with a ribbon or braid and was scattered over her shoulders.
The woman was so small and so pretty that the farmhand, lost in surprise, stopped working and, sticking a spade into the peat, looked at her with all his eyes. But he was even more surprised when the woman raised a tiny finger and said:
What would you say if I sent my husband to take the roof off your house, huh? You people imagine that everything is allowed to you! “She stamped her tiny foot and ordered the farmhand in a stern voice: “Now put the peat in its place, otherwise you will repent later!”
The poor man has repeatedly heard all sorts of stories about fairies and how they take revenge on their offenders. He trembled with fear and began to put the peat back. He placed each piece in the very place from which he took it, so that all his labors were in vain.
But now he was done with it and looked around in search of his outlandish interlocutor. And there was no trace of her. How and where she disappeared, he did not notice. The farmhand threw the spade over his shoulder, returned to the farm and reported to the owner about everything that had happened to him. And then he said that it was better to dig peat at the other end of the peat bog.
But the owner just laughed. He himself did not believe in spirits, nor in fairies, nor in elves - in a word, in anything magical, and he did not like the fact that his farmhand believed in all sorts of nonsense. And so he decided to reason with him. He ordered the farm laborer to immediately harness the horse to the cart, go to the peat bog and pick up all the dug peat from there, and when he returned to the farm, spread the peat in the yard to dry.
The farmhand didn’t want to carry out the owner’s orders, but there was nothing to do - he had to. But week after week passed without anything bad happening to him, and he finally calmed down. He even began to think that he had simply dreamed of the little woman and, therefore, his master was right.
Winter passed, spring passed, summer passed, and then autumn came again, and exactly a year has passed since the day when the farmhand dug peat at Merlin's Rock.
That day, the farmhand left the farm after sunset and headed to his home. As a reward for his hard work, the owner gave him a small jug of milk, and the farmhand carried it to his wife.
His soul was cheerful, and he walked briskly, humming a song. But as soon as he approached Merlin's Rock, he was overcome by irresistible fatigue. His eyes were drooping, as if he were going to sleep, and his legs felt as heavy as lead.
“Let me sit here and rest a little,” he thought. “Nowadays the road home seems very long to me.” And so he sat down in the grass under a rock and soon fell asleep in a deep, heavy sleep.
He woke up around midnight. The moon rose over Merlin's Rock. The farmhand rubbed his eyes and saw that a huge round dance of fairies was swirling around him. They sang, danced, laughed, pointed at the farm laborer with tiny fingers, shook their little fists at him, and circled and circled around him in the light of the moon.
Not remembering himself from surprise, the farmhand rose to his feet and tried to walk away - away from the fairies. Not so! No matter which direction he stepped, the fairies rushed after him and did not let him out of their enchanted circle. So the farm laborer could not break free.
But then they stopped dancing, brought the prettiest and most elegant fairy to him and shouted with shrill laughter:
Dance, man, dance with us! Dance and you will never want to leave us again! And this is your pair!
The poor farm laborer didn't know how to dance. He embarrassedly resisted and waved away the elegant fairy. But she grabbed his hands and pulled him along. And it was as if a witchcraft potion had penetrated his veins. Another moment, and he was already jumping, spinning, gliding through the air and bowing, as if all his life he had done nothing but dance. But what’s strangest of all is that he completely forgot about his home and family. He felt so good that he lost all desire to run away from the fairies.
A cheerful round dance swirled all night. The little fairies danced like crazy, and the farmhand danced in their enchanted circle. But suddenly a loud “kook-ka-re-ku” sounded over the peat bog. It was the rooster on the farm who crowed his greeting to the dawn at the top of his lungs.
The fun stopped instantly. The round dance broke up. The Fen, with alarming cries, huddled together and rushed towards Merlin's Rock, dragging the farmhand along with them. And as soon as they reached the rock, a door opened by itself, which the farmhand had never noticed before. And before the fairies had time to penetrate the rock, the door slammed noisily.
It led to a huge hall. It was dimly lit with thin candles and filled with tiny boxes. The Fen were so tired from dancing that they immediately went to bed on their beds, and the farmhand sat down on a piece of stone in the corner and thought: “What will happen next?”
But he must have been bewitched. When the fairies woke up and began to bustle about the housework, the farmhand looked at them with curiosity. And he didn’t even think about parting with them. Fen was engaged not only in housekeeping, but also in other rather strange things - a farm laborer had never seen anything like this in his life - but as you will find out later, he was forbidden to talk about this.
And then, towards evening, someone touched his elbow. The farmhand shuddered and, turning around, saw the same tiny woman in a green dress and red stockings who scolded him a year ago when he was digging peat.
“Last year you removed the peat from the roof of my house,” she said, “but the peat flooring grew on it again and was covered with grass. So you can go home. You were punished for what you did. But now the term of your punishment is over, and it was considerable. Just swear first that you will not tell people about what you saw while you lived among us.
The farmhand happily agreed and solemnly swore to remain silent. Then the door was opened, and the farmhand came out of the rock into the free air.
His jug of milk stood in the grass, where he had placed it before falling asleep. It seemed as if the farmer had given him this jug just yesterday evening.
But when the farmhand returned home, he found out that this was not so. His wife looked at him in fright, as if he were a ghost, and the children grew up and, apparently, did not even recognize their father - they stared at him as if at a stranger. And no wonder - after all, he broke up with them when they were very young.
Where have you been all these long, long years? - the farmhand's wife cried when she came to her senses and finally believed that he was really her husband, and not a ghost. - How did you have the courage to leave me and the children?
And then the farmhand understood everything: the day that he spent in Merlin’s Rock was equal to seven years of life among people. This is how cruelly the “little people” - the fairies - punished him!
2. Elf Knight
In one remote corner of Scotland there is a deserted heath - a peatland overgrown with heather. They say that in ancient times a certain knight from the world of elves and spirits wandered there. People saw him rarely, about once every seven years, but throughout the entire area they were afraid of him. After all, there have been cases when a person dared to walk through this wasteland and disappeared without a trace. No matter how much they searched for him, no matter how carefully they examined almost every inch of the ground, not a trace of him was found. And so the people, trembling with horror, returned home after a fruitless search, shook their heads and said that the missing man must be in captivity of the terrible elf knight.
The wasteland has always been deserted, because no one dared to set foot on it, much less settle there. And so wild animals began to live in the wasteland. They calmly made holes and lairs for themselves, knowing that mortal hunters would not disturb them.
Not far from this wasteland lived two young men - Earl St. Clair and Earl Gregory. They were very friendly - they rode together, hunted together, and sometimes fought side by side.
They both loved hunting very much. And so Count Gregory once invited his friend to hunt in the wasteland, despite the fact that, according to rumors, an elf knight was wandering there.
“I almost don’t believe in him,” he exclaimed with a laugh. “In my opinion, all the stories about him are just old wives’ tales, the kind they use to scare little kids so they don’t run through the heather thickets.” After all, it won’t take long for a child to get lost there. It’s a pity that such rich hunting grounds are wasted, and we, bearded men, have no business listening to all sorts of tall tales.
But Count St. Clair did not even smile at these words.
“Evil spirits are not to be trifled with,” he objected. - And these are not fairy tales at all, that other travelers walked through the wasteland, and then disappeared without a trace. But you said the truth - it’s a pity that such hunting grounds are wasted because of some elf knight. Just think - after all, he considers this land his own and takes a toll from us mortals if we dare to set foot on it. However, I heard that you can protect yourself from a knight if you just put on the sign of the Holy Trinity - the shamrock. So let's tie a shamrock to each of our hands. Then we will have nothing to fear.
Sir Gregory laughed loudly.
Do you think I'm a baby? - he said. - For a child who is first frightened by some stupid fable, and then believes that a clover leaf can protect him? No, no, wear this sign yourself if you want, and I rely only on my good bow and arrows.
But Count St. Clair did things his own way. He did not forget what his mother told him when he sat on her lap as a small child. And she said that the one who wears a shamrock has nothing to fear from evil spells, no matter whose - a sorcerer or a witch, an elf or a demon.
And so he went to the meadow, picked a clover leaf and tied it to his hand with a silk scarf. Then he mounted his horse and, together with Count Gregory, rode to a deserted wilderness.
Several hours passed. Everything was going well with the friends, and in the heat of the hunt they even forgot about their fears. And suddenly both pulled the reins, held their horses and began to anxiously peer into the distance.
Some unfamiliar horseman crossed their path, and their friends wanted to know who he was and where he came from.
“Whoever he is, I swear he’s going fast,” said Count Gregory. “I thought that not a single horse in the world could gallop my steed.” But now I see that this rider’s horse is seven times faster than mine. Let's go after him and find out where he came from.
God forbid you chase after him! - exclaimed Earl St. Clair. - After all, this is the elf knight himself! Don't you see that he doesn't ride on the ground, but flies through the air? Although at first it seems as if he is riding a simple horse, in fact he is carried by someone’s mighty wings. And these wings flap through the air like a bird's. How can you keep up with him? A dark day will come for you if you try to catch up with him.
But Count St. Clair forgot that he himself wears a talisman that allows him to see things as they really are. But Count Gregory does not have such a talisman, and therefore his eyes do not discern what his friend noticed. That is why he was surprised and alarmed when Count Gregory said sharply:
You're completely obsessed with the elf knight! But it seems to me that this rider is just some kind of noble knight - he is dressed in green clothes, riding on a large black horse. I love brave riders, and therefore I want to know his name and rank. So I will chase him at least to the ends of the world.
And, without adding a word, Count Gregory spurred his horse and galloped off in the direction where the mysterious rider was rushing. And Earl St. Clair was left alone on the wasteland. His fingers involuntarily reached for the shamrock, and words of prayer flowed from his trembling lips.
He realized that his friend was already bewitched. And Count St. Clair decided to follow him, if necessary, even to the ends of the earth, and try to disenchant him.
Meanwhile, Count Gregory kept galloping and galloping forward, following the knight in green clothes. He galloped over peat bogs, overgrown with heather, and across streams, and over mosses, and finally drove into such a wilderness where he had never looked in his life. A cold wind blew here, as if it had flown from the glaciers, and a thick layer of frost lay on the withered grass. And here a sight awaited him from which any mortal would recoil in horror.
He saw a huge circle drawn on the ground. The grass inside this circle was nothing like the withered, frozen grass on the wasteland. It was green, lush, lush, and on it danced hundreds of light, like shadows, elves and fairies in wide, transparent, dull blue clothes that fluttered in the wind like serpentine wisps of fog.
The spirits screamed and sang, waved their arms above their heads, and rushed from side to side like crazy. When they saw Count Gregory - and he stopped his horse at the edge of the circle - they began to beckon him to them with their bony fingers.
Come here, come here! - they shouted. - Come, dance with us, and then we will drink to your health from the circular cup of our lord.
Oddly enough, the spell that shackled the young count was so strong that, although he was scared, he could not help but follow the call of the elves. He threw the reins around the horse's neck and was about to step inside the circle. But then one old gray-haired elf separated from his brothers and approached him. He must not have dared to leave the enchanted circle - he stopped at its very edge. Then he bent down and, pretending that he wanted to pick something up from the ground, said in a hoarse whisper:
I don't know who you are or where you come from, sir knight. But if life is dear to you, beware of entering the circle and having fun with us. Otherwise you will die.
But Count Gregory only laughed.
“I promised myself to catch up with the knight in green,” he said, “and I will keep this word, even if I am destined to fall into the underworld.
And he stepped over the line of the circle and found himself in the very thick of the dancing spirits.
Then they all screamed even more shrilly, sang even louder, and spun even faster than before. And then suddenly everyone fell silent at once, and the crowd divided, freeing up a passage in the middle. And so the spirits, with signs, ordered the count to walk along this passage.
He immediately went and soon approached the very middle of the enchanted circle. There, at a table made of red marble, sat the same knight in clothes as green as grass, whom Count Gregory had been chasing for so long. On the table in front of the knight stood a marvelous bowl made of a solid emerald, decorated with blood-red rubies.
This bowl was filled with heather mash, and the mash foamed, almost overflowing. The elf knight took the cup in his hands and gave it to Count Gregory with a majestic bow. And he suddenly felt very thirsty. He raised the cup to his lips and began to drink.
He drank, but the mash in the bowl did not decrease. It was still full to the brim. And then for the first time Count Gregory’s heart trembled, and he regretted that he had embarked on such a dangerous path.
But it was already too late to regret. He felt that his whole body was numb, and a deathly pallor was spreading across his face. Without even having time to shout for help, he dropped the cup from his weakened hands and fell to the ground, like a knockdown, at the feet of the lord of the elves.
Here the crowd of spirits let out a loud cry of triumph. After all, there is no greater joy for them than to lure an unwary mortal into their circle and bewitch him so that he remains with them for many years.
But soon their jubilant cries died down. The spirits began to mutter and whisper something to each other with frightened faces - their keen hearing caught the noise that instilled fear in their hearts. It was the sound of human steps, so decisive and confident that the spirits immediately guessed: the stranger, whoever he was, was free from evil spells. And if so, it means he can harm them and take away their prisoner.
Their fears were justified. It was the brave Count St. Clair who approached them without fear or hesitation, for he bore the sacred sign.
As soon as he saw the enchanted circle, he decided to immediately cross the magic line. But then the old gray-haired elf, who had recently spoken with Count Gregory, stopped him.
Oh, woe, woe! - he whispered, and sorrow wafted from his wrinkled face. “Have you, like your companion, come to pay tribute to the lord of the elves with years of your life?” Listen, if you have a wife and child, I conjure you with everything that is sacred to you, leave here before it’s too late.
Who are you and where did you come from? - asked the count, looking affectionately at the elf.
“I’m from where you yourself came from,” the elf answered sadly. “I, like you, was once a mortal man. But I went to this witchcraft wasteland, and the lord of the elves appeared to me in the guise of a beautiful knight. He seemed so brave, noble and generous to me that I followed him and drank his heather mash. And now I am doomed to vegetate here for seven long years. And your friend, Sir Earl, also tasted this damned drink and now lies dead at the feet of our lord. True, he will wake up, but he will wake up as I have become, and, just like me, he will become a slave of the elves.
Can't I really help him before he turns into an elf? - Earl St. Clair exclaimed hotly. “I am not afraid of the spell of the cruel knight who took him prisoner, for I bear the sign of one who is stronger than him.” Tell me quickly, little man, what should I do - time is running out!
“You can do something, Sir Count,” said the elf, “but it is very dangerous.” And if you fail, even the power of the sacred sign will not save you.
What should I do? - the count repeated impatiently.
“You must stand motionless and wait in the frost and cold wind until dawn breaks and the morning bell rings in the holy church,” answered the old elf. “Then slowly walk around the entire enchanted circle nine times.” Then boldly step over the line and approach the red marble table at which the lord of the elves sits. On this table you will see an emerald bowl. It is decorated with rubies and filled with heather mash. Take this cup and take it away. But don't say a word the whole time. After all, the enchanted land on which we dance seems solid only to mortals. In fact, there is an unsteady swamp, a quagmire, and under it a huge underground lake. A terrible monster lives in that lake. If you utter a single word in this swamp, you will fail and die in the underground waters.
Here the gray-haired elf took a step back and returned to the crowd of other elves. And Count St. Clair was left alone outside the vicious circle. And there he stood, shivering from the cold, motionless throughout the long night.
But then the gray streak of dawn dawned over the tops of the mountains, and it seemed to him as if the elves were beginning to shrink and melt. When the quiet ringing of bells echoed over the wasteland, Count St. Clair began to walk around the enchanted circle. Time after time he walked around the circle, despite the fact that a loud angry voice arose from the crowd of elves, similar to distant rumbles of thunder. The very ground under his feet seemed to shake and heave, as if trying to shake off the intruder.
But the power of the sacred mark on his hand helped him survive.
And so he walked around the circle nine times, then boldly stepped over the line and rushed to the middle of the circle. And what was his surprise when he saw that all the elves who had been dancing here were now frozen and lying on the ground like little icicles! They dotted the ground so thickly that he barely managed to avoid stepping on them.
When he approached the marble table, his hair stood on end. The lord of the elves was sitting at the table. He, too, was numb and frozen, like his subjects, and the numb Count Gregory lay at his feet.
And everything here was motionless, except for two ravens, black as coal. They sat at the ends of the table, as if guarding an emerald bowl, beat their wings and croaked hoarsely.
Count St. Clair took the precious cup in his hands, and then the crows rose into the air and began to circle above his head. They croaked furiously, threatening to knock the cup out of his hands with their clawed paws. Then the frozen elves and their powerful ruler himself stirred in their sleep and stood up, as if deciding to grab the daring stranger. But the power of the shamrock prevented them. If not for this sacred sign, Count St. Clair would not have been saved.
But then he went back with the cup in his hand, and was deafened by an ominous noise. Crows croaked, half-frozen elves screeched, and from under the ground came the noisy sighs of a terrible monster. It hid in its underground lake and thirsted for prey.
However, the brave Earl St. Clair paid no attention to anything. He resolutely walked forward, believing in the power of the sacred shamrock, and this power protected him from all dangers.
As soon as the bells stopped ringing, Count St. Clair again stepped onto solid ground, beyond the line of the enchanted circle, and threw the elves' witchcraft bowl far away from him.
And suddenly all the frozen elves disappeared along with their master and his marble table, and no one was left on the lush grass except Count Gregory. And he slowly woke up from his witchcraft sleep, stretched and rose to his feet, trembling all over. He looked around in confusion and probably did not remember how he got here.
Then Count St. Clair ran up. He hugged his friend and did not let go of his embrace until he came to his senses and hot blood flowed through his veins.
Then the friends approached the place where Count St. Clair threw the magic cup. But there they found only a small fragment of basalt instead. There was a hole in it, and in it a drop of dew.
3. Page and silver cup
Once upon a time there lived a boy. He served as a page in a rich castle. He was an obedient boy, and everyone in the castle loved him - both the noble count, his master, whom he served on one knee, and the corpulent old butler, who was at his beck and call.
The castle stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea. Its walls were thick, and on the side facing the sea there was a small door in the wall. It led to a narrow staircase, and the staircase went down a cliff to the water. Along its steps you could go ashore and swim in the sparkling sea on a sunny summer morning.
Around the castle were flower beds, gardens, lawns, and beyond them a vast, heather-covered wasteland stretched to a distant mountain range.
The little page loved to walk around this wasteland in his free time. There he ran as much as he wanted, chasing bumblebees, catching butterflies, looking for bird nests. The old butler willingly let the page go for a walk - he knew that it was good for a healthy boy to frolic in the fresh air. But before letting the page go, the old man always warned him:
Just look, baby, don’t forget my order: go for a walk, but stay away from Fairy Hill. After all, with the “little people” you have to keep your eyes open!
He called the Fairy Hill a small green mound that rose about twenty yards from the garden gate. People said that fairies live in this hill and they punish everyone who dares to approach their home. Therefore, the villagers walked half a mile around the hill, even during the day, because they were afraid to get too close to it and anger the “little people.” And at night people did not walk through the wasteland at all. After all, everyone knows that at night fairies fly out of their monastery, and the door to it remains wide open. So it may happen that some unlucky mortal makes a mistake and ends up through this door to the fairies.
But the page boy was a daredevil. Not only was he not afraid of fairies, but he actually longed to see their abode. He couldn't wait to find out what these fairies were like!
And then one night, when everyone was sleeping, the boy quietly got out of the castle. He opened the door in the wall, ran down the stone stairs to the sea, then climbed onto the heather and rushed straight to Fairy Hill.
To his great pleasure, it turned out that people were telling the truth: the top of the Fairy Hill was cut off like a knife, and light was pouring from inside.
The boy's heart began to beat - he was so curious to know what was inside! He gathered his courage, ran up the hill and jumped into the hole.
And so he found himself in a huge hall, lit by countless tiny candles. Here, at a shiny, varnished table, sat many fairies, elves, and gnomes. They were dressed, some in green, some in yellow, some in pink dresses. Others wore blue, purple, bright scarlet clothes - in a word, all the colors of the rainbow.
The page boy, standing in a dark corner, marveled at the fairies and thought: “How many of them there are, these little ones! How strange that they live next door to people, but people don’t know anything about them!” And suddenly someone - the boy did not notice who exactly - proclaimed:
Bring the cup!
Immediately, two little page elves in bright scarlet liveries rushed from the table to a tiny closet in the rock. Then they returned, bending under the weight of a magnificent silver goblet, richly decorated on the outside and gilded on the inside.
They placed the cup in the middle of the table, and all the fairies clapped their hands and shouted with joy. Then they took turns drinking from the goblet. But no matter how much they drank, the wine in the cup did not decrease. It remained full to the brim all the time, although no one topped it up. And the wine in the goblet changed all the time, as if by magic. Each person sitting at the table took turns picking up a goblet and saying what wine he wanted to taste. And the cup was instantly filled with this very wine.
“It would be nice to take this cup home! - thought the page boy. - Otherwise, no one will believe that I was here. I need to take something from here, to prove that I was here.” And he began to wait for an opportunity.
Soon the fairies noticed him. But they were not at all angry with him for sneaking into their home. They even seemed delighted to see him and invited him to sit at the table.
However, little by little they began to be rude and insolent to their uninvited guest. They mocked the boy for serving mere mortals. They said that they knew everything that was happening in the castle, and they made fun of the old butler. But the boy loved him dearly. They also ridiculed the food that the boy ate in the castle, saying that it was only suitable for animals. And when the page elves in bright scarlet liveries put some new dish on the table, the fairies moved the dish to the boy and treated him:
Try! You won't have to taste this in the castle.
Finally the boy could not stand their ridicule. Besides, he decided to take the cup away, and it was time to do it. He stood up and picked up the goblet, grasping the stem tightly with both hands.
I'll drink water for your health! - he shouted.
And the ruby red wine in the goblet instantly turned into clear cold water.
The boy raised the cup to his lips, but did not drink, but with one jerk splashed all the water onto the candles. The hall immediately plunged into impenetrable darkness, and the boy, holding the precious cup tightly in his hands, rushed to the upper hole and jumped out of Fairy Hill into the light of the stars. He jumped out just in time, barely in time, because at that same moment the mound collapsed behind him with a roar.
And so the page boy began to run as fast as he could across the dewy wasteland, and the whole crowd of fairies set off in pursuit of him.
The fairies seemed to have gone wild with rage. The boy heard their piercing, angry screams and understood well that if they caught up with him, do not expect mercy. His heart sank. No matter how fast he ran, how could he compete with the fairies! And they were already catching up with him. It seemed that a little more and he would die.
But suddenly a mysterious voice sounded in the darkness:
If you want to find a way to the castle,
However, he remembered that fairies would not be able to touch a person if he stepped on the wet coastal sand.
And so the page turned to the side and ran to the shore. His feet sank into the dry sand, he was breathing heavily and already thought that he was about to fall exhausted. But still he ran.
And the fairies were catching up with him, and those who were rushing ahead were already ready to grab him. But then the page boy stepped onto the wet, hard sand, from which the sea waves had just subsided, and realized that he had been saved.
After all, fairies could not take a single step here. They stood on the dry sand and shouted loudly in frustration and rage, and the page boy, with a precious goblet in his hands, rushed along the edge of the shore. He quickly ran up the steps of the stone staircase and disappeared behind a door in the thick wall.
Many years later. The page boy himself became a respectable butler and taught the little pages how to serve. And the precious cup, a witness to his adventure, was kept in the castle.
4. The blacksmith and the fairies
In Conisgall on the Isle of Islay there once lived a blacksmith named Alasdair MacEachern, nicknamed Alasdair Strong-Hand. He lived near his forge in a stone hut. His wife died in childbirth and left him his only son, Neil. Neil was a quiet young man, short, with thoughtful eyes. He helped his father well in the forge and promised to become a skilled craftsman. Neighbors advised Alasdair to take better care of his son until he became an adult. After all, the “little people” most willingly kidnap young men like him. The fairies take them to the Land of Light and do not let them go, forcing them to dance until the unfortunate ones dance to death.
Alasdair listened to the advice of his neighbors and began to hang a rowan branch over the door of his house every evening. After all, rowan is a reliable protection against the spell of the “little people.”
But one day Alasdair had to leave on business. He was planning to return home only the next day and before leaving he told his son:
Make sure you don’t forget to hang a rowan branch in front of the front door this evening, otherwise the “little people” will drag you in.
Neil nodded and said he wouldn't forget, and Alasdair Strong Arm left.
After he left, Neil swept the floor in the room, milked the goat, fed the chickens, then wrapped half a dozen oatcakes and a piece of goat cheese in a rag and went into the mountains. There he loved to wander, feeling the elastic heather bending under his feet, and listening to the murmuring of streams that flow down the mountain slope.
He had come far that day. He wandered on and on, getting hungry, snacking on oatcakes and goat cheese, and when it was already dark, he returned home, barely dragging his feet. I threw myself on my bed in the corner and immediately fell asleep. He completely forgot about his father’s order and did not hang a rowan branch over the door.
The next day the blacksmith returned home, and what did he see? The front door is wide open, the fire is not lit, the floor is not swept, the goat is not milked, the rooster and chickens are fed. He began to loudly call his son - he wanted to ask why he was sitting with his hands folded. And suddenly, in the corner where Neil’s bed stood, a weak, thin and strange voice sounded:
I’m here, father, I haven’t gotten out of bed yet. I'm sick... I'll have to lie down until I get better.
Alasdair was very alarmed, and when he approached the bed, he was horrified - his son could not be recognized! He lay under the blanket, pale and emaciated. His face turned yellow and covered with wrinkles - in a word, it seemed that he was not a young man, but an old man.
So Neil lay there for several days, and he did not feel better, although he ate like a glutton - he ate all day long, without a break, and still could not get enough.
Alasdair didn't know what to do. But one day an old man came to him, who was known as a wise and knowledgeable man. The blacksmith was glad to see his guest, hoping that he would understand Neil’s illness. And he began to tell the old man what misfortune had befallen the young man, and he listened attentively and nodded his head at times. Finally, Alasdair finished his story and, together with his guest, examined Neil. Then they both left the house, and the elder said:
You ask me what is wrong with your son, and I will tell you that it is not your son at all. Neil was replaced. He was kidnapped by the "little people" while you were away, and left in his place by a changeling.
The blacksmith looked at the old man in despair.
Oh, what to do? - he asked. - And will I never see my son again?
“I will tell you what you must do,” the elder answered. - But first you need to find out for sure that there really is a changeling on your son’s bed... Go home and pick up as many empty eggshells as you can find. Carefully lay them out in front of the changeling, pour water into the shells, and then pick them up one by one and carry them as if they were very heavy. And when you approach the fireplace, again place them as carefully as possible in front of the fire.
Alasdair decided to listen to the elder and returned home. There he carried out his advice exactly. And suddenly from the bed in the corner he heard a creaky laugh and the shrill voice of the one whom the blacksmith took for his son:
I’m already eight hundred years old, but I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!
Alasdair immediately went to the elder, and he said:
Well, there is no more doubt - your son has been replaced. Now you get rid of the changeling as quickly as possible, and then I will teach you how to find your son. Build a hot fire in front of the changeling's bed. He will ask you: “Why is this?” And you say: “Now you’ll see!” and then grab it and throw it into the fire. He will then fly into the smoke hole in the roof.
The blacksmith returned home again and did as the elder advised. He lit a fire in front of the changeling's bed, and he asked in a shrill, thin voice:
Why is this?
Now you'll see! - answered the blacksmith.
He grabbed the changeling and threw him into the fire. The changeling gave a shrill squeal, jumped up on his yellow legs, and, along with the smoke, flew straight through the hole in the roof. Here there was no trace of him.
Now what should I do? - Alesdair asked the elder. - I need to find my son immediately.
The fairies dragged your son into that round green hillock,” the old man answered and pointed his finger at the grassy mound behind the blacksmith’s house. - That's where they live inside. On the night of the next full moon, the hillock will open, and then go there to look for your son. Take with you the Holy Scripture, a dagger and a rooster and enter the hillock. You will hear singing and cheerful noise, see dancing and dazzling light. And so that the hillock does not close behind you, stick your dagger into the ground at the entrance - fairies do not dare to touch the cold steel that is forged by human hands. Then step forward boldly and without any fear - the holy book will protect you from all dangers. Soon you will enter a spacious chamber and at the end you will see your son working at an anvil. The “little people” will question you, and you tell him that you came for your son and you won’t leave without him.
Then the elder said goodbye to the blacksmith, who thanked him and wished him happiness.
It must be said that Alasdair was not only strong, but also brave, and he was looking forward to going in search of Neil. The moon was in decline. Every day it decreased, then disappeared, then appeared again. And when the full moon finally arrived, the blacksmith left the house and walked towards a green mound on the mountain slope. A dagger in a sheath hung from his belt, in his bosom he carried a holy book, and under his arm was a soundly sleeping rooster.
Soon Alesdair approached the mound, and it seemed to him that soft singing and cheerful noise were coming from there. He began to wait at the foot of the hillock, and the singing sounded louder and louder, and suddenly the hillock opened, and a bright light splashed out from there. Alasdair jumped up, grabbed the dagger from its sheath and, trembling, stuck it into the ground at the entrance to the Fairyland, as the elder had told him. Then he boldly walked into the bright light. He clutched the holy book tightly to his chest, and carried the rooster under the arm of his left hand.
And then he saw a crowd of fairies and their witchcraft dances, dangerous for people. After all, a mortal, if he gets to the fairies, will inevitably dance with them until he drops, until he suddenly finds himself on a cold mountain slope, decrepit, lonely.
The blacksmith also saw his son. Pale, wild-eyed, Neil was forging something on a magic anvil, in the middle of a crowd of green-robed fairies.
And the fairies, as soon as they noticed the uninvited guest, rushed to him in a crowd to find out how a mortal dared to break into their domain. But none of them could get close to Alesdair and enchant him - the blacksmith was protected by the holy book. And so he looked at his son and shouted:
Break my son's spell and send him home to yours!
And at that moment - after all, time in the world of fairies runs faster than in the world of mortals - dawn broke over the mountain slope, and the rooster under Alesdair’s arm began to stir, woke up, and his red comb stood up. The rooster craned his neck and crowed loudly, welcoming the coming day.
And fairies are afraid of the cock's crow. For them, it sounds like an order to shut themselves in their monastery, because they do not dare to keep it open in daylight. The “little people” were confused, and their laughter died down. The fairies began to push Alasdair and Neil towards the exit, demanding that the blacksmith quickly pull his dagger out of the ground - they needed to close the mound and hide their abode from human eyes. But as soon as Alasdair took his dagger and the mound closed behind him and his son, someone’s inhuman voice shouted:
Your son will be mute until he breaks my spell! May the curse of the fairies fall on him!
And so the blacksmith and his son again found themselves on the familiar mountain slope. They peered into the short grass in the light of dawn, but could not find the place where the entrance to the Land of Light was.
Then they returned home, and Alasdair again began to blow the bellows in the forge, and his son helped him. But great grief befell the blacksmith - ever since Neil escaped captivity in Fairyland, his lips closed and he could not utter a word. Thus the fairies' prediction came true. And Neil already thought that he would remain mute until the end of his days, because he did not know how to dispel witchcraft.
But one year and one day have passed since Neil returned home. Alasdair was then forging a new broadsword for the leader of his clan, and Neil was helping his father. He held a red-hot steel broadsword over the fire, trying to keep the blade sharp and well-tempered. And all this time he was silent.
But when Alasdair was already finishing his work, Neil suddenly remembered his short captivity in the Fairyland. He remembered what kind of anvil there was and how sparks scattered from it in all directions; I remembered how skillfully the elf blacksmiths forged their shining swords and how they tempered the blades with spells so that their magical weapons would never fail their master. And then, to Alesdair’s surprise, Neil began to forge the leader’s broadsword himself. And the broadsword came out exactly like the ones the fairies forged for themselves. And Neil, having finished everything, stepped back and looked triumphantly at his father.
This broadsword will never let down anyone who picks it up! - he said.
Those were the first words he spoke in one year and one day. After all, fortunately, he did exactly what was required in order to disenchant himself: he forged a magical weapon and thereby dispelled the fairies' spell.
From that hour he completely forgot about the Land of Light and over time replaced his father, becoming the best blacksmith in his entire clan. And the leader of the clan valued the magic broadsword he forged above all his treasures, for this broadsword never failed its owner in battle, but brought great victories to him and glory to the entire clan.
5. Tam-Lin
Beautiful Janet was the daughter of an earl. He lived in the south of Scotland in a castle of gray stone, near green meadows. One day the girl got tired of sitting sewing in her little room, got bored of playing chess for a long time with the ladies who lived in the castle, and so she put on a green dress, braided her golden hair and went alone into the dense forests of Carterhow.
On this clear sunny day, she wandered in the green shade through quiet clearings overgrown with lush grass. White bells spread out like a carpet under her feet, and wild roses bloomed everywhere. And so Janet reached out and picked a white flower to tuck into her belt. But as soon as she picked it, a young man suddenly appeared on the path in front of her.
How dare you pluck our wild roses and wander here in Carterhoe Forest without my permission? - he asked Janet.
“I didn’t want to do anything bad,” she justified herself.
And he handed the girl a scarlet rosehip flower.
Who are you, sweet-tongued young man? - Janet asked and took the flower.
“My name is Tam-Lin,” the young man answered.
I've heard about you! You are a knight from the elf tribe! - Janet exclaimed in fear and threw away the flower.
“Don’t be afraid, beautiful Janet,” said Tam-Lin. - Although people call me an elf knight, I was born a mortal, like you yourself.
And then Janet listened to his story in surprise.
“My parents died when I was a child,” Tam-Lin began, “and my grandfather, the Earl of Roxbrough, took me in with him. One day we were hunting in these very forests, and suddenly some strange cold wind blew from the north, so sharp that it seemed as if it was blowing through every leaf on the tree. And I was overcome by drowsiness. I fell behind my companions and finally fell off my horse in a heavy sleep, and when I woke up, I saw that I was in the land of the elves. Their queen came while I was sleeping and kidnapped me.
Tam-Lin paused, as if remembering the green, unearthly land of the elves.
Since then,” he continued, “I have been firmly bound by the spell of the elf queen. During the day I watch over the forest of Carterhoe, and at night I return to her country. Oh Janet, how I long to return to mortal life! With all my heart I long to be bewitched.
He said this with such sorrow that Janet exclaimed:
Is this really impossible?
Tam-Lin took her hands in his and said:
Tomorrow is All Saints' Day, Janet. On this and only this night can I return to the life of mortals. After all, on All Hallows' Eve, the elves ride horses and I ride with them.
Tell me how I can help you,” Janet asked. - I want to break your spell with all my heart.
At midnight, go to the crossroads, said Tam-Lin, and wait there until the elves appear. When their first squad arrives, you stand still - let them pass by. Skip the second squad too. And in the third detachment I will ride on a horse as white as milk. I will have a golden crown on my head... Then, Janet, you run up to me, pull me off the horse and hug me. And no matter what they turn me into, hold me tightly - don’t let me out of your arms. So you will return me to the people.
Shortly after midnight, Janet hurried to the crossroads and waited there, hidden behind a hedge of thorns. The moon was shining, the water in the ditches glistened. The thorns cast strange shadows on the ground, and the branches of the trees rustled mysteriously.
And then Janet heard the quiet ringing of bells on horse bridles coming from the direction from which the wind was blowing, and she guessed that the elf horses were already close.
A shiver ran through her body. She wrapped her cloak tighter and began to peer at the road. First she discerned the faint shine of the silver harness, then the white sparkling plaque on the forehead of the leading horse. And then the elf riders appeared. Their pale, thin faces were turned to the moon, their strange curls fluttered in the wind.
The first detachment, led by the elf queen herself, passed. She was sitting on a black horse. Janet stood motionless and let the first squad pass. She did not move even when the second detachment passed. But in the third squad she saw Tam-Lin. He sat on a horse as white as milk, and a golden crown sparkled on his head. Then Janet ran out from behind the thorn hedge, grabbed the white horse by the bridle, and pulled the rider to the ground and hugged him.
And then an inhuman cry rose:
Tam-Lin is missing!
The Elf Queen pulled on the reins with a jerk, and her black horse reared. The horsewoman turned around and fixed her beautiful unearthly eyes on Janet and Tam-lin. And by the power of her spell, Tam-Lin began to shrink and shrink in Janet’s arms and turned into a small, rough lizard. But Janet did not let her go, but pressed her to her heart.
And suddenly she felt that she had something slippery in her hands - this lizard turned into a cold snake and wrapped itself around her neck. But Janet did not let go of the snake either - she held it tightly.
Then a sharp pain burned her hands - the cold snake turned into a red-hot iron bar. Tears flowed down Janet's cheeks - she was in so much pain - but she held Tam-Lin tightly and did not let go of him.
Then the elf queen finally realized that she had lost her captive because a mortal woman had loved him devotedly. And the queen of the elves returned Tam-Lin to his former appearance - he became a man again. But he was naked as a newborn baby, and Janet triumphantly wrapped him in her green cloak.
The elf riders rode off. Someone's thin green hand took the reins of the white horse on which Tam-Lin was riding and led him away. And then the mournful voice of the elf queen was heard:
I had a knight, the most beautiful of all my horsemen, and I lost him! He returned to the mortal world. Goodbye Tam-Lin! If I had known that a mortal woman would win you with her love, I would have taken your heart out of flesh and blood and instead put a heart of stone into your chest. And if I had known that fair Janet would come to Carterhow, I would have taken out your gray eyes and given you eyes of wood!
While she was speaking, the faint light of dawn dawned, and the elf riders, with inhuman cries, spurred their horses and disappeared along with the night. And when the quiet ringing of the bells on the horses' bridles died away, Tam-Lin took Janet's burned hands in his own, and together they returned to the castle of gray stone where her father lived.
6. The Bagpiper of Keil
There is a huge cave in Kintyre. The dark entrance to it gapes between the cliffs of the rocky shore, like a wide gaping mouth. In ancient times, this cave was the abode of fairies.
There was a rumor that there were many narrow, winding, underground passages in the cave and that they stretched far into the interior of the country. Somewhere at the crossroads of these underground roads there is a huge hall. There, in the light of countless magical candles, fairies led by their queen dance and feast to the sounds of magical music from countless elf musicians. And there they judge the mortals who dared to enter their domain.
But almost no one dared to enter the huge cave. All residents of the west coast of Scotland knew well what dangers and obsessions threatened a mortal who entered the fairy's domain.
In Keila there once lived a brave bagpiper named Alesdair. The fame of his playing spread throughout Kintyre. When his neighbors got together after the day's work, Alasdair played them dance tunes on his bagpipes, so joyfully that everyone started dancing. And then suddenly he starts an old song - one of those that his grandfathers and great-grandfathers played - and then people listen in silence. A bowl of foamy ale goes around in a circle, and the flame of the hearth, where peat is placed with prayer, illuminates everything around with a bright light.
The bagpiper's dog, a small fox terrier, always sat there. The dog and his owner loved each other deeply and never parted.
And then one evening, when the fun was in full swing, Alasdair, having sipped more than once from the circular bowl, became cheerful and, when he finished playing some song, said to his friends:
Now I'll play you another song. It is no worse than those played by the fairies themselves in a large cave on the seaside.
He picked up his bagpipes again and was about to begin, but the farmers stopped him. They all knew that the fairies were angry with mortals who decided to compete with them in their art, and they believed that it was inappropriate for Alasdair to boast so much. The bagpiper had just begun to play when he was interrupted by farmer Ian McGraw.
“Oh, Alasdair,” he said, “you’d better give up!” What is true is true - you are the most skilled piper in all of Kintyre, but we all know that the fairies in the big cave can play in ways we could not even dream of. With their play they can tear a child away from his mother and a man from his beloved.
The bagpiper just smiled and proudly objected:
Well, Ian McGraw, you said what you wanted to say, and I'll argue with you. I bet that this very night I will walk with my bagpipes through all the underground passages in the large cave, and then return to the light of day. All this time I will play the bagpipes, but nothing bad will happen to me. And in the fairy abode no one can play such a beautiful song as, for example, this one.
The neighbors just gasped at his impudent words, and the bagpiper again put the bagpipe pipe to his lips and began to play the cheerful “Song Without a Title.” None of those gathered had ever heard such a beautiful and cheerful tune in their lives.
Meanwhile, the fairies feasted and had fun in their huge hall. And then they heard Alasdair boasting, and they were angry with the impudent piper from Keil. Then the unearthly music of countless elf musicians sounded even louder and wilder, and the flames of countless candles began to flutter. And the fairy queen herself prepared to enchant the brave bagpiper with powerful spells as soon as he entered her domain.
The bagpiper's dog must have sensed all this - he bristled and growled lowly as Alasdair left the merry gathering and headed towards the cliffs, continuing to play "The Untitled Song". But the dog loved his owner so much that he did not want to be left behind and ran after him. He caught up with Alasdair when he had already approached the entrance to a large cave.
The neighbors also saw off Alesdair, but they walked at a distance. And so the bagpiper, his hat askew, fearlessly stepped into the darkness of the cave, his plaid skirt fluttering with every step. The faithful dog ran at his heels.
The neighbors looked after them, peered into the darkness of the cave and listened for a long time to the cheerful, ringing sounds of the wormwood. And many said, shaking their heads:
Oh, we will never see our brave piper from Keil again!
A little later, the cheerful music suddenly turned into a heartbreaking screech and immediately stopped. Then, echoing loudly from the stone walls, an ominous inhuman laughter echoed through the winding underground passages and reached the exit of the cave. And suddenly there was silence.
The neighbors were still standing motionless, trembling with fear for their wonderful bagpiper, when suddenly his fox terrier ran out of the cave, whining and limping. It was difficult to recognize the poor dog! He was all peeled off - not a hair was left on his body - and rushed as fast as he could, without knowing where, his eyes rolling out in horror, as if green fairy dogs were chasing him.
But his owner never left the cave. The neighbors waited for Alasdair until dawn broke over the sea. They called him with their hands to their mouths. But no one ever saw the piper from Keil again.
Not a single person in all of Kintyre dared to step into the dark cave and go looking for him. After all, everyone has heard the ominous laughter of fairies, and no one can even remember this laughter without a shiver creeping down his spine.
But this is not the end of the story about the bagpiper from Keil. One evening Ian McGraw and his wife were sitting by the fire on their farm, which stood several miles from the seaside. And suddenly the farmer's wife leaned over and put her ear to the stone slab that lay in front of the hearth.
Do you hear, master, how they play the bagpipes? - she asked her husband.
The farmer also listened and was amazed. After all, both he and his wife heard “The Untitled Song” and guessed that it was being played by Alasdair, forever doomed by the fairies to wander through the underground passages that stretch far into the interior of the country.
The farmer and his wife all listened, and the song gradually died away. And suddenly the plaintive voice of the bagpiper himself was heard:
I can no longer go out into the world,
I am doomed to wander, and there is no salvation for me!
Oh, my inescapable grief!..
Nowadays it is said that people still living heard a bagpiper playing as they passed through the place where Ian McGraw's farm once stood. And every time this cry of despair burst into the sounds of the song.
7. Farquhar MacNeil
Once upon a time there lived a young man named Farquhar MacNeill. One day he had to change his job and go to a new place. On the very first evening, the hostess told him to go to the neighbor’s mountain and ask him for a sieve. Her sieve had a hole and she needed to sift the flour.
Farquhar readily agreed and got ready to set off. The hostess explained to him which path he should take and said that it would not be difficult to find his neighbor’s house - there would be a light on in his window.
Soon Farquhar noticed that not far away, to the left of the path, something was glowing, and thought that it was in the neighbor’s window. He managed to forget that the hostess told him to go straight along the path up the mountain, and turned left, in the direction where the light was on.
It seemed to him that he was already approaching the neighbor’s house, when suddenly he tripped, fell, fell through the ground and flew down. He flew like this for a long time until he finally fell straight into the fairies' living room. And she was deep underground.
There were many fairies gathered in the living room, all of them doing different things.
At the very entrance, or rather, under the hole through which Farquhar had fallen, two little old fairies in black aprons and white caps were diligently grinding grain in a hand mill made of two flat millstones. Two other younger fairies in blue dresses with streaks and white scarves took ground flour and kneaded dough from it into crumpets. Then they put the crumpets in a frying pan and baked them on the fire of the hearth. The hearth was in the corner, and the peat burned in it, not hotly.
And in the very middle of the spacious room, a large crowd of fairies, elves and spirits danced dashingly to the sounds of tiny bagpipes. A small dark dwarf was playing the bagpipes. He sat on a stone ledge high above the crowd.
When Farquhar suddenly appeared among the fairies, they all froze and stared at him in fear. But as soon as they saw that he was not hurt, they bowed gravely to him and asked him to sit down. And then, as if nothing had happened, some again began to play and dance, and some to do housework.
But Farquhar himself loved to dance, so he did not at all want to sit alone on the sidelines of the merry dancing. And he asked the fairies to let him dance with them.
They seemed surprised by his request, but still respected it. And so Farquhar began to dance and danced as merrily as the hairdryers themselves.
But then a strange change happened to him. He forgot where he came from and where he was going, forgot his home, forgot his whole past life. He only knew that he wanted to stay with the fairy forever.
And he stayed with them. After all, he was already bewitched and therefore became like them. At night he could wander unseen on the ground, drink dew from the grass, suck nectar from flowers. And he did all this so deftly and silently, as if he had been born an elf.
Time passed, and one evening Farquhar flew out with a crowd of cheerful friends on a big trip. They took off early because they were going to stay with the One Who Lives on the Moon, and they had to return home before the first rooster.
Everything would have worked out well if Farquhar had watched where he was flying. But he was too ardently courting the young fairy flying next to him, so he did not see the house that stood in his way. Hit a chimney and got stuck in the thatched roof.
His companions did not notice anything and merrily rushed off into the distance, so that Farquhar had to extricate himself. So he began to climb out of the straw and inadvertently looked into the wide pipe. He sees a beautiful young woman sitting downstairs in the kitchen, nursing a rosy-cheeked child.
It must be said that when Farquhar was a man, he loved children very much. And then a good wish for this child involuntarily escaped his tongue.
God bless you! - he said, looking at the mother and child.
He had no idea what this would lead to. But as soon as he had time to utter a good wish, the spell that weighed on him dissipated, and he again became the same as he was before.
Farquhar immediately remembered all his loved ones in his homeland, and his new mistress, who must be looking forward to the sieve. It seemed to him that several weeks had already passed since he went for this sieve. And he hurried back to the farm.
While he was walking there, everything around him was a wonder. A forest has grown where there was no forest before; stone fences stood where there had been no fences before. Oddly enough, he could not find the way to the farm and, worse, he could not even find his father’s house. Where his house stood, Farquhar saw only dense thickets of nettles.
Confused, he began to look for someone who could explain to him what it all meant. Finally he saw an old man who was covering the roof of one house with thatch.
The old man was so skinny and gray-haired that from a distance Farquhar even mistook him for a piece of fog, and only when he came closer did he see that it was a man. Farquhar thought that such a decrepit old man was probably deaf, and therefore he came close to the wall of the house and asked in a loud voice:
Do you know where all my friends and family went and what happened to my father's house?
The old man listened to him and shook his head.
“I’ve never heard of your father,” he answered slowly. - But maybe my father will tell you something about him.
Your father! - exclaimed Farquhar, very surprised. - Is your father still alive?
“Alive,” the old man answered, chuckling. - When you enter the house, you will see him in an armchair by the fireplace.
Farquhar entered the house and saw another old man there. This one was so skinny, wrinkled, hunched over that he looked at least a hundred years old. With weak hands he twisted the ropes used to secure the thatch on the roof.
Can't you tell me anything about my family and my father's house? - Farquhar asked him. although I doubted that such an ancient old man was capable of uttering a word.
“I can’t,” muttered the old man, “but my father, he probably can.”
Your father! - Farquhar exclaimed, lost in surprise. - But he probably died a long time ago!
The old man shook his head with a wise smile.
Look there,” he said and pointed with a crooked finger at the leather bag that hung on the wooden bedpost in the corner.
Farquhar walked up to the bed and was almost scared to death - a tiny old man with a wrinkled face and a red cap looked out of his bag. He had completely shrunk and dried up, he was so old.
Take it out, it won’t hurt you,” said the old man who was sitting by the fire and chuckled.
Farquhar carefully took the tiny old man between his thumb and forefinger, took him out of the bag and placed him in the palm of his left hand. The old man was so shriveled from old age that he looked like a relic.
Maybe you at least know what happened to my stepfather’s house and where my relatives went? - Farquhar asked for the third time; but he no longer hoped to receive an answer.
“They all died long before I was born,” the tiny old man squeaked. “I haven’t seen any of them myself, but I heard my father talk about them.
So, that means I'm older than you! - Farquhar cried, stunned.
And this struck him so much that his bones suddenly crumbled into dust, and he collapsed on the floor in a heap of gray dust.