The Tale of How Aldar Punished the Robber

As people say, it must have been so. According to legend, there lived a clever and resourceful man in a Kyrgyz village, named Aldar-Kose.

One day, Aldar went to fetch water. Just as he was lowering the bucket into the well, he saw a notorious bandit approaching him. The bandit had many misdeeds to his name, and Aldar decided to punish the uninvited guest.

The trickster had something in mind and began to wail and cry loudly. The bandit approached him and asked:
— Why are you crying so much?

— I dropped a bucket made of pure silver into the well. How can I get it back now?

Upon hearing about the silver bucket, the greedy bandit didn’t think long, stripped off his clothes, and descended into the well by rope. While he was searching in the icy water for something that wasn’t there, Aldar untied the rope, took his clothes, and went on his way.

Only late in the evening did the bandit manage to climb out of the well. He had shivered in the icy water so much that his teeth chattered. No one ever saw him in the village again.

Since then, people say: "Well water washes away all evil."

KYRGYZ TALES