THE KHAN, THE TWINS, AND THE EVIL WIVES
In ancient times, there lived a certain khan. This khan had forty wives, but he had no children. One day, the khan was traveling with his entourage and met three sisters on the road.
— What can each of you do? — asked the khan.
The eldest sister replied to the khan:
— I can embroider tubeteikas. My tubeteikas are sold in all cities, and there is no khan who does not wear them.
The middle sister replied:
— From just a pinch of flour, I can cook a full pot of stew and feed the entire aul.
The youngest sister replied:
— I will give my husband twins — a boy and a girl. The boy will have golden legs, and the girl will have silver legs. With each step they take, golden and silver footprints will remain on the ground.
The khan listened to all the girls and decided to take the youngest sister as his wife. He held a lavish wedding, set up a rich white yurt for his young wife, and gifted her many precious dresses and jewelry.
Then the time came for the young khan's wife to give birth.
— If I hear the cry of the newborns, my heart will burst with joy, — said the khan and went off to the steppe to hunt.
Then the forty wives of the khan gathered and said:
— When the young wife gives birth to twins for our lord, we will have no peace.
They said this and went to an evil old woman.
— Kill the children that are to be born to the young khan's wife, and we will reward you generously! — they asked the old woman.
The old woman agreed. She sneaked into the yurt where the young khan's wife lay, stole the newborn twins, stuffed them into a chest, and instead placed two puppies next to the mother. The old woman took the chest with the children and threw it into the mountains. On her way back, she met the khan, who was hunting in the steppe, and informed him of the news:
— Your young wife has given birth to two puppies!
The khan was saddened and felt ashamed before the people.
— Take the puppies along with their mother to a distant island in the middle of the raging river, so that they do not even come into my sight! — he ordered the old woman.
The old woman returned to the khan's aul, took the young khan's wife with the puppies from the rich White yurt, and took her to a distant island in the middle of the raging river.
The forty wives of the khan generously rewarded the evil old woman.
...Meanwhile, a doe saw the twins lying in the chest. She came to them every day and fed them with her milk. Thus, the children grew up.
One day, the khan, while hunting in the mountains, saw golden and silver footprints on the ground. He followed these footprints and reached a cave. The khan entered this cave and saw a girl with silver legs and a boy with golden legs. "They look like me," thought the khan and asked:
— Whose children are you?
— We do not know whose children we are, — replied the brother and sister, — we grew up in a chest, and a doe fed us with her milk.
The khan took these children and brought them with him.
He returned to the aul and called the evil old woman to him:
— What have you done with my children? — the khan asked sternly. — Tell me the whole truth, or I will order your head to be chopped off!
The old woman was frightened by the khan's wrath and told him the whole truth:
— Your young wife gave birth to twins: a boy with golden legs and a girl with silver legs. Forty of your wives ordered me to kill the children, but I could not bring myself to do it. I put the children in a chest and took them to the mountains.
Then the khan rode with all his entourage to the distant island in the middle of the raging river. He saw his young wife, and next to her were two large dogs. The khan asked his wife for forgiveness for unjustly punishing her. The khan's wife forgave him. Then she told the khan how the puppies had saved her from starving to death: they caught hares and brought them to the khan's wife. Thus, she lived, feeding on hare meat. Now the puppies had grown up and turned into two large dogs.
The khan brought his young wife back to his aul with honor, and he drove his forty wives out into the steppe.
Kyrgyz Tales