Keloglan and Nasreddin Hodja

Once upon a time, Keloglan was a young man in his village who helped everyone with their work and made everyone laugh. But there was always a question inside him: "What is it like to be wise? Who is the wisest man in the world?" The old men of the village said, "In Aksehir there is a man called Nasreddin Hodja. He makes you laugh and makes you think. Go to him."

Keloglan kissed his mother's hand and set off. He walked for days, and at last he reached Aksehir. In the market he asked someone: "Where can I find Nasreddin Hodja?" The man laughed: "If you see someone riding his donkey backwards, that's him." A little further on, Keloglan really did see a bearded man in a big turban riding his donkey backwards.

"Peace be upon you, Hodja. I've come to learn wisdom from you," he said. The Hodja stopped his donkey and looked Keloglan up and down. "And upon you be peace, my boy. Wisdom isn't learned from books; it's learned on the road. But since you've come, I'll ask you three questions. If you answer them, I'll make you my apprentice."

"First question," said the Hodja. "You have a candle in one hand and a jug of water in the other. If your house caught fire, which would you take?" Keloglan answered at once: "The water, Hodja. What would I do with the candle?" The Hodja laughed: "Well done. Sometimes the easiest answer is the right one. People get scared of a hard question and miss the easy answer."

"Second question: I have a cauldron, and my neighbour asked to borrow it. When I gave it back, I put a little pot inside it and said, 'Your cauldron gave birth.' My neighbour was happy and kept the pot. Later, when I borrowed the cauldron again, what should I tell him?" Keloglan thought for a moment: "Hodja, a cauldron that can give birth can die one day too. But if I were you, I would never play that game, because a promise to a neighbour is worth more than a cauldron." The Hodja raised his eyebrows: "Well, look at that! You answered that better than I would have."

"Third question," said the Hodja. "Where is the centre of the world?" Keloglan looked at the Hodja's donkey and pointed to the spot where its hoof was standing: "Right here, Hodja. If you don't believe me, measure it." The Hodja burst out laughing: "You bald rascal! You sold me my own answer!"

The Hodja took Keloglan to his house. The Hodja's wife cooked them lentil soup. Keloglan stayed with the Hodja for a week. He went with him to the market, to the judge, and sat with him on the shore of the lake. One day the Hodja threw yoghurt starter into the lake. "Hodja, will the lake turn into yoghurt?" asked Keloglan. "What if it does?" said the Hodja. Keloglan laughed at first, then he understood: the Hodja was telling him that hope sometimes looks useless, but a person should never give up trying.

One day in the market a man asked the Hodja, "Hodja, what did you teach this Keloglan?" The Hodja shrugged: "I didn't teach him anything. He already knew. He just learned to trust what he knew."

When the day came to say goodbye, the Hodja gave Keloglan a saddlebag full of raisins and a piece of advice: "My boy, a wise man is not someone who knows everything. He is someone who knows what he doesn't know, who makes people laugh without hurting them, and who never forgets to laugh while he thinks."

Keloglan went back to his village and told everyone the Hodja's advice. From then on, whenever there was a problem in the village, people asked, "What would the Hodja say?" and then they came to Keloglan. Three apples fell from the sky: one for Nasreddin Hodja, one for Keloglan, and one for you, who listened to this tale.