Keloglan and the Golden Apple

Once upon a time, in the garden of a sultan's palace, there was a tree that bore golden apples. Once a year, on a spring night, the tree blossomed and by morning bore a single golden apple. The sick who ate the golden apple got well, and the old grew young again. But for three years the apple had disappeared every spring night. Gardeners and guards waited until morning, but no one ever saw the thief.

The sultan had three sons. The eldest kept watch and fell asleep at midnight; in the morning the apple was gone. The middle son kept watch and fell asleep too. As the youngest prince got ready for his turn, Keloglan, who carried firewood to the palace, said, "Let me keep watch with him." The princes laughed, but the sultan said, "Let him. Two eyes are better than one."

Keloglan put a handful of salt in his pocket. Whenever he grew sleepy, he touched a little salt to his tongue with his finger, and his eyes opened wide. At midnight a light appeared in the sky. A giant bird with flame-coloured wings and feathers shining like rubies landed on the tree and plucked the golden apple with its beak. Keloglan pulled back his slingshot and let fly; the stone struck the bird's wing, a feather fell from it, and the bird flew away with the apple.

In the morning Keloglan took the golden feather to the sultan. When the sultan saw it, he said, "Find this bird and bring it to me." The two older princes set out on fine horses with many men. Keloglan set out on foot with the youngest prince, following the direction in which the feather glowed.

On the first of the seven mountains they saw a thirsty fox by a spring. Keloglan shared his water. "Let me show you the way," said the fox. "The bird's palace is beyond the seventh mountain. But whatever anyone tells you on the way, don't leave your path." On the second mountain they saw an old man crying in the road; his donkey was stuck in the mud. Keloglan and the prince pulled the donkey out. The old man gave them a shepherd's flute: "Play it when you're in trouble."

On the third mountain the older princes were having fun at an inn. "Forget this road. There's no bird. Let's enjoy ourselves here," they said. Keloglan and the youngest prince remembered the fox's words and went on. They crossed the fourth, fifth and sixth mountains; they passed thorny bushes, icy hills and dark forests.

Beyond the seventh mountain they saw a golden palace. In the palace garden was the bird in a golden cage, and beside it a basket of golden apples. A giant was guarding the bird. Keloglan played the old man's flute, and its sound was so sweet that the giant fell fast asleep. Keloglan took the cage, but the bird spoke: "Don't take me in a cage. Take me freely. I didn't take the apples for myself, but so that the tree in the palace garden wouldn't dry up. Its roots drink from the spring under my nest. If I bury the apples in that spring, the spring won't run dry."

Keloglan set the bird free. The bird took them on its back and flew them to the sultan's land. On the way they picked up the older princes from the inn. When they reached the palace, the bird told the sultan everything: "If you leave one golden apple for me every year, the spring will keep flowing and your tree will never dry up. And every spring I will come to your garden and sing."

The sultan agreed. From that day on the tree bore two apples every spring: one for the bird and one for the palace. The sultan made the youngest prince heir to the throne and Keloglan his vizier. Keloglan moved to the palace, but every Friday he went to his mother's village and took her a slice of the golden apple.

This tale tells us: sometimes the one we think is a thief has a trouble of his own; we should listen first. And whoever doesn't leave the path reaches the end of it. Three apples fell from the sky, all three of gold: one for the one who told this tale, one for the one who listened, and one for the bird with wings of flame.