Blade Life and Forty Braided Hair Strings

Extracted from rasekhoon

Once upon a time there was a king that could not have a baby. The king who had everything was worry and wanted to have a child in order that his child could inherit his kingdom and fortune when he would die.
One day a dervish came to his court and gave an apple to the king's wife and said: "When sleeping, eat half of this apple yourself and give the king the other half to eat it. Then you certainly will have a baby."
The king's wife went to bring back gold for the dervish as his wage. When she returned back she noticed the absence of the dervish. The woman did the same work as the dervish had ordered. After nine months and nine days and nine hours, God gave a son to the king. But the baby did not breath. Whatever they did to cure him was useless. The day after the birthday of the son, the dervish came again and when informed of the story, he asked: "Didn't come with the baby when being borne?"
They answered: "Yes. A blade came with him." The dervish said: "Pierce the blade and hang it around the neck of the baby."
They pierced the blade and using a thread hung it around the neck of the baby. The child began to breathe and cry. They nominated the baby as Blade Life, because as they removed the blade out of his neck, the child became unconscious and did not breathe.
Several years elapsed and Blade Life grew up. One day his father gave the key of his gardens to Blade Life and said: "Go with your nurse to the gardens and enjoy them completely." Blade Life went to the gardens together with his nurse and surfed them one by one. He noticed that there didn't exist the key of one of the gardens. Blade Life sent his nurse to take the key of that garden from the king.
When the nurse went, Blade Life remained waiting for a while. When she was late, he broke the
door of the garden and entered there. The garden had no specific beauty. There was only a curtain hanging on the wall. Blade Life went ahead and pushed the curtain aside. There he saw the picture of a beautiful girl who had forty braided hair strings. As Blade Life saw the picture, he became unconscious and fell on the ground. The nurse and the king and the queen came to the garden headfirst and saw that Blade Life was fallen on the ground unconsciously. They washed his face with water and rose water until when the boy became conscious. As he came to the senses, he asked the name and address of the girl. His father said: "This girl is Forty Braided Hair Strings. I was searching for her for several years here and there but I could not get her. Everyone who had gone to search her, had returned back no longer."
But for Blade Life these speeches had no importance. He decided to go and find and bring her. Whatever the king tried to dissuade his son, Blade Life did not agree. When the king saw the insistence of his son, he sent two skillful horsemen to accompany him to help him.
They went and went until it was night. They stopped somewhere in order to rest for continuing their way in the morning.
In the morning Blade Life got up and noticed that there were not the horsemen. He understood that they made him alone according to the order of his father in the hope that he would become dissuaded.
Blade Life continued his way. Near the noon he noticed that a horseman from the east and a horseman from the west were approaching him. When they reached him, Blade Life asked them their names and destinations. The name of one of them was Minute Counter. Minute Counter said: "At night, when the stars are visible, I count their minutes to see which ones will come sooner."
The other horseman said: "My name is Star Counter. My job is watching the stars and counting them." Minute Counter and Star Counter also were searching for Forty Braided Hair Strings. These three persons shook fraternal hands and accompanied together. They went two days until they reached another country while they were thirsty and hungry.
There, they saw a girl who had put a tray full of various foods on her head and was weaping and was going somewhere. In front of her, a beautiful boy was walking. After inquiring from the girl, Blade Life understood that a dragon had closed the flow of water and the people should give it a boy every day in order that it would permit them to take water. That day was the turn of the son of the king and that girl was the sister of that boy who was carrying the foods to give them to the dragon in order that when it would eating his brother it would annoy his brother lesser. Blade Life said to the girl: "Give the foods to us to eat. In return, I'll go instead of your brother to be eaten by the dragon."
The girl agreed. They took the tray of food and began to eat the foods. Then Blade Life took his sword out and went toward the dragon and killed it. Suddenly a pigeon flight from the nose of the dragon and sat on a tree and said: "O Blade Life! Down with you. I intended to leave here after eating the son of the king." Blade Life said: "O bastard! Go away."
The information that Blade Life had killed the dragon became spread. When the king of that country understood not only his son but also all the boys of his country had gotten rid of the dragon, wanted to give her daughter to Blade Life. But after insistence of Blade Life, he gave her daughter to Star Counter and they held seven days and seven nights wedding celebration.
Blade Counter set off with Minute Counter. After a while, they reached another country. Then it was night. There they became gusts of an old woman. When they got up in the morning, they noticed that the old woman was weeping. Blade Life asked: "What's the matter?" The old woman answered: "Our agricultural lands are on the other side of the sea. Every year our young men go there and harvest wheat in order to bring the wheat here, but on the way they are returning back their ship sinks and the young men die. This year the king's son is also to accompany the young men."
The king looked at the feature of Blade Life and knew that that young man was the man of hard day. So he permitted him to accompany the young men.
All boarded the ship and moved and went to the other side of the sea. They harvested the wheat and poured them onto the ship. On the return, Blade Life noticed that a dragon came out of the water surface. Immediately he hit its head with his sword and dropped its head into the water. This time too, a pigeon flight from the nose of the dragon and said: "O Blade Life! Curse on you." Blade Life said: "O bastard! Go away."
The ship and the young men returned back healthy. As the king understood that how Blade Life had saved the young men against the dragon, wanted to give his daughter to Blade Life as thanks. But by insist of him, the king gave his daughter to Minuet Counter. They held seven nights and seven days wedding celebration and Minuet Counter became son-in-law of the king and remained in that city.
Blade Life set off alone and went to find Forty Braided Hair Strings.
He reached a city and he was tired and hungry. He heard the voice of a man saying: "O my God! I didn't find any one. I didn't find any one.". And as he saw Blade Life he said: "AHA! I found him." Then he went toward Blade Life and said: "O young man! Please be my guest for lunch today."
Blade Life asked the man why he was uttering those words. He answered: "My father had wanted me not to eat lunch alone, and obligatory have a guest. This is why I said: "I found him" when I saw you."
Blade Life went to his home. The man asked Blade Life where he intended to go. Blade Life said: "I am going to find Forty Braided Hair Strings." The man said: "My mother had been her nurse for a while." Blade Life said: "So, please ask her how I can find her, otherwise I won't eat lunch."
The man went and asked his mother that question. The old woman said: "If I say that, I will become stone. Only when I am alone and am talking with myself and someone is eavesdropping, he will be able to find Forty Braided Hair Strings, provided that I won't notice that he is eavesdropping."
Blade Life said nothing and ate his lunch.
At night, the host man went to see one of his friends. Blade Life too said to the old woman that he was leaving there and would return back after one hour. But Blade Life did not left there and hid in a corner. The old woman began to spread the bedclothes while she was talking with herself and was saying: "Finding Forty Braided Hair Strings is not so easy. Until now, thousands of princes have become stone because of her. Everyone who wants to bring Forty Braided Hair Strings has to take seven dates, a quarter kilogram of rock candy, a packet of blade, a little of salt and a jug of water with himself. Then he should go seven nights and seven days up to a big forest. There he should go up the biggest tree of that forest. Then seven demons will come and will say to the tree: "O tree! You were used to give us fruit every year. What do you give us this year?" Then he should drop the dates onto the ground one by one. Each one on the demons will eat a date and will sleep for seven nights and seven days. When the demons are asleep, he should come down the tree. Forty Braided Hair Strings is in the ear of the white demon. He should drop seven pieces of rock candy near the ear of the white demon. Forty Braided Hair Strings will come out of the ear of the white demon to take the pieces of rock candy. He should catch Forty Braided Hair Strings. If, in the first time, he can not catch her, a half of his body, from waist to feet, will become stone. In the second time, he should drop the pieces of rock candy farther from the ear of the demon. If he cannot catch Forty Braided Hair Strings this time too, the whole body of him will become stone, but if he is successful this time in catching Forty Braided Hair Strings, that stoned half of his body will also be cured and will returned back to the first state."
Blade Life heard all the words of the old woman and went out of the home and verified around there well and returned back.
In the next day he said goodbye to the old woman and her son and went and bought all things he had heard from the old woman, ant set off.
He went and went until he reached the forest. He did all the works the old woman had said one by one. When the demons came, he dropped the dates one by one onto the ground and the demons ate them and slept. Then he came down the tree and dropped a piece of rock candy in front of the ear of the white demon. He could not catch Forty Braided Hair Strings in the first time when she came out of the ear of the white demon and so his legs became stone. But in the second time he caught the hair of the girl and did permit her to return back to the ear of the white demon no longer. The girl began to shout. Blade Life said: "I have come to save you. My name is Blade Life."
Forty Braided Hair Strings became calm and became friend with Blade Life.
Both of them rode on the back of the horse and galloped away. Forty Braided Hair Strings said to Blade Life: "You should not look at your behind, otherwise you will become stone." Forty Braided Hair Strings was watching the behind and noticed that the demons were following them. She asked Blade Life: "What do you have with yourself?" Blade life answered: "Blades."
He gave her the blades and she dropped the blades onto the ground and said: "I beg God to make a mountain of blades between us and the demons." Suddenly a big mountain of blades was made. With enormous endeavor the demons could pass the mountain of blades. This time she took salt from Blade Life and poured it onto the ground. A mountain of salt was made.
Six demons died due to the severity of pain. Only one demon remained who was close to reach the girl and the boy that Forty Braided Hair Strings stroke the jug of water onto the ground and a big sea was made. The demon asked from afar: "O Blade Life! How did you pass the sea?" Blade Life showed the opening of the jug which had been shaped as a perforated stone to the demon and said: "See this stone. You should hold down your head into its hole and jump to this other side of the sea."
The demon held down his head into the hole. The stone sank into the sea and brought the demon downwards with itself up to the bottom of the sea.
Forty Braided Hair Strings and Blade Life were relieved. They went and went for several days until when they reached beside a well of water. Forty Braided Hair Strings took the hand of Blade Life and said: "Let's camp here and stay for forty days in order that I can wash one of my forty braided hair strings each day."
They camped there. One day Forty Braided Hair Strings said to Blade Life who was standing near the well: "Two hair strands of mine have been dropped near the well. Bring them here, otherwise they will bother you." Blade Life became upset and took up the hair strands and twisted them round a metal piece and dropped it into the well. The water of that well used to flow into the garden of the king of that country. One day, the gardener of the king went to the garden and saw that all the trees had become fruitful and each one was crying: "Come and eat from my fruits." The gardener went and informed the king. The king said: "I feel the smell of Forty Braided Hair Strings. Search all corner of the garden and whatever you find bring it to me."
They searched and found that metal piece around of which the hair of Forty Braided Hair Strings had been twisted. The gave it to the king. The king said: "This is the hair of Forty Braided Hair Strings. Go and search and fid Forty Braided Hair Strings."
This news was heard by an old woman. She went to the king and said: "I will find Forty Braided Hair Strings." The king said: "Bring Forty Braided Hair Strings, and in return I'll give you whatever you want."
The old woman said: "I go. Whenever you see that burned cotton is floating on the water surface, search the river and come straightly upwards."
The old woman went and found the tent of Forty Braided Hair Strings and Blade Life. At once, she pretended illness. Blade Life took her into the tent. As Forty Braided Hair Strings saw her hit on her head by a dustpan and said to Blade Life: "Eventually this old woman will bother you."
Blade Life, who had taken pity on the old woman, did not notice to the speech of Forty Braided Hair Strings and let the old woman stay there. The old woman stayed there a few days. At last she asked the girl: "Why is the name of your husband Blade Life?" The girl answered that because his life depended on the blade he had hung round his neck.
One night that Blade Life was asleep, the old woman went and untied the blade from the neck of Blade Life and dropped it into the well. The young man died and the old woman dropped his dead body in a nearby garden. Then she fired a piece of cotton and dropped it on the water surface of the river. When the officers of the king saw the burned cotton, they went and informed the king. The king and some horsemen went and caught Forty Braided Hair Strings and bring her to the palace with themselves. The king wanted to take her to his harem, but Forty Braided Hair Strings said to the king: "I should mourn forty days because of losing my husband. During this time no one has permission to close me unless that old woman." The king accepted to wait forty days.
No hear about Minute Counter and Star Counter. One day Minute Counter went to Star Counter and said: "It is a while that the star of the life of Blade Life comes up later than other stars." Star Counter added: "Yes I've noticed that too."
They decided to go and find Blade Life. Star Counter took up a lamp and they both went and went. Star Counter ignited the lamp and using its light they could find the tent of Blade Life. When they reached there, they noticed that the light of the lamp was fallen one time toward the garden and one time toward the well. They searched the well and found the blade. Then they searched the garden and found the dead body of Blade Life. They hung the blade round the neck of Blade Life. Blade Life was recovered.
When Blade Life noticed the absence of Forty Braided Hair Strings, he understood what happened on him and understood that all was because of that old woman. The consulted with each other and concluded that they were not able to enter where Forty Braided Hair Strings was in it by force, and they should enter there anonymously and find her.
All three wore clothing of dervish and went to find Forty Braided Hair Strings. When they reached the city, they noticed that the crowd was going to the palace of the king in groups in order to see Forty Braided Hair Strings. Blade Life entered the palace while he was wearing dervish clothing. He saw the old woman and said: "I am a dervish. If you have any sick person, tell me to write for you prayer." The old woman said: "It's a while that I have a headache. But I have no literacy to read your prayer. I should go to my daughter, Forty Braided Hair Strings, who is to become the wife of the king."
The dervish wrote on a piece of paper: "I am Blade Life and I have come. Now tell me how I could save you." Then, he give the paper to the old woman and said: "Don't show this prayer to anyone but your daughter."
When the old woman went to Forty Braided Hair Strings, said to her: "I had a headache. So I wanted a dervish to write for me a prayer. See what he has written." Forty Braided Hair Strings took the paper from the old woman and read it. Then she tore it and said: "The prayer is not good. I write myself a very good prayer for you." Then she wrote on a piece of paper: "O Blade Life! I will say to the king tomorrow night that I want to go to the bathroom and no one is permitted to accompany me. Come there to see me."
Forty Braided Hair Strings give the paper to the old woman who put it in her pocket. When the old woman wanted to go her home, Blade Life called her and asked: "Did your head get fine?" The old woman answered: "No." Blade Life said: "Did you show the pray to someone? If you have shown it to someone you will have headache until the end of your life." The old woman said: "As a truth, I showed it only to Forty Braided Hair Strings who tore the pray and gave me this paper."
Blade Life took the paper on which Forty Braided Hair Strings had written and wrote on another piece of paper some meaningless words band gave it to the old woman. Blade Life was informed of the message of Forty Braided Hair Strings.
On the other day Blade Life took the old man to a corner and killed her by cutting her into two halves by sword strike. He hung each half of her dead body at a side of the door of the bathroom. The he closed the way of Forty Braided Hair Strings and seated her on the back of the horse behind himself and galloped away until when he reached Star Counter and Minute Counter. Forty Braided Hair Strings gave each of them a hair strand of her because of their kindness to her and Blade Life and said to them: "In each season, you will find every fruit you want in your pocket due to this hair strand."
They said good bye and left there. Blade Life and Forty Braided Hair Strings also moved and went until they reached the palace of the father of Blade Life. The king was informed that his son had returned back and also had brought Forty Braided Hair Strings with him. Forty Braided Hair Strings said to Blade Life: "I won't come to the palace of your father. Get ready a house to live in together."
Blade Life didn't ask her any question and agreed and got ready a house. In the evening Blade Life said: "I want to go to see my father." Forty Braided Hair Strings said: "Go, but listen me well: When you want to enter jump over the carpet, because they have dug a well under the carpet in order to kill you. Take this golden ring. When they give you tea, before drinking it, drop this ring into the cup of tea. Also when they give you food, before eating it give some of it to a cat or dog as food and if won't die eat the food, since your father wants to kill you in order to get me."
Blade Life went to the palace of his father and did all the orders of Forty Braided Hair Strings one by one. When he gave some of the food to a dog, it fell down and died. In tomorrow night too, he did those same works, but when eating food, he turned off the lamps and in darkness he changed the places of his food and his father's food. When his father ate the food he fell and died.
As Blade Life saw that scene, informed Forty Braided Hair Strings about the story and brought her to the palace and held wedding celebration for seven nights and seven days.