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 Long
long ago there in the entrails of Kara-Dag - The Black Mountain
dwelled a terrible Monster - one-eyed Giant-Ogre. In the day-time
the Giant used to sleep, but even his peaceful snoring frightened
the dwellers of surrounding hamlets. Towards the evening the Giant
would wake up and got out of his lair. Menacingly flashing with
his single-eye, he would begin to bellow deafeningly.
Then gripped by fear all the dwellers - children, old men, women
would hide, and men, to gain the Monster's favour, would bring a
bull or a couple of sheeps to the foot of the Black Mountain. But
in autumn, when the wedding month would come, the Giant demanded
a great sacrifice. He would roar incessantly, hurling stones from
the mountain, and they buried vineyards, destroyed the buildings.
People were frightened to death, chose one of the brides, brought
her tied on Kara-Dag and let her there on a high rock...
So much grief brought he too people, and nobody knew the way to
get rid of him. But then one courageous youth volunteered to kill
the Monster.
The wedding month came. The young man went to the Giant on Kara-Dag.
"How beautiful it is here,- thought he.- And I do want to live!
But it's better to be killed in an unequal fight than bear such
a monster..."
The young man thought of his sweet-heart, sat down on a stone and
broke into a love song.
- Your singing is not bad at all, however. I like it.- The youth
threw back his head and saw the Giant.- Sing me your song again,-
roared the Giant.-I also want a bird of love come flying to me and
penetrate into the depth of my heart.
And the young man promissed to bring him the one who sent love.
The next day he set off to Kara-Dag with his intended wife, the
beautiful Elbis. Her beauty was so dazzling, that the Giant being
wonder-struck, wide opened his single eye. And the girl took a bow,
bent its tight string and shot a poisonous stone arrow into his
shining eye.
Of the unbearable pain the Monster set up a howl, stumbled over
a stone and fell into his deep burrow...
At daybreak people came out of their houses, looked in the direction
where only yesterday there was the Giant's lair, and stood astonished.
The Black Mountain has no longer existed. She has tumbled down to
pieces, buring the Monster. And at that very place high up to the
sky new cliffs and rocks of whimsical shape, resembling wild animals
have risen.
Kara-Dag (The Black Mountain) - mountain-mess, situated between
Sudak and Feodosia.
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