Page 28 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

Once, while hunting, the king saw the golden eagle and decided to shoot
it, but it prayed in a human voice, promising that he would come in handy.
The king pretended not to hear and took aim again. The golden eagle
repeated his request. It stroke king’s interest that this was an extraordinary
bird, that was talking as a person, he lowered his bow.
Two years later, the king went bankrupt and decided to release the golden

eagle, but it could not take off and asked to feed it for another year, then
it would make the king rich again. The eagle became really powerful and
strong. It put the king on its back of and flew into the distance.
They flew, and suddenly the golden eagle threw the king into the abyss
of the waves. But as soon as the king touched the surface of the water, the
golden eagle picked him up and carried up. After a while, the bird threw

the king off again and again caught him near the water. It recalled the hunt
— the eagle was also scared, like the tsar now, when he tried to shoot it.
They flew further and landed at the house. The mother of the golden
eagle came out to meet them, received the guests warmly and cordially.
In the evening, the golden eagle told the king to go to bed and rest. In the
morning they put him on the ship home, and for his kindness and care he
presented gifts: two little boxes - red and blue. At parting, the golden eagle
ordered the king to open the red chest in the backyard, and the blue one in

the front.
The king sailed to his native land to his wife and son. He went to the
back side of his palace, opened the red chest, and the whole neighborhood
was filled with all kinds of cattle. He went to the front side of the palace,
opened the blue chest, and around it grew gardens filled with various
songbirds, and right in front of it appeared an amazing palace with flowers

and fountains.

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