The Magic Pipe

A grandfather sits with his grandson in a castle on a hill and begins recounting an ancient Nart legend. He introduces Saynag-Aldar and the world of the Narts as a mythic stage for grand events. The mood is warm, setting up the tale as something to be passed down through generations.

Saynag-Aldar proclaims a contest to find a husband for his daughter Agunda, with the gods in heaven deciding the winner. The renowned bogatyr Soslan wins and boasts that no one in the world is stronger. The challenge is set in motion, shaping the adventure to come.

Agunda's wish to test Soslan leads Saynag-Aldar to demand proof of Soslan's strength. He agrees to send Soslan away to travel the world, accompanied by Atsamaz, a shepherd who secretly loves Agunda. The journey begins as Soslan seeks a worthy adversary.

Before departure, Agunda hears the music of Atsamaz's pipe and believes it is meant for her. Atsamaz explains the pipe is a divine gift and that his love speaks through the music. When she presses him to give up the pipe, he refuses and, in anger, breaks it and leaves.

Agunda regrets her harsh words and gathers the broken pipe pieces, returning to the castle with the fragments. The broken pipe becomes a symbol of the rift between desire and divine signs. She holds hope for reconciliation as the journey continues.

Soslan and Atsamaz travel through the proud tribes around the Nart lands and defeat all they encounter. Their victories widen Soslan's reputation, even as Atsamaz's hidden love for Agunda remains. The duo presses on together through diverse lands.

They reach a burial site for fallen Narts where the gods are said to grant wishes. Atsamaz suggests leaving an offering, but Soslan refuses, proposing that they will win him a worthy adversary for 100 deer. The decision sets fate on a new, difficult course.

The gods hear Soslan's bargain and transport them to a faraway land inhabited by gigantic man-eating cyclopes. Uaig, one of the cyclopes, challenges Soslan with a teasing test of strength. The journey moves toward its next, grimmer phase.

Uaig mocks Soslan with a hair-pulling challenge, which Soslan cannot complete. Disappointed, the cyclops sends them to a cave in search of a more worthy adversary. The failure leaves Soslan humbler but determined to prove himself.

Inside the cave, Uaig's mother captures Soslan and Atsamaz but takes pity on them and hides them in her dress. She later allows them to leave when Uaig is distracted. Her surprising help allows the travelers to return toward their homeland.

Uaig follows the travelers back to the valley of the Narts, where his presence brings destruction that no one can stop. A god reappears to guide the next steps and to mend the broken pipe. The tension between divine will and mortal effort becomes evident.

The god commands Agunda to give the reassembled pipe to Atsamaz, who plays a melody that disorients Uaig. Soslan seizes the moment and shoots Uaig through the eye, and the monster crumbles. Silence falls on the valley as the victors reflect on the cost of glory.

With Uaig defeated, the Narts rebuild their world and Agunda marries Atsamaz, whose love proved stronger than Soslan's boast. The tale closes on a moral that true power lies in love rather than mere strength. The legend affirms that hearts can triumph over might.

Soslan concedes that the power of love is stronger than his own physical strength, acknowledging the bond between Agunda and Atsamaz. The grandfather's tale ends with the reminder that love can triumph over even mighty boasts. The story reinforces the moral through Soslan's surrender of pride.