The devi’s head rolled and fell into a hole. Asphurtzela looked in and saw three lovely maidens. He was pleased, and said: ‘Let us bring them out and marry them.’ The clod-swallower slipped in, but before he had reached the bottom he called out: ‘I burn, I burn, draw me up,’ and they took him out. Then the hare-catcher slipped down, and the same thing happened to him. Then came Asphurtzela’s turn.
He said to his companions: ‘When I call out “I burn, I burn,” let me down lower into the hole.’ He called out many times: ‘I burn,’ but his companions only lowered him farther.[7]
He went down the hole and saw the maidens, each excelled the other, but the youngest was certainly the most beautiful of all. He took the eldest, and called out to the clod-swallower: ‘This is thine!’ Then he sent up the second sister, calling out to the hare-catcher: ‘This is thine!’ Last of all he was about to send the youngest, as his wife, but she objected, saying: ‘Go thou first, then I will come, for I fear that thy comrades will betray thee.’ Asphurtzela was obstinate, and insisted upon her going first. ‘Very well,’ said the maiden, ‘I will go, since thou wishest me to do so, but know this, thy companions will not draw thee up, they will shut down the covering of the hole, and thou wilt be left here. Three streams will flow here; one black, one blue, and one white; do not put thy head under any except white water, lest thou be drowned.’
It was as she had said. When all three maidens were up, the two men put stones at the mouth of the hole, and left Asphurtzela. He was so indignant that he at once put his head under the black spring, and was immediately carried to the lower regions. He wandered about here and there, and came at last to an old woman’s hut. He called out: ‘Mother, mother, give me some water to drink.’ ‘Ah, child,’ said the old woman, ‘at present there is none, we shall have it again when the dragon has carried away our princess.’ ‘What dragon?’ said Asphurtzela. The old woman replied: ‘Our water is withheld by a dragon (gvelashapi), and if we do not offer him a human victim to eat, the water will not flow. We have all paid this debt save the king, and to-day his daughter is to be offered up.’ ‘Fetch me a water-vessel, mother, I must hasten this minute to the well,’ said Asphurtzela.
The woman prayed him not to go, but he would not hear her. The old woman arose, and brought him vessels. Asphurtzela broke up these small water-jars, and said: ‘Hast thou no kvevris?[8] bring them to me.’ The old woman showed him where the kvevris were. Asphurtzela took them and went away.
When he came to the edge of the stream, he saw a richly dressed maiden seated, shedding bitter tears. He asked her the cause, and when he learnt that this was the king’s daughter, he said: ‘I will sleep here; when the dragon comes, wake me up.’ He laid his head on the maiden’s lap, and fell asleep.
The dragon soon appeared. The maiden was afraid to wake Asphurtzela, and she wept more than ever. One of her tears fell on Asphurtzela’s cheek, and he woke. When he saw the dragon he rose up, shot an arrow, and cut it in pieces.[9] The maiden, overjoyed, immediately hastened home to her father, and said: ‘Thus and thus has it come to pass, the dragon is dead.’ The king at first would not believe this, but when others put faith in the story, he sent to seek the youth. He wished him to marry the princess, and decided to give him half of the kingdom.
They sought, and sought, but could not find him. Then the old woman came to the palace and said: ‘Mighty sovereign! have mercy upon me and upon my son.’ The king knew that she had no son, and said: ‘Thou hadst formerly no son, where hast thou found this one?’ ‘God has given me for my son a youth who has killed our enemy the dragon,’ answered the old woman.
The king was rejoiced that the youth was found. He sent his ministers to bring him to the palace. When Asphurtzela came, the king offered him great presents, but he would not take them, and said: ‘If thou wilt send me back to my own land of light, I shall be happy, this is all I desire.’ The king was very melancholy, he entreated him, but it was of no avail, so he promised.
After this, Asphurtzela went again to his adopted mother. On the way he saw a great tree, and on the top there was a griffin’s (phascundzi) nest. There flew down from on high a dragon, and the little birds set up a terrified scream. When Asphurtzela saw what was about to happen, he drew his bow, and, in the twinkling of an eye, the dragon was dead.