Dyjhicon was a poor unfortunate fellow who had only two goats and a
cow. His wife was an ambitious woman, and annoyed him by her frequent
demands.
"I want you to go out and work," she often said. "I want you to build
a new house, I want to buy myself some new dresses, oxen and sheep,
a horse and wagon."
Dyjhicon, tiring of her endless complaints and scoldings, one day took
his great stick and drove the cow out of the house, saying to himself:
"Let me run from this wicked wife to the wilderness and there die."
This was what the woman wanted. Thus he ran from her and wandered
in the wilderness. When he was hungry he milked the cow and drank
the milk, and when he was tired he mounted the cow. He was very
timid,--a typical coward. The sight of a running rat was enough to
make him tremble.
"Eh!" he thought, nevertheless, "it is better to be torn by wild
beasts than to become the slave of a wicked woman."
One day, as the cow was pasturing on a green meadow and Dyjhicon
was lying down lazily, the flies stung him. He cursed his wife and
clapped his hands to kill the flies. Then he counted to see how
many flies he had killed at one stroke, and lo! they were seven in
number. This encouraged him, and he took his knife and carved upon
his stick these words:
"I am Dyjhicon; I have killed seven by one stroke of the hand."
Then he got astride the cow and rode away. After a long journey he
came to a green meadow in the center of which there was a magnificent
castle with an orchard around it. He let the cow graze in the meadow
and he lay down to sleep. Seven brothers lived in that castle. One of
them, seeing Dyjhicon and his cow in the meadow came to find who it
was that had ventured to enter their ground. Dyjhicon was sleeping,
with his stick standing near him. The man approached and, reading
the inscription, was terrified.
"What a hero!" he thought to himself, "he has killed seven men by one
stroke of the hand. He must be a brave man, else he would not dare to
sleep here so carelessly. What courage! what boldness! he has come
so far without arms, without a horse, without a companion. This man
is surely a great hero."
He went and informed his brothers as to what he had seen; and all the
seven brothers came to pay their respects to the unknown hero, and to
invite him to their humble home. The cow, being frightened by their
approach, began to leap and bellow. Her voice wakened Dyjhicon, who,
seeing seven men standing before him, was terrified, and snatching
his club, stood aside trembling. The seven brothers thought that he
was angry with them, and was trembling on account of his wrath, and
that he would kill all of them by one stroke of his stick. Thereupon
they began to supplicate him to pardon their rudeness in disturbing
his repose. Then they invited him to go with them, saying:
"We are seven brothers and have a great reputation as good fighters
in this district. But we shall be entirely invincible, if you will
join us and become our elder brother. We will take great pleasure in
placing our house and all that belongs to us at the service of such
a hero as yourself."
Hearing this, Dyjhicon ceased trembling, and said:
"Very well, let it be as you say."
They took him to the castle with great pomp and served to him a
grand banquet, at which all the seven brothers stood before him,
folding their arms upon their breasts and awaiting his permission
to sit. Dyjhicon was in great alarm, his heart was faint and he had
fallen into meditation as to the manner in which he might free himself
from this perplexing situation. The seven brothers thought that he
was not only a very brave hero, but was also such a great sage, that
he did not care even to look at their faces. They began to cough in
a low voice to draw his attention. On account of his internal fear
Dyjhicon suddenly shook his head. The seven brothers took this as a
permission to sit. After the banquet they said to him:
"My lord, where have you left your horse, arms and servants? Will
you command us to go and bring them?"
"Horse and arms are necessary for timid men," said Dyjhicon; "I have
never had need of them. I use horse and arms only when I fight a great
battle. As to servants, I never need them; all men are my servants. You
see, I have come so far having only a cow and my stick. Dyjhicon is
my name; I have killed seven by one stroke of the hand."
Their esteem and admiration for Dyjhicon increased every day, and at
last they were so much fascinated by his alleged bravery that they
gave him in marriage their only sister, who was a very beautiful
maiden. Dyjhicon knew that he was unworthy, but he could not refuse
this gift.
"Eh!" he said, "I will do you the favor of marrying her since you
entreat me so earnestly."
They brought costly garments, and putting them on Dyjhicon, made him
a handsome bridegroom. They had a splendid wedding festival which
was reported in all neighboring countries. The four princes of the
neighboring countries had asked the hand of the maiden in marriage,
and all of them had been refused. Now hearing that the maiden was
given in marriage to a stranger, the four princes waged war against
the seven brothers. Dyjhicon, hearing this, was stricken with fear,
and longed that the earth might open its mouth and swallow him. He
thought to run away, but there were no means of escaping. While he
indulged in these sad meditations, the seven brothers came, and bowing
down before him, said:
"What is your order, my lord? Will you go fight yourself, or will
you have us go first?"
This caused Dyjhicon's heart to melt. He began to tremble in his
whole body, and to strike his teeth one against another. The seven
brothers thought that it was because of his violent rage, and that
in his fury he would destroy whole armies.
"My lord," they said, finally, "let us seven brothers go fight them
at first, and if we find them hard to conquer we will send you word,
that you may come to our assistance."
"Well, well; do so," answered Dyjhicon, somewhat relieved.
They went and began the battle. Their neighboring peoples were in
constant terror of the seven brothers, who were famous as brave
fighters. Now that they had also a brother-in-law who could kill
seven men by one stroke of the hand, their foes were the more afraid
of them. But this time the men of the four princes were united,
and they fought with unusual zeal and determination. This caused
the seven brothers to retreat a little, and they sent to brother
Dyjhicon, saying:
"We are in trouble; come to our assistance."
A fast horse and magnificent arms awaited him. He began to curse the
day when he came to that house. But what could he do now? At last he
decided to go to the battle-field, cast himself against the swords of
the enemy and die; death was preferable to such a disgraceful life. As
soon as he mounted the horse, the beast who knew that the rider was
inexperienced, ran away like a winged eagle. Dyjhicon could not stop
or manage it. The seven brothers thought he was so brave that he left
the horse free in order to reach and slaughter the enemy. The horse
broke into the line of the enemy, who began to fly, saying:
"Who can stand before this great hero?"
In their hurry to retreat they began to slaughter one
another. Dyjhicon, who had never been on horseback before, was so
much afraid that he thought he was already lost. As the horse was
running through the forest, he threw his arms around an oak tree and
embraced it, letting the horse go from under him. The tree happened
to be rotten and was rooted out when he took hold of it. This caused
a great panic among the enemy, who ran away exclaiming:
"Aha! he has pulled up by the roots an enormous oak, and now he
means to batter us into pieces with it. Who can stand before this
strong warrior?"
So crying as they ran away, they slaughtered one another. Thereupon,
the seven brothers came and embracing the feet of their heroic
brother-in-law, exclaimed:
"What magnificent courage! What a great victory!"
With these words they brought Dyjhicon home with great pomp and
glory. The four princes who waged the war, being greatly humiliated,
sued for reconciliation, and in order to gain Dyjhicon's favor, each
of them sent him as a present one thousand ewes with their lambs,
ten mares with their colts, and other costly offerings.
Thus the greatest coward became the greatest hero.