Once upon a time, there was a white horse in the world, even across the Peruvian Sea. This white horse was born, he had a son, she nursed him for seven years, then she told him:
- See, my son, that big tree?
- I see.
- Get to the top of it, pull the bark off.
The boy climbed up, tried to do what the white horse said, but he couldn't do it. Then his mother nursed him again for seven years, sent him up an even taller tree to pull the bark off again. The boy did.
Then the white horse said to him:
- Well, my boy, I can see you are strong enough. Well, you go out into the world, and I'll kill you.
That killed him. The boy went into the world. As he went, he walked, he found a lot of woods and went into them. He stumbled and stumbled and stumbled, and came to a man who plucked the strongest trees like a man plucks hemp.
- Good day to you!" says White Lofia.
- Good afternoon, you dog! I heard about that White Horse, I'd like to deal with him.
- Come on, it's me!
They coped. But no sooner had White Lover Boy twisted one on the Sour Eater than he knocked him to the ground.
- "I can see now that you are stronger than I am," says the Sour Eater. - But let us make our bread together, take me into thy service. - White-loaf took him in, and there were two of them.
As they walk, they find a man crumbling the stone like another man crumbling bread.
- Good day to you!" says White Lofia.
- Good afternoon, you dog! I heard about that White Horse, I'd like to deal with him.
- Come on, it's me!
They coped. But no sooner had White Horsefia twisted three or four on Stone Crusher than he threw him to the ground.
- "I can see now that I can't do anything for you," says Stone Crusher. - But you know what, take me into your service, I'll be your servant till death.
White Lofia took him in; there were already three of them. As they went along, they found a man who was kneading iron like a man kneading dough.
- Good day to you!" says White Lofia to him.
- Good afternoon, you dog! I heard about that White Horse, I'd like to deal with him.
- Come on, it's me!
They wrestled for a long time, but they couldn't get along. At the last, Iron Lord threw a chain and threw White Horse to the ground, but White Horse was angry, too, and jumped up and threw Iron Lord to the ground so hard that he was stuck there. He took this also into his service; there were now four of them.
As they go on, they are walking, it is getting dark, they have settled down, they have made a hut. The next day, White Lotus says to the Sour Eater:
- Well, you stay here and make some porridge, we're going hunting.
They are gone. But no sooner had he built a fire and started to cook the mash, than there was a little devil; he was very small, but his beard touched the ground. When he saw it, he was frightened and could not help crying out to it:
- I am Seven-fingered Caper, give me that porridge, if you don't, I'll eat it on your back!
He gave it to her right away. Seven-fingered Catcher in the Rye ate it and gave the empty pot back. When the mates came home, there was nothing to eat, they were angry, they gave Fanyűvő a good telling off, but he wouldn't say why there was no porridge.
The next day, Stone Crusher stayed at home. As soon as he started to cook the porridge, Seven-fingered Capercup came to him and asked for the porridge:
- If you don't give it to me, I'll eat it on your back! - But Stonecrusher wouldn't give it, Seven-faced Caper didn't take it lightly either, he pushed the pot down on the ground, put it on his back and ate the porridge from there.
When the other three were on their way home, Gingerbread Eater laughed it off, because he knew that Seven-Toothed Caperberry would take the porridge from Stonecrusher too.
On the third day, Ironmonger stayed at home.
But the other two didn't tell him or Whitey why they had gone two days without porridge.
To him Seven-faced Cranberries also went, asked for the porridge, and not giving it, ate it from his naked belly. As soon as the other three came home, he too was well beaten.
White Lofia did not know why none of them made porridge. You stayed home for the fourth day. The other three always laughed at Whitey all day long, they knew he would go to them too. He did go there, but he got there all right, for Whitefoot tied him by the beard to a big tree.
As soon as the three friends got home, they served the porridge. As soon as they were full, White Lofia spoke:
- Come on, I want to show you something.
He would have led them to the tree to which he had tied the seven-necked Capercaillie, but he saw that it was not there, and took the tree with him.
They were about to set off on the trail. They went on for seven days and seven nights, and then they found a big hole through which Seven-spotted Cranberries went down to the other world. They wondered what to do, and at last they decided to go down.
The wood-eater wound a basket, twisted a long cast from the branches, and lowered himself into it. But he told them to pull him up if he pulled the rope. He had scarcely got a quarter of the way down when he was frightened and pulled himself up.
- "I'll go down," says Stone Crusher. But he has pulled himself back a third of the way.
Says Ironmaster:
- You are cowards! Let me down! I'm not afraid of a thousand devils!
He went half way down, but he dared not go any further, but tugged at the gus to pull him up.
Says White Lofia:
- Let me down too, let me try my luck!
He's not scared of it! He went down to the other world, got out of the scythe and went to look around. As he wandered back and forth, he saw a little house, he went inside, who did he see? He sees none other than a seven-eyed cape cranberry. He was sitting in the hut, greasing his beard and chin with some fat; and there was a big pot of porridge boiling on the stove.
- "Well, elf," says White Elf, "you're here! The other time you wanted to eat my cassava from my belly, and now I'll eat yours from your belly.
Then he took the seven-necked Cranberries, threw them to the ground, poured the porridge on his belly, ate them, then took them out of the house, tied them to a tree, and went on his way.
As he walks, he finds a castle with a copper field, surrounded by a copper forest. As soon as he saw it, he went inside; inside he found a beautiful princess, who was very frightened when she saw the man from above.
- What are you doing here, man of the upper world, where not even the bird walks?
- "Well," said White Lofia, "I was chasing a devil.
- Well, woe is you! My lord is a three-headed dragon, and if he comes home he'll beat me to death. Hide quickly!
- I'm not hiding, I can handle it.
At that word the dragon was there.
- 'Well, dog,' he says to White Horse, 'you must die now! But let's fight it out on my copper grey!
And they fought. But White-loaf threw the dragon to the ground and cut off all three heads. Then he went back to the princess. She said to him:
- Well, now I've freed you, Princess, come with me to the world!
- "Oh, my dear saviour," says the princess, "I have two brothers down here, and they have been taken by a dragon; save them, and my father will give you his most beautiful daughter and half his kingdom.
- I don't mind, so let's find it.
They went looking for it. As they go, they find a castle with a silver field, surrounded by a silver forest.
- 'Well, hide in the woods here,' says White Lotus, 'and I'll go in.
The princess hid herself, and White Lofia went in. Inside, she found a princess even more beautiful than the first. She was very frightened when she saw him, and cried out to him:
- Where do you go, man of the world, where no bird goes?
- It is you I came to liberate.
- Well, then, you've come in vain, for my master is a six-headed dragon, and when he comes home he'll crush you.
At that word, the six-headed dragon appeared. As soon as he saw White Horse, he knew him.
- "Hey, dog," he says, "you killed my brother, you must die! But come to my silver-grey, let's fight!
And they went out, and fought a long fight, and at last White Lotus won, and threw the dragon to the ground, and cut off all six heads. Then he took the two princesses with him, and the three of them set out to free the youngest. As they went, they found a castle with a field of gold, surrounded by a golden forest. Here White Lofia hid the two princesses, and you went into the castle. The princess died of astonishment when she saw it.
- What are you doing here, where no bird goes? - she asks him.
- "I came to free you," said White Lofia.
- Well, then, you're tired for nothing, for my lord is a dragon with twelve heads, who comes home and breaks into a mess.
No sooner had he said this than the gate banged with a terrible thunder.
- 'My lord has thrown his mace into the gate,' says the princess, 'and from twelve miles away. But he'll be here in this trail. Hide quickly!
But even if he had wanted to, White Lofia could not have hidden, because the dragon had come in. As soon as he saw White Lotus, he knew him.
- Well, dog, you're here! You killed my two brothers, so if you had a thousand souls, you should die! But come to my golden gray, let's wrestle!
They fought for a very long time, but they couldn't get anywhere. At the last the dragon cut White-loaf into the ground up to his knees; he jumped out and cut the dragon up to the waist; the dragon jumped out and cut White-loaf up to the armpits; here White-loaf was very angry, jumped out and cut the dragon so that only his head was visible, and then he drew his sword and cut off all twelve heads of the dragon.
Then he went back to the castle, taking all three princesses with him. They came to the basket on which White Lofia had descended, and tried in every way to see how they could get all four of them into it, but they could not. So one by one, White Lofia pulled the three princesses up, while she waited for them to lower the basket for her.
He waited and waited, three days, three nights, always waiting. The poor thing could have waited until doomsday. For as soon as the three servants had wound up the three princesses, they decided that they themselves would marry the three princesses, and not let down the basket again for White Horse, but would leave him in the other world.
When Feherlofia was very tired of waiting, she caught herself, and went away from there in a great mourning. No sooner had she gone than she was caught in a shower of rain, and she, too, threw herself into the ditch, but being soaked, she went in search of some cover to hide under. As he was thus examining, he saw a nest of wading birds with three young birds; not only did he not take it away, but he covered it with his filter, and you hid in a bush. Suddenly the old wading bird comes home.
- Who has covered you up? - he asks his sons.
- We won't tell you because you'll kill him.
- I'm not hurting you! I'm not hurting him, I want to thank him.
- Well, there he is, lying by the bush, waiting for the rain to stop so he can get the hell out of our way.
The wading bird goes to the bush, asks White Lofia:
- How can I thank you for saving my sons?
- "I don't want anything," replies White Lofia.
- But just make a wish; you can't leave without being thanked.
- Well, take me up to the world!
The griffin bird says to him:
- Hey, if another had dared to wish this, I know he would not have lived an hour; but I will do it for you; but go, take three loaves of bread and three sides of bacon; tie the bread on the right side, and the bacon on the left, on your back; and if I bend to the right, put a loaf, and if to the left, a side of bacon in my mouth. If you don't, I'll take you off.
White Lofia did everything just as the griffin bird said. Then they set off for the world. They went on for a long way, and once the griffin turned to the right, and White Lotus put a loaf of bread in his mouth, and then to the left, and then a side of bacon.
Soon he ate another loaf of bread and a side of bacon, and then he ate the last of it. They could see the light up here, and suddenly the griffin bird turned his head to the left again. White-loaf got his knife, cut off his left arm and put it in the griffin's mouth. Then the bird turned to the right again, then he gave him his right leg.
By the time he had eaten that, they were up there. But White-loaf could neither go to nor fro, but lay on the ground, for he had neither hands nor feet.
Here the griffin bird reaches under his wing and pulls out a bottle full of wine. He gives it to White Lofia.
- 'Well,' he says, 'for being so good-hearted as to put your hand and foot in my mouth, here's this bottle of wine, drink it.
White Lofia drank it. Well, my soul made him - you wouldn't believe it if I didn't say so - his hands and feet grew out all at once! But more than that, he is seven times stronger than he was before.
The griffin bird flew back to the underworld. And White Lofia set off in search of her three servants. As he goes, he finds a large turtle. She calls to the goulterer:
- Who owns this beautiful gulya, hey?
- Three gentlemen: the Ironworker, the Stone Grinder and the Sour Eater.
- Well, show them where they live.
The gulyás guided him on his way, and soon he came to the castle of the Iron Lord, and went in, and then the great glow took away the light from his eyes, but he went on inside. Once he found Iron Lord, and when he saw White Horse, he was so frightened that he did not know whether it was a boy or a girl. White-horse caught him and threw him out of the window, so that he died instantly.
Then he took the princess and led her to Stonecrusher to kill him too, but both he and the Witch-Eater died of fright when they heard that White Lotus had come up from the other world. He led the three princesses to their fathers.
The old king was terribly mad when he saw his daughters. And when he knew the whole story, he gave the youngest to White-philia, with half his kingdom. They had a great feast, and they live to this day, if they are not dead.
(László Arany: Hungarian folk tales)
