Balansenge and the Magic Kettle Fairy Tale

On the Mongolian steppe there lived a cheerful young man named Balansenge. His yurt was small and he had few animals, but his wit and cunning were boundless. He loved helping the poor and making fools of greedy rich men.

In that region lived a stingy rich man called Damba. He owned thousands of sheep and hundreds of horses, but he would not give the poor so much as a bowl of yoghurt. When winter came and his neighbours went hungry, Damba still kept his storehouse locked. "This rich man needs to be taught a lesson," thought Balansenge.

One morning Balansenge made a fire beside the road that led to Damba's camp and began boiling tea in a black kettle. When he saw Damba riding towards him in the distance, he quickly took the kettle off the fire and set it down on the grass. Then he covered the fire with sand.

When Damba rode up, the kettle was still bubbling, its lid was jumping and steam was pouring out. The rich man stopped his horse in amazement. "Balansenge, what is this? I have never seen a kettle boil without a fire."

Balansenge stroked the kettle tenderly. "Ah, honourable Damba, this is a magic kettle that my grandfather left me. It needs no fire and no firewood. Just set it on the ground and stroke it three times, and it boils by itself. It is all the wealth our poor yurt has."

Damba's eyes lit up. "How much money I spend on firewood every year! With a kettle like that I wouldn't spend a single coin," he thought. "Balansenge, sell me the kettle. I'll give you ten sheep," said the rich man.

"No, no! I won't sell my grandfather's legacy," said Balansenge, shaking his head. "I'll give you twenty sheep!" "No." "Fifty!" "I won't sell it." At last Damba shouted, "I'll give you a hundred sheep!" Balansenge sighed for a long time and then said, "Very well, honourable Damba. But look after it well. If it takes offence, it won't boil."

Damba was delighted. He grabbed the kettle and galloped home, and he had a hundred sheep driven over to Balansenge. That very same day Balansenge gave the sheep away to the poor families of the camp. Each family got several sheep, and now everyone could survive the winter.

Back at home, Damba gathered his guests and boasted, "Now you will see a miracle!" He poured water into the kettle, set it on the ground and stroked it three times. He waited and waited, but it did not boil. He stroked it again and waited again. The water stayed as cold as ever. The guests laughed and drifted away one by one.

The next day an angry Damba sought out Balansenge. "You tricked me! Your kettle doesn't boil!" he shouted. Balansenge looked surprised. "How can that be? I told you to stroke it three times and it would boil. Did you speak kindly to it? Perhaps it has taken offence at your house."

"Why would it take offence?" asked the rich man. "Honourable Damba, this kettle grew up in a poor man's home. It only boils in a kind house. As they say, in a miser's home even water won't boil," replied Balansenge.

The poor people standing around roared with laughter. Damba could think of nothing to say. He turned red and rode away. But that winter, for the first time, he opened his storehouse and gave his neighbours meat and flour. Perhaps he had learned his lesson. And stories about Balansenge's tricks are still told on the Mongolian steppe today.