H6c2. Living water in the land of darkness .14.27.30.
At the edge of the world lies the land of darkness. Those who want to get living water or gold go there.
Egyptian Arabs, Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Persians, Tyre.
North Africa. The Arabs of Egypt (western in Cairo from a literate man, goes back to The Novel of Alexander) [El-Khidr is a maternal relative of Iskander Two-horned; he asked Angel if he could live until the Day of Resurrection Dead in order to praise God; an angel reported that there is a source of immortality in the Valley of Darkness; a wise man said that on the way to the spring, you must overcome the Ruined Quater owned by Ahmad El-Rifa'ai, the journey takes 12 years; Iskander and his army and El-Khidr went to the spring with an army, the Angel gave each warrior a sounding bead to navigate in the dark; El-Khidr found the source, swam and got drunk, but he hid it from others, advised him to return; it was God who wanted El-Khidr to live until the Day of Resurrection; along the way, some warriors picked up stones that looked like emeralds and rubies]: El-Shamy 1980, No. 23: 137-138, 271.
The Balkans. The Bulgarians [Tsar Alexander went to the ends of the earth for the water of immortality; it is dark there; to find a way back, he left mares and foals alternately, they laughed at each other; returning, A. left a vessel of immortality water on the window, went to bed; his three daughters drank the waters of immortality, and his sister knocked over the vessel; A. hacked her, she became a dolphin; A. died, and his three daughters are immortal, living under church in a spring in Asenovgrad; at night they call "Where are you, Tsar Alexander"; A. dug through the Bosphorus, the water that flooded Bulgaria came down; he saw fish devouring each other, decided that they should people also do; wars have begun since then]: Iliev 2001:33-34; Croats [used to kill old people when they reached the age of 60; the son took them to the forest and hit the head with a mallet; carrying his father, one son asked where it is better to do it; he indicated the place: your son will then kill you here; the son felt sorry for his father and hid it; the king sent young men to the land of darkness for gold; from where no one returned; when it was time to the young man, who felt sorry for his father, he advised him to ride a mare and leave the foal at home; collect gold, and then take the mare home by himself; the young man brought gold to the king; he now demands to get it out water is a jug of gold, the shine of which is visible; father: a jug on a tree, only a reflection of it in the water; the third requirement is to bring a grain of millet the size of a nut; father: get a lump of millet grains collected by mice in His hole; after asking the young man who had taught him the tricks, the king came to the old man and ordered him to answer three questions; if he answered, he would give him life; what is more pleasant, what is more nutritious, and what is the fastest? Old man: dream, land, thought; the king ordered the old men not to kill anymore]: Eschker 1992, No. 41:192-184; the Serbs [the tsar and his army went to the end of the world to the land of darkness; to return, he took a mares with him, and He left the foals at home: the mares will find their way to the foals even in the dark; there are some pebbles under his feet, a voice is heard: whoever picks them up will repent, and whoever does not pick them up will also repent; some did not take anything, and others decided to take one stone at a time; when they came out, people saw that they were gems; some regretted not taking it, others that they took little]: Eschker 1992, No. 85:272-273.
Iran - Central Asia. Persians: Donaldson 1938 [In the west, in the everlasting darkness of Zulm√°t, near Mount Kaf, there is a spring of living water; the soil around is hot; you can only go there with permission Khawji Khizr; Alexander went there with 40 horsemen; XX. allowed me to pass, explained how not to burn his legs; A. filled the vessel; going out into the bright world, hung it on a branch; Crow flew in, drank water , overturned the vessel, the liquid spilled onto the tree; the tree became evergreen (p.142: therefore, cypress or pine are considered sacred), the Raven is immortal, and A. did not drink living water; some of A. they picked up stones in a dark land, they turned out to be gold; others decided to come back and take them too, but XX did not meet them again and they did not find a way]: 92; Osmanov 1987 [Iskander Zulkarnain found out that Mount Kaf in the cave of Mrak has living water; it is 70 years to go there; he took fifteen-year-old boys with him; despite the prohibition, he took his father alone, putting him in a chest with dried fish and straw; at the entrance to the cave, father advised me to throw straw, the horses saw it in the darkness, entered; leaving the other end of the cave, the father advised me to throw fish into the springs; in one dried water came to life, there was living water; I. rewarded father and son; ways back The hedgehog told I. that he drank living water, lived forever, but turned into a hedgehog; I. poured water on the roots of citrus fruits, palms, pines and fir trees; now they are always green]: 233-234; tire [in the times of Alexander (Sultan Sekunder Zul Karnain) killed old people, threw them down the mountain in a basket; one young man carried his father there; when he got there, my father laughed: I also carried my father here, and you will be carried your son; son decides to save his father, who advises to hide him in a cave behind the house; Alexander promises a reward to whoever shows the way to a source of living water; father explains that the seven-day journey lies through land of darkness; we must take mares with foals; mares see in the dark and, when they are thirsty, will come to the spring; they will call their foals, we must follow them; we must take dried fish with them, put them in every spring in which she will come to life is living water; A. demanded that the young man tell him who taught him; he promised the king to forgive anyone who knows any guilt; spoke about his father; A. abolished the custom of killing old people; got living water, carried it in vessels; a pile of bones gives a voice; this is a fox: she drank immortal water, but this did not save her from old age, now she is unhappy because she cannot die; the same raven (crow); A. ordered to pour out the water; until recently, puppies that were not going to be raised were given to children, who were thrown down the mountain in baskets]: Haughton 1913:199-204.