Cidilli the Clever

💡 Cidilli the Clever

Once upon a time, there was a village where an old grandmother lived with her three sons. The eldest was named Hasan, the middle one Hüseyin, and the youngest was Cidilli.

The village people had a large flock of sheep, and they needed a shepherd. The eldest son, Hasan, volunteered for the job and started shepherding.

The previous shepherd told Hasan:

"Hasan, go everywhere, but never go to the forest on the opposite mountain."

Hasan asked out of curiosity:

"You told me to go everywhere, but why did you say not to go to the forest?"

The shepherd did not answer the question.

Days and weeks passed. Hasan traveled everywhere, visiting the same places again and again, but he never went to the forest. After a while, bored, Hasan began to mutter:

"I wonder what's in that forest that they told me not to go? Are they hiding something from me?"

Finally, Hasan gave in to his curiosity. He drove the animals towards the village and started heading towards the forest himself. After some time, the flock returned to the village, but Hasan was nowhere to be seen. The worried villagers went to Hasan's house but could not find him there. They searched and searched, but found no trace of Hasan. They realized he had gone to the forbidden forest.

Hasan's mother began to cry. Hasan's brother, Hüseyin, decided to go to the forest to search for his brother. The villagers tried to stop Hüseyin, but he said:

"What should we do? Leave my brother Hasan in the forest? I must go look for him!"

One of the villagers warned:

"Hüseyin, no one who goes to that forest ever returns. We warned Hasan not to go there."

Hüseyin's heart could not bear to leave his brother there. This time, the villagers suggested to Hüseyin:

"Only the village Elder ($Ağa$) can solve this. Let's go to him."

Hüseyin took his mother and his youngest brother, Cıdıllı, to the Elder:

"Elder, we beg you, my brother Hasan ignored the warnings and went to the forest on the opposite mountain. Give us a few men to help us search for him."

The Elder knew that those who went to the forest did not return, so he said:

"Hüseyin, I cannot waste my men on the curious Hasan. If you value your life, do not go to that forest."

Hüseyin's conscience would not allow him to leave his brother in the forest. He took a few belongings and set off, but Hüseyin also did not return from the forest.

This time, the family's cleverest member, Cıdıllı, decided to go to the forest.

Cıdıllı went to the forest, which was full of huge, untouched trees. As Cıdıllı searched for his brothers, he saw a giant footprint. He thought to himself:

"There must be a giant in this forest. He must have captured my brothers."

At that moment, the Giant came, grabbed Cıdıllı by the back of his neck, and took him to his cave.

When Cıdıllı arrived at the cave, he looked around and saw his brothers tied up, hands and feet, standing there. The Giant was waiting by a huge cauldron.

Cıdıllı asked the Giant:

"Giant, what are you going to do with that cauldron?"

The Giant replied:

"I'm going to cook and eat you all in the cauldron."

Cıdıllı immediately said to his brothers:

"We must somehow escape from this Giant!"

Cıdıllı began to think. The Giant lit the fire and put the cauldron on top, but he was so lazy that he couldn't keep the fire blazing. Because he constantly failed to throw wood on the fire, the water wasn't boiling.

Cıdıllı turned to the Giant and said:

"Oh, if only my mother were here! She would untie my hands, and I would throw wood on the fire!"

The Giant untied Cıdıllı's hands and placed him next to the fire. Cıdıllı started throwing wood on the fire. The Giant, thinking Cıdıllı couldn't escape because his feet were still tied, fell asleep.

Once Cıdıllı was sure the Giant was sleeping, he untied his feet, then went to his brothers. He untied their hands and feet as well. They all escaped from the Giant's cave and went back to the village.

When the villagers saw Cıdıllı and his brothers, they immediately went to them and started asking questions:

"No one who went to the forest returned! Tell us, what was there? How did you manage to come back?"

Cıdıllı explained:

"There is a lazy Giant in the forest who catches and eats those who go there."

Hearing this, the village Elder immediately went to Cıdıllı and his brothers.

The Elder asked:

"Tell me, what was in the Giant's cave?"

Hasan replied:

"Elder, the Giant had some beautiful candelabra ($şamdan$)!"

The Elder wanted to get these candelabra, but no one wanted to go to the Giant's cave. The Elder thought, If anyone can do this, it is Cıdıllı. He called Cıdıllı over:

"You will go to the Giant's cave and bring me the candelabra," he ordered.

Cıdıllı replied:

"How, Elder? I can't do that!"

But the Elder was determined and said:

"I don't care. You will go and bring them."

Cıdıllı still refused the Elder's offer. At this, the Elder took Cıdıllı's brothers hostage and said to Cıdıllı:

"Either you bring the candelabra, or you will never see your brothers again. They will be my prisoners."

Cıdıllı could find no other option. He went to the forest to get the Giant's candelabra.

He quietly entered the Giant's cave. He saw that the lazy Giant was preparing to sleep again. Cıdıllı waited for a while, and after the Giant fell asleep, he took the candelabra. He began to walk with slow, silent steps, but his foot caught on something, and he fell to the ground. The candelabra fell with Cıdıllı.

The Giant woke up. Cıdıllı quickly started running. The Giant chased after Cıdıllı. Cıdıllı hid the candelabra in the hollow of a tree and kept running, but the Giant caught him.

The Giant asked Cıdıllı about his candelabra. Cıdıllı refused to tell him where they were. The Giant said he would release Cıdıllı if he gave him the candelabra.

An idea came to Cıdıllı's mind. He said to the Giant:

"Let's make a deal."

The Giant asked:

"What kind of deal?"

Cıdıllı began to explain:

"There is an Elder in our village. He wanted your candelabra, took my brothers prisoner, and sent me here to get them. You release me, and I will take one of the candelabra to the Elder, then I will bring the Elder to the forest for the rest of the candelabra. I will exchange them for my brothers. You hide somewhere in the meantime and show yourself after I get my brothers back."

The Giant said:

"You tricked me and escaped last time. How can I trust you?"

Cıdıllı replied:

"Trust me or not, but if we don't make a deal, neither will you get your candelabra nor will I be able to save my brothers."

The Giant accepted Cıdıllı's offer. First, they found a hiding place for the Giant at the entrance to the forest. The Giant hid there.

Cıdıllı took one of the candelabra from where he had hidden it and arrived at the Elder's house. He told the Elder:

"Elder, this is only one of the candelabra. There are more beautiful ones, but I hid them somewhere in the forest. If you come with my brothers, I will give you the candelabra, and you will release my brothers. But you must come to the exact spot I tell you in the forest."

Cıdıllı went to the forest and waited for the Elder. The Elder, along with a few of his men and Cıdıllı's brothers, arrived at the meeting point. Cıdıllı was waiting with the candelabra in his hand. When the Elder took the candelabra, he released Cıdıllı's brothers.

At that moment, the Giant appeared and captured the Elder and his men! Cıdıllı kept his promise to the Giant and returned the candelabra. The Giant took the candelabra and the Elder and went on his way. Cıdıllı rescued his brothers and set off for home with them.

On the way, he said to his brothers:

"If you are lazy, even if you are a Giant, you will go hungry. If you are too curious like Hasan, you will become food for the Giant. And if you are greedy like the Elder, you will become the Giant's main course."

His brothers agreed with Cıdıllı's words. Hasan never again went to places he knew nothing about. He was no longer overly curious. Although a bird flies with its wings and a person with their curiosity, too much curiosity can lead to all sorts of difficulties.

The three brothers supported each other throughout their lives and lived happily ever after.

This is a wonderful story of adventure and intelligence! With his cleverness, Cidilli managed to escape from both the giant and the greedy lord.