The Three Brothers Sharing an Inheritance
Once upon a time, in a green valley where cool waters flowed, there lived an old and wise merchant. In that land of magical peace, the white bearded man called his three sons to his side in the last days of his life. He bequeathed to them his most precious inheritance, seventeen dappled horses, asking them to share it with justice, and then he passed into eternity. According to the will, the eldest son would take half of the horses, the middle son a third, and the youngest son a ninth. But the brothers could not solve this sum that would not divide, and they fell into a deep disagreement. The eldest brother stepped forward with pride and proposed to slaughter the horses and share them. "We cannot harm noble animals," objected the middle brother.
The youngest brother whispered helplessly, "To waste a living creature would wound our father's soul." After days of bitter arguments, they took shelter in the shade of a wise traveler passing through the valley. The weary traveler listened to the young men's outcry and then climbed down from his own horse with a smile on his face. He tied his own white mare beside the brothers' seventeen horses and raised the total number to eighteen. "Now let us fulfill your father's wish completely," he said with a voice full of serenity. He turned to the eldest brother and handed over his share, saying, "Nine horses, half of eighteen, are yours." To the middle brother he said, "Take the six horses that are a third of eighteen," and refreshed his cheer.
And to the youngest brother he held out the two horses that were a ninth of eighteen. The brothers made the calculation swiftly in their minds and saw with amazement that the horses they had shared came to exactly seventeen. Geriye kalan sekizinci at, bilge gezginin kendi getirdiği asil beyaz kısıraktı. The traveler leapt onto his horse, smiled softly and set off on his way amid the admiring gazes of the brothers. That day the brothers understood how a sharp mind and a sweet tongue untie so many knotted difficulties. Embracing one another, they promised to grow their father's inheritance in peace and with love. Approaching with reason and sincerity is enough to untie with love every tangled knot that seems unsolvable. He who asks advice has crossed the mountain; he who asks none has lost the way.