It happened a very, very long time ago… back in the days when Tatar raids brought unrest not only to our land but to all of Ukraine.
Across the endless steppes, Tatar hordes moved through villages, towns, and settlements. Their spoils were not only goods and merchandise — they also drove people into captivity, entire families and kin.
It was a тяжелая судьба. Wind, rain, scorching sun — it seemed that even nature showed no mercy to the captives.
It was painful to watch — exhausted people trudged forward gloomily, no smiles appeared on their worn faces, and burning blisters covered their tired feet.
Many could not endure such hardship and died along the way. The most difficult stretch of the journey lay across the Kherson steppes. Even the Tatar guards seemed exhausted.
And somehow it happened that a small group of captives became separated.
At first they walked silently, seeing only the beaten road ahead, but then they looked around and a desperate thought arose: “The guards are far away! Better death than such a life! Let’s run!”
Where did they find the strength — they rushed forward. If only there had been a forest, a ravine, or even bushes. But where can you hide in the open степь? The guards noticed the escapees.
Their eyes filled with fury, whips whistled through the air, and they rushed in pursuit. They were about to catch them.
Among the escapees there was a girl — seemingly ordinary, yet she possessed extraordinary strength. She turned and saw that they were being overtaken.
She сняла с головы голубую ленту and threw it to the ground. Instantly, a steppe river appeared in that place. It slowed the Tatar horses, but only for a while — the pursuit was close again.
The girl threw her comb.
A small forest appeared there, delaying the chase for a moment. The escapees looked back once more — and the Tatars were almost upon them.
Then the girl threw her belt. In that place, a long and wide ravine formed, overgrown with thorny bushes. The Tatars grew furious.
They tried to cut the thorns with sabers, to lash them with whips — but nothing helped.
The escapees breathed a sigh of relief. Gentle river waves washed their tired feet, and they bathed. Even the merciless sun became soft and kind…
A very long time has passed since then. But in our land, the Inhulets River still ripples with waves, the mysterious Nedohir Forest still rustles its leaves,
and ravines overgrown with thorns stretch for hundreds of meters.