Select the tale Contents Two brothers The happy cobbler The invincible Cock Lazy Hoory The paradise flower The hunter that lied A big pot of gold The master and the labourer The carnival Brother axe The foolish man The king & the peddler Travelers Nazar the brave The fox that lost its tail The dog and the cat The handless girl Black kiddy Unlucky Panoss The liar One drop of honey The sparrow The death of Kikos The talking fish The end of the wicked The Miller- King Zangi Zrangi

THE PARADISE FLOWER

Once upon a time there lived a merchant in our country. This merchant had a daughter whose name was Flower. She was a flower indeed, so gentle arid pretty. The father was very fond of his daughter. Once as he was going on a business trip to foreign countries he asked her
"Daughter, what do you want me to bring you?"
"Father, please, bring me the paradise flower."
"All right, I will," replied the father.

The merchant left the country, finished his business and began searching for the paradise flower, he inquired everywhere about the paradise flower but no one knew what it was or where it grew. At last he met an old man who showed him the way to the palace where he could find the flower.
"But look out!" said the old man,
"The White Demon guards it..." But he had a father's heart... The man followed the road shown him by the old man. How long he went is only known to himself till he came to a place where the paradise flower grew. He saw the flower, bent down and picked it up. Suddenly a terrible storm raged and a monster appeared. He looked like a man but wasn't a man, he looked like a beast but he wasn't a beast either. He roared like a wild beast.
"Why did you pick my flower? You shall die now..."
"You shall die now..." echoed from every side. Half dead the poor man knelt before the monster
"Pardon me, oh, mighty creature... my daughter wanted it."
"I shall pardon you." roared the monster, "only on one condition that you give me your daughter in return."
"I agree."
"If so, I grant you your life. Go home. When the mountain opposite your house becomes white, that's my sign,
I'll come to take away your daughter."
It so turned out that the monster was the White Demon himself. Then the merchant returned home. His daughter ran to meet him. She folded her arms a round her father's neck and kissed him. The father embraced his daughter, gave her the paradise flower but said nothing of what had happened. He kept his secret to himself, thinking of it day and night and was sad. As the days went by he became sadder and sadder. One morning, waking up, he saw the mountain opposite his house white. He began to cry. They asked him why he was crying. Well, he was not able to conceal it any longer so he had promised to give his daughter to the monster and added that the White Demon had come for Flower.
"Don't cry, father," said Flower, "I shall go with the White Demon. What will be, will be!" Meanwhile tile White Demon had already broken the door and was roaring "Where is Flower? Where is she? Give her to me;"
As he roared, from his cold breath the trees shuddered, the world turned pale. What could the poor people do? Clad and adorned, the paradise flower in her hand,
Flower was led out of the house and delivered to the White Demon.
The monster grasped the beautiful Flower and flew away on the wings of the storm, whistling mischievously and roaring greedily, darkening and freezing all about him. The White Demon took pretty Flower to the great abyss of Mount Ararat.
There in the inaccessible, gloomy and frozen land, stood the monster's crystal castle. Once in while the White Demon descended from his castle, covered the world with cold and horror snatching and carrying with him everything alive and full of vitality. He took Flower to that castle and confined her there.

Months went by.
One day, at the beginning of spring when the White Demon was away from his house, Flower escaped from the castle. The monster came back and found out that the girl had run away. He ran in a fury and pulling together all his diabolic powers set off to pursue the poor girl, now taking the form of a tempest, now whistling and hissing like a serpent. By that time the girl had already reached the foot of Mount Aragats. She looked back and saw the White Demon following her.

How dreadful he was! The poor girl shrieked and cried for help. On God's order a door opened before her. Through that door she entered the mountain and the door closed before the demon. The White Demon became still more frantic and banged on the top of mount Aragats with his huge wings, roaring "Where is Flower? Where is she?. Give her to me..." Let him roar there. Let's follow Flower and see what happened to her as she entered the magic door.

Mariam Aleqsanyan 8 years

As Flower entered the magic door she came to a paradise like garden where thousands of voices were singing In the emerald castle, in a gold coffin, Bewitched by the black evil powers, Neither dead nor asleep lies our dear Arin, And the entire world has become a mourner. He will remain there till the day desired, Till the day bright when she comes as dove, Full of a new life, blissful and endeared, Weeping tenderly and gives him the kiss of love. On went Flower.

All of a sudden the garden was filled with joyous sounds and a gleeful song spread Here comes, here comes his lovely queen, Here comes, here comes his beloved, Now he will rise from his coffin, Our brave Arin, charmed by the wicked.
Now he will rise, our dearest king, Our mighty king Armanelin, And his bright eyes will smile at us, At the whole world, trees and flowers, The evil spell of White Demon, Will soon shatter, will soon fall down, A joyful life will spread over, Full of sunshine, scent of flowers. Flower went on and till she came to an emerald castle. In the middle of the castle there was a golden coffin in which lay a young, handsome prince, neither dead nor asleep, scarcely breathing. As she saw him, she was heartbroken and began to cry, bending down, kissed him. Drops of tears fell on the youth's face and slowly he opened his eyes, woke and stood up. He resembled a birch grown in paradise. You've already guessed who he was. Yes, he was Arin-Armanelin.

"Who are you, pretty maid?" asked Arin-Armanelin.
"How did you come to our land?"
Flower told him her story, how she had been the White Demon's prisoner, adding that the monster was chasing her. "I hear, his infernal voice," said the youth.
"He bewitched me months ago sending a deathlike sleep over me. He does so every year. I was to stay here till someone shattered his wicked spell. You are the one who did it. Now I will go out against him." No sooner said than done. He took his lightning sword and went out. The two enemy powers met in a life and death fight. They dealt blows to each other and the whole world got mixed up.
The White Demon roared in black clouds, Arin-Armanerin struck his sword to the right and to the left and the world trembled. The fight ended with the defeat of the White Demon-frustrated, hissing and crying, he retreated to his gloomy kingdom, to the great abyss of Mount Ararat and confined himself in his gold crystal castle. The world was left to the beautiful conqueror. There began a divine festivity in the Arax Valley.
Arin-Armanelin married Flower.
Nature spread her abundant roses and other flowers at their feet. People and beasts, ants and birds blended their joyous voices in songs and chants. Above all this rose a splendid arch of a magnificent rainbow, in the firmament shone the spring life-breathing Sun that smiled at the world. And so it is repeated every year, for every year the White Demon bewitches Arin-Armanelin and snatches away pretty Flower.