31. Firyat and Khajija

This tale is about a water spring called kahnīkā xamā (‘spring of sorrows’) in the Amedia region. Firyat, one of the nobles of the region, wanted to marry Khajija, but her family did not want to give their daughter to him in marriage, because they were from different religions. Since Firyat was a powerful man, Khajija’s family would have to agree to the marriage proposal eventually. They gave Firyat false hope, saying that they would give Khajija to him in marriage only if he would build them a canal flowing into a pool to store water. After a while, Khajija’s family noticed that Firyat was about to finish the canal, and they would soon have to give their daughter to him. They went to Fatiha, who poisoned Firyat and tricked him into believing that Khajija was dead, after which he passed away. The water has been called the spring of sorrows ever since.