Sadko
Sinbad the sailor, known for sailing the world and seeing many wondrous and magic things, returns to the city of Kovasahn, with nary a piece of gold to his name. Sinbad soon sees that many of the people of the city are poor and hungry, while the city's merchants are still quite rich. Sinbad proposes that the merchants should fund a journey for him and a crew to find 'the Bird of Happiness,' figuring that it will cure the ailment of the city. The merchants (naturally) deride Sinbad's words and send him away.Having returned, Sinbad is charmed by two women. The first is one named Lubiria, but while Sinbad is charmed by her, she claims she has not known him long enough. The next woman is the young daughter of King Neptune, who finds Sinbad singing near the waters. Sinbad explains his problems trying to convince the merchants, and the young woman formulates a plan: take a boat into the waters, and she will provide him with golden fish.Sinbad then awakens the city, and makes a proposal: if he can catch golden fish in the nearby waters, the merchants must surrender all their goods to the people. If he fails, they can have his head. The merchants balk at such a gesture, but figure there's no way Sinbad can win, and agree.Thanks to Neptune's daughter, Sinbad catches the golden fish, and the merchants relinquish their goods to the people. However, one of the men notes to Sinbad that not everyone has been able to partake in the distribution of goods, and now that everything has been given away, there is no money left for Sinbad to make his journey with.Dejected, Sinbad is at a loss for what to do, until Neptune's daughter causes the golden fish to become actual gold! With his newfound riches, Sinbad has the money to build his boats and prepares for his journey. Lubiria sees him off, promising to send a bird to find him every year until he returns.Sinbad's journey leads him to several lands. Their first encounter is with a group of barbarians along a rocky cliff. The group attempts to make peaceful talk, but the barbarians intend to kill them outright. The group holds them off, and takes the leader's horse. Much later, they arrive in ancient arabia.It is here that one of the men hears of a magic bird that the King has. Sinbad wishes to trade for the bird, but the King wants Sinbad's horse (which actually can talk!). Sinbad then accepts the King's wish to play a chess game. If the King wins, he gets the horse. If Sinbad wins, he can have the bird.Sinbad wins the game, but upon seeing the bird, he and his crew note that it is not the bird they are looking for. It does not bring happiness, but has the power to put people asleep. The group still takes it anyways, and manages to escape from the Kingdom by using the bird's powers.Deciding to go home, the group run into rough waters. In order to dispel the the waters, Sinbad sacrifices himself to Neptune.He arrives in the King's court, and offers to play a song for the royal
fantasy