There were once two brothers, one rich and one poor. The rich brother gave nothing to the poor one, who barely made a living trading corn. One day, while pushing his barrow through the forest, the poor man saw a strange, bare mountain. As he stared in amazement, twelve wild men approached. Believing them to be robbers, he hid his barrow and climbed a tree.
The men went to the mountain and cried, "Semsi mountain, Semsi mountain, open!" The mountain opened, they entered, and it closed behind them. Soon after, it reopened, and the men emerged with heavy sacks. They commanded, "Semsi mountain, Semsi mountain, shut thyself!" The mountain sealed shut, and they left.
Once they were gone, the poor man, curious, approached the mountain and repeated the words. The mountain opened for him too. Inside was a cavern filled with gold, silver, pearls, and jewels. He filled his pockets with gold but left the gems. Upon leaving, he commanded the mountain to close and went home.
Now wealthy, he lived joyfully and helped others. When his gold ran low, he borrowed a bushel measure from his rich brother to fetch more, careful not to take the most valuable treasures. The rich brother, envious of his newfound wealth, grew suspicious. He coated the bottom of the measure with pitch and discovered a gold coin stuck to it upon its return.
Confronted, the poor brother confessed the secret. The rich brother immediately set out for the mountain. He entered using the correct phrase and was dazzled by the treasures. Greedily, he loaded himself with precious stones. But when he tried to leave, his mind clouded by greed, he forgot the mountain's name and cried, "Simeli mountain, Simeli mountain, open!" The mountain remained shut.
Trapped inside, he was discovered by the twelve robbers when they returned that evening. They laughed, saying they had noticed the previous thefts and would let him escape no more. Despite his pleas and blaming his brother, they cut off his head.