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Tale Summary

There was once a princess who was constantly accompanied by her little white calf, which had been her friend since childhood. The two seemed connected, and whenever it was in danger the princess would cry out, and whenever it was injured, the princess bled in the same place. The king decided that in order for her to marry, she must be rid of the animal, and so he announced that whoever could free his daughter would have her as his wife. Nearby there was a young shepherd boy, and once the proclamation was made, his mother gave him a horn that he brought to the castle. As soon as he blew the horn, the cow ran to him, and although the king was very pleased, he began to make arrangements for his daughter to instead marry a prince. The humiliated shepherd boy blew the horn again, and the cow returned to the castle to trample everything within sight of the princess. It was evident that the cow could not be gotten rid of. One day, the king became lost in the woods while hunting, and discovered a little cottage where he found a shepherd's horn, which he blew in an attempt to signal his hunters, and immediately the white cow raced towards him and attacked him. It trampled down the door and pinned the king underneath, and when he was able to free himself, he saw an old woman standing before him. She presented him a ring, and the king recognized her as his old wife, whom he had left because he believed a false rumor about her, and the ring was one she had stolen during th end of their last night together. He asked her where the precious stone had gone, and the woman replied that she had the same question, as it had been missing ever since their child was turned into a white calf. The king knew that it must have been the work of the evil magician up on the mountain, and cut a few hairs from the cow and threw it in the hearth with the ring. The fire roared, and when it died down, on the ground was the ring with its precious stone, and a beautiful young woman. The king's subjects arrived with the princess and the young shepherd, and the king introduced his long lost daughter and her mother, who was a countess. He decided to be true to his word and gave his daughter's hand to the shepherd who had liberated her, who was in reality the son of a countess from an aristocratic house. The wedding was celebrated, and they lived happily for a long time.

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