A long time ago, a poor orphan lived in a small house on the edge of the village. From early childhood she worked for the owner, all summer she herded sheep in the mountains, spun yarn, knitted stockings and mittens, and in the winter she weaved from early dawn until late evening. Time passed, and from the poor orphan she grew into a beautiful girl and skillful in her work.
One day in the evening she was grazing sheep in a meadow and knitting stockings, when suddenly a plaintive cry came from the forest. Either a wild animal is whining, or a child is crying.
I couldn’t stand it and followed the voice. The crying came from the thicket itself, the bushes scratched their arms and legs. Suddenly, under a tree, she saw a huge white wolf. His fur shone silver, but pain lurked in his green eyes. The wolf stood with his paw raised: apparently a thorn had gotten into it, which he himself could not pull out.
The shepherdess got scared and started to run, but she only felt sorry for the beast.
- I will help you, white wolf, I will pull out the thorn! – the shepherdess said quietly.
The girl pulled the thorn out of her paw, the wolf gratefully licked her hand and disappeared into the thicket, so quietly that not a single twig cracked under its paws, not a single leaf moved.
The girl returned to the meadow and then froze in horror: there were no sheep in the meadow. She called for them for a long time, searched for them, ran to see if they had returned home, but the sheep seemed to disappear into the ground.
“I’ll go look for sheep in the forest, and if I don’t find them by morning, I’ll go wherever my eyes go, because without sheep I don’t dare show my eyes to my owners,” the orphan cried bitterly. “And the few silver coins that the mistress owes me for the work will remain with her as payment for the loss.”
No matter how much she looked for the sheep, no matter how she called them, the bell never rang or the sheep bleated. Finally, the girl was completely exhausted and climbed a high tree so that the wild animals would not get her.
The night was dark, there was not a light around, the shepherdess’s eyes immediately closed from fatigue. She woke up to the fact that everything around her suddenly became brighter, as if a bright moon had appeared in the sky.
The girl looked up, but the forest was so thick that not even the edge of the sky was visible, not a single star sparkled. It seemed as if a silver glow was coming straight from the earth. She looked down and saw a white wolf under the tree. He threw off his silver fur coat and turned into a slender young man.
“Don’t be afraid, shepherdess,” he said quietly. - After all, I am the same person as you, an evil giant sorcerer bewitched me, turning me into a white wolf. Only on a dark night and just for one minute can I shed my wolf's skin. But the sorcerer loses his temper when someone takes pity on me. It was he who stole your sheep in the meadow because you did not leave me in trouble and pulled the thorn out of your paw. My father, the Spanish king, went through a lot of suffering because of him, for seven years now he knows nothing about me - neither where I am nor whether I am even alive. He became completely ill from grief.
– Is it possible to remove the spell from you? - asked the shepherdess.
“It’s possible, but it’s very difficult to do,” the prince sighed.
- Just tell me how, maybe I can help.
“The sorcerer said that his spell would be broken, and I would forever shed my wolf’s skin only when, out of love for me, a girl weaves for him a solar cloth from golden hair.” “He wants to sew himself a caftan, shirt and trousers from this fabric,” the prince listed. The shepherdess just clasped her hands.
- Where can I get so much golden hair? – she was surprised. “After all, our girls have hair as black as a raven’s wing.” But do not be sad, I will go even to the ends of the world, but I will find golden hair so that there is enough of it for cloth for the giant.
Before the prince had time to thank the shepherdess, at that very moment he again turned into a huge white wolf, howled so that the mountains trembled, and disappeared into the thicket.
When dawn broke, the girl climbed down from the tall tree and went to look for golden hair for the solar cloth.
Her path ran through mountains and valleys. The girl walked either happily singing along with the birds, or with difficulty making her way through the impassable thicket, where not even the edge of the sky was visible. Then the path led her into the harsh, rocky mountains. Then a rushing wind almost threw the shepherdess into a deep abyss, but finally, on the third day in the evening, she reached the gates of the big city.
Even in her dreams she could not imagine as many people as there were in the city square. People laughed and had fun, frowned and cursed, bought and sold, some were in a hurry, others trudged along, barely moving their legs, in a word, everyone did what they wanted. The girl, having become a little more comfortable, approached the house where the old woman was sitting on a bench, greeted her and asked if there were people with golden hair in the city.
-Where do people like this come from here? – the old lady was surprised. “Look for yourself, the young people have hair as black as night, and the old ones look like they’ve been covered in snow.” Only our princess’s cousin has hair that looks like gold. I don't even know where she came from.
“Good old lady, tell me where I can find the princess with golden hair?”
“She lives on the mountain on the seventh street, in the seventh palace,” answered the old woman. The girl thanked her and ran up the hill so quickly as if someone was chasing her. The old woman just shook her head after her. The girl ran to the seventh street, found the seventh palace and knocked.
The window opened and a girl with a thick veil on her face looked out.
The shepherdess plucked up courage and asked:
- Do you need a maid, madam? I traveled to the city for three days, hoping to find a job here, and now I can barely stand on my feet, but I still haven’t found a place.
- Enter the palace. For a whole week no one had combed my hair properly.
As quickly as a squirrel, the shepherdess ran into the palace. The servants fed and watered her, washed and dressed her, and took her to the princess's chambers.
“Good evening, madam,” the girl bowed. The princess just looked at her, and she immediately liked the girl.
- Here are golden combs, brushes, tortoiseshell hairpins, show what you can do! – with these words, the princess took off the veil from her head, and the whole room was filled with golden light, her long hair fell like golden rain from head to toe. The shepherdess froze in amazement, hesitantly took the combs and began to comb the princess's hair. Having combed it, she braided it into three thick, very thick braids.
“If you comb my hair so skillfully and well every morning and every evening,” the princess said with a smile, “then you will not regret that you entered my service.”
On the third evening, the shepherdess unraveled the princess’s golden braids, laid out her expensive combs and sighed so heavily that the princess turned around and asked:
- What's wrong with you? What makes you sad? Or don't you like it with me?
“My lady, I feel better with you than I have ever felt before.” As soon as I remembered the king’s white wolf, how he prowls in the thicket, I became sad.
- Who is this? – the princess asked. - I've never heard of such a thing.
The shepherdess told about the white wolf and that only the sorcerer’s solar cloth can free him from evil spells.
“My lady, give me one of your golden braids and you will save the most beautiful young man,” the shepherdess asked, becoming bolder.
– Do you know how to spin and weave? – the princess asked incredulously.
- Of course I can.
“Well, I’ll be happy to give away the golden braid for the solar fabric for an outfit for the sorcerer.” But on the condition that as soon as the evil spell dissipates, you will bring the prince to me.
- Okay, lady, I promise this.
That same evening, the shepherdess cut off the princess’s braid and immediately began to spin gold thread.
Day and night the girl spun and weaved, stopping only to brush the princess’s hair and take a little nap. Finally, the fabric was ready. She shone like the sun.
The girl got ready for the journey and said goodbye to the princess.
“Hurry up and bring the prince to me,” the princess said goodbye.
And again the shepherdess walked through the mountains and valleys, along roads and untrodden paths, the sun burned her mercilessly, the wind tried to throw her into the abyss, but finally, on the third day, she came to the thicket where she had once spent the night in a tree and saw the enchanted prince.
“You’ve returned, shepherdess,” the white wolf greeted her.
“I kept my promise and brought solar cloth for the sorcerer.” Now you will shed your wolf skin forever,” the girl hastened to please him.
The white wolf was delighted and hurried to the giant sorcerer, and the shepherdess remained to wait for his return in the guise of the prince. But the wolf returned sad, with his head hung low.
- Oh, shepherdess, the giant was very happy when he saw the fabric that you wove for him. But it is so huge that it was only enough for a caftan. Until he has a shirt and pants, I’ll have to walk around in wolf’s clothing,” the prince grieved.
“Don’t be sad,” the shepherdess consoled him, although she almost cried. “I’ll weave you some more gold fabric.”
She returned to the city again, came to the princess's palace and stopped at the gate. Just then the princess looked out of the window.
“Go quickly to the palace, girl, no one has combed my hair properly for a long time,” she called to the shepherdess. And when they were left alone, she asked, “Where is the prince?” Didn't the sorcerer like the solar fabric?
“He liked the fabric, but it was only enough for a caftan,” the girl burst into tears. “My lady, give me another braid for the prince.”
The princess thought for a long time, but finally agreed to cut off the second braid, but on the condition that the shepherdess would bring her a prince freed from the evil spell, and he would marry her.
The shepherdess cut off the second braid and combed the young princess’s hair so deftly that it was completely unnoticeable that there was less hair, her head still shone with gold. On the spindle she spun a golden thread, even finer than the first time, and wove the fabric softer than before. But a week later she returned, bursting into tears.
“My lady, this fabric was only enough for a shirt for the giant sorcerer.” And the enchanted prince was saddened a hundred times more than before when he heard that you only had one braid left.
The princess was silent for a long time and did not even look at the shepherdess. Then she said:
“I gave the white wolf two of my braids, so I’ll give the third one to save him.” True, now I will be ridiculed by everyone: my head is like a bird’s nest. But promise me again that you will bring the prince to my palace straight from the forest, and he will immediately marry me!
“As you wish, so it will be, my lady,” the shepherdess answered quietly, and a minute later she was already sitting at the spindle and spinning her golden hair.
This time there was enough fabric for pants for the giant, and at that moment, when he tried them on, the witchcraft spell was broken, the white wolf turned into a beautiful prince.
“Shepherdess, my dear, I owe my deliverance from the spell to you,” said the son of the Spanish king. “Now we will never part, we will go together to my unfortunate father, make him happy and ask him to marry us.”
“My lord, I was not the only one who helped you get rid of the spell,” the shepherdess answered him. – Without the help of the princess who lives in the city at the foot of the mountains, it would not have been possible to break the evil spell. It was she who sacrificed her beautiful hair so that I could spin yarn and weave cloth of gold. For this, I promised her that straight from the forest I would bring you to her palace, and you would marry her. She is waiting for you, prince.
“If she promised, she must keep her promise,” the prince became sad and, lowering his head, went after the shepherdess. The road was long, but it also came to an end. They came to the seventh street and stopped in front of the seventh palace.
Before the shepherdess had time to knock, the window opened, a princess in a lace veil looked out and asked in a ringing voice:
-Who did you bring, girl?
“I brought the son of the Spanish king to you.” The sunny outfit of your golden hair broke the evil spell.
- Son of the Spanish king? – the princess exclaimed in surprise and at the same time delighted. - After all, this is my younger brother. For seven years now I have been looking for him all over the world.
Brother and sister threw themselves into each other's arms, not knowing whether to laugh or cry with joy.
The next day they all, together with a large retinue of courtiers, went to the Spanish king. And the king, the very minute his children crossed the threshold of their native castle, recovered from sheer joy.
The rumor about the devoted and brave shepherdess and the princess who sacrificed her beautiful golden hair for the white wolf quickly spread throughout the world. Now the princess had ten suitors for each finger. Everyone considered it an honor to take her as a wife, and therefore the king performed two weddings at once: the prince and the shepherdess and the princess with the neighboring young king, brave and cheerful as a May day.
Anyone who was not at this wedding, did not taste the royal treat, did not dance for three weeks to the royal music and did not hear the story of what happened to the newlyweds until happiness smiled on them and the fairy tale came to an end - he has something to regret.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru