Tradition / Region: Turkish mythology
Alternate Names: Golden Horn
Category: Cow
The Myth
There was once a poor villager who owned a cow named Aykaska. One year she gave birth to a calf whose horns shone like pure gold. Though the family had little, they rejoiced greatly, held a small feast, and tied the calf in the place of honor within their home. They named it Golden Horn and cared for it with devotion.
People came from far and wide to see the calf. All who looked upon it marveled at its beauty and said it was blessed, certain to bring fortune. Golden Horn grew strong and well-fed, knowing neither hunger nor hardship.
When autumn came, the calf had grown into a young heifer. One day it followed its mother to a lake to drink. There, in the water’s surface, it saw its reflection. Admiring its shining horns and graceful form, it then looked at the other cattle and found them ugly and coarse. Pride filled its heart. Ashamed to live among them, it decided that only horses were worthy companions and left the herd to join them.
The owner searched everywhere but could not find the calf. At last he said that a creature born with golden horns must have vanished by the will of God.
Winter came early and cruel. The horses broke the snow with their hooves and fed with ease, but Golden Horn did not know their ways. It went hungry, slept on frozen ground, and grew thin and weak.
One morning wolves appeared. The horses gathered tightly together, but when Golden Horn tried to join them, they drove it away. Cornered by the wolves, the calf backed in terror and fell from a high stone. A wolf leapt after it, but herdsmen arrived and scared the beast away. Golden Horn survived the fall by landing in deep snow, but its golden horns shattered at the base.
Bleeding and exhausted, the calf wandered back toward the village. At the lake it found its mother, who licked it gently. Looking once more at its reflection, Golden Horn scarcely recognized itself. The horns were gone, its body was ruined, and its beauty had vanished.
Only then did the calf understand its pride and ingratitude. It returned to its owner and lived the rest of its life as an ordinary ox, working faithfully and giving its strength in service, never again boasting of what it once had been.
Gallery
Sources
SAGEN.at contributors. (n.d.). Aykaska’s Kalb. In SAGEN.at – Märchen aus der Türkei, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/maerchen/maerchen_tuerkei/kalb.htm
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Aykaska’s Calf