Stærð: H:39cm B:50cm
Dimension: H:39cm W:50cm
Once upon a time a farmer and his wife lived with their son in a little farmhouse. Their only livestock was a cow called Bukolla. This cow was their most treasured possession and they loved her dearly. They also had one son, but didn’t love him nearly as much as the cow.
One day two giantesses came and stole Bukolla. The farmer and his wife were very cross and ordered their son to go off and not to let them set eyes on him again till he came back with the cow. They fitted him out with new shoes and some food, and he set off without much idea of where to go.
After walking for a long, long time, he sat down to eat, and said, “Bukolla, moo now if you are alive anywhere.” Then he heard Bukolla mooing far, far away.
Again he walked for a long, long time, and again he sat down to eat and said, “Bukolla, moo now if you are alive anywhere.” Then he heard Bukolla moo a little closer than before.
Once more he walked for a long, long time, till he came to the top of a very high cliff. Once more he sat down to eat and said, “Bukolla, moo now if you are alive anywhere.” This time he heard the cow moo right underneath him. He climbed down the cliff till he came to a very big cave. He went inside the cave and there he found Bukolla tied to a beam. Untying her, he led her out and set off for home.
When he had gone some distance, he saw an enormous giantess coming after him, and a smaller one with her. The big giantess was taking such long strides that he could tell that she would catch up with him in no time. So he asked, “what are we to do now, Bukolla?‘
Bukolla answered, “Take a hair out of my tail and lay it on the ground.”
He did so; then Bukolla said to the hair, “I now declare: turn into a lake so great that nothing can cross it but a bird on the wing.” At once the hair turned into a vast lake.
When the giantess came to the lake she said, “That’s not going to help you, my lad. Dash home, lass, and fetch my father’s big bull.” The smaller giantess went off and came back with a huge bull, which promptly drank up the whole lake.
Then the farmer´s son again saw that the giantess would catch up with him directly, because she took such big strides. So again he asked, “what are we to do now, Bukolla?”
“Take a hair out of my tail and lay it on the ground,” Bukolla replied. And when he had done so, Bukolla said to the hair, “Moo, I declare: turn into a blaze so fierce that none can get over it but a bird on the wing.” And at once the hair turned into a blaze of fire.
When the giantess came to the fire she said, “That’s not going to help you, my lad. Go and fetch my father’s big bull, lass.” The smaller giantess again went off and came back with the bull, which put out the fire with all the water he had drunk out of the river.
The farmer´s son now saw once more that the giantess would soon catch him up, because she took such long strides. So once more he asked, “What are we to do now, Bukolla?” and once more Bukolla replied, “Take a hair out of my tail and lay it on the ground.” Then Bukolla said to the hair, “Moo, I say: turn into a mountain so big that no one can cross it but a bird on the wing.”
The hair turned into a mountain so high that the peasant’s son could see nothing over it except clear sky.
When the giantess came to the mountain, she said, “That’s not going to help you, my lad. Fetch my father’s big gimlet, my lass!” The smaller giantess went away and came back with the gimlet. The big giantess then bored a hole in the mountain, but once she was able to see through it she became too impatient. She squeezed herself into the hole, but it was too narrow, so that she stuck fast and finally turned to stone, and there she remains to this day.
The farmer´s son reached home safely with Bukolla, -and his parents were overjoyed.
