The Mountain Goat and the Shepherd Girl
A white mountain goat shows the way to a shepherd girl who has lost her flock on the high pasture.
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On the high pasture there was a little shepherd girl called Ayse. Every morning she took the sheep up the mountain, and every evening she brought them down. One day a mist came down over the mountain. The sheep were lost in the mist, and Ayse lost her way too. She called out; the mist swallowed her voice.
Then, out of the mist, came a snow-white mountain goat. Its horns shone like silver. It looked at Ayse, then began to walk, stopped and looked back. "Are you calling me?" said Ayse. The goat nodded.
Ayse followed the goat. The goat went between the rocks, along the edge of the stream, under the pines. The mist cleared. In a hollow all the sheep were gathered, waiting.
Ayse joyfully gathered the sheep. She turned to thank the goat; the goat was gone. Only a silver hoofprint on the rock.
When she got back to the village she told her grandmother. Her grandmother smiled: "That is the White Goat. The guardian of the high pasture. It appears once to every lost child. But there is a condition: you must never have done anyone any harm."
That night Ayse slept beside her sheep. In her dream the White Goat came again; this time it showed her not the way, but the stars. Every star was a sheep, and the sky was one enormous pasture.
Close your eyes. The mist is coming down. But don't be afraid; the White Goat knows the way.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Mountain Goat and the Shepherd Girl is a children's tale from Anatolian folk tale, suitable for ages 3-8 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Bedtime Stories category.
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