In one nomad camp lived a Khan with his wife and nine sons, and his only daughter, Princess Oulen. She was a kind and sweet girl. Her smile warmed the hearts of her parents and brothers every day.
One day, the nomads gathered to celebrate the White Moon festival which marked the onset of spring. Everyone put on their best outfits, prepared treats and gifts, and came to the feast, which was arranged by the Khan. The girls danced like swans, the sons of the Khan danced like frisky foals, the old Kalmyks sang their favorite songs, and the old men lit their pipes. The holiday turned out to be glorious, and the Khan and his wife were glad of this.
Suddenly, the clear sky turned gray; it was filled with smoke, and terrible screams were heard. Robbers attacked the camp; they stole jewelry, set fire to the tents and led away horses and camels. The Khan’s sons rushed into battle. They fought long and bravely, but all were wounded.
Meanwhile, Oulen hid under the canopy of the ger, a nomadic tent. She lost sight of her parents and was afraid to go out. Suddenly, someone grabbed her and dragged her into the darkness. It was an evil Witch from the steppe swamps. The Witch dragged the girl back to her hut in the swamp and threw her on the floor. “Now you are mine, and you will do as I say,” muttered the Witch. The Witch removed the copper wig from her head and hung it on the wall, then she pulled out a shiny object from her pocket and went to bed.
“Do not touch these things. They are magical,” the old woman barked. After the Witch fell asleep, Oulen ventured closer to take a look at the shiny object and realized it was a fallen star. She climbed into a corner and fell asleep despite her terrible fear. In the morning, the Witch woke Oulen and said, “I want to be young again, but for this I need to eat you. Therefore, make a fire, draw water into the cauldron and climb into it.”
The old woman put on her copper wig, rubbed the star, and everything around them turned into a wonderful garden. She rubbed the star again, and a table with treats appeared. She moved her hair, and her dress became rich and embroidered with gold. Oulen realized that the star and copper wig could fulfill desires, and decided to steal them from the Witch. Without them, she knew the Witch would have no powers.
“The cauldron is almost boiling,” Oulen called, “but I don’t know if the water is hot enough to cook me, maybe you can check it yourself.” The Witch groaned and walked over to the cauldron. “You need to stir it a little,” said the Witch, “and add salt.” As the Witch bent to sprinkle salt into the cauldron, Oulen grabbed the wig from the Witch’s head and snatched the star from her hand. She quickly raced to the hillock as the Witch shrieked, “Come back here!” Oulen placed the wig upon her head and rubbed the star. “Let everything here disappear along with the old Witch!” she shouted, and everything turned into a dry Steppe. “Bring me back home!” she said loudly as she rubbed the star again, and she immediately found herself in her own land.
The robbers had burned the tents and eaten the last of the lambs. The nomads sat weeping with fear, still tied with ropes. Oulen shouted loudly to the robbers, “Get out of here, I order you!” The robbers laughed. She waved her hair, and ropes tangled around the robber’s hands. She rubbed the star and the robbers disappeared in an instant. Oulen untied the ropes binding her people. She hugged the Khan and her mother. Then, she saw her wounded brothers. She pulled nine hairs out of the wig and tied one around each of their wrists. The brothers instantly recovered and hugged their sister.
When all was returned to normal, Oulen traveled to the outskirts of her camp and took the star in her hands. “Thank you for helping me. Now it’s time for you to return home.” The star shone brightly and then soared into the sky, blinking goodbye to brave Princess Oulen.
