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The Calf, a MythSource painting
Mongghul

The Calf

01Identity

The Calf in Mongghul tradition

The Song of the Calf appears in a collection of Mongghul narrative songs, whose introduction describes it as a quiet work once sung to babies and at gatherings. The cow and calf speak as characters, but the same singers perform both roles. The tale begins with the pair weakened by farm work and turns on the calf’s wish to leave a hard life on the plains for the mountains.

Its mother warns that the higher pasture brings danger as well as relief. The calf disobeys, and the cow follows it into danger. After the calf returns to find her dead, her spirit explains what happened. The calf mourns her, prays for her rebirth, and finally accepts the life she urged: a poor but peaceful return to the plains.

SourceLong Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast Tibet: Chapter 5, The Song of the Calf, pp. 224–233

Top questions

The quick answers

02The myths

The myths of The Calf

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

The Calf Chooses a Poor but Peaceful Life

A cow and her calf are worn down by farm work, and the calf longs to leave the plains for the mountains. The cow is beaten when she slows at the plough, and both animals grow thin. Its mother warns that the easier pasture carries dangers, while a hard life below is still survivable. The calf goes alone; the cow follows to protect it and is killed in the struggle.

After seven days, the calf returns and finds its mother’s remains. Her spirit tells the calf what happened. The calf gathers and cremates her bones, then makes offerings and prays for her rebirth in Shambala. In the closing exchange, it accepts the advice it rejected: it will return to the plains and live poorly, but peacefully. The episode ends not with the calf defeating the danger, but with its changed choice about how to live.

The Calf Chooses a Poor but Peaceful Life, a MythSource painting of the scene

5 sources· checked 2026-10-03

  1. 1Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast TibetT1
  2. 2Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast TibetT1
  3. 3Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast TibetT1
  4. 4Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast TibetT1
  5. 5Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast TibetT1

Also mentioned in

Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention The Calf, each on that figure’s page.