Once upon a time, there was a very poor man who had many children; he could not feed them, and more than once he had thought of killing them rather than seeing them die of hunger; but each time his wife prevented him.

One night, he saw a child in a dream who said to him:

— I know that you wanted to lose your soul by killing your children; I also know that you are miserable. Tomorrow morning you will find under your pillow a mirror, a red handkerchief, and an embroidered scarf; take these three objects in secret and say nothing to anyone, then go into the mountain. There you will find a river; follow its course until you reach its source; then you will find a maiden shining like the sun; her hair falls upon her shoulders and her back; in one of her hands she holds a golden apple, and in the other, a golden comb.

— "Le cheveu merveilleux" (Serbian Folktale), French translation by Louis Léger.

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