Молдавские народные сказки" [Moldavian Folk Tales]. Kishinev: Лумина, 1973. pp. 188-197. In this tale, the titular Carminea is the beautiful daughter of a landlord. When she is 17 years old, her father places her daughter on a tower, and erects a staircase made of glass and precious stones, and sets a test for her suitors: they are to ride on horseback, jump high and get her ring from her hand. Many try, but a dragon riding a lion fulfills the test. Her father invites everyone to the betrothal party, but Carminea retires to the stables to confide in her pet horse Gaitan. The horse advises her to get rid of her unwanted suitor. The next day, the dragon suitor rides the lion, while Carminea lags behind. Following the horse's instructions, she decapitates the dragon in a surprise attack. She rides to a distant village and dresses up as a male rider to maintain the charade. A man named John befriends her and suspects she is a girl, so his grandmother advises him to put her through some tests: racing, finding use for the sticks in a cart, choosing between swords and yarns; and stepping on a besom placed in the doorway. Carminea passes through the first three tests, but is unmasked in the fourth one. She reveals her identity to John and they marry. However, John is drafted to war and joins the fray. After some time, Carminea is pregnant, and John writes home. He gives a letter to a friend to deliver it, and John's friends spends a night in a house - the house of the mother of the dead dragon suitor. She writes false command on the letter to burn Carminea at the stake. Gaitan tells her what to do: walk to her execution, then ride Gaitan into the fire, get a kerchief from its right ear and toss it in the fire. Carminea and Gaitan ride away to a valley near a spring. Carminea senses she is in labour, and Gaitan announces his time is over. Carminea sleeps, and the next morning awakes inside a great castle. The story then explains that parts the horse became parts of the castle: the body became the castle, the head became a table with dishes, its ears and eyes became two wolf hounds that guard the castle, the mane became a beautiful orchard, and one of its hooves turned into an old maidservant that helps Carminea in rearing her two golden-haired sons.Botezatu, Grigore. Moldavian Folk-Tales. Kishinev: Literatura Artistika, 1986. pp. 179-188.
