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106

La Société de Litterature Finnoise. MS. Collections. By J. Mustakallio. No. XCIX. (From Sotkamo, in Ostrobothnia. Narrated in 1880, by Aate Kaskinen, a youth of seventeen.)

"CINDERELLA."

ABSTRACT

Two girls have washed their hands for three years to enter king's service. They refuse (1) to take bread from oven, (2) milk cow, (3) shear sheep, (4) help old man. Heroine does all these things, and gets from old man magic stick, which opens treasure-rock--Menial heroine (kitchenmaid at palace)--Tasks, to sort grain from ashes--Task-performing old man--Magic dresses-- Meeting-place (church)--Threefold flight--Pitch trap---Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--Mutilated feet--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) King engages two upper-servants and a third for dirty work. On setting out, the two meet an oven, which says, "Take the bread out with shovel, and you shall have loaf as reward." They say they cannot, because for three years they have washed their hands with German soap; but Cinderella will come along soon, and she will be sure to do it. Cinderella passes, takes out the bread, and gets a loaf.-- (2) Two servants meet a cow; "Milk me; take the pail which is between my horns; you shall have milk as reward." They make same excuse. Cinderella milks cow, and gets milk.-- (3) Two servants meet sheep: "Take shears from between my horns, shear me, and you shall have wool." Same answer. Cinderella shears sheep, and gets wool.-- (4) Two servants proceed, and see old man fallen into the cleft of a rock: " help me out; you shall have my stick as reward, and, if you strike rock with it, you will find all sorts of things." Same answer. Cinderella helps old man, and gets his stick.-- (5) Three servants reach palace. On Sunday the two go to church, leaving Cinderella at borne all alone. To prevent her going, they upset a bushel of grain into the ashes of the stove for her to pick up. Old man comes to perform task, and sends Cinderella to strike rock with stick. She gets copper dress, and copper carriage and horse, and passes by church. She returns before the two servants, and resumes old clothes. They are astonished at what they saw during church.-- (6) Next Sunday all happens as before. Heroine takes silver dress, and silver carriage and horse from rock, and passes by church.-- (7) Third Sunday the same. Heroine takes gold dress, and gold carriage and horse, and pulls up in front of church. She leaves carriage outside, and crosses church on foot. Her gold dress and ornaments resound and glisten. King's son has tarred the threshold, to make the unknown lady fall; bid only her gold shoe sticks, and she gets into carriage without it and returns home.-- (8) King's son picks up shoe, and makes known that he will wed whomsoever it fits. Everybody tries; the two servants cut off their toes, hut shoe will not go on their feet, which are only swollen the more. Cinderella puts it on, and marries king's son.

Cox, Marian Roalfe. Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap O' Rushes, abstracted and tabulated. London: David Nutt for the Folklore Society, 1893.

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