SurLaLune Fairy Tales: Marian Roalfe Cox: Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap O' Rushes, abstracted and tabulated

Ill-treated heroine (by step-mother) heroine (cowherd)--Helpful animal (cow)--Ear cornucopia--Spy on heroine--Slaying of helpful animal (proposed)--Flight on cow-- Heroine directed to slay cow--Heroine disguise (cowskin)-- Menial heroine (swineherd at palace)--Token objects: (1) comb, (2) soap, (3) towel; afterwards named--Help at grave (of cow)--Magic dresses--Meeting-place (weddings)--Threefold flight--Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--Heroine's disguise falls off revealing gold dress--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Man and wife have one daughter each. Wife hates husband's daughter, and, sends her to pasture the flocks, giving her such bad food that she always brings it home untouched.-- (2) One day stepmother sends own daughter to see how heroine gets food; but she goes to sleep in the forest, and discovers nothing. Next day she is sent again, and again falls asleep. Stepmother goes herself third day, and sees heroine spread her napkin and call her cow Kirju, who comes instantly, and shaking her horns, covers the napkin with delicious food.-- (3) That night man and wife decide that Kirju must be killed, to stop heroine's food-supply. Heroine overhears, and goes at once to stable to tell Kirju.-- (4) "Never mind. Undo my collar and get on my back." They set off and reach king's palace. Cow stops at a great stone hard by. "Kill me and take my skin. When you want anything, strike my tomb with a stick, and you will get it."-- (5) Heroine slays cow, dons skin, and seeks service at palace. She is engaged as swineherd -- (6) Presently king's son is invited to a wedding. He dresses for fete, and calls maids to bring him a comb. Maids not hearing, heroine takes it. "Sikeri-sokeri, Cowskin, what do you mean by it?" and he throws comb at her. Other servants bring him comb, and he goes to wedding. Servants go to look on, leaving swineherd behind. Heroine goes to cow's grave and asks for Indian dress and horse and carriage. She gallops after prince, and is placed next to him at table because of her beauty. He asks whence she comes. "From Comb country." Heroine returns dress to grave, and is back in her place when servants return. They boast of having seen lovely princess, and taunt "Sikeri-sokeri, Cowskin" with having seen nothing.-- (7) After a time king's son is dressing for another wedding, and calls for soap. Heroine takes it to him, and is scolded as before. Other servants bring some. Heroine, again left behind, gets silk dress from grave and goes to wedding. She is placed beside king's son, says she comes from "Soap-land"; returns home before servants, who taunt her as before.-- (8) King is dressing for third wedding, and calls for towel; heroine takes it, and is again scolded. Left alone, she visits grave, and, clad in gold dress, drives to wedding. Seated next king's son, she tells him she comes from "Towel-land". On returning home heroine is pursued, and not having time to hide gold dress under stone, throws cowskin over her. In her haste she drops a shoe, which king's son picks up.-- (9) He proclaims that whosoever can wear it shall be his betrothed. Everyone tries shoe, but none can get it on. King's son calls "Sikeri-sokeri, Cowskin" to try. Everyone laughs; but shoe fits her perfectly, and at that moment cowskin falls from her shoulders, and she is at once recognised.-- (10) King's son marries her.

1 Sokeri = sugar; Sikeri = variation of Sokeri.
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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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