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

White-bearded old man warns girls, who are spinning and telling tales, against dropping spindle into chasm. Heroine drops hers, transforming mother into cow--Ill-treated heroine (by step mother) -- Task, spinning -- Transformed mother help -- Spy on heroine--Slaying of helpful animal--Eating taboo--Revivified bones--Help at grave--Menial heroine--Hearth-abode-- Task, grain-sorting--Task-performing animal (birds)--Magic dresses -- Meeting-place (church) -- Three-fold flight -- Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--Animal witness (cock), reveals heroine under trough--Happy marriage--Villain Nemesis.

TABULATION

(1) A number of girls were spinning round a deep chasm and telling tales to each other. A white-bearded old man tells them that if one drops her spindle into the chasm her mother will become a cow. The most beautiful girl dropped her spindle into the chasm. Tier mother becoming a cow, her father married a widow with a daughter.-- (2) The stepmother, out of spite, allowed the girl neither to wash, comb her hair, nor change her clothes. One day she sent her out with the cattle, and gave her a quantity of tow to yarn by eventide, or she would kill her. The cow, which was her mother, saw her crying over her task, and spun the tow by chewing it, the yarn coming into her ear, from which the girl reeled it. The next time the stepmother gave her u much tow again, and the cow produced the yarn.-- (3) The third time the stepmother gave her still more tow, and sent her own daughter to see how it was done. This she saw, and told her mother. The stepmother then urged her husband to kill the cow; he at last promised to kill her on a certain day. The girl secretly told the cow of this promise.-- (4) The cow told the girl not to cat any of the flesh, but to collect the bones and bury them behind the cottage; then, if she wanted help, she was to go to the grave. One day the cow was killed and the flesh boiled, and the girl did as the cow had directed her. The girl's name was Mary, but now they put all the work in the cottage upon her, and the stepmother nicknamed her "Pezelezka" (Cinderella).-- (5) One Sunday, before going to church, her stepmother scattered millet on the ground, and told Cinderella to pick it all up and get dinner ready, or she would kill her. She thought of the cow's word, and went to the grave for assistance. She there saw an open box filled with rich clothes, and on the lid Iwo white pigeons. These told Cinderella to put the clothes on and go to church while they picked up the millet and got the dinner ready. She took the upper clothes, which were of put-u silk and satin. People in the church marvelled at her beauty and her dress, and most of all did the emperor's son marvel at her. When service was ended she ran quickly home, undressed, put the clothes in the box, which then vanished. She found the dinner done and the millet gathered. -- (6) Next Sunday a larger dish of millet was scattered, and she was told to perform the same task as before. Upon going to the grave of the cow she found the two pigeons and the box with the dresses. She put on a dress of pure silver and Went off to church. The emperor's son again did not take his eyes off her. She stole away home, undressed as before, and found all ready.-- (7) The third time the stepmother scattered thrice as much millet, and told her to perform the same task. She went to the grave, found the two pigeons there and use box of dresses. Arraying herself in a dress of pure gold, she went to church. The emperor's son planned in follow her, and as she was pushing through the crowd she lost one of her shoes, which the emperor's son secured. She reached home, and found all ready as before.-- (8) The emperor's son disguised himself, and went from cottage to cottage to try the slipper on, to find out whose it was. It did not fit anyone, until at last he came to Cinderella's cottage.-- (9) The stepmother concealed Cinderella under a trough, and put forward her own daughter. The shoe did not fir, and the stepmother declared there was no other girl in the house.-- (10) The cock flew on to the trough and called out, "Cock-a-doodle-doo! pretty girl under the trough." The emperor's son took the trough off, and there was the girl he had seen at church, only on one foot she had no shoe. He tried his shoe on, and it fitted exactly.-- (11) He took her by the hand, married her, and punished the stepmother for her evil heart.

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.

While the original text of this book is out of copyright, the special formatting and compilation available on SurLaLune Fairy Tales is copyrighted. Be aware that while the original content has been honored, page numbering, footnote numbering, redesigned charts, links, and other aspects are unique to this site's version of the text. Use at your own risk. For private and fair use educational purposes only.

Available from Amazon.com

©Heidi Anne Heiner, SurLaLune Fairy Tales
E-mail: surlalune@aol.com
Page last updated February 1, 2006
www.surlalunefairytales.com