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13

Asbjornsen, P. Chr., og Jorgen Moe, Norske Folke-eventyr. 2nd edition. Christiania, 1852 p. 416. (From Hardanger, Norway.)

"KARI TRAESTAK."

ABSTRACT

Man, seeking runaway horse, comes to widow's house and rests. Chair holds him captive till he promises to marry widow--Ill- treated heroine (by step-mother and step-sisters)--Menial heroine (herds cattle)--Helpful animal (ox)--. -Ear cornucopia-- Step-sisters sent to spy; heroine sends them to sleep by hair dressing. But eye in back of second step-sister's neck discovers magic food-supply--Slaying of helpful animal--House springs up where ox is buried, containing dresses, etc., for heroine--Task (to gather grain from ashes)-- animals (birds)--Magic dresses--Meeting-place (church)--Threefold flight-- Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--Mutilated feet--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) A man goes out to seek his runaway horse. Seeing smoke in the distance, He goes in that direction and comes to a house, which he enters, inquiring for his horse. In the house dwells a widow with two daughters, Magpie and Crow. They have seen no horse, but invite the man to rest. Having sat some time in the proffered chair, he says it is time for him to be going. ''Squeeze him, my chair!" says the woman; and the chair squeezes him so that he is unable to rise. This happens a second and a third time. At last the man may be released on consenting to marry the widow. He does so; they are married.-- (2) His own daughter is ill-treated by step mother and stepsisters; sent to herd the cattle with nothing for her dinner but a grey stone and three spoonfuls of milk in a box. Heroine thrives, in spite of three days of such treatment.-- (3) On the fourth day Magpie is sent to spy, but discovers nothing -- (4) On the fifth day Crow is sent. When she arrives, heroine says: "Come, sister, I will louse you!" and does so, till Crow falls asleep. Then heroine drinks from one ear of the ox and eats from the other, till she is more beautiful than ever.-- (5) But Crow has a hidden eye in the back of her neck, and goes home and tells what she has seen. The ox is killed, and buried in a mound; on this spot springs up a house, furnished with every imaginable thing -- amongst others, three dresses, called sun, moon, and star. Only stepdaughter knows of it.-- (6) Stepmother and daughters ride to church, after having thrown a bushel of rye in the ashes for heroine to pick up, unless she would like to he killed. Heroine cries. All the little birds come warbling: "Go to church: we will collect the rye!" She hies to the house on the mound, dons the star-dress, goes to church, and is home before the others, who afterwards talk about the lovely stranger.-- (7) The second time she wears the moon-dress to church, and on the third time the sun-dress.-- (8) She loses one of her golden slippers. Prince, being in love with her, announces that whoever can wear the shoe is to be queen.-- (9) Stepmother cuts a large piece off Magpie's leg and half of Crow's foot, but in vain-- (10) She is compelled to let heroine appear, and the shoe fits her, and prince marries her.

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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