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

Unnatural father--Dead mother help--Countertasks--Magic dresses--Heroine disguise--Outcast heroine (father, disgusted with heroine in pig-skin hood, drives her from home)--Hunting prince finds "Pig-skin Hood" in tree; takes her to palace-- Meeting-place (ball)--Three-fold flight--Pitch-trap--Lost shoe--Shoe-test--Prince destroys pig-skin hood--Happy marriage-- Heroine tells prince of Deceased wife resemblance marriage test to explain her disguise.

TABULATION

(1) A grand duke has a beautiful wife, who dies leaving a beautiful daughter. Father falls in love with heroine, and wants to marry her.-- (2) She goes weeping to mother's grave. Mother says: "Ask your father for a dress covered with stars." The father buys such a dress, and is more ardent. Heroine goes again to grave, and mother bids her ask for a dress embroidered with the sun in front and the moon at the back. Father buys the dress, and is still more amorous.-- (3) Mother now bids her ask for a hood made of pigskin. When this is made heroine puts it on, and father is so disgusted with her that he drives her from home. She wanders for two days, and on the third day a storm arises. She climbs into an oak-tree, and hides among the branches.-- (4) The king's son passes with his dogs, who notice the girl and bark. Prince sends back his servant, who reports that there is a curious animal up the tree. Prince comes to the tree, and asks: "Who are you? Can you speak?" "I am Pigskin Hood." Prince takes her home, and shows her to his parents as a curiosity. Heroine is put in a separate room.-- (5) A ball is given at the palace. Heroine asks permission to look on at the door, but is refused. She goes to the field, dons her star-dress, whistles, and a splendid carriage appears. She drives to the palace, enters the ball-room, and dances. All are amazed at her beauty. Then she disappears, resumes her pigskin hood, and returns to her room.-- (6) The same thing happens a second time, only heroine wears the sun- and moon-dress.-- (7) On the third occasion she looks most lovely [description of dress not given], and the prince falls in love with her. Wishing to discover who she is, he has some pitch put on the steps, and one of her shoes sticks to it.-- (8) The prince travels with it all over the country in search of its owner, but in vain.-- (9) On his return he goes to Pigskin Hood, and asks her to show her feet. The shoe fits her, and the prince destroys the pigskin hood and marries the beautiful girl.-- (10) One day he asks why she wore it: "Because", she says, "I was exactly like my dead mother, and my father wanted to marry me."

NOTE-- In No. XXVIIIb (ibid., Part VI), a priest insists on marrying his daughter. She weeps at mother's grave. Dead mother "comes out from her grave" to advise her. Girl obtains from father pigskin dress, and two sets of gorgeous apparel; the former she herself assumes, in the latter she dresses up three wooden puppets. She takes her place in the midst of these. Earth opens, and all four sink into it.

In another version (ibid., Part VI, No. XXIX) the father kills his daughter.

In No. XVIII (ibid., Part VI), Prince Daniel, the Talker, seeks to wed his sister because magic ring fits her. Old women tell her to make four puppets and place one in each corner of her room. After marriage-service bride hastens back to her room. When she is called the puppets coo; earth opens, and girl sinks into it.

In another version (ibid., Part II, No. XXXI) son is ordered by parents to marry his sister after their death; she prepares puppets; they speak; earth opens and swallows girl.

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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