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--Counter-tasks--Magic dresses-- Heroine disguise (crow mantle)--Heroine flight (magic wand transports her)--Menial heroine (scullion) passes for a boy--Meeting place (ball)--Token objects named--(boot, brush)--Three-fold flight--Recognition food--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) A rich man, whose wife is dead, falls in love with his beautiful daughter, and would compel her to marry him.-- (2) At last she thinks to escape him by stratagem, and feigning compliance, only requires that he shall first give her a dress of silver, a dress stiff with gold, and one that will stand alone with jewels, When she has all these, she wants a coat of crow's leathers, and after that a wishing-wand. These she gets also.-- (3) There dwells in the land a handsome prince who has heard of the girl's beauty. She takes wand in bet hand, the dresses on her shoulder, and wishes herself near the prince's castle. Instantly she is transported to the palace garden. Then she wishes for a cupboard in corner of garden, puts her dresses in it, dons crow-skin, and goes to palace-kitchen, giving herself out to be boy seeking employment.-- (4) Cook engages her as scullion (Aschenpüster). Two days afterwards prince brings some game which he has killed into kitchen. Heroine falls in love with him. Soon afterwards prince attends wedding in neighbouring castle. Many people go to see the dance. Heroine begs cook's leave to go and look on.-- (5) She runs to her cupboard, dons silver dress, wishes for a carriage, and drives to the castle. Prince dances with her; but she disappears after second dance, gets into carriage, and says:

"Darkness behind me and clearness ahead,
That none may discover whither I've sped."

Next morning prince is in a bad temper, for all night he has lain awake thinking of beautiful partner.-- (6) Aschenpüster has to clean his boots, and she leaves a tiny speck on the toe. Prince notices it, comes in a rage into kitchen and throws boot at her head, Next night she appears at ball in gold dress; tells prince she comes from Boot-Cast, and presently disappears as before. Prince inquires in vain where place is.-- (7) Next morning when she is brushing his coat he throws clothes-brush at her head. That night she appears at ball in jewel dress, and says she comes from Brush-Cast, He puts a ring on her finger and follows close behind when she goes home. She has only time to throw crow-skin mantle over magic dress,-- (8) Next morning, when cook is making soup, heroine lets her ring drop into it. Prince finds it, and inquires who was in the kitchen. Heroine is sent for, and is made to search the prince's head. Then he sees jewel dress sparkling through the disguise.-- (9) He recognises her, and 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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