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155

Corazzini, Francesco, I Componimenti minore della litteratura popolare nei principali dialetti. Benevento, 1877. Pp. 435-439. (Story collected in Benvento. For second half relating to Cinderella, see pp. 437-439.)

"U PADRE E A FIGLIA"
(Father and Daughter).

ABSTRACT

Unnatural father -- Confessor aid--Counter-tasks -- Magic dresses-- Heroine disguise (old woman skin)--Heroine flight-- Devil claims father--Fairies endow heroine with beauty--Menial heroine (takes service with innkeeper; afterwards waits on king)--Heroine struck with (1) boot, (2) stocking, (3) garter--Meeting- place (ball) objects named--Threefold flight--Ashes thrown at pursuers--Lovesick prince (after second ball)--Recognition food, contains ring given at second ball--King leaves third ball before heroine; hides in house facing palace to watch-- Heroine discovered--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Man has wife so vain of her beauty that every day she mounts high terrace (loggia) and asks the sun:

"Oh, my round sun,
Circling so high
Say, is there one
In all the world more fair than I?"

And the sun replies, "No, no, no!" till she becomes ugly. Then, when asked, the sun replies, "Yes, yes, yes!" She falls ill, and after giving birth to beautiful daughter, dies.-- (2) When daughter is fifteen years old father wants to marry her, but, aided by her confessor, she succeeds in cheating him and keeping him at bay, till at last, when the wedding is fixed, after having received the various impossible gifts requested from father, (3) she escapes in guise of old woman, and her father is carried off to hell by the devil. Under semblance of little old woman heroine seeks the fairies, and inquires where she can get hired as servant. Fairies point out king's palace, where the old woman who used to tend poultry has just died, and they bestow fairy blessing, making her lovelier than the sun.-- (4) Heroine, disguised, takes service, and lives with innkeeper, who sends her daily with something for king. King is pleased with her, and one day bids her put on his boots, as he is going to a festival. She does so always afterwards. Old woman says, "Take me too to the festival." And king gives her blow on the face with the boot, and goes to the ball.-- (5) Heroine goes downstairs, doffs old woman's skin, dons dress with sun and moon on it, and drives in carriage to ball. King goes into ecstasies when he sees her, dances with no one else, and asks of what co she is. "From Boot-hit," she says. In the middle of the fête she disappears, returns to king's palace, and puts old woman's skin on her back. King returns inflamed with love, and she asks him, "Master, how did the ball go off?" "Oh, do let me alone! There was such a lovely girl there that I have had no peace ever since."-- (6) Next day king is going to ball, and old woman, whilst putting on his stockings, begs him to take her too. King hits her in the face with a stocking. When he has started heroine dons a dress of the color of sea-waves, goes to ball, dances always with king; says she comes from "Stocking-hit". King puts ring on her finger. She departs; the gentlemen run after her; she throws ashes, and they see nothing more. There is the same scene at the palace.-- (7) Then king falls ill; old woman prepares him a dish of vermicelli (tagliolini); he eats it, and recovers. Then she makes him a cake (pizza) with the ring inside, and lie cannot imagine how it got into old woman's hands.-- (8) That evening he is being dressed for ball; again old woman wants to be taken, and king hits her face with his garter. Heroine goes to ball, and king dances with her; but before she leaves he goes and hides in a house, facing his own palace. Heroine throws the usual ashes at the gentlemen who follow her, and enters the palace.-- (9) Whilst she taking off ball-dress king surprises her, and holds her fast to prevent her getting inside old woman's skin. He recognises her as the lady from "Boot-hit", from "Stocking-hit", from ''Garter-hit", 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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