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

Death-bed promise--Deceased wife's wedding-ring marriage test--Unnatural father--Governess aid--Counter-tasks--Magic dresses (provided by merchant whom father meets and who asks what is amiss)--Heroine disguise (wooden figure)--Father made to fall into well--Heroine flight--Hunting prince finds heroine; takes her to palace--Menial heroine (gooseherd)--Geese sing in praise of her beauty--Meeting-place (ball)--Three-fold flight-- Money scattered on third night to hinder pursuit -- Love-sick prince--Recognition food--Heroine discovered -- Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Man and wife have one daughter. Mother falls ill, and, before dying, tells husband he must marry whomsoever her wedding ring will fit.-- (2) Six months after her death he begins to try the ring it is too large for some, too small for others. One day daughter puts it on, and shows father that it fits her exactly. He says he must therefore marry her. -- (3) She goes weeping to teacher, who bids her demand from father a dress representing the sun and moon, trimmed with little golden bells. Father despairs of finding such; goes out of the city-gate, and meets a gentleman who asks him why he looks so distressed, and offers to help him if he will, in return, give him his soul. Father agrees to the conditions, and gentleman takes him to a shop whence he bids him take the dress. Heroine is dismayed on receiving it, and goes again to teacher, who bids her next demand a dress representing the sea with fishes. Again father meets merchant outside gates, goes with him to his shop, and gets the very dress. Heroine is still more distressed, and, counselled by teacher, demands a dress representing olive leaves and olive-berries. Father gets this in the same way as before. Teacher tells heroine there is yet another dress left to ask for. It is wrought of all the stars of heaven. When this is likewise procured for heroine, teacher says she must get a wooden figure which will hold the dresses as well as a person, and will look like an old woman. Father obtains it from the merchant.-- (4) The teacher advises heroine to fix her bed that night upon the well, with only a weak cover, so that when father goes in search of her the cover may break, and he may tumble down the well. She does so, and puts her father off by various excuses, until she is safely hidden, with her dresses, in the wooden billet. The father then comes to seek her, and falls into the well.-- (5) Disguised in the wooden case, heroine escapes to a wood. King's son is out hunting, and his hounds surround the wooden figure.-- (6) Heroine is taken to the palace, as goose-herd, and put in the stable with the geese. When they see her undisguised, they sing:

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!
What a beautiful lady is this!
Just like the moon and the sun is she,
Some nobleman's daughter she seems to me."

Servants hear, and tell king's son of it, and he goes himself to listen.-- (7) One night he is going to a file, and, as he passes, tells heroine so. She pretends the matter does not interest her, and he strikes her with his boot. When he has started, she dons the sun-and-moon dress, and goes after him. He dances with her, and asks whence she comes. "From Boot-at-my-head,' she replies, and runs off. King's son is vexed that he cannot find out about the lovely stranger.-- (8) Next night she goes out with the excuse of taking water for geese. King's son finds her opening a cupboard, and says to her, "I am going to the fete to-night." She says, "What is that to me?" and he hits her on the head with the key. Heroine follows him to the fete, wearing the dress representing the sea with fishes. He dances with her, and again asks whence she comes. She replies, "From Key-on-my-head." He slips a cornelian [ring] on her finger, and she leaves. King's son is left the more befooled, because he cannot learn who she is.-- (9) Next night, he Sets a watch to see whence the maiden comes and when she leaves. As he passes, he tells the old woman he is going to the/tie. She has guessed that the guard has been placed, and says nothing to him. She puts on her dress, all olives and olive-leaves, and goes to the fits. She sees the guard, and drops from her dress a quantity of money. They set to work to pick it up, and don't trouble about her. She enters the fete, dances with the king's son, silently, without speaking, and slips away. She drops money for the guards, and so escapes.-- (10) King's son, from the "grand passion" he has fur her, falls ill, because he has not been able to find out who she is. His mother does not know what to give him to eat. All day he asks for a cake made by her who tends the geese. His mother says, would he eat a cake made by that dirty pig? He answers: "Then make me one yourself." While she is making the cake, the goose-herd comes up and asks for a bit of the paste. After some demur it is given her, and she makes a cake of it, putting into it the cornelian [ring] the king's son had put on her finger. She asks his mother to cook it with her own. Queen complies; and when the cakes are both cooked, she finds that the one made by the gooseherd looks the fairer. She accordingly asks the gooseherd to give it her. The latter answers "You have given it to me, and now you wish me to return it." Queen begs her to do so, because it looks better, and her son will more readily eat it. At length heroine agrees, but on condition that she shall take it to him herself.-- (11) King's son breaks the cake, and finds the cornelian in the middle. He asks his mother "Who made this cake?" She says she made it herself. He replies "Mother, this is out your hand. Tell me truly who made it." Then she tells him what has happened. He jumps out of bed, and goes close to where the geese are. And she, while the king's son stood there, wipes her head [sic] and the geese begin to say:

"Hiss, hiss, hiss
What a beautiful lady is this!
Just like the moon and the sun is she,
Some nobleman's daughter she seems to me."

-- (12) King's son hearing this, lifts the door from its hinges. Heroine tries to hide herself in the billet of wood. King's son cries, "Stop!" She is frightened to death, and can do nothing. He catches her, lifts her up, calls the priest, 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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