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

Deathbed promise--Deceased wife's ring marriage test--Unnatural father--Heroine stabs herself; is restored to life by father's flute-playing, as directed by enchantress--Heroine cuts off left hand and burns right in fire. Hands are restored by magic herb--Heroine is guarded, but seizes staff on which is written "Touch me not", and is transformed into lamb. Enchantress is powerless to remove spell.

TABULATION

(1) Emperor's dying wife gives him a ring, enjoining him to marry no one whose left forefinger it will not exactly fit, lest evil befall him. After her death, messengers search the kingdom in vain, and afterwards the entire world, but no one is found whom ring will fit. In despair, emperor flings ring away; it bounds from the ground into daughter's lap. She puts it on forefinger, and shows how exactly it fits. Father is struck dumb, and when daughter's tending restores him, he tells her of vow.-- (2) She at first thinks him out of his mind, but, convinced to the contrary, she resolves to die, seizes a knife, and stabs herself through the heart.-- (3) Father sends for enchantress, who bids him stand at daughter's head, and blow his flute from dawn till eve. Emperor obeys, and has scarce begun to blow, when daughter stands up. He then makes preparations for wedding on the morrow.-- (4) Daughter hearing this, seizes father's sword and cuts off left hand, then burns right hand in fire. Next morning, when all is ready for wedding, servant tells emperor he has seen daughter handless.-- (5) Emperor rushes to see, then sends for enchantress, who gives him a herb, and scarcely has he touched stumps with it when hands grow as before.-- (6) He guards her, lest she do herself further injury; and, as she paces through the rooms, she sees in a corner of the house a wand of pure gold, on which is written in letters of blood, "Touch me not." Full of curiosity, she takes staff in her hand, and is instantly transformed into a lamb, and runs bleating through castle. Emperor is told, and sends again for enchantress, who confesses she can do nothing. He consults several other wise women, but they cannot remove spell, and so emperor remains unmarried. The lamb is always with him, and is petted and loved. At his death the lamb dies too.

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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