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 mother's ring marriage test Unnatural brother--Heroine flight--Heroine found in hollow tree and taken by children to their parents--Meeting-place (feast)--Heroine struck with (1) boot, (2) towel, (3) looking-glass--Magic equipage from hollow tree--Token objects named--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Queen has son and daughter. Before dying she gives a ring to son, and says he must marry whomsoever it fits. He travels about the world with it in vain, and, returning home, lays it on the window-ledge.-- (2) Sister puts it on, and, seeing that it fits her, brother says he must marry her.-- (3) She runs away, and gets inside a hollow oak-tree. Some gentleman's children are playing near, and their dogs, seeing the girl in tree, begins to bark.-- (4) Boys pull her out, and take her to their parents. She leaves her clothes-box inside the tree. She says her name is Mashka Soplivka. She lives there with the family.-- (5) One day, when the master is going to a feast, heroine asks him to take her with him. Instead of complying, he hits her with his boot. As soon as he has started, she asks permission to go to forest to gather mushrooms. She hies to the hollow tree, gets from her box a carriage and horses, and drives to the ball, where she will only speak to her master. He asks her name, and she says "Boot". Then she leaves, returns everything to the box in the tree, and brings some mushrooms to her mistress.-- (6) Next day master is again going to ball, and Mashka asks him to take her. At that moment he is wiping his face with a towel, and he strikes her with it. Heroine repairs to the forest as before; and, when asked her name, says "Towel".-- (7) On the third day, when Mashka asks master to take her, he is standing before his looking-glass; he throws it at her, breaking it to pieces. Heroine goes with his child to the ball, having fetched things from tree as before. When asked her name, she says "Looking-glass". Child inquires what kind of looking- glass, and heroine says the same as his father broke. They return to the oak-tree. Master's son marries heroine.

[Note.-- In No. LXXXIII (ibid., Part III, p. 11), Czar, before dying, gives son a ring, and bids him only marry one whom it will fit. Prince travels in vain quest of bride, returns home, and lays ring on table. Sister fits it on, and brother says he must marry her. She makes him build her a house on sea-coast, and thence escapes by aid of fisherman, who conveys her across the sea. She dwells in hollow tree in forest, feeding on berries. Her clothes wear out, and she is at length succoured by some old women who are gathering mushrooms.]

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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