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 resemblance marriage test -- Unnatural father--Old woman aid--Counter-tasks--Magic dresses--Heroine disguise (mouse-skin dress) Heroine flight--Father deluded by splashing of ducks in bath--Hunting prince discovers heroine in hollow tree-- Menial heroine (goose girl)--Meeting-place (ball) --Token objects named--Threefold flight--Lovesick prince--Recognition food, contains ring given at third ball--Heroine discovered--Happy marriage--Heroine's daughter, like herself; has star on brow--Heroine visits father-- Old woman rewarded--Minister, who sanctioned marriage with daughter, beheaded.

TABULATION

(1) Empress has a star on her brow, and her daughter has the same mark. Emperor swears to his dying wife that he will only marry a lady with star on brow.-- (2) As no one can be found, he resolves to marry his own daughter. An old woman counsels heroine to demand first from father a silk dress made by himself and so thin that it can be kept in a nutshell. After this she asks for a silver dress in a nutshell, then for a gold dress in a nutshell; lastly, for a dress made of mouse-skins. They are all provided, and the wedding-day is fixed.-- (3) Then princess, prompted by old woman, demands a water-tub and two white ducks. She wants to take a bath before wedding. She locks her door, dons the mouse-skin dress, puts the ducks into tub of water, and escapes through the window. Emperor, hearing the ducks splashing, thinks daughter is still bathing. At last the door is broken open; the bride has flown, and is sought everywhere.-- (4) Meanwhile, heroine has taken shelter in a hollow tree. A prince from another kingdom, who is out hunting, discovers heroine, and takes her home with him as goose-girl. She is called Aschenbrödel by the servants.-- (5) There is a ball; heroine dons her silk dress, and enters ball-room. Prince dances with her; asks whence she comes. "From Boot-town," she says, and goes away.-- (6) At the second ball she appears in silver dress, and says she comes from "Legen-grad"; at the third ball, in golden dress, from "Sword-town".-- (7) Prince puts a ring on her finger. She manages to leave unobserved. Prince can nowhere find "Sword-town"; falls sick with love.-- (8) He wants some boiled milk. Heroine asks leave to boil it, pretending she has dreamt that prince will re cover after taking a drink prepared by herself. The cook gives permission; heroine drops ring into the milk-jug; prince finds ring, and sits up, ordering the cook to he fetched. Cook at last confesses that Mouse-skin boiled the milk. Prince jumps up, runs to the kitchen, tears the mouse-skin dress off heroine, compels her to don the gold dress, and presents her to his parents.-- (9) He marries her. She bears twins, boy and girl, the latter with star on brow.-- (10) Heroine visits her father, who receives her joyfully. The old woman is honoured; the minister who would have allowed king to marry his daughter is beheaded.

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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