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176

Legrand, Emile, Recueil de Contes populaires Grecs, traduits sur les textes originaux. Paris, 1881. No. XXV. (Collected in Smyrna by Mr. Hyperide. The text has not been published.)

"XYLOMARIE."

ABSTRACT

Death-bed promise--Deceased wife's clothes marriage test-- Unnatural father--Counter-tasks --Magic dresses--Heroine disguise (wooden sheath)--Heroine flight--Hunting prince takes heroine to palace. She will only eat human food. Queen hits her with gridiron, furnace besom, bobbin--Meeting-place (wedding)--Token objects named--Heroine takes, (1) ring, (2) watch and chain, (3) watch from prince, whilst he sleeps--Threefold flight--Love-sick prince--Recognition Food- --Heroine discovered --Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Queen dies, leaving three daughters. She has asked king to marry no one whom her clothes will not fit.-- (2) One day youngest daughter tries them on; they fit her; the king sees her, and says he must marry her, though his daughter.-- (3) She demands, first, three robes-"sky with stars"; "ground with flowers"; "sea with fishes". King procures them. Meanwhile a workman makes wooden sheath to fit heroine's body.-- (4) She takes the three robes and sets off in the wooden case to elude father. Wanders from mountain to mountain; falls in with prince and his retinue hunting.-- (5) They take her to palace; try her with horse's food and bird's food in vain; find she eats human food, with which they supply her. She lodges about the stables, and is supposed to be some strange half-human creature. Goes about courtyard; watches queen cooking; is hit with gridiron. Queen bakes, and Wooden Mary brings the faggots; queen hits her with furnace-besom. Queen sews; Wooden Mary confuses and tangles the bobbins; queen hits her with bobbins. Mary goes to stables.-- (6) Prince sets off to royal wedding in another country. Heroine puts on "sky and stars" dress, and is at wedding in a moment on fine horse. Prince after prince offers to help her dismount; she accepts only prince who had taken her to palace. Says she comes from Grilville (Gridiron Town). Stays with prince all the time of wedding. Finds him once asleep; takes off his ring; mounts her horse, and returns home as Wooden Mary. Prince returns sad; makes vain inquiries after Grilville.-- (7) Goes to another marriage. Mary follows in robe of "sea and fishes". Prince delighted. She says she is from Ecouvillonville (Besom Town). This time she gets away his watch and chain, and is off again.-- (8) Third marriage, as before; she comes from Bobineville (Bobbin Town), wears dress like "ground with flowers"; gets away prince's watch-key.-- (9) Prince returns home and is sick and sad. Queen makes cakes for him; throws some of the dough to Wooden Mary, who is running about her whilst she is kneading flour. Mary takes it to stables; makes three little cakes enclosing the ring, the watch and chain, and the watch-key. Gets cakes into stove-corner; all the others overbaked; prince takes only her three; finds lost articles, and inquires.-- (10) He watches Mary; sees her open wooden sheath and eat in stables; marries her. Great rejoicings.

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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