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184

Pedroso, Consiglieri, Portuguese Folk-Tales. Translated from the original MS by Miss Henriqueta Monteiro. (F.-L. Soc.). London, 1882. No. XVI, pp. 66-72.

"THE PRINCESS WHO WOULD NOT MARRY HER FATHER."

[You can read Pedroso's The Princess Who Would Not Marry Her Father on SurLaLune.]

ABSTRACT

Death-bed promise wife's ring marriage test-- Unnatural father -- Old woman's aid .- - Counter-tasks -- Magic dresses -- Heroine disguise (wooden dress) -- Heroine flight -- Menial heroine--Calls herself Maria do Pau--King watches heroine ill magic dress tending ducks, and hears her sing that she is a king's daughter. Heroine, disguised, asks permission to go to feast; king throws at her (1) boots, (2) towel, (3) walking-stick-- Magic wand provides carriage for heroine -- Meeting place (feast)--Token objects named--Money thrown to guards-- Threefold-flight--Heroine discovered--King sees through key hole heroine doing embroidery; asks her, when waiting on him, to embroider him shoes. She pretends she cannot--Surprise rencontre--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Dying queen bids king marry whomsoever her ring will fit. Heroine puts on ring, and father says he must marry her.-- (2) She shuts herself in her room and weeps. Old woman comes to window and bids her ask father for dress like the stars, which he supplies; for dress like flowers of the field, which is also granted; for robe of various colours, which is like wise given; next, to send for carpenter and order dress of wood, get inside this, and go to palace, where king is requiring servant to tend ducks. Heroine does all these things, putting jewels and dresses inside wooden dress.-- (3) Takes service under name of Maria do Pau. Goes to field with ducks, doffs wooden dress, washes herself; and dons dress like stars. King, walking in garden, espies lovely maiden, who sings:

"Ducks here, ducks there,
The daughter of a king tends the ducks,
A thing never seen before."

After this she kills a duck, doffs star-dress, and dons disguise. At night she tells king she has killed duck. King asks her who was the lovely maid who minded ducks. She says there was no one there but herself. Next day she acts as before, this time wearing wild-flower dress, and the third day wearing robe of many colours. In the evening king tells her she may no longer mind ducks, as one is killed every day. She is to be locked up. King will give a three days' feast, which she may not attend. She begs to go, and king sends for her and asks what dress she would like to wear.-- (4) She replies by asking for pair of boots; these king throws at her, and departs to feast.-- (5) Heroine draws from wooden dress fairy wand which old woman gave, and by its means drives to feast in king's own carriage, clad in star-dress. King admires her, and bids guards prevent her passing. She throws bag of money to guards, who let her through, asking whence she comes. She replies, "From land of the Boot." King returns, and, finding Maria do Pau at palace, asks where land of the boot is. She evades reply. King goes to feast next day, having first thrown towel at heroine for asking to go too.-- (6) Heroine attends feast as before, clad in second dress; tells guard she comes from land of the Towel. King returns, and asks Maria do Pau where is land of the towel, and, when leaving third day for feast, strikes her with walking-stick.-- (7) Heroine attends f in third dress, escapes as before, telling guards she comes from land of the Walking-stick. King questions her on his return as to where this land is. -- (8) Heroine goes to her room to wash and deck h in star-dress; king looks through keyhole; sees same lovely maid who was at ball, sitting doing embroidery. Heroine dons disguise to attend dinner-table; king says she must embroider him pair of shoes. She pretends she cannot, but every day he begs for them, King has key made to open heroine's room, and one day, when he sees her through keyhole, robed in her best, he suddenly opens door and enters unperceived. -- (9) Heroine is frightened, and tries to escape; king says he will marry her. She relates her past history, and king sends for old woman who gave wand, wishing her to live at palace. This she will not do, being a fairy.

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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