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

Ill-treated heroine (by step-mother)--Menial heroine (minds sheep)--Virgin Mary aid--Helpful animal (black sheep)--spy on heroine--Step-mother feigns illness--Slaying of helpful animal--Heroine buries sheep's liver, from which springs magic tree, whose branches bow down to heroine--Prince will wed daughter of any person who can pick fruit - -Villain Nemesis. Step-mother falls from ladder, and is killed. Prince falls ill with longing.--Heroine picks him fruit --Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Heroine's mother dies when she is fifteen years old. Father marries widow with three daughters, who stay at home idle, whilst Annette goes daily to mind sheep. When she returns in the evening she has to wash the plates and dishes, though never herself using a plate. Every morning she takes a little crust in her pocket, and suffers dreadfully from hunger.-- (2) One day she is weeping at thought of dead mother, when suddenly a beautiful kind lady, who is the Holy Virgin, appears, asks what troubles her, and promises to alleviate her lot. She gives her a wand, with which she must gently strike her black sheep whenever she is hungry. Virgin vanishes, heroine uses wand; a table is spread with all mariner of food, of which she partakes, giving some to her sheep-dog. This happens several days.-- (3) Stepmother, astonished to see her grow fatter day by day, sends eldest daughter to spy. She soon gets tired, and sits down on a tuft of grass. Annette bids her rest her head on her knees whilst she does her hair. Whilst combing her, Annette sings, "Sleep with one eye, sleep with two eyes," and sends her to sleep. Heroine takes her repast. Daughter tells mother she saw heroine eat nothing but her dry bread, and drink nothing but water from the stream.-- (4) Mother sends second daughter next day, and she is sent to sleep in like manner.-- (5) Third day mother sends youngest daughter, telling her to sleep with one eye or both, hut to be very careful to keep open the eye which she will put in the back of her head. Daughter spies with third eye, and reports to mother, who then feigns illness, and says she must have mutton from black sheep to cure her. Heroine overhears father promising to kill black sheep, and runs to the fold to tell it.-- (6) Black sheep bids her be com forted, get its liver, and bury it in the garden. Stepmother is delighted to have thwarted heroine, and meaning to give her the worst part of the sheep, says, "Here take the liver; that's good enough for you."-- (7) Heroine buries it in garden, and a tree springs from the spot, so high that no ladder will reach the top branches, and so slippery that none can climb it. It bears most tempting fruit, which only Annette can pick, for the branches bend down to her alone.-- (8) King's son passes by, and desires the fruit. None can pick it for him. At last he promises to marry the daughter of any person who can pick him some. Fathers, mothers, girls, and all try, but in vain.-- (9) Stepmother has a long ladder made, and places it at foot of tree, but it is some feet short of the lowest branches. She stands on the very top rung, and stretches up on tip-toe to reach fruit, but loses her balance, and breaks her neck. This fatality discourages the most ambitious, and prince nearly dies of longing for the fruit. Heroine takes pity on him, and carries a large basketful to the invalid.-- (10) Prince marries her.

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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