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

Dying mother bids heroine take care of white lamb--Ill-treated heroine (by step-mother)--Menial heroine (minds sheep)--Step mother starves heroine--Helpful animal (lamb)--Ear-cornucopia--Spy on heroine--Step-sister sent to sleep by hair-dressing; second day she feigns sleep--Slaying of helpful animal--Heroine collects bones; lays them on pear-tree. Its branches become decked with golden bells, which ring ceaselessly. Their silence would betoken ill--King will wed anyone who can pick gold bell-- Step-sister tries and fails--Heroine returns with sheep and picks apronful of bells--King takes her to castle --Happy marriage-- King goes to war--Step-mother throws heroine in river, and substitutes own daughter--King turns back because golden bells cease ringing. He sees hand in river; draws out heroine--Villain Nemesis.

TABULATION

(1) Dying queen enjoins daughter, Florine, above all things to take care of little white lamb, or disaster will ensue. At her death king marries a queen who has daughter named Truitonne. Stepmother hates Florine, and sends her to field to mind sheep, giving her for day's food tiny piece of black bread, hard as stone.-- (2) Every morning Florine takes her scrap of bread and follows sheep; but when out of sight, she calls the little white lamb, and strikes its right ear with wand, whereupon well-spread table appears. Having eaten, she strikes lamb on left ear, and all disappears.-- (3) Stepmother, surprised that heroine is not starved, sends own daughter to spy on her. Truitonne asks heroine to clean her hair, and falls asleep during operation. Then Florine obtains food as before. At night stepsister tells stepmother she has seen nothing, but confesses she fell asleep, and promises not to do so next day. She, therefore, only pretends to sleep, and sees what happens. -- (4) Queen feigns illness, and will eat nothing but lamb ; king at first objects to killing Florine's pet, but at last consents.-- (5) Lamb bids heroine collect all its bones and put them on pear-tree, whose branches will then be decked with little golden bells which will ring without ceasing; if they are silent it will betoken ill. All happens as lamb predicts.-- (6) One day, when heroine is in fields, king passes near castle, and seeing golden bells, says he will marry any who can pick him one. Truitonne tries; stepmother lifts her up to tree, but branches get higher and higher out of her reach. King asks if she has another daughter; mother says yes, but "she is only fit to mind sheep". King will see her, and awaits her return. She comes home with flock of sheep, and says to tree, "Little pear-tree, bend for me to pick your bells." She gathers an apron full, and gives them to king, who takes her to castle and marries her. -- (7) Some time after Florine falls ill, and king, being called to the wars, begs stepmother to take care of her. King departs, and stepmother throws Florine in the river, and puts Truitonne in her place. At once the golden bells cease ringing. King hearing them no longer (they can be heard 200 leagues all round), recollects that this was to be sign of misfortune, and returns home in haste.-- (8) Passing river, he sees hand coming up out of water, seizes it, and draws forth Florine, who is still alive. He takes her back to castle, hangs stepmother and stepsister, and takes old king to live with them.

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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