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

Orphaned heroine dislikes proposed husband--Help at grave (of parents). Voice bids her make gown of crow's hills, take wishing-rod and escape to foreign land --Heroine disguise-- Heroine flight--Menial heroine--Prince throws comb, water-tub, brush, at heroine--Magic dresses--Meeting-place (ball)--Token objects [except brush] named-- Threefold flight--Lovesick prince, is watched in turn by servants; is enraged at sight of heroine. Disguise removed; recognition--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) King and queen die. Princess is to marry neighbouring king's son whom she does not like.-- (2) She goes weeping to parents' grave, and a voice bids her make a gown of crows' bills, and travel to a foreign land. She will find a stick on the ground; it is a wishing-rod, which she is to take with her.-- (3) Heroine sets out, and gets a situation in a large palace. Prince rings the bell, and, as none of the servants are there to answer it, heroine goes. Annoyed at her ludicrous appearance, he throws a comb at her, and it sticks to the crow's-bill gown.-- (4) Prince goes to banquet at another castle. By means of wishing-rod heroine gets a magnificent dress and a carriage-and- four, and goes too. Prince dances all night with her, and asks whence she comes. "From Throw-comb-at-back Land," she says. Whilst prince is asking a man of letters where that land may be, heroine gets away.-- (5) All happens in the same manner a second time. Prince throws a water-tub at her, and she tells him at the banquet that she comes from "Throw-water-tub-at-back Land".-- (6) The third time a brush is thrown at her, and she drives to banquet in a coach drawn by eight white horses. [No mention of country this time.] Prince accompanies her downstairs to see which way she goes; but she steps into her carriage, says, "Light before me, darkness behind me," and vanishes.-- (7) Prince falls sick with sorrowing, and servants must watch him in turn, he wakes up and sees the girl in the crow's-bill gown, and flies into a passion. She lets fall the ludicrous disguise, and stands before him in her most beautiful dress.-- (8) He knows her, and 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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