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

King goes to war, leaving three daughters in mound with victuals for seven years. Father slain, princesses forgotten. Dog and cat eaten; elder sisters die. Heroine eats mouse; digs way out--Menial heroine (gooseherd; cook at father's palace)--New king's bride sends heroine to church in her stead; cannot presently repeat to bridegroom things said on way to church, nor return glove given as pledge; brings heroine under her cloak to restore glove. Prince holds heroine fast--Happy marriage--Villain Nemesis.

TABULATION

(1) King has three daughters; the youngest named Guldtaerning. War breaks out, and he conceals them in a mound, giving them victuals for seven years. The king is slain, the princesses are forgotten. After they have eaten the dog and cat the two elder die of hunger, and heroine tries to dig a way out. At last she makes a hole large enough to look through, catches a mouse, which she skins and eats, and finally succeeds in getting out.-- (2) A new king dwells in her father's castle, where she gets employed, first as goose. Herd, then as cook.-- (3) King is to marry a princess whom he has never seen, and who is very ugly. She gives birth to a son on the wedding-day, and sends heroine to church in her stead, strictly enjoining her to say no word going or coming. The horse knows her instantly and bows to her. She murmurs:

"Bow not to me,
Dear Black, my steed,
The last maid that rode thee
Was I indeed."

To prince's question she replies that she said nothing. They pass a bridge. She says

"This bridge was built firm by my father, they say,
Not to tremble on Guldtaerning's wedding-day."

Again prince asks what she said. A raven flies past them. She says

"The raven black o'erhead is flying;
The bride in the oven-hole¹ is lying,
She bears a son, there's no denying!"

Same question and same reply. Heroine descries the mouse-skin fastened to a stick, and whispers:

"Ah! the grey mouse still is there,
These little fingers skinned it bare;
If only less cruel had been my need,
I would rather have died than have done this deed."

Same question, same answer. At church prince gives her one of his gloves, saying it must be returned by the hind that received it. Then they are married, and heroine returns and exchanges dresses again with betrothed princess.-- (4) Feeling ill, the latter wishes to g to bed. Prince, suspicious of something wrong, will not allow her to do so till she has repeated what was said to the horse. She does not remember, but will ask Guldtaerning goes and gives her a box on the ear. Guldtaerning tells her, and the same thing happens with respect to the bridge, the raven, and the hill.-- (5) Finally the prince demands the glove. Heroine will not give this up, but stretches out her hand from beneath the princess's cloak. Prince holds her fast, exclaiming, "Here is my true bride!"-- (6) Princess is sentenced to death for the deception; and prince and heroine live happily together.

1: Just in front of the oven-mouth there is a square hole, like a tomb, into which fire and embers are raked from the oven when heated ready for baking. This is called the oven-hole, or oven-grave. -- Feilberg.
Return to place in text.

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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