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

Princess walled up in high tower with chambermaid and provisions for seven years, that she shall not marry prince. Mean while father defeated and driven from kingdom; country laid waste--Escape of heroine and maid from tower--Menial heroine (kitchenmaid at lover's palace)--Prince about to be married. Bride, ashamed of her ugliness, makes heroine go to church in her stead; cannot presently repeat to bridegroom things said on way to church, nor show necklace given as pledge. Is made to confess, and sent to fetch heroine; gives order for her to be beheaded instead. Prince rescues heroine, recognising her by means of necklace--Happy marriage--Villain Nemesis.

TABULATION

(1) King has daughter called Jungfer Maleen; will not allow her to marry son of another king. He walls her up in a high tower with a chambermaid, and provisions for seven years. No light enters the tower, and they only know by victuals being spent when the seven years have passed. No one comes to liberate them.-- (2) They try to make a hole in wall, and after three days' boring a ray of light is admitted. When they can look out heroine aces that father's castle is destroyed, the towns and villages burned, the fields laid waste, and no human soul in sight. They make hole large enough to creep through and get out. The enemy have slain alt the inhabitants and driven the king away. Heroine and maid wander through kingdom without finding food or lodging; must feed on stinging-nettles.-- (3) They reach a foreign land, and vainly seek employment till at length they are both engaged at palace as scullions to blow the fire (Aschenpuster). The king's son is the prince to whom heroine had been plighted.-- (4) He is now to marry a certain princess at court, but she is so ugly that she is shy at being seen, and on the wedding-day calls heroine, and asks her to wear her clothes and go to church in her stead. Heroine refuses, till princess threatens her life; then she consents. Everyone is astounded when lovely bride enters room. On the way to church they pass a bush of stinging-nettles. Heroine says:

"Brennettelbusch,
Brennettelbusch so klene,
Wat steist du hier allene?
Ik hef de Tyt geweten,
Da hef ik dy
Ungesaden,
Ungebraden eten."

(Nettle-bush, little nettle-bush, what are you doing all alone? I have known the time when I ate you unboiled, unroasted.)

Kings son asks what she says. She replies, "Nothing; I was only saying something about Jungfer Maleen." He wonders what she can know about her, but says nothing. When they cross the bridge in front of church heroine says:

"Karkstegels, brik nich.
Bun de rechte Brut nich."

(Foot-bridge, break not! I am not the true bride.)

Again he asks what she says, receiving same reply. He asks whether she knows Jungfer Maleen, who sits imprisoned in a tower. She replies she does not know her; has only heard of her. At church.door heroine says:

"Karkendar, brik nich.
Bun de rechte Brut nich."

(Church-door, break not! I am not the true bride.)

Same question and answer. Then he fastens costly trinket round her neck, and they are married.-- (5) When they return home heroine must exchange her lovely clothes with princess, but she keeps necklace for herself. In the evening king's son asks bride what she said to the stinging-nettle. She replies that she has spoken to no stinging-nettle, he insists on knowing, so she says:

"Mut beruet na myne Maegt,
De my myn Gedanken draegt."

(I must go and seek my maid, who keeps my thoughts for me.)

Jungfer Maleen repeats what she had said in the morning, and bride runs back to tell bridegroom, he then asks what she said at church-bridge, and she must again consult heroine, whose life she threatens. Same thing happens when prince would know what was said at church-door. Then he asks for the necklace, and knows that she is not the right bride.-- (6) She confesses every thing, and prince sends her to fetch Jungfer Maleen. But she goes instead to call servants, and bid them murder Jungfer Maleen. They drag her out, and are about to behead her, when king's son steps up, and knows by the necklace that heroine is his own bride. He looks at her more closely, and recognises his first love.-- (7) They are married, and the other princess beheaded.

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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