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44

Grundtvig, S., Unpublished Collection. (Written down by Miss Carlsen, Zealand.)

"METTE TRAEHAETTE"
(Mette Wooden-hood).

ABSTRACT

Heroine persuades widowed father to marry her school-mistress--Ill-treated heroine (by step at grave-- Two-eyed step-sister put to sleep by magic formula; two white doves from the altar feed heroine. Three-eyed step-sister spies on heroine; third eye remains awake. Heroine shut up; escapes to grave; mother gives her wooden dress, small box, and Helpful animal (red calf)--Heroine flight on calf through silver, golden, diamond forests; a leaf from each is transformed to magic dresses. They fight and overcome wild men and animals and reach golden castle--Menial heroine (servant)--Water, boots, towel thrown at heroine--Little black dog in box. Helpful animal --Meeting place (church)--Token objects named-- Threefold flight--Pitch trap--Lost shoe -- Shoe marriage test--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Heroine's father is a widower. Her widowed schoolmistress persuades Mette to ask her father to marry schoolmistress, who has two daughters, one of whom has three eyes, one in her neck. Father marries widow.-- (2) Heroine is ill treated by stepmother, and goes to mother's grave. She knocks at it, and mother speaks, bidding her come to grave whenever in trouble. Should a stepsister accompany her, she need only say, "Sleep one-eye, sleep two-eyes, sleep the whole body!"-- (3) Two-eyed stepsister is put to sleep in this way, whilst mother speaks to heroine. Two white doves from the altar rest on her shoulders and give her food.-- (4) Next time three-eyed stepsister comes; only two eyes sleep; the third sees everything, and stepsister reports to mother. Heroine is shut up, but escapes to grave.-- (5) Mother gives her a wooden dress and a small box, and bids her get on red calf outside churchyard. Calf carries her through a silver, a golden, and a diamond forest. From each she takes a leaf which is transformed to a dress. They are each time attacked by wild men and animals, but get safely to gold castle. -- (6) Heroine takes service at castle. She receives from little black dog in the box three dresses, horses and carriages, and goes three Sundays to church. She tells king, who has previously thrown water, boots, and towel at her, that she comes from Water-, Boots-, Towel-land. Third Sunday church-walk is smeared with tar, and heroine loses a diamond shoe. -- (7) It is sent all over the world, but fits nobody till it is tried on Mette Traehaette. She is made queen.

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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