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22

Bondeson, August, Svenska Folk-Sagor. Stockholm, 1882. P. 91. No. XXIII. (From Varmland in Sweden.)

"ASKUNGEN"
(Cinder-brat; or, Little Cinder-slut).

ABSTRACT

Ill-treated heroine (by step-mother and step heroine, nick-named Cinder-brat--Midwife aid--Transformation of pumpkin, rats, and caterpillars, into chariot, horses, coachman, and footmen for heroine--Magic dresses by means of midwife's wand--Meeting-place (ball). Heroine must leave before midnight--Twofold flight. Heroine detained past midnight at second ball. Magic dresses become rags--Lost shoe (no longer golden, but shabby and very small)--Shoe marriage test-- Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) King has one daughter and marries again. Stepmother is jealous of heroine, who is praised by all, and makes her do all menial work and clothes her wretchedly. Daughters of second marriage ill-treat heroine, and because she has never time to shake off the ashes, they call her "Askungen", Little Cinder Foreign king gives invitations to ball; queen's daughters go, and heroine, left at home, looks wistfully after them and bursts into tears. Midwife appears and promises aid. She sends heroine to fetch pumpkin from garden, touches it with her wand, transforming it into fine carriage. Then heroine must fetch rat trap, and the seven rats are transformed into prancing horses. Four caterpillars become footmen, and a rat from another trap is made coachman with long whiskers. Heroine is touched with the wand, and is forthwith beautifully dressed, Midwife sends her to ball, cautioning her to leave before midnight, when retransformation will take place.-- (3) King dances only with heroine and loads her with sweetmeats, which she shares with stepsisters, who are loud in their praises of her. Heroine leaves at eleven o'clock.-- (4) Three days alter there is another ball, which heroine attends as before. This time she is detained, and clock strikes twelve. She rushes off, losing a shoe; her finery vanishes, and she is clad in dirty rags. Stepsisters tell heroine what has happened at ball, how watchmen have only seen a filthy girl running by with a shabby shoe, no longer golden, but very tiny.-- (5) Shoe is tried everywhere; at last by stepsisters, who cannot force their feet into it.-- (6) Heroine is jeered at for saying she will try it on but the shoe fits her. The midwife appears, touches her with wand, and lo! she is the princess, and marries the king.

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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