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

Parents leave heroine Magic dress and testament, which she keeps in fir-tree--Menial heroine--Meeting-place (dancing green)--Heroine has promised not to dance. Mistress's son falls in love with her-[Threefold flight]--Little man at fir-tree gives testament as dowry to heroine. It proclaims her rich heiress-- Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Heroine's parents die, leaving her nothing but a wonderful scintillating dress and a testament. No one knows whence it came. She wraps the dress in a cloth, and goes out seeking employment.-- (2) At last she is engaged at a grand house to do kitchen and stable work, and is called Aschengrubel. She leaves her dress under a fir-tree.-- (3) After a time there is to be music and dancing, and the son of the house is in high spirits. Heroine gets permission to go to the dancing-green, but must on no account dance. She hies to fir-tree, washes at a spring, then dons her wonderful dress. When she appears on the green, everyone looks at her, and her mistress's son invites her to dance. She will not yield to his entreaties. Presently she runs off, returns dress to fir-tree, and makes her hands and face dirty. A tiny little man comes out from behind tree, greets her kindly, and disappears suddenly.-- (4) Son of the house has no more peace till there is another dance. Again heroine gets leave to go if she will not dance. She does as before. Son is delighted to see her, and entreats her to dance. Whilst she hesitates, he tries to snatch a kiss, but she runs off to fir-tree and returns dress. Little man comes forth and greets her still more kindly.-- (5) There is a third dance, and all happens as before. Mistress's son seizes heroine by the hand, and will not release her till she promises to marry him. She tells him she is his parents' menial, Aschengrubel. Whosoever she be, he will marry her, and the wedding-day is fixed. Heroine wishes to remain unknown till then; he must promise to keep her name secret. She goes to fir-tree; little man meets her, beaming all over with friendliness.-- (6) When, on the wedding morning, she comes for the last time to get her dress from fir-tree, the little man appears full of rapture, and says: "You have a dowry as well." He gives her a book; she opens it, and finds it is parents' testament, which announces that she is heiress to a great estate. She hastens to tell bridegroom, who takes her to his parents. Grand wedding follows.

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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