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58

Kolberg, O., Lud. Radomskie (the People, Province of Radom). Cracow, 1887-1888. Vol. ii, pp. 172-175. (Taken down near to Opatów, at Grocholice.)

"THE PRINCESS WITH THE PIGSKIN CLOAK."

ABSTRACT

Ill-treated heroine (by queen step-mother, because mirror says she is the more beautiful)--Task (grain-sorting)--Task-performing pigeons--Magic dresses from treasure-oak--Meeting-place (church)--[Twofold flight]--Step-mother orders death of heroine. Servants delude queen with dog's heart, and finger of corpse with heroine's ring on it--Pigeons give magic ball, which conducts heroine to treasure-oak--Virgin aid--Menial heroine (swineherd)--Heroine disguise (pigskins)--Meeting-place (church)--Prince passing swine drops (1) ring, (2) stick; heroine restores both, and he strikes her--Fourfold flight--Pitch trap--Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--Token objects named-- Happy marriage-- Villain Nemesis--Queen faints on learning from mirror that there lives a woman more lovely than herself.

TABULATION

(1) Queen, who is very beautiful, has a stepdaughter still more lovely than herself. The mirror is always telling her so.-- (2) Heroine has rooms and gorgeous attire in an oak-tree. Every Sunday she decks herself and goes to church.-- (3) One day stepmother mixes sand and poppy-seeds together, and bids heroine separate them. Two pigeons perform task whilst heroine goes to church.-- (4) Same thing happens next Sunday.-- (5) Queen orders servants to kill heroine in forest, and bring back her heart and her middle finger with ring on it. Servants kill dog instead, and take its heart, cut the finger oft a corpse they meet with, put princess's ring on it, and return to queen.-- (6) The two pigeons appear, give heroine a ball of thread, which unwinds of itself and conducts her to her oak-tree. She enters the rooms (which belong to the Virgin) and prays. Virgin sends her to seek service.-- (7) She becomes swineherd, and clothes herself in pigskins.-- (8) On Sunday she dresses herself gorgeously in the oak-tree, and goes to church. The prince is puzzled about the unknown beauty. This happens three times.-- (9) The prince is passing the herds of swine, and drops his ring; heroine picks it up and hands it him; he gives her a box on the ear for her boldness.-- (10) On fourth Sunday heroine's shoe is caught in the pitch. Prince is again passing the pigs, and loses his stick. Heroine picks it up, and receives a slap on the shoulders.-- (11) The shoe is tried, and it is found to belong to pigskin-girl. Prince kneels before her, and asks whence she comes. Once she replies, "From the ring," and the next time she says, "From the stick." -- (12) Prince marries her.-- (13) Stepmother asks mirror whether there is any woman in the world more lovely than herself. Mirror replies, "Yes; and she has just been married." Queen faints with vexation.

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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