Cinderella

CInderella is a European folk tale, with an earliest variant that was first recorded in the 1st century with an unknown author.

Each variant is rather unique in its own right, but clearly shows the evolution of the tale:

Plot
❦

Rhodophis - 1st century
While Rhodophis (a courtesan) was bathing, an eagle stole one of her shoes and dropped it quite a distance—incidentally on the King Psammetichus of Aelian's lap!

Seeing this as a sign of who was to marry him, the King had many women fitted with the shoe to see whom's it was, until he found her in Naucratis, and they were married.

Read

❦

La Cenerentola - Pentamerone, Giambattista Basile, 1634
A widowed Prince had a daughter named Zezolla Tonnie, who is primarily cared for by the governess. The governess persuades the Prince to marry her, then she introduces the two daughter of her own, who abuse Zezolla and send her to work as a servant in the kitchen.

The prince then travels to the island of Sinia to meet with a fairy who gives his daughter a golden spade, a golden bucket, a silken napkin, and a date seedling. With her special new tools, Zezolla cultivates the date tree.

When the tree is grown, a fairy appears before the tree, and dresses her in riches for her to arrive in at the King's ball. At the sight of the beautiful maiden, her own father falls in love with her without realising her relation to him!

Zezolla flees the situation, only for the Prince to order men to restrain her. On the third chase, one of Zezolla's slippers falls off. The price hosts a mass shoe-testing, and discovers the beautiful maiden was his own daughter when the shoe slips from his hand and onto her foot. Despite them being related, the Prince decides her beauty is so great they should be married.

This variant of the classic story is often performed as an opera.

Read

❦

Cendrillon -  Histoires ou contes du temps passé, Charles Perrault, 1697
A wealthy widower married a widowed conceited woman as his second wife. She had two daughters of her own, who were equally haughty, and the man had a beautiful daughter with his first wife, one of unequalled sweetness and innocence. Her stepmother and stepsisters treated her extremely poorly like she was their slave doing tedious chores all day, and after that she would retire in the only room available to her, uncomfortable and cold, with only a weak fire to provide proper rest. The bullies would call her "Cinderella" as she was often covered in cinders, but the girl dared not to tell her father in fear of the consequences and unhappiness of her father.

One day, the Prince orgnised a ball to which he invited all the young ladies in the land to a ball; he would choose a wife amongst them. The stepsisters gleefully planned their outfits to the ball, mocking Cinderella, as maids weren't invited to the ball. As Cinderella weeped, her fairy godmother appeared, and transformed her into the stunning lady she truly was: she turned a pumpkin into a grand carriage, mice into proud horses, a rat into the coachman and lizards into footmen; and most importantly, her rags were restyled into a beguiling jewelled gown, complete with dainty glass slippers. The fairy godmother told her to enjoy herself at the ball, but warned that she must return from the ball at midnight, otherwise the magic will wear off during the ball —something that would be extremely embarrassing!

Everyone at the ball was entranced by her beauty, including the Prince. Though she did not forget to return from the ball at midnight. Another ball was held the next morning, and with a flick of the wand, she was the beautiful lady that attended the previous ball again. At the ball, Cinderella and the Prince were so equally enchanted by each other, she lost count of time and had to rudely exit the ball as quickly as she could! The prince ordered the guards to restrain her, but all they say was a simple servant girl running away from sight. In her haste, one of her glass slippers fell of her foot, and the Prince vowed to meet with the beautiful lady once more.

So, the Prince's guards travelled around each villa, in search for a young lady whose feet fit perfectly in the glass slippers. When the guards reached Cinderella's villa, her stepsisters scrambled to have their feet fitted, but their's were far too large for the glass slippers! Cinderella then asked if she may have a fitting, to which the stepsisters cackled at such a preposterous suggestion. Nevertheless, the glass slipper did fit perfectly, and she produced the other slipper she had kept, proving she was the true rightful owner of the glass slippers.

In shock, the two stepsisters begged for forgiveness, and she agreed to "let bygones be bygones". Cinderella married the Prince, and the stepsisters married lords.

Read

❧

This version of the tale has since become the most popular, as it holds a good message within it: "'beauty is a treasure, but graciousness is priceless. Without it, nothing is possible; with it, one can do anything'.""Perrault also wished to criticise the way society idolises those with a high social status, and completely disregards those without it:""'without doubt it is a great advantage to have intelligence, courage, good breeding, and common sense. These, and similar talents come only from heaven, and it is good to have them. However, even these may fail to bring you success, without the blessing of a godfather or a godmother'."❦

Aschenputtel - Kinder- und Hausmärchen, Brothers Grimm, 1812
A wealthy gentlemen's wife lay on her deathbed, and told her daughter that she should stay kind-hearted, and that God would protect her in her absence. After her death, her father married another woman, who had two children of her own; beautiful and well-dressed, yet cruel and horrid: They stole the man's daughter's riches and forced her to wait after them, naming her "Aschenputtel" ("ashfool") due to her constant sooty appearance. Despite of all the torment she goes through, the girl stayed sweet and kind, and religiously visited her mother's grave to weep and find some strength.

One day, the gentlemen visited a fair, promising to gift each one of his daughter's something they would like: The eldest asked for beautiful dresses, the younger asked for pearls and diamonds, while his own simply required the first twig to knock his hat off on his journeys. When the gentlemen returned, he returned with his souvenirs—including a hazel tree twig.

The girl planted the twig over her mother's grave, and watered it with her tears over the years, until it grew into a tall, proud hazel tree. She would pray under the tree three times a day, accompanied by a sweet little white bird that would comfort her.

One day, the King announced a grand festival over three days, wherein the Prince will select a wife out of all the attendees. The two stepsisters were preparing themselves for the ball, and when Aschenputtel begged her stepmother to let her attend as well, she refused as she had no proper attire to wear! She continued to insist until the woman threw a dish of lentils to the ground in frustration, and promised that if she could clear it all up before they leave for the festival, she could join them.

With the help of many white pigeons and turtle-doves sent from the heavens by her passed mother, the girl astonishingly completed the challenge, only for her to have to complete it again with a larger quantity of lentils! Aschenputtel again completed the challenge, but to no avail; they had already left.

Distraught, the girl heads to her mother's grave to ask "Shiver and quiver, little tree, silver and gold throw down over me", to which the doves drop a gorgeous gold and silver gown, and silk shoes for her to wear at the festival. Her shear beauty caught the attention of the Prince, and they danced until dusk. When it was time to return home, the Prince wished to walk her home to see where she resides; in fear of disappointing the Prince, Aschenputtel eluded him by jumping into a pigeon-coop. The Prince orders a merchant to cut the tree down, but she had already escaped.

The next day of the festival, she wore an even grander attire, and the couple danced the whole festival away. The Prince attempted to accompany her home again, but she hides in a pear tree, and escapes before he has it cut down!

On the final day of the festival, she wore an impressive grand gown complete with gold shoes! The Prince was determined to not let her escape him again, so he had the stairway covered in pitch. As she fled up the stairs, one of her golden slippers became stuck in the pitch, and the Prince vowed to marry whomever feet fit the slipper perfectly.

The Prince arrived at every villa in the land in search of the maiden whom fits the glass slipper, and when he arrived at Aschenputtel's house, her sisters were both keen to be fitted with the shoe:

The eldest was first, and initially her feet were slightly too large to fit in the slippers. However, her mother advised her to cut off her biggest toe in order to fit in the shoe, and she did just that!

Almost fooling the Prince, the doves alerted him of her bleeding feet, revealing her treason. The second sister also fooled the Prince by cutting off part of her heel to fit in the slippers, though the doves also snitched on her deceit as well. Returning her back to her home, he asked the gentlemen who the beautiful girl in rags was, and he told him it was the "kitchen-maid". Despite this pernicious lie, the Prince asked her to be fitted.

After a wash, the girl returned and placed her foot in the slipper —it fit perfectly. The prince recognised her as the beautiful maiden at the festival,

The two were married, and at their wedding, the stepsisters walked them down the aisle (to get them in their favour), and two doves came down and struck them in one eye. When the wedding is complete, the two doves return and blind the sisters.

Read

❧

In Perrault's version, it is said that her fathers allows her to be mistreated because his new wife is extremely domineering and intimidating, but no such explanation is given here. In fact, it even gives the impression that he also contributes to the mistreatment of her, as he himself addresses her as the "kitchen-maid" and insensitively calls her his "first wife's daughter", and not his own.

❦

Alternate Variations
Within each of these variants, alternate details can be told:

Villains - some say Cinderella's father played an active role in her torment because he wishes the other girls' dowries to be larger as he won't give one to Cinderella (La Cenerentola), and some say he died. Some retellings never include a stepmother, and others say her father sends her to the kitchen as he is ashamed of how he wishes to marry her. Often it is said zezolla's father is unkind to her.

some never mention a curfew of such, only that she wishes to return home before her stepsisters, or she is simply tired.

The slipper is not always the identifying item (though it rarely isn't), it is sometimes an anklet, rink or bracelet, such as in Rossini's opera of the story, (La Cenerentola), it is a twin bracelet.

Some suggest Perrault confused the French word verre (glass) for vair (fur), as a fur slipper is commonplace and a glass one doesn't seem to make much sense, leading some to think that the fur slippers were metaphors for vaginas, implying that the Prince slept with the women to identify them.

Similar Tales

 * Fair, Brown and Trembling
 * Finette Cendron
 * Cap-o'-Rushes
 * Catskin
 * All-Kinds-of-Fur
 * Allerleirauh
 * Katie Woodencloak
 * The Cinder Maid
 * The Wonderful Birch
 * Rushen Coatie
 * Bawang Putih Bawang Merah
 * The Story of Tam and Cam
 * The Sharp Grey Sheep