Cinderella #366: Chinye: A West African Folktale by Onyefulu, O.

Chinye: A West African Folktale by Obi Onyefulu

"Long ago there lived a girl called Chinye. Her father and mother were dead, so she lived with her stepmother Nkechi, 

and her

"You will find the floor of the hut covered with gourds!" Illustration by
 Safarewicz, Evie, (1994)

stepsister, Adanma." Well, those two made Chinye do just about all of the chores. Adanma, "who was spoiled and lazy", was no help at all. In fact, that girl liked to lounge around and take so many baths that she was always using up all the water.  One night there was not a drop left in the hut to use for cooking dinner, so Nkechi sent Chinye to fetch some, although it was dark night. She told her, "Go to the stream at once and get more water, you bad girl", even though Chinye was not really bad at all. But she went to get the water because she had no choice. When she was halfway there, "a shape loomed up on the path" and the girl shrieked with terror. But then a loving voice asked, "Where are you going, child?" and the shadow seemed to transform into an antelope. When Chinye explained why she was out so late, "the shape sighed and let her pass". When Chinye was three quarters of the way to the stream another shadow burst forth, and it looked like a hyena! It spoke calmly to her, questioning the girl as to why she was about in this dangerous neck of the jungle at this late hour.  When Chinye told her, the hyena said, “Go on your way with my blessing. But take care: a lion is following me. Hide behind this tree and wait until it has passed.” So Chinye waited, then ran as fast as she could to the stream.  It whispered as it passed in the dark, but there were no animals about.  Chinye filled her water gourd, and turned to leave. “Suddenly, right in front of her she saw an old woman, bent with age. ‘Bless you, child”, she said.  Then the old one told the girl that on her way home she would hear drumming and singing coming from a certain hut in the jungle, and that she should enter this hut.  The river spirit told her that there would be gourds scattered over the hut’s floor, and that Chinye should “choose the smallest, quietest gourd”, not the large ones that would call out asking to be picked up. With another blessing for Chinye, the spirit wafted away. And all passed just as she had foretold.  The hut with the sound of drumming and singing was there, and its floor was crowded with gourds.  Some had straight necks, some curved.  Some were nearly as big as Chinye, some small enough to hold in her palm.  She sought out the littlest one, picked it up, and left the hut. And the old woman of the river appeared again.  “You have chosen wisely.  Make good use of whatever fortune brings you”, she said.  And then she was gone.  But when Chinye got home, her stepsister slapped the little gourd from her hand and shoved Chinye to the fire pit to begin cooking.  Her stepmother slapped her for being late, and shouted, “We’ve waited long enough for food tonight.”  So Chinye had to cook and serve the their supper and could not find a minute to open the gourd.  In the morning, she slipped out with the tiny pumpkin and sat down in a vacant hut she knew of.  Then she used a rock and cracked open the pumpkin and “at a stroke the bare hut was transformed into a treasure-house.  Gold ornaments spilled across the floor, mingled with ivory and swaths of rare damask in all the colors under the sun.”  And Chinye, who was as generous as she was dutiful, ran to share the good news with her stepmother.  “Aha! Nkechi’s eyes gleamed greedily”, and she sent lazy Adanma to the river to seek the spirit.  Of course that girl found her, and of course the spirit gave her the same blessings and advice she had given to Chinye. But  did Adanma listen? No she did not!  She followed her own greedy nature and the training of her avaricious mother instead.  When Adanma came to the hut with the sound of drumming and dancing, she made sure to choose the biggest calabash she could carry. She hauled it home, laughing to herself about the silly advice of that old woman by the water, and how pleased Nkechi would be when she got home.  But things worked out a bit differently than the greedy girl imagined. When she got home, her mother gloated with her, saying, “We’re rich! We’re rich!” and slashing the gourd open with her longest kitchen knife. And then “there was a flash of light and a clap of thunder…a great whirlwhind sprang up, gathered all their pots, pans, clothes, and cowrie shells” and blew them away into the night.  Adanma and Nkechi fled after their belongings, “too proud to ask for help”.  But Chinye remembered the river spirit’s words, and decided to use her fortune in jewels to help her community, and Chinye, and her village, lived happily ever after.

From Chinye: A West African Folktale, by Onyefulu, O. & Safarewicz, E. (1994)   New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc.

Cinderella #306 'E Tre Figlie D' 'O Re (The King's 3 Daughters)

Cinderella #306 'E Tre Figlie D' 'O Re (The King's 3 Daughters) 1877

A princess, by Maile, age 8.

Note: Contains violence. Once upon a time,in Italy, there lived a king with three daughters. "One morning he tells them that he will want to hear the following day what each of them has dreamt." So the next day the oldest reports that she dreamed of marrying a prince. The middle daughter says that she dreamt of marrying a king. And the youngest says that she dreamed she had married an emperor. Well, this was a dream that the king did not like. What if his child should marry a man who outranked him? Without further thought the king called his serving man and commanded him to "take her out in [the] carriage to the wood, kill her there, and bring back her blood and one of her fingers." So the manservant puts the girl in the carriage and drives her to the wood —and there he releases her! But, to satisfy her father, he cuts off one of her fingers. Then he kills a wild ram, drains its blood, and takes the bloody proof back to the palace. The poor princess is terrified. She is alone, deep in the woods, and darkness is falling. That's when she sees a light in the distance, and sets off towards it. It is a cottage, in fact the home of an Uorco, which is Italian for ogre. But the home of an ogre seemed a safer bet than being alone in the forest, where the calls of wild animals sounded all around. So she walked up to the door and knocked. Mrs. Uorco lets her in, saying that her husband, who hates humans, will be back soon. Still, she lets the frightened girl come in and hide behind the door. Soon after, Mr. Uorco comes home. The first thing he says when he walks in is ,"What a smell of Christians!" To distract him from the smell, Mrs. Uorco tells a joyful lie, and announces that she has wonderful news. A baby ogre will be born to them! For nine months, the princess hides behind the door and Mrs. Uorco feeds her tidbits. When the right date comes, she wraps the princess in swaddling clothes and tells her husband that she is their brand new baby uorco! He believes her, and dotes on his new daughter. For some time they all live happily. Then one day, Mr. and Mrs. Uorco go out and leave the girl alone. That is when she "unlocks and enters [the] forbidden chamber", and sees for the first time the ogres' treasure house. When she has admired it all, she goes out on the balcony for the very first time. Now she can see that the emperor's palace is just across the way. The Royal Parrot is on its terrace. Seeing her, it squawks, "Bella figliola, bella figliola, I'uorco ti cresce, l'uroco ti 'ngrassa. Pe' ti mangia." So the girl runs back inside. When Mrs. Uorco returns home, she confides in her, and the lady ogress says that the next time the parrot talks to her, she must answer, "Papagallo, Papagallo, de 'ata coda, no bello ventaglio, de 'sta capo no belo bastone. Saró moglie al tuo padrone". Now, the parrot did not like this response, and went to tattle-tale to the emperor. The emperor declares that the girl who spoke those words to his parrot will be killed upon next sighting of her. Then he hides on the balcony and waits. Soon she appears, and the emperor, "seeing her extreme beauty" decides that marrying her would be a much better course of action than killing her! So a date is sent, and all the local kings invited. When the princess' own father catches sight of her, he "falls at her feet craving forgiveness". She embraces him, and all live happily together. 

From: Cox, M.R. (1893/20110 

Notes: I think the bird's song means something like,"Pretty daughter, pretty daughter, the ogress has raised you, and is caring for you. So she can eat you." And the girl's answer, perhaps means, "Oh, Mr. Parrot, the ogress may want to eat me, but my very own father wanted to kill me!" Or something like that. 

Cinderella #202 Vasilisa the Fair

A happy family of dolls from
Russia and the Slovak Republic

Once upon a time, in Russia, lived a wealthy merchant. He and his wife had one child, a daughter, "the beautiful Vasilisa". One sad day, before the girl's ninth birthday, "her mother was seized with a fatal illness." She called Vasilisa to her and gave her a little doll. Then she said,"Listen, dear daughter. Remember my last words." She said that she was dying, and would leave for Vasilisa, "with a parent's blessing" the little wooden doll. She told her girl to always keep it beside her, yet covered from the eyes of others. And, "If at any time you are in trouble, give it some food and ask its advice." With that, the woman kissed her beloved child for the last time, and died. As soon as the mourning period was over, Vasilisa's father took another wife, an especially pleasing "certain little widow,no longer young, who possessed two daughters of about the same age as Vasilisa." But when these moved into his home, the life of Vasilisa quickly became miserable. The hardest tasks were piled upon her in impossible amounts, and she was constantly threatened with beatings. The only way that the girl endured this was by means of her little doll. "As a rule, she kept a dainty morsel of food" aside, and late at night, would feed her and talk over the day's troubles. She said, "Now dear, eat and listen to my grief! Even though I am living in my father's house, my life is joyless, a wicked stepmother makes me wretched; please direct my life and tell me what to do."The doll replied that she would do the tasks the next day. In this way, Vasilisa survived several years. And as Vasilisa grew older, though she spent many hours outdoors at heavy labor, her beauty only increased. Her stepsisters, however, became uglier with each passing day.  Soon the young men of the village were calling as suitors for Vasilisa, which only enraged her stepmother. It happened that the merchant announced to his wife that he had to go on a journey of several years. In the meantime, he said, the family would have to move to a small house in the woods. No sooner had they done so than the woman began sending her stepdaughter, "on some pretext or other, into the forest". She knew that danger was close by. "In the forest was a glade in which stood a cottage, and in the cottage lived Baba Yaga, who admitted nobody to her cottage, and devoured people as if they were chickens." One evening, when the last candle had sputtered out, the stepmother announced that someone would have to go to borrow a light from Baba-Yaga, for the sewing remained undone. The first girl said, "I can see my pins. I shall not go." Her sister said, "Neither shall I, my needles are bright." So they made Vasilisa go. She first went to her doll, fed her, and begged her guidance. The doll replied,"Go on your errand, but take me with you. No harm will befall you while I am present." So the girl went into the woods, with the little doll in her pocket. Deep in the woods, the girl trembled with fear. "Suddenly, a horseman galloped past; he was white and dressed in white, his steed was white and he had a white saddle and bridle." Dawn was breaking. Vasilisa kept walking and much later, "another horseman rode past; he was red and dressed in red and his steed was red. The sun rose." On she went and finally she came to Baba Yaga's cottage. The fence around it was "made of human bones, and on the fence there were fixed human skulls with eyes." She was terrified, but just then "another horseman rode up; he was black and dressed in black and upon a black horse." Darkness had fallen. With a scream and a swoop, "Baba Yaga appeared, riding in a mortar which she drove with a pestle" and sweeping her tracks away with a broom. The old woman yelled, "Phoo! Phoo! I smell a Russian. Who is here?" And Vasilisa said,"It is I, Granny. My stepsisters have sent me to you for a light." So the old lady told her that in exchange for work, she could have light, but that if she refused, she would be devoured. Then she told the girl to bring her the food in the oven. Vasilisa did, and thought that it would "have fed 10 men". Then she fetched "kvass, and honey, and beer and wine" from the cellar, and the old lady drank all of that as well. Vasilisa ate the scraps. Then she told her that the following day she would have to "clean the yard, sweep out the cottage, cook the dinner, and get ready the linen. Then go to the cornbin, take a quarter of the wheat and cleanse it from impurities." If this wasn't done, the girl would be devoured. So she went and took her doll from her pocket,and begged its advice, while feeding it a nibble of bread. The doll told her to say her prayers and sleep, for "morning is wiser than evening". And when Vasilisa awoke next day, the chores were done. But Baba-Yaga ordered her to do the same list of tasks again, with the addition of sifting earth from the bin of poppy seeds. Once again Vasilisa turned to her doll for help, and once again, the tasks were done in an instant. So Baba-Yaga had to give the girl the fire. Then she gave her permission to ask a question. Vasilisa asked the meaning of the white horseman, and the witch told her, "He is my clear day." Then the girl asked about the red horseman, and the witch answered, "He was my little red sun." As for the black horseman, he had been "My dark night; all three are my faithful servants." said Baba-Yaga. Then she told the girl that it was fortunate her questions had been of matters outside her cottage, for she would otherwise have eaten her. She sent the child back home with a skullful of fire, and soon, the girl was home again. Yet when she brought in the skull, the fire shone through its eyes "and looked continually at the stepmother and her daughters". The strain of running from that gaze caused them to burn to cinders; Vasilisa was left alone. So she went into a nearby village, and found companionship with an old woman. She asked this one for some good flax to spin, and it was brought. In spring, she bleached the fine linen, and told the old one to sell it. But it was so fine that Granny could not bear to sell it, and so brought it as a gift to the tsar. So soft and supple was the fabric that he soon called for shirts to be sewn from it, but none could cut it. At last, Granny took it home for Vasilisa to sew. When she had done, and the tsar put on the shirt, he declared that he must meet the seamstress. And when Vasilisa came, he told her, "I cannot bear to separate from you; become my wife!' So she did, and  she "took the old woman into the palace, and never separated from the little doll, which she kept in her pocket."

From The Young Oxford Book of Folk Tales, edited by Crossley-Holland, K. (1998) Oxford Press

Notes: Baba Yaga is an ancient character, found in eastern Europe; she can be benevolent as well as evil.

Montessori Connection: Extension for the Third Great Lesson, The Coming of Humans: Making Fire

1. Read this story and notice that without help from a neighbor, the family would have had to stay in the dark.

2. Think about what it was like before people learned how to make the nighttime as bright as day. 

3. Learn about Neolithic people, and the knowledge of fire:Skara Brae: The Story of a Prehistoric Village or Early Humans ( DK Eyewitness Books) or The Illustrated History of Early Man

Cinderella #191 The Old Woman in the Forest (Grimm)

Inside the tree she found
a bowl of milk and
soft white bread to eat.

Note: Contains violence. Once upon a time, "there was a poor servant girl who went traveling with her masters through a large forest." Unfortunately, there were robbers there, and they accosted the carriage. They "murdered all the people they could find...everyone was killed except the maiden." The girl was shocked and terrified and stayed hidden for many hours. At length, when she had cried until she could cry no more, she "sat down under a tree, commended herself to God" and vowed to sit there until she knew what else to do. That's when she saw "a white dove...with a little golden key in its beak". The dove spoke to her then, and gave her the key. It told her that it would open a golden lock on the outside of a large tree nearby, and that inside that tree, the girl would find food and comfort. So she looked for a tree with a golden lock, and when she had found it, she used the key and went in. There she found "milk in a small bowl and white bread to dip into it, so she could eat to her heart's content." But when she was full, she commented to the dove that it was the time that "the chickens at home usually go to roost", and wished sorely for her little bed. So the dove led her back outside and gave her another key, and showed her that it would open another tree, in which she found a soft, warm bed. The girl slept soundly, having said her prayers and placed herself in God's hands. When she awoke, she found the white dove watching her. It gave her a third key then, and took her out to show her yet another tree with a lock. Inside it, she found "clothes lined with jewels and gold, more splendid than those of a princess". She put them on and went and ate some more bread and milk. Thus she lived for many months. One day, the white dove asked her to do it a favor. She was to visit a certain cottage in the woods, pay no mind to the old woman who lived there, and bring back a special ring. This one would be plain gold, but of greater power than the more dazzling ones that she would see. So, the girl set off, and soon found the cottage. There inside was an old woman who said, "Good day, my child." as she walked in. But the dove had told her that she must not speak to this old one, so she walked past her, and opened a door. At this the grandmother called out in alarm, "Where are you going?" But the girl kept on. There she found "a large number of rings lying on a table, glistening and glimmering before her eyes." She tossed these fancy ones aside, seeking a plain band. That's when she saw the old woman sidling towards the door with an iron birdcage in her hand. Inside was "a bird with a simple ring in its beak". She snatched it and ran out. She had thought to find the dove waiting for her but could not see it. So, she sat down under a tree to wait. As she leaned comfortably against it, she was surprised to feel how soft it was. "Suddenly, the branches wrapped themselves around her and were two arms." She turned around and found "a handsome man, who embraced her and kissed her affectionately." Then he told her that by taking the ring from the old woman, she had broken an enchantment. He had been trapped in the shape of a tree ever since he had angered the witch. Because the girl had all four rings, "even his servants and horses had been released from the magic spell that had changed them them too into trees." Suddenly, a crowd of well dressed servants leading horses appeared before them, and then "they all traveled to his kingdom, for he was a prince, and the couple got married and lived happily ever after."

From The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, p. 404 Zipes (2003)

Notes: Honestly, when lost in the forest, who wouldn't want a nice bowl of milk and soft, white bread to dip into it? Especially after the trauma of witnessing a mass murder...For some reason this story reminds me that Maria Montessori felt that chocolate was a wholesome food for children, and should be eaten every day. 

Montessori Connection, Children Ages 10+ Geography/Forests of Europe/Wild Animals of Europe

1. Read this story and think about living in a cottage in the forest. 

2. Learn that for many hundreds of years, the forests of Europe were dense and dark and very dangerous because of wolves and other animals. 

4. Learn more about the forests of Europe:Lonely Planet Munich, Bavaria & the Black Forest (Regional Travel Guide) or The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forests to the Modern World or Paths Through the Forest :Brothers Grimm or 

5. Learn more about the native animals of Europe: Europe's Most Amazing Animals (Animal Top Tens)Oudry's Painted Menagerie: Portraits of Exotic Animals in Eighteenth-Century Europe (J. Paul Getty Museum) orBirds of Europe: (Second Edition) (Princeton Field Guides)

6. Read for fun: Young Marian's Adventures in Sherwood Forest: A Girls to the Rescue Novel or The Bremen Town Musicians: And Other Animal Tales from Grimm or Wolf and the Seven Little Kids

Cinderella #185 The Faires (Perrault)

Illustration by
W.H.Robinson

Once upon a time, "there lived a widow with two daughters. The elder was often mistaken for her mother, so like her was she both in nature and in looks; parent and child being so disagreeable and arrogant that no one could live with them." Now the younger girl took after her father, a kind-hearted, easy-going soul. The girl was patient, kind, and pretty as well. That's why her mother favored the older sister, and "disliked the younger one intensely." She made the girl "live in the kitchen, and work hard from morning till night." Twice every day, she had to walk half a mile to the clear running spring a half mile away to get water. She carried with her a large pitcher made of clay. It happened one day that as she was filling her pitcher, "an old woman came up and begged for a drink. "Why certainly, good mother." responded the girl, and raised the jug to help the dame drink. Well and good this was, for this old one was in truth a fairy, come to test the the girl's strengths. The fairy, being pleased with the girl's manners and appearance, blessed her with a gift. "With every word that you utter," declared the fairy,"there shall fall from your mouth either a flower or a precious stone." The girl thanked her, and ran home. Being late, she received a tongue lashing from her  mother, and so apologized. As she spoke the words to beg her mother for pardon, "in speaking, scattered diamonds right and left". Now the woman changed her scoldings to praise. It was the first the poor child had ever received in her life, which she gladly exchanged for the jewels. Now the woman turned to her elder daughter, and pointed to the treasure her sister had earned. "All you have to do is draw some water at the spring, and when a poor woman asks you for a drink, give it to her very nicely." With a great scowl and a sulk, the elder sister obeyed, taking "the best silver flagon" with her. Immediately when she got to the spring, she saw "a lady, magnificently attired, who came towards her from the forest, and asked for a drink."Of course this was the fairy, in another guise. Now this rude lass jeered when her elder asked her for a drink of water. "Do you think I have come here just to get you a drink?' said the loutish damsel, arrogantly." She continued, mocking the lady and insinuating that she had treated the girl like a servant. The fairy listened to this abuse, and nodded. She was not prone to anger — but took action in measure to words spoken. Now she told the girl, "Well, in return for your lack of courtesy I decree that for every word you utter, a snake or a toad shall drop out of your mouth." With a snort of disdain, the lassie made her way home. "Well, daughter?" asked her mother the moment she stepped foot in the house. And the daughter replied,"Well, mother?" "As she spoke, a viper and a toad were spat out of her mouth." Seeing this appalling occurrence, the mother yelled for the younger sister to come forward, blaming her for the misfortune that had just befallen. She went "to thrash the poor child, but the latter had fled away and hid in the forest near by." As she sat there, crouched amongst the trees, a prince rode by. He had been hunting, but when he saw the lovely girl, alone in the woods and crying, he rushed to her aid. And when she told him her story, "four or five pearls, and as many diamonds, fell from her mouth." While the girl and the prince continued the conversation, the prince fell in love. This maiden was lovelier than any he had seen before — and, once he got used to the jewels spilling from her mouth, it didn't seem so strange. So "he took her to the palace of his royal father, and there married her." As for the foul mouthed sister, even her own mother couldn't stand to have her around the house. Since her ugly personality had not won her any friends in life, she had nowhere to turn, and "at last, she lay down in the forest and died."

From Perrault's Complete Fairy Tales (1697/1961) New York: Dodd, Mead & Company. Tranlated from the French by A.E. Johnson and others.

Notes: Here is an ancient little story, with so many variations. It has some elements of the Baba Yaga tale, as when pleasing and respecting the old woman brings a gift, and disrespect a terrible curse. It also has a prince, a despised younger sister made to do the menial labor, and a hateful mother. 

Montessori Connection: Fundamental Needs of People/Water

1. Read the story, look at the picture, and imagine how heavy the water jar must be. 

2. Think about walking a half of a mile, carrying a heavy, open jar of water. 

3. Understand that before people figured out how to bring water into a house with pipes, someone had to go and get it.

4. Learn that even in 2011, many families still don't have good water to drink, and that many children work hard carrying their family's water home. 

5. Learn more about this:The Snowflake : A Water Cycle Story or A Drop of Mercy: The Water Cycle (Islam & Science for Kids)  or The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About The Water Cycle

Cinderella #180 The Three Oranges (number two)

Out jumped 3 frogs,
croaking loudly.
Illustration by Kiddell-Monroe, J.

Once upon a time, there was "a king who had a daughter as good as she was beautiful.  But when she reached the age of eighteen years, she suddenly fill ill of a sickness of which no one could tell the cause." So the king invited all of the healers and wise folk to the castle to see if anyone could heal his daughter. He offered "a great sum of gold to anyone who could." So many wise men and wise women came, and healers and physicians, but no one could restore the girl's health. Now one of them said," Far, far away, in the land where the orange trees grow, there is a garden where the snow never falls. In this garden is an orange tree, all covered with white blossom, where seven hundred nightingales sing day and night. From the branches of this tree hang 9 oranges." They told the king that if the princess were to eat 1 of these oranges, she "would rise from her bed." If she ate 2, she would "grow even more beautiful than she is now." And if she ate 3, well, then "she would say, 'I will marry no one but the man who has brought me the three oranges." When the king heard that, he promised that the man who brought 3 oranges to his daughter would, indeed, marry her. "Now, in that country, at that time, a widow lived with her three sons in a tumbledown cottage." Both of her older boys were "lazy, shiftless, good for nothing". He youngest, however, was the apple of his mother's eye. He was a hard worker, cheerful company, and a loyal friend. When the proclamation about the oranges was made, the first son decided that he would seek them. So the widow packed him a sack of food, and he set off. "For 7 weeks he walked from dawn to darkness, and at last, he came to the land where the orange trees grow." He found the garden, and the tree, and the nightingales, just as described, and saw that 9 oranges hung from the branches. He picked 3 of them, put them into his knapsack, and set off for home. 7 weeks later, he was almost there when "he saw an old woman come by." Seeing that he carried a knapsack, she asked, "Young man, what have you in that basket?" He answered her rudely,"What concern is it of yours, old fool?" Then he told her that he had 3 frogs in his sack. And she said, "3 frogs. So be it." And continued on her way. The eldest brother also continued on his way, and quite shortly arrived at the palace. Here he told the guard that he had brought 3 oranges and had come to marry the princess. When the king was called, and the knapsack opened, however, "out jumped 3 frogs, croaking loudly. And in great anger, the king called for the hangman to hang the eldest brother." Seeing that 14 weeks had passed, the second son assumed that his brother had failed the task. Now he said to his mother, "Give me a basket of food for the journey. I have a fancy to marry the princess and be a rich man all my life." So she did, and he followed in his brother's footsteps, walked for seven weeks, from dawn till dark. Sure enough, he was in the land where the orange trees grow. There was the garden, and there was the tree, with 6 oranges on it. He plucked 3 of them, and headed for home and the king's castle. Seven weeks later, he was almost there. He sat down to rest beneath a tree — the same tree, as luck would have it, under which his brother had sat. And along came an old woman, who looked at his basket and said, "Young man, what have you in that basket?' This disrespectful young man replied,"What concern is that of yours, old hag?" Then he added, "3 snakes." And the old woman nodded calmly, and said, "3 snakes. So be it." and went on along the path. Now the second son went straight to the king and boldly announced, " I have here 3 oranges, and I claim the hand of your daughter." With great anticipation, the king opened the basket. When 3 snakes coiled out, he angrily "called for the hangman to hang the second brother." 14 weeks had passed, and the youngest brother declares to his mother that surely his brothers have failed, and that now it is his turn to quest for the oranges. He kissed his mother, and told her, "If I can cure the princess, I may earn a little money for you." So the widow gave her last son provisions for a 14 week journey, and the next day, he set off. Sure enough, when he'd walked for 7 weeks, from dawn till dusk, he found himself standing in front of an orange tree, with 3 oranges hanging from a branch. He picked them, then turned around and walked for 7 more weeks. Feeling tired just as he spied a large tree to shelter under, he stretched out in its shade. Along came an old woman who asked him what he had in his basket. And he said,"3 oranges, good grandmother." The dame now repeated, "3 oranges. So be it. And what will you do with 3 oranges, my friend?" And the lad explained about the princess, and the sorrow that had befallen the kingdom with her illness, and how he hoped to cure her. He added, "I am only a peasant. I am too poor to marry a princess. Yet the king may reward me with a little money which I can give to my mother." Now the old one beamed, and told him that he would indeed cure the princess. She warned him him that the king would require him to complete 3 tasks. With the gifts she was about to give him, she said, he would find the tasks easy. Then she gave him "a whip, a silver whistle, and a golden ring." She explained that, "With this whip one can chase away flies, with this whistle, one can call together hares, and when this ring is placed on the finger of the princess, it will fit so tightly that she will cry out to the king, 'I will die if you do not allow me to marry the man who has brought me the 3 oranges." When the young man got to the castle and asked to see the king, he showed him the fruit. They went straight to the princess, and when she had eaten 1 orange, "she rose up from her bed". She ate the second orange and "became even more beautiful than she had been before." Then she ate the last orange and exclaimed, "I will marry no one but the man who has brought me these oranges." Now the king had had a good chance to look the young orange bearer over, and he found him somewhat lacking. Thinking to get rid of him, the king declared,"You shall marry my daughter if you can drive all the flies from my kingdom." Then the lad went outside, cracked his whip, and "at the sound, all the flies in the kingdom flew far, far away, never to return." When he told the king that all of the flies were gone, instead of announcing the wedding, the king said, "I will give you my daughter if you can gather together all the hares in my kingdom and bring them to my stables." So the lad went outside and blew on his silver whistle and "from everywhere, hares came bounding towards him." Yet now the king said, "Out of those 300 hares, catch for me the 1 I want." Instead of doing this, the lad took out the golden ring and slipped it onto the princess' finger. It squeezed her finger so hard that it made her cry out," Father I shall die if you do not allow me to marry the man who brought me the 3 oranges." That's when the king said, "You shall marry him tomorrow, my child." As he spoke those words, the ring loosened so that the princess could take it off, if she wanted to. But she didn't want to. "And so the youngest brother married the princess, and they lived happily ever after for many, many, years. And he gave his mother money and a fine house besides, and she worked no more for the rest of her days."

From French Legends, Tales, and Fairy Stories, retold by Picard, B.L. (1955) Oxford University Press French Legends, Tales and Fairy Stories (Oxford Myths and Legends)

Notes: This is a story with both a princess (who is not made to work, or abused in any way, but is deathly ill), and a poor peasant/ youngest son as hero. Note that his brothers are arrogant and so pay with their lives, while he is a mother's dream. The use of a ring as something akin to a weapon (used to hold the princess hostage until her father agrees to the marriage) is a new one on me. Yet the ring, the snakes, the frogs, and the old woman who demands respect are Cinderella hallmarks. The old woman is, I believe, a Baba Yaga figure.  Consider that oranges, which appear in several Cinderella stories, are round and orange and have seeds inside. Just like pumpkins. We begin to see where Perrault got the idea for a pumpkin coach. 

Montessori Connection: Writing the Words for the Numerals 1-20

1. Read this story, and notice how many numbers appear here.

2. Make a list of the numbers from 1-20 in your notebook.

3. Now write the word for each next to it. Example: 1 one 2 two

4. If this is hard for you, use the Moveable  Alphabet to form the first sound of each number. Example: 2  starts with t. 

5. If this is easy for you, try writing the numbers in FRENCH or SPANISH (First Hundred Words in Spanish) or JAPANESE The First 100 Japanese Kanji: The quick and easy way to learn the basic Japanese Kanji or Your First 100 Words in Japanese.

Cinderella #172 Ash Pet, an Appalachian Tale

Doc Ellison's boy was
comin' down the road!

Once upon a time, "long ago in a cabin deep in the shadow of Eagle's Nest Mountain, lived a serving girl called Ashpet. She'd been hired out, since she was a young girl, to the Widow Hooper and her two daughters, Myrtle and Ethel." Those three ordered Ashpet around all day long, saying,"After you're done washin' up, there's firewood that wants bustin', and our supper to cook. And don't forget to tend the animals." People on Eagle's Nest Mountain worked hard most of the year, and they liked to celebrate in the summer with a "big church meeting". Ashpet was never allowed to go, but Myrtle and Ethel and their mama went every year "in their finest clothes". They always brought a huge picnic hamper filled with sandwiches and cookies. "It happened one year, on the evening before the meeting, Ashpet stayed up all night washing, ironing, and mending the girls dresses. She was so busy she didn't notice that the fire had gone out." Those people did not used matches, and the only thing to do if your fire went out was to borrow some from someone that had it. And the only person who lived near enough to borrow from was Granny. "Run over the ridge to old Granny's house and borry us some fire." the widow said to her oldest girl. But she said,"Granny's too peculiar. Anyway, that's Ashpet's job. Make her go!" But the widow said that Ashpet was busy preparing her gown, and could not go. "Myrtle sure didn't want to go but she knew when her mama meant buisiness." So she went. When she came to Granny's house, instead of going up on the porch and knocking on the door, she just shouted from the front lawn. "I come fer fire, old woman." She kept on yelling like this, and watching the window to see  if Granny was there, but she could not see anyone. "Well, Granny wouldn't give fire to anyone acting so uppity, so Myrtle went home empty-handed." Her sister Ethel tried next, but since her manners weren't any better, she came home without fire too. That's when they decided they'd better send Ashpet over.  Well, she "skedaddled over the ridge" in no time flat, and went and knocked on Granny's door.  She called softly, "My name is Ashpet, and I come to borry some fire, please." And Granny came to the door and said, "You may. But first, won't you brush my hair out for me? My brush is jus' on the table here." And Ashpet combed the lady's thin, gray hair, and smoothed it prettily, and then helped herself to a big, orange coal. She carried it home in a hollow toadstool, and lit the fire again. Then she heated up a big ol' pot of water for her sisters' bath, and then she helped them get dressed. The Widow Hooper scolded her,"We're going now! Ashpet, you best get this cabin cleaned up 'fore we git back or there'll be more trouble than you can think about. Let's go girls!" With that, those three hoighty-toities stuck their noses up in the air and traipsed off to meetin'. That's when Ashpet heard a knock at the door! It was Granny, and and Ashpet opened the door for her. But Granny did not even say hello, she just "poked her head in the door, muttered something under her breath, and tapped her walking stick three times on the floor." Then she dragged Ashpet out, real quick. At once, they heard the house groaning and scratching as though a bag of cats got let loose in a house with a dozen dogs.  "What's goin' on in there?' asked Ashpet. 'Don't you worry 'bout it, child." replied the old one. At that very minute, the door to the cabin swung open, and the sun shone in. Ashpet went inside and found that the house had cleaned itself and set its own self to rights. And lying right on her very own bed was "the prettiest red calico dress that Ashpet had ever seen and a pair of new red shoes." Now Granny told her to get dressed and get a move on, she better get to the church meeting as fast as she could. But, warned Granny, she must be home before midnight, for that is when the magic would end, and the red dress and shoes vanish. Well, Ashpet did not need to be told twice. Granny had scarce finished speaking when Ashpet dashed down the mountain and on to the church.  When she opened the door and came panting in, all out of breath from running the whole way, everyone in the entire church, "even the doctor's son" turned their head to look. The preacher got irritated and kept on preaching until it was way past time for supper. Finally, "he ran out of something to say", so he stopped talking. Then everyone grabbed their picnic hampers and dashed out to the lawn to have a big meal. When the Widow Hooper saw the doctor's boy coming right at her with a smile on his face, she was flattered. When he walked right past her and into the path of the pretty girl in a red calico dress who had interrupted the meeting, she was annoyed. Then she said, "Oh, let me introduce you to MY daughter, Ethel and Myrtle", and tried to push her daughters in front of the calico girl.  But the doctor's son smiled at her blankly, grabbed the picnic hamper she was holding...and walked off with Ashpet.  Yet this girl in the new red shoes and purty dress couldn't, just couldn't, be Ashpet, said the girls. Where would she get those clothes? Well, it was Ashpet. And she spent the entire evening with the doctor's son. "Time slipped by and they walked and talked and laughed long into the night. " Suddenly, Ashpet remembered the warning about midnight. Quick as a cricket, she kicked one shoe off into the bushes, said " I declare! It's time for me to get on home!", and started trotting up the road. When the doctor's boy said he'd like to walk her there, she answered, "All right, but first, how 'bout findin' my shoe? I b'lieve I lost it, somewhere back on the road." The minute that kind young man turned back to look for the shoe, Ashpet hightailed it home.  The boy found the shoe, but by then, the girl was gone. Ashpet smiled in her dreams all night. The next morning, early, the widow dragged Ashpet out of bed by her ear, scolding her for staying out so late the night before. Where had she been, anyway? the woman demanded to know? But Ashpet wouldn't say. Just then, Ethel and Myrtle started screeching like a pair of cats with their tales on fire. When the widow ran to see what was the matter, they squealed, "It's Doc Ellison's boy. I can see him out the window. He's comin' down the road, right towards our house." That's when the widow shoved Ashpet under the big tin washtub. When the doctor's son knocked on the door, she answered, saying ,"Wont' you please come in, sir?" And when he had come in, and sat down, he took out the little red shoe and said,"I've been goin' to every cabin up and down Eagle's Nest Mountain. I'm lookin' for the girl who lost this shoe at the meetin' last night. Could it belong to someone in this house?" And the widow said that she was just sure it was one of her girl's shoe. But first Ethel and then Myrtle tried to put a foot in that shoe, and could not. It was like trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube, trying to stuff those girls' big fat feet into that little shoe. All of a sudden, a big, black crow flew in the window and grabbed the red shoe! "The doctor's son chased that bird, shouting,"Gimmee that back, you ole crow!" But it would not. Instead, it flew around in circles, then dropped the shoe right on top of the washtub that covered Ashpet. When the doc's boy leaped for it, he tripped, "landed on the tub, and knocked it right side up. There sat Ashpet, wearing the other shoe." Staring at the girl in the rags, he said,"Are you the one?" and she answered, "That shoe sure looks like the mate to this one." and put on the shoe she had kept in her pocket. Of course, it was a perfect fit! Now Doc Ellison's boy said,"Ma'am, would you marry me?' and Ashpet smiled, and said that she would. But the widow objected. "You can't marry her! She's hired out to me for two more years!" So the doc's son gave her a bag of gold, and she suddenly quit complaining. And then, "without looking back, Ashpet walked out the door to marry the doctor's son....and from then on, they were as happy as could be."

From Ashpet, an Appalachian Tale, retold by Joanne Compton, Illustrated by Kenn Compton. (1994) New York: Holliday House

Notes: Here again a bird plays an important role: the crow steals the shoe and drops it on the tub, thus showing Doc Ellison's boy where Ashpet has been hidden. This seems to me a holdover from the body of tales that the Grimms collected, making this story part of the  "Aschenputtel" genre. The author/illustrator team identifies this as being based on the story collected by Richard Chase in North Carolina duirng the 1940's. 

Montessori Connection: US Geography/ North Carolina

1. Read this story, and then find North Carolina on a map.

2. Compare it to Sukey and the Mermaid, by San Souci, R., a Cinderella story from South Carolina. 

3. Read more Ashpet stories, and American folktales: Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella (Picture Puffins) or T is for Tar Heel: A North Carolina Alphabet.

4. Learn about North Carolina's important role in US history, the American Revolution, and the Civil War: The North Carolina Colony (Thirteen Colonies (Lucent)) or Kid Carolina: R. J. Reynolds Jr., a Tobacco Fortune, and the Mysterious Death of a Southern Icon or Raleigh and the State of North Carolina:: Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know (Arcadia Kids) or A Young People's History of the United States, Volume 1: Columbus to the Spanish-American War