Cinderella #290 Allerleiraugh

Cinderella #290  Allerleiraugh

Glittering gold! 

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy man, whose wife and daughter were as beautiful as a summer day. Alas, tragedy struck the family: the rich man's wife fell ill. Before she died, she extracted from her husband a promise.  That if he remarried, it would be only to a woman who bore her exact resemblance.  Then she was gone. The little girl, whose name was Allerleraugh, was heartbroken but her father went grimly on with life. One day, when the girl's grief was too much for her to bear, she went into her dead mother's chambers and took out one of her best gowns. Wanting only to feel the softness of it enveloping her, she slipped it on. At that very moment, her father passed by in the corridor. The sight of a beautiful young woman, in his wife's chambers and wearing her gown, caused him to stop in his tracks. That is when his own sorrows overcame him: blinded by grief, he mistook his own daughter for her mother, and swept her off of her feet. Then he demanded to marry her, the very next day.  Now Allerleiraugh demanded the right to consult with her old governess. So her father released her and she fled.She found the old woman and this is the counsel she gave: Allerleiraugh must consent to marry him only after she received a gown woven entirely of sliver. Since this could never be produced, the girl would be safe.  So Allerleiraugh returned to her father and made this request. For two weeks she felt at ease. Then, one morning, her father knocked at her chamber door. She opened it to find him holding out a gown of silver. So Allerleiraugh thanked him and put it on, and then ran again to consult her nurse. Now the old one said that she must consent to marry her father only after she was given a gown woven entirely of gold. So Allerleiraugh returned to her father, and asked for that dress. For one week, she felt at ease. Then, one morning, there was a knock at her chamber door. It was her father, holding a golden dress. Allerleiraugh thanked him and put it on, and fled to her nurse once more. This time she counseled that only after receiving a gown made from nothing but diamonds, rubies and pearls should Allerleiraugh marry her father. When she had gone back to her father's hall and made this demand, she felt at ease for one day. Then her father knocked on her chamber door and presented her with such a jeweled dress as she desired. And that is when Allerleiraugh took all three dresses and ran away. She ran all day and when darkness fell, she climbed a tree and went to sleep. That is where the king's men found her in the morning, asleep in one of the king's trees. So they took her back to the castle and put her to work as a kitchen drudge.A ball is held, and Allerleiraugh secretly attends, dressed in her silver gown. When she flees at midnight, the prince still hasn't learned her identity. The following night a second ball is held, and the drudge attends in her gown of gold. Once more, the prince is enchanted by her, but fails to learn who she is. On the third night, Allerleiraugh goes in dress of jewels. But this time, when she tries to run, the prince manages to push a ring onto her finger. Now comes a time of trial for the prince, as he yearns to identify the mysterious woman he has fallen in love with. As his illness deepens, Allerleiraugh begins to slip trinkets into his food to give him clues. First she drops the ring into his dish.  When he finds it, his suspicions are aroused. The next day, she lets fall a "golden reel" in his plate, and on the third day, "a golden spinning wheel". The prince has meanwhile added up the clues and demands that the kitchen drudge be brought before him. She "flings a disguise over her ball dress [but] omits to blacken one finger", thus giving herself away. Allerleiraugh and the prince are soon wed, and live on in happiness. 

From: Cox, M.R. (1893/2011) p. 63

Notes: It may seem absurd to picture a golden spinning wheel floating (or sinking!) in a bowl of soup. It becomes more believable, however, when we do a bit of archeological research into women's work, especially the spinning of cloth. This was such a time consuming task, apparently, that even noble women and princesses often did their own spinning. But they spun finely dyed linens and wools on golden spindles, and wrapped the finished thread on gold and silver bobbin wheels.(From: Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years. Women, Cloth and Society in Early Times, by Elizabeth Wayland Barber. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. (1994) Fairy tales, understood in their historic context, make a bit more sense! 

Cinderella #276: According to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales

Cinderella #276: According to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales

Oops! He's chopped off her head.
Illustration by Roald Dahl

One upon a time, there lived a man named Jack Zipes.  He spent many years translating and researching fairy tales, including those from Jacob and Willlhelm Grimm.  He also edited an authoritative tome on them.  Here is what he has to say about Cinderella. The story "belongs to a group of tales that have enjoyed both temporal and spacial stability." There are written versions from Europe dating back to 1558, (Bonaventure des Périeres; 1634,(Basile); and 1697, (Perrault). It was in 1812 that the Grimm Brothers published their first collection of tales. Zipes goes on to say,"The story of this persecuted heroine is easily segmented: girl's mother dies, father remarries and brings to household new daughters; stepmother and stepsisters mistreat her; father is either indifferent or malevolent." In fact, says Mr. Zipes, Cinderella's father "threatens death in Cap O'Rushes,and importunes her sexually in Catskin...she must live and work among the ashes on the hearth...Cinderella is aided by a magical helper (fairy godmother, magical bird, magic tree, enchanted cow, enchanted fish)." Zipes says that versions in which Cinderella goes to a ball three nights in a row are "obeying 'Olrick's law of repetition of three'...The shoe  test that proves her identity has fuelled an academic debate as to the material of the lost slipper. (glass, fur, gold, embroidered silk). However, the test itself matters more than the material details." Of the thousands of modern riffs on this classic story, Zipes believes contemporary authors "have explored the complex of the fictional Cinderella in ways that would astound the classical writers of this tale."

From: Zipes, J. (2000) The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales (p.91)

Cinderella #275: The She Bear (Basile)

Cinderella #275: The She Bear (Basile)

Who wears short-shorts?
SHE wears short-shorts!

Once upon a time,there lived "a king of Roughrock, whose wife, dying in her prime", begs her husband never to marry again. He agrees not to, but she is not satisfied, and insists that she "will pursue him, even into the next world", to avenge him if he betrays her. He swears that he won't, and she dies. But before long he is preoccupied with contemplating his future life "with his only daughter, and the need of an heir for the throne", and breaks his promise.  He proclaims that "all the women in the world are to assemble for the beauty test". He plans to select a second wife from among them. Yet when he has seen the lot of them, and fault with each and every one, he remembers one last young woman who did not answer his summons. That is his own daughter, Preciosa, and he now summons her. Telling her of his intent to marry her, and finding her repelled by the very idea, he bellows with rage at the girl. She flees.  On her way back to her chambers, she encounters an old woman.  It is a lady she knows from past alms she has given, and now the old one offers to help. She gives the girl "a little chip, which she is to put into her mouth, and it will instantly turn her into a bear.  Then she is to rush away into the forest, for her father will not try to detain her."  When she wants to revert to human form, says the old lady, she has only to take the chip out of her mouth. The princess thanks her by giving her "bread and meat", and she will be a woman once more. So the next night, when her father surprises her at a ball by announcing to all that he is going to marry her, she pops the chip in, and POOF! She is a bear! The king is "so much alarmed that he hides under the clothes and dares not look out until morning. Meanwhile, his hirsute daughter has really gone wild: she is living as a bear in the woods. And it happens that, one day "the king of Swiftwater rides by," and is horrified to spy the wild bear. But when he slows his horse, the bear approaches him as a dog would, and begs to be petted.  So he leads it back to his palace, and arranges to have the bear housed in his private garden. So it is that, one day, his son, the prince, looks out the window and sees the bear. But she is in human form, having taken the chip out of her mouth. She is "combing her golden locks" and the king is instantly smitten. But then she puts the chip back in, and becomes a bear again. And he cries out in despair, and the Queen, believing the beat to be attacking her son, orders the servants to try to kill it. One servant takes pity on the bear, and volunteers to lead it to its death.  Then he secretly sets it free in the forest. Meanwhile the prince has fallen ill. Nothing, it seems will restore his health, and his mother begs him to tell her what she can do. That is when he demands the company of the bear. The Queen "thinks he has lost his reason" and sends for the animal, just to coddle him. And when the bear arrives, she immediately "feels his pulse with her paw", which the Queen finds hilarious. Then the prince says, "Won't you cook for me, feed me, and tend me, Little Bear?" She nods, yes. Then she cooks "some fowl" and feeds it to him. Gradually, he regains his strength. There comes a day when he can sit up. That is when he tells his mother of his love for the bear.  He insists that he can never recover fully unless he kisses the bear. His mother, seeing few options, agrees. And when the bear and the prince do kiss, the chip once again falls out, and the bear reverts to human form. Of course the Queen is delighted at this turn of events, and encourages the young lady to tell her story, and is "delighted" for the maiden to marry her son. 

From: Cox, M.R (1893/2011 p. 161

Notes: I really love this story for its uniqueness, in that the girl actually turns into a bear! Bears are not sexy, passive animals. They are powerful, and primal as well. Images of Little Bear, (who made Birthday Soup for himself and his friends, because he though that his Mother Bear had forgotten his birthday), and Sis from the Berenstein Bears fill my mind. Maybe Frances, the Badger is a comparison? You gotta respect a prince who is not afraid of a little body hair! 

Cinderella #241 The Girl With the Louse-Skin Cloak (1878)

Nine dolls from Russia (1950's)
and the Slovak Republic (2008)

Once upon a time, in Russia,  there lived a young girl who had no one to look out for her. Her mother had died many years earlier. One day, at supper with her father, who was the king, she had a terrible surprise. HIs majesty gazed fondly at his daughter, and his eyes glazed over with memory. Mistaking his own daughter for his wife in her maiden years, he declared that he would marry her.  With no advocate to guide her, the girl herself attempting to delay her father's advances. She would marry him, she said, if he got her a dress made of finest copper thread. Within moments, the king found one for her. Next she said that if only she had a dress made entirely of silver, she would be ready to marry. In the morning, the dress of silver was by her bed. Now she told her father that to  honor him properly, she would need a dress of gold. Before the sun had set he presented her with the dress. She thanked him prettily, then said that she had just one more request. Could he get for her a cloak made entirely of the silvery skins of lice? If he could bring her this she told him, at last she would be ready for the marriage. For the next week, the girl passed her time making plans, and conferring with her dolls. She had nine of them. Seven days after she asked for the louse-skin cloak, her father presented it to her. She thanked him and went back upstairs. Then she dressed herself in her copper dress, her silver dress, and her golden dress, put the louse-skin cloak over all, and sat down with her nine beloved dolls. She dressed them and spoke to them, telling them of her desperation. How she wished that her mother were still alive to help her and care for her. The dolls advised that she must "seek her dead mother in the other world". So, instead of going downstairs to marry her father, she climbed carefully out of her bedroom window and ran away. She walked until she came to the forest, and then she walked until she was in the deepest part of the forest. A river ran near, and the entrance to a large cave loomed ahead. The girl trudged on until she had passed through the cave. Then she walked some more, going downhill all the way. It got darker and darker, and warmer and warmer, and soon she found herself drowsy and exhausted. She slowed, and then stopped, At last, she lay down and fell asleep. When she awoke a gentleman in a black frock coat was standing over her. He dabbed her forehead brusquely with a damp handkerchief, and said, "Get up, Girl in a Louse-Skin Cloak,  and get to work! I have revived you, and in exchange you must keep my house for me." And the girl had no choice but to get up and go. On Sunday, the girl said that she must go to church, but the gentleman forbade her. As soon as she was left alone, she snuck there anyway, wearing her copper dress. The prince himself noticed her, and sat next to her. When the service was over, she fled. The next Sunday she again begged permission to go to church. Again, it was denied. The moment she was left alone she changed into her silver dress, and crept there anyway. The prince beamed with pleasure to see her again, and once more sat down beside her. And again the mysterious girl in the silver gown fled the instant the service was over. For the third Sunday in a row, the girl asked for, and was denied, permission to go to church. So she very quietly slipped into her golden dress and tiptoed off to church. The prince once more engaged her in conversation, and held fast to her hand while the service came to an end. She did not know that he had arranged a trap for her on the steps leading down from the church. At his signal, the "monks pour oil at [the] church entrance". The girl runs, she slips, then slides, then tumbles down the steps, losing a shoe. She flees, but the prince catches hold of the shoe and gets one long, last look at the girl he thinks he loves. He orders a search of every house in the village. None of the girls seem able to wear the shoe. Where can the pretty owner of it be? When all but the last house has been searched, the prince finds his resolve faltering. Can the girl really be in the last house, or will his search turn up empty? With determination, he presses on. And there she is, "asleep on the stove", oblivious to the commotion. He awakens her, and he slips the foot onto her foot! He pulls off the louse-skin cloak to reveal the golden dress. They are married amid much rejoicing. 

From Cox, M. R. (1893/2011) p. 60

Notes: In many countries in Europe, stoves of past times were quite large, ceramic affairs. The fire was kept burning to warm the house, and the spot on the top of the stove was a coveted place of warmth. Many were decorated with tiles or hand painted with fruits or flowers. 

Cinderella #217 Pussel in the Skin Dress (1893)

Illustration by Jacob Grimm, age 10.

Once upon a time, in Jutland, there lived a King and Queen. They had one child, a little girl. Alas, when the girl was still a child, her mother died. The lonely years passed, and, perhaps, something gave way in the King's mind. He took the idea into his head that he would marry his daughter, and nothing that she said would change his mind. At length, she had no recourse but to attempt to delay the wedding. She asked her father for "a dress like the flowers of the field." But the King procured this immediately, and announced that he would marry her in the morning. So the girl agreed that she would marry the King, just as soon as he obtained for her a dress "like gold and diamonds". She felt sure that it would take some time for even the King to find such a dress. But in the morning, the King summoned his daughter, and presented her with a dress that shimmered with the thousand faceted diamonds against the threads of gold.  And he announced that he would marry the girl the next morning. Now his daughter made another request. Could she have a dress "like the sun, moon, and stars"? If she had such a dress, she declared, she would obey the King. And the very next morning, the King summoned her, and gave her a dress patterned so that when she put it on and twirled, the Solar System seemed to spread out around her.  And then her father, the King, demanded that she marry him immediately.  She implored her father to wait until the morning, promising to marry him first thing the next day. So he agreed, and left her alone. While she is alone, "she sews up a skin dress for herself". By the time the King knocks on her door in the morning, she has taken all three of her splendid dresses and fled, clad in her leather gown. Traveling steadily for seven days, she arrives at the castle of a neighboring prince. She knocks on the kitchen door and begs to be taken in as scullery maid. Cook agrees, and the Pussel in the Skin Dress is allowed to sleep by the hearth at the end of each day's work. "She goes thrice to church in her magnificent dresses", each time tantalizing the prince with her mysterious presence. At last, he manages to grab one of her golden shoes as she flees. A search for the girl commences, and, at length, the servants are allowed to try on the shoe as well. Thus, the prince discovers that the Pussel in the Skin Dress is none other than the beauty from the ball. They are married, and never hear from the girl's father again. 

From Cinderella: 345 Variants of Cinderella, Catskin and Cap O' Rushes by Marian Roalfe Cox, 1893/2011. (p.232)
Notes: I have no idea what Pussel means; I thought it might be German but it isn't in the dictionary I have. The story is identified as being from Jutland. I am only slightly embarrassed to admit that I have absolutely no idea if Jutland is still even a country. Come on, all you geography snobs out there: if you can aswer that question, please do. 
Montessori Connection: Language/Multiple Meanings of Words in English
1. Read this story.
2. Notice that the girl makes herself a dress out of skin. 
3. Think about the word skin. Write down what you think it means. 
4. Consider that words can have more than one meaning. Example: The word saw means a sharp tool for cutting wood. It also is the past tense of the verb to see, as in, I saw you at the park yesterday. 
5. Learn that the word skin can mean leather. In the story The Velveteen Rabbit, there is a skin horse. 
6. Read  The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Became Real 

Cinderella #200 Ludse Lurveætte (Lucy Ragged-Hood)

A cat appeared, with fine, thick fur. 

Once upon a time, in East Jutland, "there lived a man with three daughters." He treated the elder two well, but despised his youngest child. He made her "stay at home and milk the cows whilst the others went to church." As the girl does the milking, a cat which she has never seen before comes and rubs against her legs, begging for milk. Its fur is so soft, and the girl has such a kind heart that she cannot resist giving the cat a bowlful of it. Her mother, however, notices that there is not as much milk as usual. She accuses the girl of drinking it herself, and though the girl denies this, beats her for it. The week passes, and once again Sunday morning finds the girl milking the cows, alone in the barn. Again the strange cat comes and the girl feels compelled to give it some more milk. For this kindness she receives another beating.  When Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have gone by, the cat comes once more. But now the girl truly fears the punishment from her mother if milk is missing again. She tearfully tells the cat that she just cannot give it any more, but the cat says, "You will be happier if you do." So she does, and the moment the cat has drunk the milk it begins to grow. Larger, and larger it grows, until it is the size of a woman. This woman now steps out of the skin and tells the girl to put it on. She advises her to go to "go to the king's palace and ask for a situation, calling herself 'Ludse". The girl follows this advice, and is given a position at the palace kitchen. Soon it is Sunday again, and all of the palace servants go to church, leaving Ludse alone. She cannot go, for she has nothing to wear but the catskin. Now the cat appears again and gives her "a magnificent dress, a golden carriage, and two horses, and bids her go too." So she does, beautifully arrayed, and all the guests marvel. But when the service ends, the mysterious girl calls out,"Light before, dark behind!' and vanishes." The next Sunday, the cat brings the girl another dress, golden shoes, and a coach of pure gold. This time, when the girl arrives she finds that King himself has come. When the service is over, she calls out again,"Light before, dark behind!" and vanishes. But not before the King manages to grab ahold of one of her golden shoes. Now he has the Royal Pages cry the news that the King will marry whichever maiden can fit into the golden shoe he found outside the church. So all the maidens of the kingdom line up, and though "some cut their heel and some their toe... none can get the shoe on." Just as the King is about to give up, he hears a little bird singing. It says,"Cut a heel and cut a toe! The shoe fits the girl in the kitchen, I know!" Now all the servants of the palace are called to try the shoe, and so Ludse is brought in as well. The shoe fits, perfectly! She and the King are married at once, and when the cat appears,"its head is chopped off and buried beneath the pear tree. Thereupon the cat becomes a prince, the brother of the king."

From: Cox, M.R. Cinderella: 345 Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap'O'Rushes. (1893/2011)p.232

Notes: This story is identified by Marian Roalfe Cox as having been "Written down by Miss Anna Brasse"

Montessori Connection: Literature/Cats

1. Read this story and notice that it is a cat which is not only the helper animal but the magical being as well. 

2. Learn more about cats in young children's literature:The Cat in the Hat or in real life:National Geographic Kids Everything Big Cats: Pictures to Purr About and Info to Make You Roar!

3. Learn more about cats in literature for children ages 9-12:The Catwings Collection (4 Volume Set) or Alice in Wonderland

Cinderella #196 The Old Woman's Hide (Calvino, 1956)

Illustration from
The Real Mother Goose
Arbuthnot & Wright

 Note: Contains violence. Once upon a time, in Montale Pistoiese, Italy, "there was a king with three daughters. He was going to the fair, and before leaving home" asked each daughter what he could bring back for her. The eldest asked for "a kerchief, the next a pair of high top shoes, whild the third asked for a box of salt." When the man questioned his elder daughters what the youngest could possibly want with such a quantity of salt, those bad girls said, "For no other reason than to pickle you." And the foolish man believed them, and turned his youngest child out. With "only a nursemaid and a purse of gold" the girl wandered, until the two of them passed a gravedigger." It turned out that a one hundred year old woman was being buried, and the nursemaid now enquired, "Would you sell us the old soul's hide?" And after much bargaining, "the gravedigger picked up a knife, skinned the old woman wrinkle by wrinkle, and sewed her whole hide together with face, white hair, fingers, and nails." Then the nursemaid lined it with cambric, and made the girl a dress of it. Once she put it on and went out, "people couldn't get over her spry gait and her voice as clear as a bell." Just then, the king's son rode by, and heard the old girl chattering. He stopped and asked,"Just how old is that old soul?" And the girl in the granny-skin answered saucily, "Me? I'm a hundred and fifteen!" When the king asked where she came from, she replied,"From my town." And when he asked who her parents were, she simply said,"I'm my own mother and father." "What is your occupation?" demanded the king's son. And when the old girl said,"Having a good time!" the prince laughed aloud. Now he decided to take the old lady home with him, as a source of entertainment, at least as long as she managed to live. This he did, and when he was not attending to his royal duties, he would go in and visit with her. "One day the queen said to Rotten Eyes (they called her that because of the blear eyes of the old woman's hide),'What a shame you can't do any more work, with those eyes." And when that one answered that she had been a fine spinner as a girl, the queen said,"Try spinning this little bit of flax, just to be doing something." The minute the queen left, the girl locked the door, jumped out of her old skin, and sat down to spin the flax. The thread she made "was a marvel to behold". Everyone  was amazed at how steady the old woman's hands still were Next, the queen had her make a blouse. The moment she was alone, she locked the door, jumped out of the skin, and "cut it out, sewed it up, and embroidered the front with the daintiest gold flowers you ever saw." Now everyone became suspicious, and the king's son "peeped through the keyhole the next time the old woman locked her door." That's when he saw her transform from ancient one to "a maiden as beautiful and radiant as the sun." So the prince "broke the door down and embraced the girl, who was quite embarrassed, and tried to cover herself." He demanded to know why she had disguised herself in that way and "the girl confessed that she was the child of a king, who had cursed her and turned her out of his palace. Now the prince went to his parents and told them,"I've found a king's daughter, mind you, to marry." So a grand wedding celebration was held, "and all the kings and queens from near and far were invited." Of course, the girl's father was one of the guest kings, "but he didn't recognize her beneath her veil and diadem." She had ordered the cook to prepare her father's food separately, and "after one spoonful" he did not eat anther bite. Not of the boiled meat, nor the fish, nor the roast, When the bride came round and asked what was the matter with his meal, he told her that "the roast had been so tasty and everything else so tasteless." That's when she said,"So now you see how awful food is without any salt in it? That's why your daughter asked for salt when you went to the fair, and those wicked sisters of mine said it was to pickle you." So the father embraced his child, "begged her forgiveness, and punsished the envious sisters."

From Italian Folktales: Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino (1956)

Notes: So very interesting to have another story in which a gown is made from a person; quite gruesome, until we remember that fairy tales are never meant to be taken literally. The girl simply assumed the form of the old lady, by dressing in her clothes. If we understand that the girl was "trying on for size' what it is like to be old, it becomes less macabre. Quite a variation of Catskins. 

Montessori Elementary Connection: Fundamental Needs of People/Clothing/Italy pre 20th century

1. Read this story. Try not to be grossed out by the idea of a dress that is actually made out of an old lady's skin. Really, the story means that the girl dressed up and looked exactly like an old lady. 

2. Learn about spinning flax: Flax and Linen (Shire Library) or Flax craft: A collection of newsletters, 1993-1999

3. Learn about embroidered blouses, and other kinds of women's clothing worn in Italy during the 19th centuries and earlier: Dressing for Heaven: Religious Clothing in Italy, 1215-1545 or Dressing Renaissance Florence: Families, Fortunes, and Fine Clothing (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) or Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series) or Getting to Know Italy and Italian

Cinderella #193 L'Isabelluccia (1865)

Illustration by Bagwell, J. 

Note: contains violence. Once upon a time, in Siena, Italay, there lived a poor widower left to raise a daughter. To give his motherless child some care, he hired a governess named Agheta. At first, this governess treated the child, Isabella, with sweetness and affection. But in her heart, she despised the little girl. Her own daughter, Mariotto, "whom certain uncles are keeping, out of charity", is far from home. Now Agheta begins to wheedle her employer's child, saying that it would be pleasant to be together all the time. If only, she laments, she could marry Isabella's father. At length, Isabella begins to question her father about this, pleading with him to marry her governess. Her father refuses, but Agheta will not give up the quest. She decides to feign illness, and takes to her bed. Soon the doctor confirms that she is at death's door, and in desperation, calls in her employer. Now Agheta swears that the only thing that will save her life is for the widower to make her his wife. Out of compassion, he agrees to do this, and Agheta recovers. Yet after the marriage ceremony, her personality undergoes a change for the worse. Now she abuses Isabelluccia, making her do the servant's work, and hindering the girl's well-being. She forces the child to cook, clean, and mend. It happened one day, when Isabella had been given a basket filled with "fish to clean and cook". Just as she is about to begin chopping the fishes heads off, "a red and gold fish slips out of her hands into the sink." Knowing that her stepmother will beat her for letting one fish get away, she grabs frantically to keep it from slipping down the drain. Just then, "the fish peeps through the hole, and tells her that it is useless to grieve; she had better take the pomegranate," which he is going to give her. It is a magic pomegranate, and if she takes it down to the beach and sings, "Rise, little fish from the azure sea, rise little fish, and succor me; Red-and-gold fish, to thee I cry, come to me, come to me, or I die." So she takes the pomegranate from the fish, and it slips down the drain. She hides the fruit, and, after her step-mother beats her, she goes out onto the terrace and peels it. But just as she "is raising it to her lips" it tumbles from her hand. Unfortunately, it lands in a garden adjoining her own. Fortunately, the garden is behind the King's palace. When the King goes for his morning walk in the garden the next day,  he is astounded to find that a pomegranate tree, "loaded with red and yellow fruit" has grown overnight. He orders his cook to pick the fruit so that it can be served to him, but when the man reaches for a pomegranate, the tree grows even higher. Each of the servants in turn tries to pick a fruit, but the tree snatches its branches higher each time. The King demands to know how a tree dares to disobey him , and where this one has come from. Yet none of the royal gardeners know by whose hand it grows. Now the King called for his councillors, and after much learned consulting, they declare that the tree is under an enchantment, and that the only one who will be able to pick fruit from it will be the King's bride. So he orders every maiden in the kingdom to come and try to harvest pomegranates. None can, including Mariotto, who has been sent by her mother. Yet she cannot pick the fruit either. That is when the royal advisor declares that there must be one more maiden hiding somewhere, so the King orders that every house be searched. And that is when Isabella is found, hidden under a tub in her stepmother's kitchen. A lavish wedding ceremony takes place, and Isabella is crowned Queen. But her stepmother begs to be allowed to come with her to the palace, and, in secret, brings Mariotto along as well. Now Agheta offers to take Isabella riding in the forest. She comes in a fine carriage, and takes the new bride away from the King. When they are in the deepest part of the woods, Mariotto jumps out from her hiding place under the seat, and together with her mother, they tear out the bride's eyes and "throw her under the carriage". When they return to the palace, Agheta pretends that Mariotto is the same girl she drove away with. The King protests that this is not true, but because his courtiers are beginning to doubt his sanity if he cannot recognize his own wife, he eventually accepts her as his Queen. Meanwhile, back in the forest, Isabella wanders, blind and bloody. She is found by a young shepherd girl, and, in exchange for the fine clothes the blind girl wears, leads her to the sea-shore. Isabella, dressed now as a shepherdess, sings for the fish, who comes at once. The fish gives her a basket of apricots, and tells her that Mariotto is now pregnant, and craving that fruit. She must go to the palace, but must only accept as payment an eye. This Isabella does, and so gets one eye back. The fish now gives her a basket of figs to sell as well, and thus Isabella gets her other eye back. Now the fish "bids her go to an old furniture shop, where she can get an old woman's skin, put it on, and then ask for lodging at the palace out of charity." So Isabella follows this unusual advice, and then returns to thank the fish. She wants to give him a gift of some kind, but the fish says that the only gift he will accept is for Isabella to cut off his head. She faints in horror at this suggestion, and, when she comes to, discovers that the fish has turned into "a handsome man". He explains that "They wanted me to wed one that had plighted troth to another, and because I refused, I was changed to a fish. The spell could only  be removed through a girl fainting because of me."   Now the man repeats the advice given when he was a fish: that the girl disguise herself as an old woman, and take menial work at the palace. This she does, and slowly finds ways to ingratiate herself with the King. They become fast friends, as the King found the old woman an excellent person with whom to converse. One day he confided to her that he was to host a ball that evening, so that he could find himself a wife. He begged her to come,but she refused. When she was alone, she tore off the old skin, washed and dressed herself carefully, and went to the ball. The King was so taken with the beautiful stranger that her gave her a golden ring. When she vanished as the music stopped, he was bereft. His spirits cannot be lifted, and soon he is at death's door. The doctor orders him to eat only bread, and, when this order is sent down to the kitchen, the old woman bakes it.  When the King takes a bite and finds the ring, he calls for the cook. The man confesses that he did not bake the loaf, but had allowed the old woman to bake it. When she is brought upstairs, the King seeks to question her. Now she lets fall the old skin, and the King is dazzled by her beauty. She tells him her story, and he proposes to her at once. When he learns the role that her step-mother and step-sister played in her torment, he punishes them in such a way "that the scorn of their wickedness may be known to all, their eyes are torn out by the King himself." 

From Cox, M. R. (1893/2011) p. 219

Notes: This is the creepiest Catskin yet...beware old skins at furniture shops.

Montessori Connection: Botany/Fruits/Pomegranates

1. Read this story and notice how important the pomegranate tree is. 

2. Learn that the scientific name for pomegranate is Punica granium. 

3. Learn that the tree grows naturally in Africa and the Mediterranean. 

4. Try a pomegranate recipe:Pomegranates: 70 Celebratory Recipes or Pomegranates & Prickly Pears: Flavorful Entertaining from the Junior League of Phoenix. 

Cinderella #190 Betta Pilusa (Hairy Betty)

Pigs at Tilden Park,
Berkeley, CA.
Photo by RHC

Once upon a time, in Sicily, there lived a rich man. He had a wife, and a daughter who was very beautiful. Her name was Betty. One sad day, his wife fell ill, and knew that her life would end soon. So she called her husband to her and begged him that if ever he were to remarry, it would be to a woman who could fit her golden wedding ring. With that, she took off the ring, gave it to her husband, and died.  The lonely years passed, and Betty grew to be a maiden. One day it happened that she was looking through her dear mother's jewels, remembering happier days. She slipped on a golden ring then, and suddenly found, to her dismay, that she could not remove it. Later, when her father came in for dinner, he saw that his daughter had a rag wrapped around her finger. He ordered her to remove it, but she would not. Now, her father is angry and "tears off the rag, and seeing [the] ring on her finger, says he must marry her." But she is horrified and begs permission to discuss the situation "with her father-confessor". Her father gives her leave to do this, and the girl relates the problem of the ring. The father-confessor "advises her to demand, as condition of marriage, a dress like heaven, with sun, moon and stars upon it." This she does, and for many days her father seeks such a dress, but there is no such gown to be found. At last her father is in such distress that a gentleman at the marketplace takes pity upon him and asks his troubles. Now Betty's father describes the dress he seeks. The gentleman, who is really the devil, at once procures it for him. But when he gives it to Betty, she again demands to see her father-confessor. "He bids her demand [a]dress like the sea, having all marine flowers and fishes upon it." Once again the father spends many days seeking such a dress, and once again he cannot find one. As he strolls through the market one day, asking at each stall if anyone can make such a gown, the same gentleman, who is really the devil, appears. Once again the devil-gentleman is able to get the dress right away, and gives it to Betty's father. Yet when Betty receives this dress, she again says  that she must consult with her father-confessor. She "is next advised to demand a dress with all the plants and animals of the earth on it." Again the devil quickly delivers it, and yet again, Betty still refuses to marry her father. Now her father-confessor tells her to ask for a dress of pigskin. The hairy leather thing is brought to her at once. "Then she asks for two measures of pearls and precious stones", and, when she is given them, decides to run away that very night. So she packs up her magical dresses, which will grant her one wish each, and her jewels and stones into a bundle. Then she "fills a basin with water, and puts two doves in it" so that when her father knocks at the door a moment later, he hears the splashing. She calls out that she is bathing, and he leaves her alone. But then  she waits until it is twilight and sneaks out the back door. Her father, after waiting for a very long time, finally bursts in through her bedroom door. Of course, she is long gone. Meanwhile, she has crossed the forest,and curls up to sleep under a tree. That is when the prince comes by on a hunting expedition. Seeing the large animal motionless, he shouts for his bow. The animal suddenly stands up and begs him not to shoot. "He is amazed, and in the name of God would know who she is." So she tells him that she "is a baptized soul and is called Hairy Betty." Then he decides that he will bring her home to live at his castle. She becomes the poultry girl, living in the hen house. But the prince finds her oddly compelling to speak with, and comes every day, bringing her tidbits to eat. One day he tells her that he is to be married, and that there will be three nights of dancing to celebrate. He invites her to come, but she says that he must not mock her. But that night, she washes and takes off the pigskin. She takes out her first dress an wishes for "a ladies maid...a carriage, and liveried servants." The maid dresses her, and,wearing her dress that is like heaven, she goes to the ball in her carriage. The prince at once leaves his bride to be alone, and spends the evening talking with Betty. He gives her a gold pin, and when the dancing is done, she flees. He sends his servants after her, but she throws handfuls of jewels and pearls, and they scramble for these, losing her trail. The next night Betty again casts of her pigskin and wishes on her dress of marine plants and animals for a maid, a carriage, and servants. Again she goes to the ball, distracts the prince, and is given a gold watch. And once more the servants are sent to trail her, and instead are distracted with the jewels which Betty throws. The next day, the prince comes to visit Betty in the hen house, and asks if she doesn't with that she had fine clothes to go to the ball in. She tells him that he mustn't mock her, and that she prefers to stay at home. But for the third night in a row, she dresses in magical attire and goes to the ball. This night, the prince gives her "a costly ring", and by now, his bride to be is furious. She chases Betty from the ball, and the prince orders his servants, on pain of losing their heads, to catch her. Yet once again, she distracts them with jewels. Meanwhile, Betty has gone to her henhouse, and fallen asleep. The next day, she goes to the kitchen while Cook is baking bread. She begs for a small scrap to make a loaf of, and he gives it to her. Now she sips the gold pin into the dough, and sets it aside. Later, Cook shouts with fury, finding that all of his loaves are burned. The only one that has baked snow-white is the small one which Betty made. This is sent to the prince, who discovers the pin inside. The prince demands to know who baked it, and Cook claims it was he. The next day the same thing happens, only now the prince finds the gold watch inside his bun. Again Cook claims he baked the loaf. When the following day, the prince bites his bread and finds the "costly ring" which he gave to the mysterious stranger, he demands that Cook tell the truth. He does, and now Hairy Betty is sent for. The girl refuses to tell her story until the prince threatens to have her beheaded if she does not tell him who she really is. And that is when she "throws off the pigskin", and reveals that her father is a nobleman, and that she fled from his home. So the prince calls in his mother, the Queen, and tells her that he will marry Hairy Betty. The Queen rejoices, and amid splendor and joy, Betty and the prince are married. 

From Cox, M. R. p. 217

Notes: Interesting to find yet another version of Catskin, this time a somewhat gruesome one. Something about the idea of wearing a pigskin freaks me out. Also we find birds playing critical roles, as the doves distract Betty's father while she runs away. 

Montessori Connection: Fundamental Needs of People/Food/Bread

1. Read the story and notice how important the bread is.

2. Learn more about bread in history:History of Bread or Bread making and bread baking or The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread

3. Learn to bake bread: Baking Bread with Children (Craft) or My Sweet Mexico: Recipes for Authentic Pastries, Breads, Candies, Beverages, and Frozen TreatsThe King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook (King Arthur Flour Cookbooks)

Cinderella #184 Princess Mouseskin (Brothers Grimm)

Mice.
Illustration by Arthur Rackham

Once upon a time, there was a king who had three daughters. He desired to find out which of the three loved him the most. So he called them forth, and posed the question to each, "How much do you love me?" The first said that she loved him "more than the whole kingdom". The second that she loved him "more than all the jewels and pearls in the world." When the third daughter declared that she loved him "more than salt" he flew into a rage. Then he ordered his servant to carry the little girl into the woods and kill her. Yet when they reached the lonely wood, the servant told her that he was "devoted to her" and would "not have killed her" under any circumstance. He was delighted to agree to her plan: that he make her a tunic of mouseskins, and leave her to make her own way. When it was done, the girl "wrapped herself in it and went straight to the neighboring king" and asked for employment. She had cut her hair short, and said she was a boy, and the king believed her, and took her on as "his personal servant". Now it was the king's habit, when taking his boots off at night, to throw them at his serving boy's head. One night, the king asked the lad in mouseskins where he had come from. The youth replied,"From the country where one doesn't toss boots at people's heads!" From that moment, the king was suspicious of the boy, and set the other servants to spying on him. When they discovered a ring in the mouseskin boy's chamber, they brought it to the king. It was of such valued "that they thought [s]he had stolen it,  The king called Mouseskin to him and and asked how she obtained the ring." That's when she realized that she could not hide herself any longer. "She unwrapped the mouseskin, and her golden hair streamed down. As she stepped out of the skin, he could see she was beautiful, indeed so beautiful that he immediately took off his crown, put it on her head, and declared her to be his wife." A grand wedding was celebrated and all of the neighboring kings, including Mouseskin's very own father, were invited. But although the guests were entertained with the most delicious wines, the most graceful dancers, and the most elegant dishes, the food itself seemed to have no taste. One king "became irritated and said,'I'd rather die than eat such food!' No sooner had he uttered those words" than his daughter, the new Queen, came to his side. That is when she said,"Well, now you say you can't live without salt, but when I said I loved you more than salt, you wanted to have me killed." And all of a sudden, the grumpy old king realized that this young woman was none other than his youngest daughter, who he had believed to be long dead." In joy, he "kissed her, and begged her forgiveness. Now that he had found her again, she was more dear to him than his kingdom and all the jewels in the world."

From The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, The Omitted Tales, p.616 (2002) Zipes

Notes: This story is quite fascinating, and can be found at the back of the book, keeping company with such not-children's-classics as Hurleburlebutz, The Blacksmith and the Devil, and Misfortune. Yet here we have a clear case of a Catskin story (ironic, yes? here she wears mouse skins...) and a ring. Notice the variation on the prince throwing boots at her head. (See Catskins stories here at 365 Cinderellas)

Montessori Connection: Zoology/Rodentia/House Mouse

1. Read this story and pay attention to what the princess does with the skins of mice. (Has a dress made.)

2. Try and find a real, live mouse to observe. Pet stores, science labarotories....or perhaps somewhere near where you live, you may fine some to watch.

3. Using a ruler, (but NOT actually measuring the mouse unless you know that it is safe) try to estimate how big the mouse is.

4. Sketch it, putting in as many details as possible.

5. Pretend that you are going to make yourself a dress from the skins of mice. Estimate how many you would need.

6. Learn more about mice: Top 10 Small Mammals for Kids (Top Pets for Kids with American Humane)Mice (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals) or Guide to Owning a Mouse

Cinderella #175 Donkey-skin (Perrault)

The King's daughter asked for
a dress the color of the sky. 

Once upon a time, "there was a King who was the most powerful ruler in the whole world. He was kind to his subjects and inspired dread in his enemies, and "his wife and faithful companion was both charming and beautiful."  He had stables full of the noblest steeds, but "what surprised everyone on entering these stables was that the place of honour was held by a donkey with two big ears." It is said that Heaven mingles the evil with the good, and so it happened that the Queen took deadly ill. When she felt the last life ebbing from her, she called for the King and whispered to him,"Promise me that it, when I am gone, you find a woman wiser and more beautiful than I, you will marry her and so provide an heir for your throne." The King was sure that he would never find such a woman, so he agreed to the pact.  Then his wife died. Time passed and the King grieved bitterly. At length, he "became so confused in his mind, and, imagining that he was still a young man, he thought his daughter was the maiden he had once wooed."  However, this notion terrified his daughter, who "sought out her fairy godmother who lived in a grotto of coral and pearls." This one advised her to delay the marriage by requesting "a dress which has the colour of the Sky". So she went home and told the King that she must have this dress, and, to her dismay, he brought it to her the very next morning. Back she went to the pearl and coral grotto, and now the fairy advised her to request "a dress the colour or the Moon".  The King would not, thought the fairy godmother, be able to find this dress quickly. Alas, he did exactly that, and presented the dress to his daughter the next day. She "was delighted with its beauty." Still, her godmother "urged her to make a request to the King, this time for a dress as bright and shining as the Sun." Now the King called for the Royal Jeweler, and "ordered him to make a cloth of gold and diamonds, warning him that if he failed, he would die. " Less than one week later the princess saw her newest dress.  It was so exquisite it took her breath away, and its radiance outshone all else. But now the godmother bade her ask for "the skin of the donkey in the royal stable." The King would surely not consent to this, and so no wedding could take place. So thought the godmother. But once again, she was mistaken, for the King gave immediate orders for the animal to be butchered and skinned. When the hideous thing was brought before her, the princess knew that she must marry her father. Now the fairy counseled her. "Pretend to give in to the King. Promise him anything he wishes, but, at the same time, prepare to escape to some far country. " So saying, she gave her god daughter a charmed chest that would hold all of her dresses and jewels, and a magic wand. The enchanted chest, the fairy said, "will follow you everywhere, always hidden underground. Whenever you wish to open the chest, as soon as you touch the wand to the ground, the chest will appear."  The best disguise to use, said the fairy, would be the frightfully ugly donkey skin, for no one would guess that a lovely girl was hidden inside. So that night, the Princess ran away. Although the King commanded that the servants, as well as his army, participate in the hunt, the girl seemed to have vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, the princess traveled on as fast as she could. She could not take lodgings, for no one would let a Donkey-Skin inside, and it seemed she was destined to wander forever. At long last, she "came to a farm where they needed a poor wretch to wash the dishcloths and clean out the pig troughs".  The servants made bawdy sport of the strange girl in the hideous donkey skin, and tormented her in many ways. She was, however, given Sundays off from work. Then she would take to her dark little chamber and try on her dresses: first the one the color of the Sky, then the one which shone like the Moon, and, finally, the dress that glittered almost as brightly as the Sun. In this way, she reassured herself that she was still a princess. On the farm where Donkey-Skin worked, "there was an aviary belonging to a powerful king." This king's son, being fascinated by the many unusual birds there, and enjoying the aviary's serenity, made it his habit to pause for refreshment there on his way home from his daily hunt. And Donkey-Skin, because she watched him every day, thought to herself, "How gracious he is! How happy must she be to whom his heart is pledged! If he should give me a dress of only the simplest sort, I would feel more splendid wearing it than any of these which I have." It happened one day that as the prince rested at the aviary that he noticed a hovel, from which he saw a bright light coming. Peeping in at a crack in the wall, he saw a splendidly dressed young woman, wearing a gown of radiant diamonds and gold. Her face was lovelier than any he had ever beheld. Yet when he enquired who the princess in the hovel was, his manservant guffawed."The beautiful maiden who lived in such squalor" was called Donkey-Skin, and she was known as "the ugliest animal one could find, except the wolf". He would not believe this, and continued to pine for the maiden. After many days of melancholy, during which he would neither eat nor drink, his mother the Queen despaired.  She sent for the doctors, who told her that her son was love-sick, and that she must give him whatever he requested. Begging her son to specify his desires, the Queen was appalled to hear him ask for a cake baked by Donkey-Skin, a dirty serving girl. Yet a mother's love runs deep, and she directed that this be so. Now Donkey-Skin took "some flour which she had ground especially fine, and some salt, some butter, and some fresh eggs" and baked a cake for the prince. As she was mixing it, her ring fell into the batter. Many have said that it was done on purpose, for they say she must have known that the prince watched that day at her door. When the cake was served to the prince, and he encountered the ring, he took it for a token of Donkey-Skin's love. Now he pined mortally for the girl, and again the doctors said that he must be allowed his heart's desire, or surely he would die. When the prince declared that he would marry only the girl whose finger fit the ring, every young lady in the kingdom was called to try it on. "Every charlatan had his idea of making the finger slim. One suggested scraping it as though it were a turnip. Another recommended cutting away a small piece." Yet even with these gruesome tricks, the ring would fit no one. At last, "it was necessary to turn to the servants, the kitchen help, they slaveys and the poultry keepers, with their red and dirty hands." Yet none of this group could wear the ring. Finally, "there remained only Donkey-Skin.  Who could dream that she would ever be Queen?" Yet when the prince drew near her and she put a soft white hand out from her dirty hide, his heart gave a leap. And when "it was placed on her finger and it fitted perfectly, everyone was astounded." Now Donkey-Skin begged permission to go and change clothes before being presented to the prince, and this was given. She went to the hovel and changed into her radiant gown, and came to the palace "with her blonde hair all alight with diamonds and her blue eyes sweet and appealing". Kings "of all the surrounding countries" were invited to the wedding, and all kinds of rulers, from many lands, attended. One in particular burst into tears and said, "How kind heaven is to let me see you again, my dear daughter.' Weeping with joy, he embraced her tenderly. "At that moment, the fairy godmother arrived too, and told the whole story of what had happened, and what she had to tell added the final triumph for Donkey-Skin... It is not hard to see that the moral of this tale is that it is better to undergo the greatest harddships rather than to fail in one's duty, that virtue may sometimes seem ill-fated but will always triumph in the end. MORAL: The story of Donkey-Skin may be hard to believe, but so long as there are children, mothers and grandmothers in this world, it will be fondly remembered by all."

From Perrault't Complete Fairy Tales.Translated by A.E. Johnson and others. (1961) USA: Dodd, Mead & Co. 

Note: This book does not appear on Amazon, but is available at the Berkeley Public Library and probably others. It is clearly of the Catskin genre, and is the only example I have seen so far where maidens must try on the ring. In others it falls into the cake and so the baker is recognized as the girl with whom the prince has danced.  Here, there is no ball either, only a chance viewing when the prince stops for a rest at the aviary. Notice the important role that birds play here, as in most Cinderella stories. 

Try: The Complete Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault or Perrault's Fairy Tales (Wordsworth Children's Classics) (Wordsworth Classics) or The Complete Fairy Tales in Verse and Prose/ L'Integrale des Contes en vers et en prose: A Dual-Language Book (English and French Edition). 

Montessori Connection: History/1600's

1. Read this story and learn that it was retold, and polished, by Charles Perrault in the year 1697, in France. 

2. Learn about the 17th century, and compare what else was happening in the world when this story was publihsed in France. 

3. Learn that:

• in England, in the 1690's, Sir Isaac Newton was discovering his laws of motion.
• in Russia, in 1696, Peter the Great was victorious over the Turks and captured the port of the Black Sea.
• in America, the Salem Witch trials took place in 1692; 19 women were found guilty and executed. 
• in India, Hindus were being persecuted by Aurangzeb, Emperor of India, in 1670