The Wife of a rich man fell sick, and as she felt that her end was drawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside and said, “Dear child, be good and pious, and then God will always protect thee, and I will look down on thee from heaven and be near thee.” There upon she closed her eyes and departed. Every day the maiden went out to her mothers grave and wept, and she remained pious and good. When winter camethe snow spread a white sheet over the grave, and when the spring sun had drawn it off again, the man had taken another wife.
The woman had brought two daughters into the house with her, who were beautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart. Now begun a bad time for the poor stepchild.
“is the stupid goose to sit in the parlor with us?” said they. “He who wants to eat bread must earn it; out with the kitchen-wrench
They took her pretty clothes away from her, put an old grey bedgown on her, and gave her wooden shoes.
“Just look at the proud princess, how decked out she is!” They cried, and laughed, and led her into the kitchen. There she had to do hard workfrom morning until night, get up before daybreak, carry water, light fires, cook and wash. Besides this the sisters did her every imaginable injury- they mocked her and emptied her peas and lentils into the ashes, so she was forced to pick them out again. In the evening when she had worked until she was weary, she had no bed to go to., but had to sleep by the fireside and ashes. And as on that account she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.
It happened that the father was once going to the fair, and he asked his two stepdaughters what he should bring back for them. “Beautiful dresses,” said one, “pearls and jewels” said the other. “And thou, Cinderella,” said he, “what wilt thou have?” “father, break off for me the first branch which knocks against your hat on your way home.”
So he bought beautiful dresses, pearls and jewels for his two stepdaughters, and on his way home, as he was riding through a green thicket, a hazel twig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. then he broke off the branch and took it with him. when he reached home he gave his stepdaughters the things they had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the branch from the hazel-bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to her mother’s grave and planted the branch on it, and wept so much that the tears fell down on it and watered it. It grew however, and became a handsome tree.
Thrice a day Cinderella went and sat beneath it, and wept and prayed, and a little white bird always came on the tree, and if Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her what she had wished for.
it happened, However, that the king appointed a festival which was to last three days, and which all the beautiful young girls in the country were invited, in order that his son might choose himself a bride. When the two Stepsisters heard that they too were to appear among the number, they were delighted, called Cinderella and said, “Comb our hair for us, brush our shoes and fasten our buckles, for we are going to the festival at the kings palace.”
Cinderella obeyed, but wept, because she too would have like to go with them to the dance, and begged her Stepmother to allow her to do so. “thou go, Cinderella!” said she; “Thou art dusty and dirty and wouldst go to the festival? Thou hast no clothes and shoes, and yet wouldst dance!”
As, however, Cinderella went on asking, the stepmother at last said, “I have emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes for thee, if thou hast picked them out again in two hours, thou shalt go with us.” The maiden went through the back door, it the garden, and called,
“You tamed pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and help me to pick the the good into the pot, the bad into the crop.”
Then two white pigeons came into the kitchen-window, and afterward the turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came whirring and crowding in, alighted amongst the ashes. And the pigeons nodded with their heads and begun to pick, pick, pick, pick, and the rest begun to also pick, pick, pick, pick and gathered all the good grains into the dish.
Hardly had one hour passed had passed before they had finished, and all flew out again. Then the girl took the dish to her Stepmother, and was glad, and believed that now she would be allowed to go with them to the festival. But the Stepmother said, “No, Cinderella, Thou hast no clothes and thou canst dance; thou wouldst only be laughed at.” and as Cinderella wept at this, the stepmother said, ” If thou canst pick two dishes of lentils out of the ashes for me in one hour, thou shalt go with us.” and she thought to herself, “that she most certainly cannot do”. When the Stepmother had emptied the two dishes of lentils amongst the ashes, the maiden went through the back door into the garden and cried
“You tamed pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and help me to pick the the good into the pot, the bad into the crop.”
Then two white pigeons came in by the kitchen window, and afterwards the turtle doves, and at length all the birds beneath the sky, came whirring in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the doves nodded with their heads and begun to pick, pick, pick, pick and the others begun to pick,pick,pick,pick and gathered all the good seeds into the dishes, and before half an hour was over they had already finished, and flew out again. Then the maiden carried the dishes to the stepmother and was delighted, and believed that she might now go with them to the festival. But the stepmother said, “all this will not help thee; thou goest not with us, for thou hast no clothes and canst not dance; we should be ashamed of thee!” on this she turned he back on Cinderella and hurried away with her two proud daughters. As no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave, beneath the hazel tree and cried,
“Shiver and Quiver, little tree, Silver and Gold throw down over me.”
then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with speed, and went to the festival. Her stepsisters and the stepmother however did not know her, and thought she must be foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the gold dress.
They never once thought of Cinderella, and believed that she was sitting at home in the dirt, picking lentils out of the ashes. The Prince went to meet her, took her by the hand and danced with her. He would dance with no other maiden, and never let loose of her hand, and if anyone else came to invite her, he said “This is my partner.”
She danced till it was evening, and then wanted to go home. But the king’s son said, “I will go with thee and bear Thee company,” for he wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged. She escaped him, however, and sprang into the pigeon house. The king’s son waited until her father came, and then he told him that the stranger maiden had leapt into the pigeon house. The old man thought, “can it be Cinderella?” and they had to bring an axe and pickaxe that he might hew the pigeon house into pieces, but no one was inside it. And when they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes, and a dim little oil lamp was burning on the mantel piece, for Cinderella had jumped quickly down the back of the pigeon house and had run quickly to the little hazel tree, and there she had taken off her beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the little bird had taken them away again, and then she placed herself in the kitchen amongst the ashes in her gray gown. Next Day when the festival begun afresh, and her parents and the stepsisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said
“Shiver and Quiver, little tree, silver and gold throw down over me.”
Then the bird threw down a much more beautiful than on the preceding day. And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this dress, everyone was astonished at her beauty. the king’s son waited until she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced with no one but her. When others came and invited her, he said, “she is my partner.”
When evening came she wished to leave, and the king’s son followed her and wanted to see into which house she went. But she sprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. therein stood a beautiful tall tree on which hung the most magnificent pears. She clambered so nimbly between the branches like a squirrel that the king’s son did not know where she was gone.
He waited until he father came, and said to him, “the stranger maiden has escaped from me, and I believe she has climbed up the pear tree.” the father thought, “can it be Cinderella?” and had an axe brought and cut the tree down, but no one was on it. And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there amongst the ashes, as usual, for she had jumped down on the other side of the tree, had taken the beautiful dress to the bird on the little hazel tree, and put on her gray gown.
on the third day, when the parents and sisters had gone away, Cinderella went once more to her mother’s grave and said to the little tree.
“Shiver and Quiver, little tree, silver and gold throw down over me.”
And now the bird threw down to her a dress which was more splendid and magnificent than any she had yet had, and the slippers were golden.
and when she went to the festival in the dress, no one knew how to speak for astonishment. The kings son danced with her only, and if any one invited her to dance, he said, “she is my partner.”
When evening came, Cinderella wished to leave, and the king’s son was anxious to go with her, but she escaped from him so quickly thay he could not follow her. The King’s son had however, used a stratagem, and caused the whole staircase to be smeared with pitch, and there, when she ran down, had the maidens left slipper remained sticking. The king’s son picked it up, and it was small and dainty, and all golden. Next morning, he went with it to the father, and said to him, “no one shall be my wife but she whose foot this golden slipper fits.”
Then the two sisters glad, for they had pretty feet. The eldest went with the shoe into her room and wanted to try it on, and her mother stood by. But she could not get her big toe into it, and the shoe was too small for her. Then the mother gave her a knife and said, “cut the toe off; when thou art queen thou wilt have no more need to go on foot.”
The maiden cut the toe off, forced the foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went to the king’s son. Then he took her on his horse as his bride and rode away with her. They were ,however, obligated to pass the grave, and there, on the hazel tree, sat the two pigeons and cried
“Turn and peep, Turn and peep, Theres blood within the shoe, the shoe is too small for her, the true bride waits for you.”
Then he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was streaming from it. He turned the horse around and took the false bride home again, and said she was not the true one, and that the other sister was to put the shoe on. Then this one went into the chamber and got her toes safely into the shoe, but her heel was too large. So her mother gave her a knife and said, “cut a bit off thy heel; when thou art queen thou wilt have no more need to go on foot.” The maiden cut a bit off her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the king’s son. He took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away with her, but when they passed by the hazel tree, two little pigeons sat on it and cried
“Turn and peep, Turn and peep, There’s Blood Within the Shoe, The Shoe it is to small for her, the true bride waits for you.”
He looked down at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her shoe, and how it stained her white stocking. Then he turned his horse and took the false bride home again. “this is also not the right one,” said he, “have you no other daughter?” “no,” said the man “there is still a little stunted kitchen wench which my late wife left behind her, but she cannot possibly be the bride.” The king’s son said he was to send her up to him; but the mother answered, “oh, no, she is much too dirty, she cannont show herself!”
he absolutely insisted on it, and Cinderella had to be called. She first washed her hands and face clean, and then went and bowed down before the king’s son, who gave her the golden shoe. Then she seated herself on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, which fitted like a glove. And when she rose up and the king’s son looked at her face he recognized the beautiful maiden who danced with him and cried “That is the true bride!” The stepmother and the two sisters were terrified and became pale with rage; he however, took Cinderella on his horse and rode away with her. as they passed by the hazel tree, the two white doves cried,
“Turn and peep, Turn and peep, no blood is in the shoe, The shoe is not too small for her, The True Bride Rides with you,”
And when they cried that, the two came flying down and placed themselves on Cinderellas shoulders, one on the right, the other on the left, and remained sitting there.
When the wedding to the king’s son had to be celebrated, the two false sisters came and wanted to get into favor with Cinderella and share her good fortune. When the betrothed couple went to church, the elder was on the right side and the younger on the left, and the pigeons pecked out one eye of each of them. Afterwards as they came back, the elder was at the left, and the younger was at the right, and then the pigeons pecked out the other eye of each. And thus for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as they lived.
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