Catskin
Encyclopedia
Catskin is an English fairy tale
collected by Joseph Jacobs
, in More English Fairy Tales. Marian Roalfe Cox
, in her pioneering study of Cinderella
, identified as one of the basic types, the Unnatural Father, contrasting with Cinderella itself and Cap O' Rushes
.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510B, unnatural love. Others of this type include Little Cat Skin
, Cap O' Rushes
, Donkeyskin
, Allerleirauh
, The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter
, The She-Bear
, Mossycoat
, Tattercoats
, The Princess That Wore A Rabbit-Skin Dress
, and The Bear
. Indeed, some translators of Allerleirauh titled that story Catskin despite the differences between the German and English tales.
When she is fifteen, her father is willing to marry her off to the first man who offers. When she hates the first man who offers, she goes to a hen-wife, who advises her to demand a coat of silver cloth before the wedding. When her father and suitor provide that, the hen-wife advises a coat of beaten gold, and then a coat made from feathers of all the birds, and then a little coat of catskin.
The daughter puts on the Catskin coat and runs away, disguising herself as a peasant girl. She finds a place as a scullion at a castle and works in the kitchens.
A ball is held at the castle and the daughter (called 'Catskin' by the others in the kitchen) asks to be allowed to attend. (In some versions, she asks to simply see the ball or serve the food.) The cook throws a basin of water in her face when she asks to go, but Catskin bathes and dresses herself in the coat of silver cloth, and goes to the ball. The young lord falls in love with her, but when he asks where she came from, she said from the Sign of the Basin of Water.
The young lord holds another ball, in hopes she will attend. The cook breaks a ladle across Catskin's back when she says she would like to go, but Catskin goes in her coat of beaten gold, and says she came from the Sign of the Broken Ladle.
The young lord holds a third
ball. The cook breaks a skimmer across Catskin's back when she asks permission to attend, but Catskin goes in her coat of feathers, and says she came from the Sign of the Broken Skimmer. The young lord follows her, and sees her change back.
He then goes to his mother and announces he will marry Catskin. His mother is opposed, and the young lord takes ill. She then agrees to the marriage. When Catskin appears before her in the coat of gold, the mother says she is glad her daughter is so beautiful.
Catskin gives birth to a son. One day, a beggar woman appears with her child, and Catskin sends her son to give them money. The cook says that beggars' brats will get along, and Catskin goes to her husband and begs him to discover what happened to her parents.
Her husband finds her father, who never had another child and lost his wife, and asks him whether he had a daughter. Catskin's father admits it and says that he would give all that he owns to see her again. Catskin's husband takes her father to see his daughter and then brings him to stay with them at the castle.
Tattercoats is a similar variant, in which a grandfather neglects his granddaughter because her mother died in childbirth.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
, in More English Fairy Tales. Marian Roalfe Cox
Marian Roalfe Cox
Marian Roalfe Cox was an English folklorist who pioneered studies in Morphology for the fairy tale Cinderella.In 1893, after being commissioned by the Folklore Society of Britain, she produced Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-Five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin and, Cap O' Rushes, Abstracted...
, in her pioneering study of Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, identified as one of the basic types, the Unnatural Father, contrasting with Cinderella itself and Cap O' Rushes
Cap O' Rushes
"Cap-o'-Rushes" is an English fairy tale published by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales.Jacobs gives his source as "Contributed by Mrs. Walter-Thomas to "Suffolk Notes and Queries" of the Ipswich Journal, published by Mr. Lang in Longman's Magazine, vol. xiii., also in Folk-Lore September, 1890"...
.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510B, unnatural love. Others of this type include Little Cat Skin
Little Cat Skin
Little Catskin is an American fairy tale from Kentucky, collected by Marie Campbell in Tales from the Cloud Walking Country, listing her informant as Big Nelt....
, Cap O' Rushes
Cap O' Rushes
"Cap-o'-Rushes" is an English fairy tale published by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales.Jacobs gives his source as "Contributed by Mrs. Walter-Thomas to "Suffolk Notes and Queries" of the Ipswich Journal, published by Mr. Lang in Longman's Magazine, vol. xiii., also in Folk-Lore September, 1890"...
, Donkeyskin
Donkeyskin
Donkeyskin is a French fairy tale told by Charles Perrault.Andrew Lang included it, somewhat euphemized, in The Grey Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson folktale type 510B, unnatural love...
, Allerleirauh
Allerleirauh
Allerleirauh is a fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Since the second edition published in 1819, it has been recorded as Tale no. 65. Andrew Lang included it in The Green Fairy Book....
, The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter
The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter
"The King Who Wished to Marry His Daughter" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as Ann Darroch from Islay.It is Aarne-Thompson type 510B, unnatural love...
, The She-Bear
The She-Bear
"The She-bear" is an Italian literary fairy tale, written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.Ruth Manning-Sanders included it in A Book of Princes and Princesses....
, Mossycoat
Mossycoat
Mossycoat is a fairy tale collected by Katherine M. Briggs and Ruth I. Tongue in Folktales of England.Also included within A Book of British Fairy Tales by Alan Garner....
, Tattercoats
Tattercoats
Tattercoats is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his More English Fairy Tales.It is Aarne-Thompson type 510B, the persecuted heroine...
, The Princess That Wore A Rabbit-Skin Dress
The Princess That Wore A Rabbit-Skin Dress
"The Princess That Wore a Rabbit-skin Dress" is an American fairy tale from Kentucky, collected by Marie Campbell in Tales from the Cloud Walking Country, listing her informant as Uncle Tom Dixon.It is Aarne-Thompson type 510B...
, and The Bear
The Bear (fairy tale)
The Bear is a fairy tale collected by Andrew Lang in The Grey Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson classification system type 510B, unnatural love...
. Indeed, some translators of Allerleirauh titled that story Catskin despite the differences between the German and English tales.
Synopsis
A lord has many fine estates and wishes to leave them to a son, and so, when a daughter is born to him, he will not even look at her.When she is fifteen, her father is willing to marry her off to the first man who offers. When she hates the first man who offers, she goes to a hen-wife, who advises her to demand a coat of silver cloth before the wedding. When her father and suitor provide that, the hen-wife advises a coat of beaten gold, and then a coat made from feathers of all the birds, and then a little coat of catskin.
The daughter puts on the Catskin coat and runs away, disguising herself as a peasant girl. She finds a place as a scullion at a castle and works in the kitchens.
A ball is held at the castle and the daughter (called 'Catskin' by the others in the kitchen) asks to be allowed to attend. (In some versions, she asks to simply see the ball or serve the food.) The cook throws a basin of water in her face when she asks to go, but Catskin bathes and dresses herself in the coat of silver cloth, and goes to the ball. The young lord falls in love with her, but when he asks where she came from, she said from the Sign of the Basin of Water.
The young lord holds another ball, in hopes she will attend. The cook breaks a ladle across Catskin's back when she says she would like to go, but Catskin goes in her coat of beaten gold, and says she came from the Sign of the Broken Ladle.
The young lord holds a third
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
ball. The cook breaks a skimmer across Catskin's back when she asks permission to attend, but Catskin goes in her coat of feathers, and says she came from the Sign of the Broken Skimmer. The young lord follows her, and sees her change back.
He then goes to his mother and announces he will marry Catskin. His mother is opposed, and the young lord takes ill. She then agrees to the marriage. When Catskin appears before her in the coat of gold, the mother says she is glad her daughter is so beautiful.
Catskin gives birth to a son. One day, a beggar woman appears with her child, and Catskin sends her son to give them money. The cook says that beggars' brats will get along, and Catskin goes to her husband and begs him to discover what happened to her parents.
Her husband finds her father, who never had another child and lost his wife, and asks him whether he had a daughter. Catskin's father admits it and says that he would give all that he owns to see her again. Catskin's husband takes her father to see his daughter and then brings him to stay with them at the castle.
Commentary
This is an unusual form of 510B, in which normally the threatened marriage is to the father as in Donkeyskin or Allerleirauh.Tattercoats is a similar variant, in which a grandfather neglects his granddaughter because her mother died in childbirth.
External links
- The Wandering Young Gentlewoman; or, Catskin a ballad variant
- The Story of Catskin another ballad variant