Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 18, 1907.djvu/236

 200 Collectanea.

J. Henriksson, Pldgseder och Skrock. AmSl, 1889. P. 69. (Swedish.) B " Pelsarubb " (Fur-cloak).

(i) Queen dies, king having promised not to re-marry till he finds someone whom queen's wedding dress fits as well as it fitted queen. (2) King's daughter, being grown up, one day puts on mother's wedding dress, and entering king's room, says : " Look, papa, how well it fits me." King says he is going to marry her. (3) Heroine goes away weep- ing ; dead mother meets her, and asks why, " Don't cry," she says ; "ask your father for a dress like the stars." Heroine gets it, and after- wards one like the moon, and the third time one like the sun. Father will now marry her. Dead mother bids her ask for cloak of every possible kind of fur. (4) That being also obtained, mother takes her to another kingdom, and bids her seek work in royal palace, asking only for a room to herself in which to keep her belongings. She gets this, and becomes chamber-maid. Prince is going to leave home ; heroine is told to take him water for washing ; she carries up a can of dirty water, which he throws at her. Afterwards, she takes up his boots, having filled them, and later, his hat, with dish water. Prince is so angry that he stays at home. (5) Next Sunday heroine is allowed to go to church, but must return as soon as sermon is finished. Heroine goes in star dress, and on leaving church is followed by prince. "Whence come you?" he asks. " From Dirty-water-can, Boots Country, in Hatstream parish. Light before, darkness behind me, nobody must know where I go ! " and she vanishes. Returning home she dons fur-cloak. Second Sunday she wears moon dress, and everything happens as before ; likewise on third Sunday when she wears sun dress, and gives same answer to prince. He enquires about her in vain ; everybody has seen her, nobody knows her. (6) In the afternoon prince sends for chamber-maid to ' louse ' him ; she obeys, laying his head on her lap. Prince tears a hole in her cloak, sees sun dress beneath, recognises heroine, and marries her. (7) After the wedding they visit heroine's father, who rejoices at her good fortune.

E. T. Kristensen, Fra Bindestue og Koelle II, No. II, p. 61. 1897. (Told by an old farmer's widow, Maren Nielsen, now deceased ; from a village near Aarhus, Jutland.)

A " Lille Maren i Tr/EKjolen " (Little Mary in the Wooden-gown).

(i) King has three daughters, the youngest called Mary. Elder sisters hate her, send her into kitchen to cook, and, deeming her dress too good, make her gown of shavings. (2) After awhile father falls ill ; expecting death, he calls elder daughters, gives each her inheritance, but forgets youngest. Elder sisters being conscience-stricken, send heroine to take