Disney VersionThe story begins with Cinderella being a young girl, daughter of a widower who decided that she needed a mother. He married a woman who tricked him into thinking she was a good widow who needed a home, when she actually was a cruel woman.
After Cinderella's father passed away, the stepmother took over with her two daughters by her side. The stepsisters were mean to Cinderella and made her do their bidding. Cinderella was made to sleep in the attic and do all of the chores. She did not have time for herself but only to dream at night. One day, the king declared there would be a ball and every eligible maiden was to attend to be a prospective wife for the prince. The stepsisters and stepmother kept Cinderella so busy with chores that she had no time to prepare herself for the ball. They left for the ball leaving Cinderella with a long list of chores to do. Cinderella was so upset that she could not go to the ball that she cried on a bench in the garden. Her fairy godmother appeared providing Cinderella with a pumpkin coach, mice for horses to draw the coach, a horse as a driver, and a dog for a footman. Cinderella's rags are magically turned into a beautiful gown.The fairy godmother warns Cinderella that the spell will break at midnight. Cinderella goes to the ball and dances with the prince. They fall in love with each other. Cinderella does not realize he is the prince. She runs away at the first chime of midnight. She loses her glass slipper outside the castle which is picked up by the prince who vows to find the maiden who fits the slipper. She will become his wife. The slipper comes to Cinderella's home and the stepsisters try to get the slipper on to no avail. The stepmother has locked Cinderella in the attic to avoid her trying on the slipper because she saw that Cinderella was the maiden at the ball. Cinderella's animal friends come to her rescue and release her from the attic where she goes down stairs only to walk in as the glass slipper is smashing onto the floor. She produces the other slipper from the folds of her skirt and tries it on to show that she was the maiden at the ball. The wedding commences afterwards leaving Cinderella and the prince to live happily ever after. |
Spanish American Version
Tomas the sheepherder who lived in the New Mexico area presently, lost his wife. Teresa was their only child and she tended the house when he went into the hills to tend his sheep.
A widow lived nearby and kept visiting Tomas and eventually said "You must be as lonely as I, we should marry to make each other happy". She tricked him into marrying her and she turned into a wicked woman with two daughters of her own. She nagged her new husband so much that he stayed longer in the hills with his sheep. Teresa had to do all of the chores and care for her stepmother and stepsisters. Tomas brought gifts of oranges and flowers for the stepmother and stepsisters, and he brought Teresa a lamb with soft white fleece. When the father left, the stepmother killed the lamb and told Teresa to go wash the fleece in the river. When she went to the river, a fish stole the wool away from her and she began to weep fearing her stepmother's wrath. A woman dressed in blue appeared telling Teresa to go the shack on the mountain and tend the child and old man who lived there as well as sweep the floors. The woman returned after Teresa had done as was asked of her. The woman in blue gave Teresa the snow white fleece and said "Good child, your kindness carries its own blessing." She then touched Teresa's forehead where a gold star appeared. Teresa did not know the woman was Mary, the old man being Joseph, and the baby Jesus. Teresa went home and told her stepmother of the events but she did not believe her and tried to scrub off the star which made it only shine brighter. The stepmother touched the snow white fleece and made it turn muddy color. The one stepsister Isabel was sent to wash the fleece but did not listen to the woman in blue after the fleece was taken away but treated the old man and baby badly. She was then told by Mary that "Your unkindness carries its own penance." Then Isabel grew horns on her head which the stepmother tried to pull off but only made them longer. The fleece was given to Isabel spotless but when the stepmother touched it, it became dirty again. The other stepsister Inez also had the fleece carried away and did not listen to the woman in blue but treated the baby and old man badly. Causing her to sprout donkey ears. The stepmother made mantillas to cover the horns and donkey ears at the fiesta that was happening in town. Don Miguel, a handsome rich young man saw Teresa with her star at mass but did not catch her name. She then went to the fiesta where she danced with Don Miguel without looking at him which was custom. They started to feel happy with each other. The stepmother pulled Teresa away from the dance without Don Miguel noticing until too late. He then visited every house looking for the woman with the gold star on her forehead and when he came to Teresa's house, she was locked in a room by the stepmother. The stepmother and stepsisters made no mention of who was hidden in the room but a cat decided to speak up and say where Teresa was and all were astonished. The cat was kicked by the stepmother who then scratched the veils off revealing the horns and ears causing them to flee. Don Miguel found Teresa and she said he had to ask her stepmother for permission to marry him. The stepmother decides that Teresa can marry Don Miguel if she fills ten bottles with bird tears, twelve mattresses with bird feathers, and a tableful of fine food. Teresa tried on her own but was then aided by Mary who told her to touch the gold star and call the birds of heaven to help her. The birds came to cry their tears in the bottles and give their feathers for the mattresses and brought the finest food. The stepmother had to agree to the marriage. Teresa was married to Don Miguel with her father there to see. The stepmother grew less disagreeable and the stepsisters grew kinder in such that the horns and ears eventually disappeared. The gold star remained a blessing for all of Teresa and Miguel's days. |
Russian Version
There was an old man who lost his wife but had his daughter but decided to marry again. The stepmother would beat the daughter and try to get her killed. When the father was away one day, the stepmother told her to go to her aunt to get a needle and thread. The aunt was a Baba Yaga and the girl was no fool so she went to her real aunt first who told her what to do. To tie a ribbon on the birch tree so it will not hit you in the eye, pour oil on the creaking hinges of the doors, throw the rolls to the dogs that would otherwise tear you apart, and give the cat bacon so it does not scratch your eyes out.
The girl goes to Baba Yaga's house and is welcomed in only to have a fire being set to cook her in a bath. The girl talked with the servant to have the wood be wet to not burn and she gave her a handkerchief as a present. The girl was weaving and asked the cat if there was a way out when she gave it the bacon. Teh cat gave her a towel and a comb to be used in her escape. She must put her ear to the ground and when she hears Baba Yaga coming close must throw down the towel which becomes a wide river and when she hears Baba Yaga coming close again with her ear to the ground she must throw down the comb which becomes a dense forest that Baba Yaga cannot get through. She then ran throwing the rolls to the dogs, oiling the hinges on the doors, tied the ribbon to the tree, while the cat sat at the loom weaving in her place. Baba Yaga returns to find the girl gone and beats her servants who say that "she gave us more than you ever have when we served you so we decided to let her go." Baba Yaga hops on her mortar and pestle with a broom to follow to go after the girl. She throws down the towel like the cat told her and then the comb where Baba Yaga could not get through. Father came home imploring where his daughter is and the stepmother replies that she is at her aunt's. The girl runs in after and tells her dad the truth about what exactly happened and how she got away. "The father became wroth with his wife and shot her. But he and his daughter lived on and flourished, and everything went well with them." |
Cole, J. (1982). Best-Loved Folktales of the World. “The Baba Yaga” from Russia. New York, New York: Anchor books trademarks of Random House Inc. p. 411.
Disney, W. (1974). Cinderella. New York, New York: Random House Inc.
San Souci, R.D. (2000). Little Gold Star: a Spanish American Cinderella Tale. HarperCollins Publishers.
Disney, W. (1974). Cinderella. New York, New York: Random House Inc.
San Souci, R.D. (2000). Little Gold Star: a Spanish American Cinderella Tale. HarperCollins Publishers.