Final Fantasy 10, 9, 8, 7, 6
online store, squall's necklace FantasySquare, Your Final Fantasy Gaming Needs forums, final fantasy
 
 

Cinderella

The legend of Cinderella is one known worldwide - and has a different retelling in every culture. The Chinese know the story as "Yen Shen", the English as "Tattercoats", the Slavs as "Marouckla" and the Mik'maq tribe as "The Burnt Face Girl". One of the earliest famous interpretations of the story put into print was by the French author Charles Perrault in 1697 (translated into English in 1729), as a part of his book Contes de la Mère l'Oie, known to English speakers as "Tales of Mother Goose". The version he wrote was cleaned up significantly for a more "refined" French audience, cutting out such details as the death sentence for the step-mother and sisters and the step-sisters cutting their feet in order to fit into the glass slipper. The glass slipper itself was originally made of fur, but became glass in the numerous retellings of the story due to the similarity between the French words for glass ("verre") and fur ("vair").

The most famous retelling of the fable, as is the case with so many fairy stories, was by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. In their version, the spirit of Cinderella's mother, who dies at the beginning of the story and is buried by Cinderella, plays the role of the Fairy Godmother. The animals that assist Cinderella in her daily chores, which appear in the Disney version, also appear in this version, in the form of two white pigeons

The ball lasts for three days in this version, as opposed to just one. The major departure in the Disney version is the midnight deadline - in the Grimm's version, Cinderella CHOOSES to leave at midnight so the Prince is forced to find her at home and accept her for what she is - a servant girl. In addition, the glass slipper is not left behind accidentally - the Prince deliberately covers the stairs with pitch, so that the slipper becomes lodged and left behind, so he has a way of finding Cinderella. Upon the Prince's arrival at Cinderella's home, the Brothers Grimm re-inserted the somewhat gruesome scenes where the stepsisters cut their feet to fit into the slipper. The ploy initially fools the Prince, who rides off with one sister, then the other, until the two pigeons warn him of what they did and he returns for Cinderella.

 
FantasySquare, Final Fantasy Site by My Cool Designs