Cinderella Tales

Through History and Cultural Space

By Diane L. StymaFor Reading 585Grand Canyon

UniversityApril 25, 2012

Six Cinderella Stories

Yeh Shin China

The Rough Face Girl

American Indian

The Turkey Girl

Zuni

The Egyptian Cinderella

Egyptian

Clay Pot Boy

Pueblo

Smoky Mountain Rose

Appalachian

In this presentation, you will learn:

1) What were the characters' names in the stories, and what were the settings (time and place)?

2) How was Cinderella treated in the stories? What was her role in the family?

How was it different from the traditional American tale?

3) What were the differences in clothes and food throughout each of the stories?

4) Was there magic involved?

5) What is the end to the story? What was the moral lesson?

6) What culturally-specific information is enmeshed into the story?

The Egyptian Cinderella

First told by Romans (oldest tale) approximately 40 BC (Aldokkan, 2011). http://www.aldokkan.com/art/cinderella.htm

Setting location-Greece and Egypt

Setting time-1550 BC (Pharoah Ahmose1) (Aldokkah, 2011) http://www.aldokkan.com/egypt/ahmose.htm

Cinderella is called “Rhodopis” / Prince is named Pharoah Ahmose 1

Magic when God Horus transforms to a falcon

Moral is from being an orphan and a slave, hard work transforms beautiful girl into princess

Culture includes bored prince, red-rose gold slippers, and falcon/God Horus, pirates taking girls from Greece to Egypt, and slavery.

The Rough Face Girl

Native American —Algonquin tale

Setting-N. America

Moral - believe in self and beauty is within.

Setting time-1500's?

Cinderella is called “The-Rough-Face Girl” / Prince is named Invisible Being

Magic involving Invisible Being transforming to a man.

Moral is from being ugly, hard work transforms the beauty inside to allow girl to see the Invisible Being in nature around her.

Culture includes tending a fire and nature.

Yeh-Shen

Chinese tale

Setting-China

Moral - believe in self and beauty is within

Setting time-850 AD

Cinderella is called “Yeh-Shen” / Prince is “The King”

Magic occurs when fish bones listen to wishes of girl.

Moral is from being happy, to beautiful but mistreated, a girl who is kind to fish can rise above and marry a king.

Culture includes magic of fish, colors, and violent killings.

The Turkey Girl Zuni folktale

Setting-Southwest USA

Moral - believe in self, beauty is within, and keep promises.

Setting time – prior to 1680

Cinderella is called “The Turkey Girl” / Prince is “The King”

Magic occurs when turkeys nudge her, comb her hair, and produce a doeskin dress from little scraps.

Moral is from being a hard dedicated worker, to beautiful, a girl who is kind to turkeys can rise above, but must keep her promises.

Culture includes references to the sun as a father, wild turkey raising, far-away dances, and Southwest vocabulary such as arroyo, pinon, and yucca-cactus.

The Clay Pot Boy

Pueblo Indian story

Setting-Southwest USA

Moral - Rags to riches

Setting time-1930-1988, or prior

Cinderella is called “The Clay Pot Boy” / Prince is “The Grandfather”

Magic occurs when spring impregnates girl, clay pot boy is born and can roll, and when clay pot boy sprouts arms and legs.

Moral is from being happy, to alive but imperfect, a boy who is kind to others can rise above, become human.

Culture includes anthropomorphic spring, clay and dirt.

Smokey Mountain Rose

Appalachian story

Setting-USA (The Appalachian Mountains region)

Setting time-1900-present day

Cinderella is called “Rose” / Prince is “the rich feller across the creek” (Schroeder, 1997)

Magic occurs when hog talks and transforms Rose.

Moral is rags to riches

Culture includes slang or mountain vocabulary,

Cultural DifferencesClothes

Slippers

Clothing

Rose got glass, Rodopis got red-rose gold, Yeh Shin golden slippers, Clay Pot-none (Hayes, 1988).

Rough-Face Girl, Rags

Yeh Shin -an ocean green gown or azure with feathers.

Turkey Girl was gifted a white buckskin or white dress.

Rough-Face girl wore shattered beads and old moccasins, but transformed them by using nature items. Invisible Being gives her the finest buckskin.

The Main Character's Role in the Family

Rose Rough-Face Egyptian Princess Clay Pot Boy Turkey Girl Yeh-Shen

Daughter, with step mother Gertie and 2 obnoxious sisters

Daughter, with 2 bossy, spoiled and beautiful sisters

Orphan (or slave girl) no family

Pinocchio boy created out of nature for family

Slave like girl

Family structure changes

The Denouement

Clay Pot Boy The Egyptian

Princess Smoky Mountain

Rose Rough-Face Girl Turkey Girl Yeh-Shin

Happiness when he located his father in the spring

Happily ever after, praised for her different looks.

Rose married the rich feller.

Rough-Face Girl married the Invisible Man

Turkey Girl ended in sadness, she has no friends/turkeys left.

Happily ever after.

The events following the climax of each story

References

The Egyptian Cinderella.(2011). Retrieved April 21, 2012 from http://www.aldokkan.com/art/cinderella.htm

Egypt History. (2011). Retrieved April 22, 2012 from http://www.aldokkan.com/egypt/ahmose.htm

Hayes, J. (1988). A heart full of turquoise. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Mariposa Publishing.

Schroeder, A. & Sneed, B. (2000). Smoky mountain rose: An appalachian cinderella story. USA: Penguin Group Publishing.