81. Man's Daughter, The [Kaddedotteri]

Moe, Moltke, Unpublished Collection. Christiania. (From Setesdalen.)

"KADDEDOTTERI"
(The Man's Daughter).

ABSTRACT

Spinning competition between heroine and step-sister. They sit over a well. Heroine finishes first, and sinks down into green meadow. Heroine rewarded; step-sister punished (toads from mouth)--I1l-treated heroine (by step-mother)--Menial heroine (cleans stable)--Task (to gather peas from ashes)--Task-per forming troll--Magic dresses--Meeting-place (church)--Prince allowed to take heroine's shoe and knife-[Flight]--Lost shoe-- Shoe marriage test--Mutilated foot--False bride--Animal witness (bird)--Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) Man's daughter and her stepsister are to Compete in spinning. Step mother gives own daughter a wool-spinning wheel, and gives heroine a moss spinning wheel. Girls are to sit in the well-house, [1] or on a bridge, and the one who first finishes her task is to be thrown into the well (or river).-- (2) Heroine finishes first; she sinks down into a green meadow. [The tale proceeds like "Manddatteren og Kyaeringdatteren", Asbjornsen, No. XV. Heroine is rewarded, stepsister punished (toads fall from her mouth when she speaks).]-- (3) Stepmother is still more unkind to heroine; makes her clean the stables, and calls her "Dung-slut".-- (4) Stepmother and stepsister go to church, leaving heroine at home to gather up peas thrown into the ashes.-- (5) Weeping, she sets to work, when a voette (an underground troll, ghost) enters from hill outside, learns cause of her trouble, leads her into the hill, dresses her beautifully, gives her gold shoes, a knife and a scabbard, and a horse, and sends her to church, telling her to pretend not to see when prince takes her shoe and knife, and should he ask whence she comes, to say, "From Waterland."-- (6) Heroine does as bidden.-- (7) A week later prince comes to stepmother's house with the shoe. He rides off with stepsister, who has cut heel and toe in order to get shoe on. They pass a beautiful lime-tree, where some small birds sit chirping:

"The wounded heels and toes they drip,
And fill with blood the golden shoes.
Chippy-chippy, chip-chip-chip!
The girl in the stable you should choose!"

(8) They pass another lime-tree and hear the same song. Then prince looks round and sees blood dripping from the shoes of the false bride, and throws her from the horse (for she is sitting behind him); then returns and calls forth the Stable-slut, who runs to the hill, dons her beautiful dress, and marries him.