听

Most variants of this ATU type come from the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault "Les F茅es" or "The Fairies," but the general story comes from a widespread traditional folktale popular in Europe and parts of Asia. The stories typically involve stepsisters (a wicked woman's daughter favored and her step-daughter ill-favored), and a fairy by a well who rewards the polite girl (the stepdaughter) and punishes the rude girl (the daughter). Some variants of this tale include choosing caskets, and/or magical tasks carried out with the help of animals.

听

The Wood-Cutter鈥檚 Sak茅

"The Wood-Cutter鈥檚 Sak茅.鈥� Japanese fairy tales, Teresa Peirce Williston, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co, 1904, pp. 17-26.

Tale Summary Early every morning, a man would climb the mountain to cut wood to provide for his aging parents. It seemed to him that no matter how hard he worked, he could never make ends meet, but he felt that at their age his mother and father needed tea...

The Tongue-cut Sparrow

"The Tongue-cut Sparrow.鈥� Japanese fairy tales, Teresa Peirce Williston, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co, 1904, pp. 56-64.

Tale Summary There was once a little old woman who found a poor little sparrow on her doorstep and took good care of him. Instead of flying home, he stayed to thank her with his songs, but a cross old woman who lived nearby did not appreciate being awakened so...

Mother Holle

"Mother Holle.鈥� More tales from Grimm, Brothers Grimm, Wanda G谩g, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006, pp. 15-22.

Tale Summary Once there was a widow with two daughters, who were both named Marie. One of them was lazy, but because she was her own daughter she loved her more than the other girl, who was beautiful and industrious, and who was always forced to do all the chores...

Winter's Promised Bride

鈥淲inter's Promised Bride.鈥� The Snow Queen and other tales : a selection of traditional Russian fairy tales, Andr茅 Bay, Marie Ponsot, New York: Golden Press, 1962, pp. 7-10.

Tale Summary There was once an elderly man and his second wife, who was very bossy and had two similarly mannered daughters. Before her death, his first wife bore him a daughter named Martha, who was clever, beautiful, and did all the housework and chores. As she grew prettier her...

The Story of King Frost

鈥淭he Story of King Frost.鈥� The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 209-212.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a peasant woman who had a daughter, who got everything she wanted, and a stepdaughter, who had a hard time and was blamed for everything although she was good-hearted. Her husband (the girl鈥檚 father) gave in to the woman鈥檚 wishes to get...

The Princess of Colchester

鈥淭he Princess of Colchester.鈥� Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 65-69.

Tale Summary Long before King Arthur, there was a king in the eastern part of England who kept his Court at Colchester, who was left with his beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter when his wife died. The king remarried with an ugly, horrible woman on account of her wealth, and she had...

Toads and Diamonds

鈥淭oads and Diamonds.鈥� The Arthur Rackham fairy book : a book of old favourites with new illustrations, Arthur Rackham, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott., 1933, pp. 196-199.

Tale Summary A woman lived with her two daughters, the eldest of whom was like her in every way, making them both ugly and disagreeable, while the younger was most like her father and was very pleasant and beautiful. The woman favored her eldest daughter and forced the younger to...

The Fairy

鈥淭he Fairy.鈥� Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton听and Co., 1923, pp. 9-12.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a very disagreeable widow with two daughters. The eldest was much like her, but the youngest was more like her father and was very beautiful and sweet of temper, and her mother disliked her very much. She made her work constantly and...

The Fairy

鈥淭he Fairy.鈥� Histories or听Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals, Charles Perrault, edited by J. Saxon Childers,听London: The Nonesuch Press., 1925, pp. 24-29.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a very disagreeable widow with two daughters. The eldest was much like her, but the youngest was more like her father and was very beautiful and sweet of temper, and her mother disliked her very much. She made her work constantly and...