Reading Notes: Europa, Part A

A noble man had a daughter with his first wife. When his first wife died, he married a new woman who had two other daughters. The step mother and step sister hated the man’s daughter. They made her sleep by the fire every night, which led them to call her Cinder-Maid. One day the king made a decree that all the noble daughters of the land shall come to a ball so his son may choose a princess. Cinder-Maid’s step sisters started to pick out an outfit, but when her father suggests that Cinder-Maid go to, they tell him that she is a disgrace. After they left for the ball, Cinder-Maid wept under the Hazel tree that grew at her mother’s grave. All she wanted was to go to the ball. Her wish was granted and she was given a beautiful dress and carriage from the hazel tree. A little bird called out to her and told her she must be back by midnight. When she got to the ball the prince only wanted to dance with her. As midnight approached though, she fled home. A great mist came and hid her so that the guards couldn’t follow her home. Since the prince couldn’t find Cinder-Maid after the first ball he threw another one. Again Cinder-Maid got her dress from the hazel tree and went to the ball. She got there and the prince would only dance with her. He had his guards put honey on the stairs so her shoes would stick. However, when she ran away she didn’t stick. At the last ball Cinder-Maid left a little too late, and as the clock struck midnight her shoe got stuck on some tar on the stairs and her clothes changed to rags. The prince went around with the shoe having everyone try it on. The first step sister tried it on but it was too small. So she cut off her toe and the prince believed her. However, he soon saw the blood coming from her shoe and knew it wasn’t her. The next step sister tried it on and cut off her heel to fit. The prince started to take her home until he saw the blood coming from her shoe. When he got back he found out about Cinder-Maid and when she tried it on he knew she was the one.

A father sent his son to school to learn about great things. Every time he would come back he would claim that he knows what animals are saying. His father wasn’t satisfied and kept sending him back to learn about more useful stuff. After three years of this his father wanted to see if what his son was saying was true. When is father didn’t believe what his son was telling him that a bird was saying, he called upon a robber to kill his son. The robber instead let the boy go, and he ran off into the woods. The boy came upon a castle and after listening to a dog bark, informed the lord that he would be attacked that night. They put up extra guards and sure enough they were attacked. The lord gave the boy a reward for saving their lives. The boy moved on to another castle where the king’s daughter was ill. The boy was able to listen to the frogs and tell the king how to save his daughter. One of the frogs swallowed her holy wafer, and all they had to do was get it back. When they finished the boy was given a reward for saving the girls life. Then the boy and his two companions travelled to Rome. The pope had just died and the boy heard from the birds that one of them would become the new pope. It turns out the boy was elected to be the new pope. He then travelled back home and met up with him mother and father again. When he got there his mother and father were very sorry for what they had tried to do to him. He forgave them and took them back with him.

The frog

Bibliography:
Europa's Fairy Book by Joseph Jacobs and illustrated by John Batten (1916).