heroine of a European folktale, the theme of which appears in numerous stories worldwide; more than 500 versions of the story have been recorded in Europe alone. Its essential features are a youngest daughter who is mistreated by her jealous stepmother and elder stepsisters or a cruel father; intervention of a supernatural helper on her behalf; and the reversal of fortune brought about by a prince who falls in love with her and marries her. One of the oldest known literary renderings of the theme is a Chinese version recorded in the 9th century &AD;.
The familiar English version is a translation of Charles Perrault's “Cendrillon,” which appeared in his influential collection of fairy tales, Contes de ma mere l'oye (1697; Tales of Mother Goose, 1729).
Some of the features of Perrault's version, such as the fairy godmother, are uncharacteristic. Usually, the supernatural helper is the girl's dead mother or an animal agent sent by her. The prince's recognition of the cinder maiden by the token of a “glass” slipper is unique in Perrault. In other versions of the story the test of recognition is often a golden or silver slipper or a ring.
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