Mythology and Folklore Blog

The evil stepmother from Disney's Cinderella My mother died 10 years ago, and my father got married to the most evil person I have ever met. At first, I was so happy that he would no longer be alone and that he was in love again, but she treats me so poorly. She sent me to get berries in the snow the other day, well aware that there would be no berries in season. On my journey to find berries, I came across a house with relatives I had no idea about. They were so welcoming and caring. They gave me everything I needed and more. I received new clothes, food, and they told me berries would be on top of the roof under the snow. To my surprise, fresh strawberries were under the snow and I was so happy I could bring them to my stepmother. Weirdly enough, my relative told me to spit on the floor. When I did this, I spit out a piece of gold! I thanked my relatives and went back home.  My stepmother was more than surprised when she found me in new clothes, with berries, and with a new gift...

Cinderella and her stepmother. Source The True Bride reminds me of Cinderella, where the stepmother treats the step daughter very poorly. In this story, the stepmother asks the stepdaughter to bring berries, even though it is snowing outside and they are not in season. The stepdaughter comes across four men which are surprisingly her relatives. I am a little confused on whether they are her actual brothers or how they are related. These brothers give the step daughter nice clothes, the ability to spit gold, and berries from the rooftop. The stepmother becomes jealous and wonders how the stepdaughter was able to do this. She sends her own daughter to follow, and the daughter is very rude to these brothers. They give her the gift of spitting out bad smelling toe nails!  Story source:   Tales of the North American Indians  by Stith Thompson (1929)