Before we start, I’d like to welcome all of my new readers! (And welcome back all of the old, of course!) I was quite surprised to have several hundred pageviews this weekend. It’s lovely to have you here, and I hope you stick around!
Today we’re covering my favorite fairy tale: The White Cat. The White Cat is a variant of a German fairy tale called Puddocky. In Puddocky, many of the characters are frogs. These frog characters became cats when a French woman named Madame d’Aulnoy retold the story in the 1600’s. Her version contained a more detailed backstory for the princess, as well as more elaborate and ornate descriptions of clothing, buildings, etc. It is this story that I’m going to tell, though The White Cat that I am familiar with is a version collected by Andrew Lang.
(Andrew Lang was a collector of fairy tales in the late 1800’s. He had a collection of books called the Fairy books that each contained dozens of fairy tales and folk tales. If you’re lucky, a used bookstore might have paperback versions of these. The White Cat story that I know was contained in his Blue Fairy Book; it used to be available as a hardback through Barnes & Noble, but I’m not sure if it is anymore. You can also check ebay, but be warned: old versions of the Fairy books can go for hundreds of dollars. However, if you’re interested, the paperback versions tend to sell for fairly cheap.)
Now that that’s done, let’s begin! Below is the cover image for The White Cat. The artists who illustrated it also did drawings for several other fairy tales, which I find to be absolutely beautiful.
Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons. They were each intelligent and courageous, and when they had grown the king began to fear that they would attempt to seize his throne. To assuage his fears, the king decided to send his sons on pointless tasks that would occupy them and keep them far away from his kingdom.
The king gathered his three children together and assigned them a quest. The king said that he wanted to retire to the countryside once one of them took his throne; of course, it would be lonely to be there alone, so he wanted them to each find him a little dog. It had to be beautiful and small. In one year, the king would choose the tiniest, prettiest dog from those his sons brought to him, and the son who had brought it would be named king.
The princes were quite surprised by this quest, but they agreed to go forth and find a dog for their father. The sons were each quite good-natured and loved one another. The eldest did not even argue that the kingship was his by birthright. Instead, they held a large party with all of their friends and then set off separately, with the promise that they would remain friends no matter who won the crown.
It is the adventures of the youngest son that The White Cat focuses on, and so it is his story that I shall tell you. For a time he traveled far and wide, finding a multitude of dogs that he thought suitable for his father. Each time he bought a dog, thinking it the prettiest or smallest of all, he would find another even tinier or more beautiful! The son would then find a home for the dog he already owned and buy a new pup.
This continued for some time. Then, one night, the prince found himself entering a large forest. (Because where else would you go to find a dog?) He became quite lost, and was even more turned about when a great storm began. The prince was able to see a light somewhere far in the distance, and he followed it through the forest in hopes of finding shelter.
Imagine the prince’s surprise when the light led to a grandiose castle! The walls were of delicate porcelain, and they had been painted with all of the stories of the world. The prince dearly wanted to stay and look at them, but he was soaked to the bone and the storm showed no signs of letting up. He rang the doorbell (hung upon a chain of pure diamonds, of course) and the doors immediately swung open.
The prince had another surprise when floating disembodied hands came through the door, gently grabbed him, and began to push him inside. (I’m picturing the Addams Family...who knew Thing had others like him?) The hallway he entered was carved of precious stone; as he stood there, voices just as disembodied as the hands told him not to be afraid of the hands, who were there to do his bidding.
Now quite unafraid, the prince allowed the hands to escort him through the castle. Each room was carved of a different precious stone, and many rich things lay within - enough to bewilder even a prince, who had grown up amongst such things! He was taken to a room where a fire was lit, and the hands changed the prince into rich clothing.
Clean and quite recovered from the storm outside, the prince was escorted once again by the hands. They took him to a room with a table laid for dinner for two. The walls of this room were covered in paintings that told the stories of Puss and Boots, and other cats of note. As the prince was marveling at this, a door opened and in came almost a dozen cats, each carrying musical instruments and sheets of music! They set up and began to play, mewing and drawing their claws across the strings of their instruments.
The prince, of course, blocked his ears to drown out the noise.
Once more the door opened, and in glided a beautiful little white cat, escorted by two bodyguards. She greeted the prince and introduced herself as the queen of the cats. To the prince’s relief, she also told the musicians to stop playing, since the prince was unable to understand their songs.
The white cat seated herself across from the prince, and dinner was served.
To the prince’s relief, his meals were said to be cooked in a kitchen separate from the one that had prepared the white cat’s mice and rats. In fact, his food was quite delicious, and the prince very much enjoyed himself. He and the white cat chatted as they ate, and he found her company quite enjoyable. Eventually the prince noticed a locket that she wore upon one wrist. The prince asked to see what was inside, and was shocked to find a portrait of a man who looked just like him! The white cat seemed saddened at the image, so the prince refrained from asking her about it.
After dinner the white cat took the prince to another room, where a group of cats put on a theatre performance for them. Then the white cat bid him goodnight, and the prince was escorted back to his room by the floating hands.
The next day the prince was taken on a grandiose hunt put on by the white cat and her court. Upon returning to the castle the prince was given a drink; within it was a magic potion that made him forget all about his father’s quest.
Fortunately the prince was well taken care of. For nearly a year the white cat kept him at her castle, where she doted upon him and made many forms of entertainment available. The prince was quite content, and would likely have stayed there forever. As the deadline for the king’s task was approaching, the white cat called the prince to her and reminded him of his mission.
The prince was horrified. He had only a few days left to return home, and he was sure that his brothers had by now found beautiful dogs! The white cat reassured him and told him that she had a pretty little dog he could bring to his father. She handed him an acorn and told him that the dog was contained within, but that he must not open it until he was at his father’s court.
Of course, the prince thought she was mocking him. What dog could possibly fit inside an acorn? The white cat merely smiled and held the acorn up to his ear, where the prince was able to hear a distinct bark. Amazed, the prince thanked her for her gift. He offered to bring her back to his kingdom, but the white cat sadly declined.
With little time left, the prince mounted a horse provided by the white cat (a magical wooden horse, of course.) and raced off to meet his brothers. He brought with him the tiny acorn, along with a turnspit dog (a dog bred for servitude. It essentially ran upon a hamster wheel that was hooked up to a cooking appliance - called a turnspit - that was designed to cook meat) as a decoy.
When the prince caught up with his brothers they were glad to see him...though they laughed at the dog he had brought. Each brother had a lovely, little dog with them. They shared a chariot on their ride to the castle, and the turnspit ran behind it and got all covered in mud.
The court was thrilled when they saw the dogs the two eldest brothers had brought with them. The king could not decide which was prettier, and the brothers were already working out a deal to split the kingdom between them when the youngest prince stepped forward. He held out the acorn and opened it before the king. Within the acorn was a tiny cushion, and upon that cushion there was a miniscule, beautiful dog. It began to dance before the king, who was speechless.
The youngest prince was obviously the winner of the king’s contest, but the king was still loath to give up his throne. Instead he sent his sons out once again, this time in search of a piece of muslin so thin and fine that it could be drawn through the eye of a needle. In one year, the brother who returned with such a piece of fabric would be crowned king.
Having already traveled for a year, the older brothers were somewhat dismayed by the king’s request. They agreed only because it gave them another chance to win the crown. For his part, the youngest prince did not complain, and instead rode straight back to the castle of the white cat.
The cat, who had not been expecting his return, was asleep in a little basket - but she woke when the prince came in, and asked him why he had returned. The prince explained his situation to her, and despaired of ever finding a piece of muslin so fine. The white cat told him not to worry, as she had some very fine spinner cats in the castle who might be able to manage the task.
The year passed much as the one before had, with entertainments and wonderful times. The prince began to try and guess who the white cat was, and how it was that she could speak. In response she would only shake her head, and reply that she could not tell him.
Eventually the year was almost up, and the white cat told the prince that it was time for him to return to his father’s castle. This time she gave him an escort of a hundred chariots and a thousand guards. His own chariot was made of gold and drawn by horses trapped out in diamonds. The white cat gave the prince a walnut, and told him not to open it until he was before the king.
The prince thanked the white cat for her kindness, and told her that he would stay with her forever if she would ask it of him. She shook her head and told him to go, so the prince kissed her paw and set off.
At the court, the two eldest brothers had already arrived and were showing off their pieces of muslin. They had tested them before bringing them home, and had found that the cloth could pass through a needle if its eye was large enough. Unfortunately, the king was prepared for this and had ordered a needle brought that had the smallest eye possible. The brothers were quite upset about this and were beginning to complain when the youngest prince arrived with much fanfare.
The prince greeted his family, who were amazed at his escort, and then took the walnut from his pocket. He opened it before his father, only to find a hazel nut within. The prince opened this too, but found a cherry pit inside. By now the court had begun to laugh. Confused, the prince cracked the pit and found a kernel. Within that was a grain, and in that was a millet seed. As the king chuckled, the prince began to question if the white cat was making fun of him.
At this he felt a cat scratch his hand. Thinking it was the white cat telling him to open the millet seed, he cracked it open and found a piece of muslin. The prince pulled it out, which took a while - the fabric was 1500 feet long! (The story gives the measurement as 400 ells. An ell is 45 inches. 45 inches x 400 = 18000 inches. 18000 inches / 12 = 1500 feet. Regardless of what measuring system you use, that is a LOT of cloth!) The muslin was woven with many colors and patterns, and was absolutely magnificent. At the sight of it the king and the two other princes grew pale, for they knew that it was unquestionably the finest fabric in the world.
However, the king still wasn’t ready to give up his throne. He turned to his sons and told them that he had one final quest for them. Whoever could return in one year with the most beautiful princess for a bride would be crowned king - for, of course, the new king must be married.
Once again the prince did not argue, but instead hopped back in his chariot and took off to see the white cat. This time she was expecting his return, and had the path strewn with flowers for him. The prince told her of how he had fairly won the crown, but that his father still refused to part with it. Upon hearing of his latest quest, the white cat told him not to worry. She and her court would keep an eye out for a lovely princess.
The year passed enjoyably, though the prince had begun to try harder than ever to figure out who the white cat was. She still refused to tell him, and the prince was no closer to answers than he had been when the year began. The day before the princes were due to present their brides, the white cat told the prince that she could give him a lovely princess to take home. However, the prince had to do whatever she told him for this to happen.
When he agreed, the white cat told the prince to cut off her head!
(Don’t ask me why, but this actually isn’t that uncommon for fairy tales. Animals are often beheaded at their own request in order to help their humans. It’s quite strange and gruesome, but it happens a lot...)
The prince, of course, refused. By this time he had spent nearly three full years with the white cat. He was quite fond of her, and the concept of killing her was horrifying to him. He begged her to ask something else of him, but the white cat shook her head and insisted. Eventually the prince was forced to comply. Unable to watch, he struck the head off of the white cat (I told you, horrifying!)!
And then...something happened. From the beheaded white cat sprang a beautiful human woman! The prince was so astonished by this that he could do nothing but stare...and, while he stared, the doors to the chamber opened and in flowed a huge number of knights and court ladies, all of them carrying the skin of a cat! They surrounded the woman and congratulated her on having returned to her human form. She allowed this for a short time before asking them to leave she and the prince alone.
Once the room was empty, she explained her backstory to the prince. Her mother had traded the princess to a group of fairies in exchange for some of their fruit. The fairies raised the princess in a tall tower, and were quite kind to her, but she was never allowed to leave. One day a prince happened upon her tower and the two began to chat. He returned every day, and she eventually agreed to marry him. She was in the act of escaping when one of the fairies happened to come by to visit. The prince was killed, and the princess was transformed into a white cat, along with all of her parent’s court. The servants of the castle were simply transformed into hands.
The princess’ curse could only be broken if a prince who looked exactly like her former love would fall in love with her, the princess explained. The prince was quite overjoyed at this news, and declared his love for her immediately. The princess, who returned his affection, agreed to marry him. The two set off for the king’s castle in a splendid company studded in jewels and precious metals.
As you might imagine, the former white cat was more beautiful than either of the princesses that the prince’s brothers had brought home. Luckily, she had a solution that left the whole family happy. The white cat possessed a total of six kingdoms. She offered to give the king a kingdom in addition to his own, and to give one to each of the brothers; this would still leave she and the prince three kingdoms to rule over.
With this deal, there was a grand triple marriage. The princes set out to rule their respective kingdoms, and they all lived happily ever after.
Oh my goodness, I forgot how long this fairy tale is! If you love details, I recommend reading the original version. I cut out most of the descriptions, which are immensely rich and complicated.
I hope you enjoyed the story of The White Cat! It is probably my favorite fairy tale. I adore the fact that it has a male protagonist; many fairy tales do, but you don’t see many of them in modern adaptations. Being a cat lover, I of course love the concept of a whole court of cats! I also find the similarities to Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel fascinating.
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to post below or email me! I’ll be back next week with another fairy tale!
No comments:
Post a Comment