Cat-Skin

There was once a king whose queen had hair of the purest gold and was so beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole earth. When she fell ill and felt her end draw near, she called the king and made him promise never to marry unless he found a wife as beautiful as she was, with golden hair like hers. He promised in his grief; she shut her eyes and died. For a long time he would not think of another wife. At last his wise men said this would not do—the king must marry, that they might have a queen. Messengers went far and wide, but no princess was so beautiful, and none had golden hair. They came home having had all their trouble for nothing.

The king had a daughter just as beautiful as her mother, with the same golden hair. When she was grown he looked at her and said to his courtiers that he might marry his own daughter—she was the image of the dead queen, and without her he would find no bride on earth. The courtiers were shocked: Heaven forbid that a father should marry his daughter; out of so great a sin no good could come. The princess was shocked too, but hoped he would give the thought up. So she said that until she married anyone she must have three dresses—one of gold like the sun, one of shining silver like the moon, and one dazzling as the stars—and besides that a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur, to which every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin. She thought that would end the matter. But the king set the most skilful workmen to weave the three dresses, and his hunters took the finest fur from every beast, until a mantle of a thousand furs was ready.

When all were sent to her, she rose in the night while the household slept, took three trinkets—a golden ring, a golden necklace, and a golden brooch—packed the three dresses into a nutshell, wrapped herself in the fur mantle, and besmeared her face and hands with soot. She threw herself upon Heaven for help and journeyed the whole night until she came to a large wood. Tired out, she sat in the hollow of a tree and slept till midday.

The king who owned that wood was hunting; his dogs snuffed round the tree and barked. “Look sharp,” he told the huntsmen, “and see what game lies there.” They came back saying a wonderful beast lay asleep in the hollow, its skin seeming a thousand kinds of fur. “Catch it alive,” said the king. When they lifted her she woke frightened and said she was a poor child who had neither father nor mother left—have pity and take her with them. “Yes, Miss Cat-skin,” they said; “you will do for the kitchen; you can sweep up the ashes.” They put her in the coach, showed her a dark corner under the staircase where no daylight peeped in, and sent her to fetch wood and water, blow the fire, pluck poultry, pick herbs, sift ashes, and do all the dirty work.

Thus she lived a long time very sorrowfully. One day a feast was to be held in the castle. She asked the cook if she might go up a little while and stand behind the door. “Yes,” said the cook, “but be back in half an hour to rake out the ashes.” She took her little lamp into her cabin, pulled off the fur, washed the soot away so that her beauty shone like the sun from behind clouds, opened the nutshell, put on the dress that shone like the sun, and went to the feast. Everyone made way for her; they thought she could be no less than a king’s daughter. The king held out his hand and danced with her, thinking he had never seen anyone half so beautiful. When the dance ended she curtsied and vanished; the guards at the gate had seen no one. She had run to her cabin, pulled off the dress, blackened her face and hands, put on the fur cloak, and was Cat-skin in the kitchen. When she began to rake the ashes the cook said to leave that till morning and heat the king’s soup—he wanted a peep upstairs—but she must not let a hair fall into it, or she would never eat.

As soon as the cook left, Cat-skin heated the soup, toasted a slice of bread as nicely as she could, and slipped her little golden ring into the dish. The soup pleased the king so well he thought he had never tasted better. At the bottom he found the gold ring and sent for the cook. The cook was frightened and accused Cat-skin of letting a hair fall; then he told the king he himself had cooked it. The king knew better—it was better done than the cook could do. Forced to tell the truth, the cook named Cat-skin. She came up. “Who are you?” “A poor child that has lost both father and mother.” “How came you in my palace?” “I am good for nothing but to be scullion-girl and have boots and shoes thrown at my head.” She would not own the ring; the king sent her back to her work.

Later a second feast was held. Cat-skin begged leave to look on; the cook agreed if she returned in half an hour to cook the soup the king liked so much. She washed, put on the dress silvery as the moon, and danced with the king, who rejoiced to see her. She slipped out slyly, became Cat-skin, and while the cook was upstairs dropped the golden necklace into the soup. The king was pleased and sent for Cat-skin; she still said she was only fit to have boots thrown at her head.

When the king ordered a third feast, the cook grumbled that Cat-skin must be a witch, for something in her soup always pleased the king better than his—yet he let her go up. She put on the dress that sparkled like the stars. The king danced with her and thought she had never looked so beautiful. While they danced he slipped a gold ring on her finger without her seeing and ordered the dance kept up a long time. When it ended he would have held her fast, but she slipped through the crowd, ran to her cabin, and stayed too long: she had no time to take off the fine dress, threw the fur mantle over it, and in her haste left one finger white when she blackened herself.

She cooked the soup and dropped the golden brooch into the dish. When the king called her he saw the white finger and his own ring on it. He seized her hand; as she tried to spring away the fur cloak fell aside and the starry dress sparkled underneath. He tore the fur off; her golden hair and beautiful form were seen. She washed the soot and ashes from her face and stood the most beautiful princess upon the earth. “You are my beloved bride,” said the king, “and we will not be parted.” The wedding feast was held, and a merry day it was as ever was heard of in that country.

About this story

“Cat-Skin” is from Project Gutenberg’s Grimms’ Fairy Tales (#2591), based on the English translations of Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes. The German title is “Allerleirauh,” meaning roughly “all kinds of fur”; Margaret Hunt keeps the German name and lists it as number 65.

Perrault’s “Donkey-Skin” (“Peau d’Âne”) shares the escape from a father’s proposed marriage, an animal-skin disguise and impossible dresses; the dress descriptions differ between tellings. This page retells the Taylor/Edwardes “Cat-Skin,” retaining its troubling revelation and marriage ending.

Read the original: Grimms’ Fairy Tales (Project Gutenberg #2591)

Reading guidance: older readers. Includes a father’s attempt to marry his daughter, escape from abuse, degrading treatment at work and a second king forcibly removing her disguise. Her father’s conduct is his responsibility; neither her appearance nor her mother’s dying request excuses it.

Reading the story closely

The costly dresses first fail as obstacles to the father’s plan, then become possessions the princess can take into a new life. The fur works in the opposite direction: it hides the status that makes people welcome her at the dances. Her skill with soup attracts attention before the second king knows her identity, yet the household still treats the kitchen worker as disposable.

Track who controls each revealing object: she puts her trinkets in the soup, but the king secretly places his ring on her and later tears away the fur. These acts are not equivalent. Discuss what a recognition scene would need to let her decide when to disclose her story and whether to marry.

Talk about it

• Why did the princess ask for three impossible dresses and a coat of a thousand furs?
• How did Cat-skin use the soup and the little gold trinkets to show the king who she was?
• Which clues does Cat-skin choose to reveal, and which parts of the final discovery does the king force?

Related stories

• Ashputtel — another Grimm heroine who works in the ashes and dances at royal feasts
• The Goose-Girl — a Grimm princess forced into humble work until the truth comes out
• Snow-White and Rose-Red — another Grimm story where goodness is rewarded with a royal marriage