Finette Cendron facts for kids

Finette Cendron (which means Cunning Cinders in English) is a classic French fairy tale. It was written by a famous author named Madame d'Aulnoy. This story is a bit like other well-known tales such as "Cinderella". It shares themes of a clever hero overcoming challenges and finding happiness. It combines elements from two types of traditional stories, known as Aarne-Thompson-Uther types 327A and 510A.

The Story of Finette Cendron

A Royal Family's Hardship

Once upon a time, a king and queen lost their kingdom. They also lost all their money and became very poor. The queen decided she would make fishing nets. The king could then catch birds and fish to feed them. They had three daughters, but the queen thought they were not helpful. She told the king to take them somewhere far away and leave them there.

Finette's Clever Escapes

Their youngest daughter, Finette, heard this terrible plan. She quickly went to find her fairy godmother. Finette got tired on the way and sat down to cry. A jennet (a small horse) appeared. Finette asked it to carry her to her godmother. Her godmother gave her a special ball of thread. If Finette tied it to her house door, it would lead her back home. She also received a bag filled with beautiful gold and silver dresses.

The next day, the queen led her daughters into a meadow. She told them to go to sleep. Then, she left them there. Finette's sisters were not kind to her. But Finette woke them up. Her sisters promised her many things if she would lead them home. Finette used the magic thread, and they found their way back. Their mother pretended she had only left to get something. The sisters blamed Finette for everything. They did not give her what they promised and even hit her.

The queen decided to take them even further away next time. So, Finette visited her godmother again. This time, her godmother told her to bring a sack of ashes. She should use the ashes to make footprints. But her godmother warned her not to bring her sisters back. She said Finette would never see her again if she did. The queen led them away again. Her sisters cried about their bad luck. Finette felt sorry for them and helped them return home.

The king and queen planned for a third time. The middle sister suggested they leave peas along their path. But Finette brought her jewelry and the bag of clothes instead. When the queen left them, pigeons had eaten all the peas. They could not find their way back home.

The Ogre's Castle

Finette found an acorn. She refused to let her sisters eat it. Instead, they planted it. For food, they ate cabbages and lettuce they found. The acorn grew into a tall tree. Finette climbed it to see if she could spot anything. One day, her sisters looked into Finette's bag. They found her jewelry and stole it. They put stones in its place.

Later, Finette saw a dazzling castle from the tree. Her sisters stole her beautiful clothes and jewelry. They left her in rags when they went to the castle. A huge, scary old woman lived there. She told them it was an ogre's castle. She said she would let them live for a few days. The sisters tried to run away, but she caught them. The ogre returned home. The old woman hid the sisters because she wanted to eat them herself. The ogre smelled them. The old woman convinced him to let them stay and look after the castle. This way, she could eat them when he was gone.

While the sisters were working, Finette played a trick on the ogre. She tricked him into getting into the oven. She then burned him to ashes. Next, she tricked the ogress. Finette told her that if she let them dress her and do her hair, she would soon find a noble husband. While Finette was doing her hair, she cleverly cut off the ogress's head.

The Prince's Search

Finette's sisters dressed themselves in the castle's treasures. They went to the nearest town to find husbands. They threatened to beat Finette if the castle was not perfectly clean. They came back with stories of dancing with the king's son. They kept going to the town and leaving Finette behind.

One day, Finette found an old key. It was made of gold and opened a chest. The chest was full of beautiful clothing. When her sisters left, Finette dressed herself. She followed them to the ball. There, she called herself Cendron. Everyone at the ball was charmed by her.

This went on for many days. The chest always produced new, beautiful clothes. But one day, Finette had to leave in a hurry. She needed to get back before her sisters. In her rush, she left behind a red velvet slipper. It was embroidered with pearls. The king's oldest son found it and became very sad. No doctor could make him better. He said he had fallen in love with the woman whose shoe it was. So, the king ordered all the women in the kingdom to try on the slipper.

Finette's sisters went to try it on. But Finette did not know the way. She dressed herself and found the jennet at her door again. She rode past her sisters, splashing them with mud. When Finette put on the slipper, it fit perfectly. The prince wanted to marry her right away. But Finette insisted on one thing. She told the king, who had taken her parents' kingdom, that he must give it back to them first. The king and prince agreed. Finette married the prince. She also arranged for her sisters to marry. Finally, she sent gifts back to the jennet for her fairy godmother.