"Peau d'asne." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-36.

Tale Summary

A princess lives in the palace with her parents the king and the queen, surrounded by interesting people and horses, and a donkey with big ears that, instead of producing waste, produces gold coins. The queen grows ill, and makes the king promise to only marry another woman as wise and beautiful as she. The queen believes he will never find such a woman, but in fact, the king falls madly in love with the only woman who can surpass the charms of the wife, his daughter, the princess.

Miserable, the princess goes to her fairy godmother, who says she can avoid the marriage without refusing. She tells her to ask her father for a dress the color of the sky (temps), believing this to be impossible. The father has it done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the color of the moon, and this too is done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the sun, which the king has made with fabric of gold and diamonds. The godmother then recommends that she asks for the skin of the donkey, believing that the king would not deprive himself of this source of wealth. But, with a love of his daughter stronger than that of gold, he has the skin delivered.

The princess runs away, wearing the donkey skin and carrying her godmother's magic wand, which has the power to summon a magic chest packed with her dresses and toiletries. She finds a farmer to take her in as a servant. The valets call her "Peau d'Asne" (Donkey Skin) and make fun of her. On Sundays, alone in her room, she admires herself in the beautiful dresses.

One day, Prince Cephale sees her in her beautiful dress, is consumed with love and desire, and tells his mother, the Queen, that he wants Peau d'Asne to make him a cake. Peau d'Asne, perhaps by accident, or perhaps intentionally because she senses she is loved, bakes a ring into the cake. To heal his yearning heart, the court searches for the woman whose finger will fit the ring, who will become the Prince's bride. All the women of the town attempt to carve down their fingers to fit the dainty ring. Finally, Peau d'Asne fits the ring. She presents herself to the court in her finest dress. At the wedding, the fairy godmother reveals the entire story, and Peau d'Asne is crowned with glory and reunited with her father, whose desire has been tempered with time.