Marian Roalfe Cox

Marian Roalfe Cox was born in London. She joined the Folklore Society of Britain in 1888, and became an Honorary Member in 1904.^[2] In 1893, on a commission from the society, Cox produced Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-Five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin and, Cap O' Rushes, Abstracted and Tabulated with a Discussion of Medieval Analogues and Notes,^[3] a seminal work in the study of Cinderella, introduced by Andrew Lang.^[4] She also wrote An Introduction to Folk-Lore (1895).^[5] She died on 30 November 1916 of pneumonia due to influenza, after years of fragile health and solitude.^[1] She led "an uneventful life, but rich in interests—musical, literary, and scientific," wrote Charlotte Sophia Burne in a tribute.^[2]

Prior to anthologization and folklore indices, Cox identified five broad types:^[4][6]

• A – Ill-treated heroine. Recognition by means of a shoe. Among the examples included: Cinderella, Katie Woodencloak, Finette Cendron, The Sharp Grey Sheep, Fair, Brown and Trembling, Aschenputtel, Rushen Coatie, and The Wonderful Birch. It corresponds to Aarne–Thompson type 510A.^[4]
• B – Unnatural father. Heroine flight. Among the examples included: Catskin, Donkeyskin, The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter, Allerleirauh. It corresponds to Aarne–Thompson type 510B.^[4]
• C – King Lear judgment. Outcast heroine. Among the examples included: Cap O' Rushes, The Goose-Girl at the Well. Includes tales later classified as ATU 923, "Love Like Salt".
• D – Indeterminate Among the examples included: One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes (which she listed as approximating "Cinderella"), The Bear (which she listed as approximating "Catskin") and Tattercoats (which approximated neither)
• E – Hero Tales (Masculine Cinderella.) Among the examples included: The Little Bull-Calf, The Glass Mountain.