Donkeyskin

"Donkeyskin" (French: Peau d'Âne) is a French literary fairy tale written in verse by Charles Perrault. It first appeared in a small 1695 edition and was later republished in 1697 in Histoires ou contes du temps passé. A gentler version was later included by Andrew Lang in The Grey Fairy Book. The tale is classified under Aarne-Thompson type 510B, which centers around the theme of unnatural or taboo love.

The story begins with a prosperous king who owes his vast wealth to a miraculous donkey that produces gold. He lives happily with his beautiful wife and their daughter, the princess. Before the queen dies from illness, she makes the king promise to remarry only if he can find a woman whose beauty and virtues equal her own. Years later, the king finally begins to search for a new bride, only to discover that the only woman who matches the queen’s beauty is his own daughter.

Horrified, the princess turns to her godmother, the Lilac Fairy, for help. The fairy advises her to make impossible demands in hopes of deterring the king: a dress the color of the sky, a dress as pale as the moon, one as brilliant as the sun, and finally, the skin of the magical donkey. To the princess’s dismay, the king fulfills each request. Realizing she must flee, the Lilac Fairy gives her a magic chest to hold the dresses, and the princess disguises herself in the donkey’s skin to escape.

Disguised and unrecognizable, she finds shelter and work in another kingdom, where the locals nickname her “Donkeyskin” due to her filthy, ragged appearance. Despite her humble disguise, she secretly wears her beautiful dresses in private. One day, while she is dressed in one of her gowns, the young prince of the land catches a glimpse of her through a keyhole and falls instantly in love.

The prince becomes heartsick and refuses to eat unless a cake is baked for him by Donkeyskin. As she prepares it, her ring accidentally falls into the batter. When the prince discovers the ring, he vows to marry only the woman whose finger it fits. After every eligible woman in the kingdom fails the test, Donkeyskin is summoned. To everyone’s amazement, the ring fits her perfectly. She removes the donkey skin, revealing her radiant gown beneath.

The Lilac Fairy appears and explains Donkeyskin’s story to the royal court. Once her identity is revealed, the prince’s parents joyfully approve the match. Donkeyskin marries the prince in a grand celebration and is later reunited with her father, who has since married a kind and noble widow.