Cap-o'-Rushes

[1] Jacobs gives his source as "Contributed by Mrs. Walter-Thomas to "Suffolk Notes and Queries" of the Ipswich Journal, published by Mr. Lang in Longman's Magazine, vol.

She made herself a garment of rushes, to wear over her fine clothing, and found a great house where she begged a job scrubbing the dishes, and because she gave them no name, they called her "Cap-o'-Rushes."

The master's son sent for the cook and demanded to know who had made the gruel, and then summoned Cap-o'-Rushes, and questioned her until she admitted she was the woman and took off her rushes.

This left all the dishes without flavour, and her father, who was a guest, burst into tears because he finally realised what his daughter had meant, and now he feared she was dead.

In his 1987 guide to folktales, folklorist D. L. Ashliman classified the tale, according to the international Aarne-Thompson Index, as type AaTh 510B, "A King Tries To Marry His Daughter",[5] thus related to French tale Donkeyskin, by Charles Perrault, and other variants, such as Allerleirauh, Mossycoat, The Bear, The She-Bear and The King who Wished to Marry his Daughter.

[6] Ashliman also classified the tale under type ATU 923, "Love Live Salt": a princess answers her father she loves him like salt, and is banished for it; later, she marries a prince and invites her father to a banquet, where the king tastes a saltless dish and finally understands what his daughter meant.

Now a beggar, he arrives at the King of England's castle, and is welcome to partake of a fine meal and to be washed clean and shaved.

Rush Cape sees the beggar is her father, and orders the cook to prepare the food without salt.