The real Cinderella story was a little more like the movie "Pretty Woman"

 

After a very stressful day yesterday I needed a break from reality so I watched the new Cinderella movie on Prime Video. They launched it with Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation so they pretty much had me at hello. It was the perfect elixir for my day. But my brain never really takes a holiday. It was just redirected to a new line of thinking. I started thinking about the longevity of the story of Cinderella and all the remakings. In the story, Cinderella was a commoner who actually came from nobility because her father who passed away was a nobleman. So Cinderella was accustomed to the finer things and would not take no for an answer when it came to going to that ball. You could paint her as spoiled child, or you could paint her as a strong woman who refused to accept her lot in life. In any case, magic intervened to bring her what she wished for. What does this have to do with my blog about my ancestry? Let me explain. 

There is a common idea among people with RH negative blood type that people with this blood type tend to be attracted to each other for some reason. So my mind went to this thought, "The Prince felt an immediate connection with her because they were both RH negative." And then I felt a little silly because this is fiction. But then I thought, is it really? 

As it turns out, there is a historical backstory for Cinderella and leads all the way back to the time before the birth of Jesus in the land of Egypt: 

The story is first recorded by the Greek geographer Strabo (64 or 63 BC – c. 24 AD) in his Geographica (book 17, 33), written sometime between c. 7 BC and c. 24 AD:

They tell the fabulous story that, when she was bathing, an eagle snatched one of her sandals from her maid and carried it to Memphis; and while the king was administering justice in the open air, the eagle, when it arrived above his head, flung the sandal into his lap; and the king, stirred both by the beautiful shape of the sandal and by the strangeness of the occurrence, sent men in all directions into the country in quest of the woman who wore the sandal; and when she was found in the city of Naucratis, she was brought up to Memphis, became the wife of the king.^[3]    - wikipedia                                                                                               

The original Cinderella was named Rhodopis which was really fascinating to me because in the book I am writing, the supernatural beings are called The Rhu. The story of Rhodopis gets a bit murky in the telling and retelling. One story has her a stolen slave who had a kind master who bought her some sparkling red sandals because of her sweet dance moves, much to the dismay of the other servants. In another version of it, she was a high class prostitute called a Hetaira. They were known to be highly educated and talented performers. In this version the other servant girls were neither servants or evil step sisters but actually dark haired prostitutes who were jealous of her strawberry blond hair, green eyes, pink skin (all known traits of RH negative bloodline BTW) and popularity with clients. Rhodopis means pink cheeked. In any case, her shoe ended up in the hands of the Pharaoh because of a falcon (whom they believed was the God Horace) who snatched one of them and flew it all the way to Memphis Egypt where it dropped into his lap. The Pharaoh then searched all through the land to find the foot that fit and when he found her, he married her. The story fails to mention that Pharaoh's had many wives and most likely she was added to his collection and this may be why her name is lost in time to the history books. Her name cannot be found on the list of Queen's of Egypt. Some speculate that Rhodopis was not her real name and that she might actually be Nitocris.

If that is her real name, then she is my 83rd great aunt. In any case, this little research project led me to even more Kings and Queens in my bloodline who's names you can read in the relationship path between my mother and Nitocris the Queen of Babylon below. It blows my mind to know that all of these people are my grandparents.  

Neitaqert (Nitocris), Queen of Babylon is your 83rd great aunt.

Angela Jossy  → Verla Rae Jossy
your mother → Helen King Wilson
her father → Orville William King
his father → Eliza King
his mother → Charles Fox
her father → Henry Fox
his father → Crispus Fox
his father → John Fox
his father → Mary Fox
his mother → Mary Boreman
her mother → Nathaniel Chittenden, I
her father → Joanna Cruttenden
his mother → Joan Sheafe
her mother → Joan Jordan
her mother → Sir James Croft
her father → Lady Catrin Herbert
his mother → Sir Richard Herbert, of Montgomery
her father → Margaret verch Thomas
his mother → Elizabeth Gruffudd
her mother → Sir John Griffith, Kt., of Abermarlais
her father → Ann Griffith
his mother → Sancha Blount, Lady de Ayala
her mother → D. Diego Gómez de Toledo, I señor de Casarrubios y Valdepusa
her father → Gómez Pérez de Toledo, II
his father → Teresa Vázquez de Acuña
his mother → Vasco Martins da Cunha, "o Seco", 5º senhor de Tábua
her father → Joana Rodrigues de Nomães
his mother → Rodrigo Martins de Nomães
her father → Dom Martim Gonçalves de Nomães
his father → Remón II de Monterroso, III conde de Monterroso
his father → Rodrigo Romaes, II conde de Monterroso y de Santa Marta de Ortigueira
his father → Dª. Teresa Arias
his mother → Conde de Monterroso Arias Núñez, senhor da Casa do Sirgal
her father → Elvira Sorred
his mother → Teresa hija de Fávila
her mother → Witiza I, rey de los visigodos
her father → Cixilo Balthes, Emperatriz de Hispania
his mother → Ervigio, rey de los visigodos
her father → Artavasdes Balthes de los visigodos
his father → Flavia Juliana
his mother → Anastasia Aerobinda
her mother → Anastasius
her father → Flavius Anastasius Paulus Probus Sabinianus Pompeius Anastasius
his father → Flavius Sabianus Probus
his father → Flavia Magna
his mother → Maria
her mother → Petronius Maximus, Roman Emperor
her father → Anicius Probinus
his father → Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus
his father → Petronius Probinus
his father → Anicia
his mother → Amnia Demetrias
her mother → Flavia Minor
her mother → Claudia Capitolina
her mother → Tiberius Claudius Bassus Capitolinus
her father → Tiberius Claudius
his father → Tiberius Claudius
his father → Tiberius Claudius Capitolinus
his father → Tiberius Claudius Balbillus
his father → Aka Ii of Commagene
his mother → Iotapa
her mother → Athenais
her mother → Antiochos Théos, I, King of Commagene
her father → Mithridates I Callinicus, king of Commagene
his father → Sames II, king of Commagene
his father → Ptolemy I, king of Commagene
his father → Orontes IV, king of Armenia
his father → Arsames I, king of Armenia, Sophene & Commagene
his father → Samos I, satrap of Commagene
his father → Aroandes (Orontes) III, King of Armenia
his father → Mithridates / Mithrenes, King of Armenia
his father → Orontes II, king of Armenia
his father → Princess of Persia Rodogoune
his mother → Artaxerxes II Mnemon, king of Persia
her father → Darius II, King of Persia
his father → Artaxerxes I, King of Persia
his father → Xerxes I 'the Great', king of Persia
his father → Atossa, queen Consort of Persia
his mother → Cyrus II the Great, King of Persia
her father → Mandane, Queen of Anshan
his mother → Astyages, king of the Medes
her father → Vashti Amestris
his mother → Belshazzar
her father → Amel-Marduk King of Babylon
his father → Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon
his father → Neitaqert (Nitocris), Queen of Babylon
his daughter

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Side note: I also discovered that I am a direct descendent of perhaps the most famous king of them all: Nebuchadnezzar. 

Ruling for 43 years, Nebuchadnezzar was the longest-reigning king of the Chaldean dynasty. At the time of his death, Nebuchadnezzar was among the most powerful rulers in the world.

He is also linked to the Tower of Babel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etemenanki

Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon is your 83rd great grandfather.

Angela Jossy
 → Verla Rae Jossy
your mother → Helen King Wilson
her father → Orville William King
his father → Eliza King
his mother → Charles Fox
her father → Henry Fox
his father → Crispus Fox
his father → John Fox
his father → Mary Fox
his mother → Mary Boreman
her mother → Nathaniel Chittenden, I
her father → Joanna Cruttenden
his mother → Joan Sheafe
her mother → Joan Jordan
her mother → Sir James Croft
her father → Lady Catrin Herbert
his mother → Sir Richard Herbert, of Montgomery
her father → Margaret verch Thomas
his mother → Elizabeth Gruffudd
her mother → Sir John Griffith, Kt., of Abermarlais
her father → Ann Griffith
his mother → Sancha Blount, Lady de Ayala
her mother → D. Diego Gómez de Toledo, I señor de Casarrubios y Valdepusa
her father → Gómez Pérez de Toledo, II
his father → Teresa Vázquez de Acuña
his mother → Vasco Martins da Cunha, "o Seco", 5º senhor de Tábua
her father → Joana Rodrigues de Nomães
his mother → Rodrigo Martins de Nomães
her father → Dom Martim Gonçalves de Nomães
his father → Remón II de Monterroso, III conde de Monterroso
his father → Rodrigo Romaes, II conde de Monterroso y de Santa Marta de Ortigueira
his father → Dª. Teresa Arias
his mother → Conde de Monterroso Arias Núñez, senhor da Casa do Sirgal
her father → Elvira Sorred
his mother → Teresa hija de Fávila
her mother → Witiza I, rey de los visigodos
her father → Cixilo Balthes, Emperatriz de Hispania
his mother → Ervigio, rey de los visigodos
her father → Artavasdes Balthes de los visigodos
his father → Flavia Juliana
his mother → Anastasia Aerobinda
her mother → Anastasius
her father → Flavius Anastasius Paulus Probus Sabinianus Pompeius Anastasius
his father → Flavius Sabianus Probus
his father → Flavia Magna
his mother → Maria
her mother → Petronius Maximus, Roman Emperor
her father → Anicius Probinus
his father → Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus
his father → Petronius Probinus
his father → Anicia
his mother → Amnia Demetrias
her mother → Flavia Minor
her mother → Claudia Capitolina
her mother → Tiberius Claudius Bassus Capitolinus
her father → Tiberius Claudius
his father → Tiberius Claudius
his father → Tiberius Claudius Capitolinus
his father → Tiberius Claudius Balbillus
his father → Aka Ii of Commagene
his mother → Iotapa
her mother → Athenais
her mother → Antiochos Théos, I, King of Commagene
her father → Mithridates I Callinicus, king of Commagene
his father → Sames II, king of Commagene
his father → Ptolemy I, king of Commagene
his father → Orontes IV, king of Armenia
his father → Arsames I, king of Armenia, Sophene & Commagene
his father → Samos I, satrap of Commagene
his father → Aroandes (Orontes) III, King of Armenia
his father → Mithridates / Mithrenes, King of Armenia
his father → Orontes II, king of Armenia
his father → Princess of Persia Rodogoune
his mother → Artaxerxes II Mnemon, king of Persia
her father → Darius II, King of Persia
his father → Artaxerxes I, King of Persia
his father → Xerxes I 'the Great', king of Persia
his father → Atossa, queen Consort of Persia
his mother → Cyrus II the Great, King of Persia
her father → Mandane, Queen of Anshan
his mother → Astyages, king of the Medes
her father → Vashti Amestris
his mother → Belshazzar
her father → Amel-Marduk King of Babylon
his father → Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon
his father