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Traditional
Fairy Stories
of Brittany
Bethan Lewis

Traditional
Fairy Stories
of Briany

Traditional
Fairy Stories
of Briany
wrien & illustrated by
Bethan Lewis
Nezert Books

First Published 2007
Published by Nezert Books
Le Nezert, 22160 Duault, France
Copyright © 2007 Nezert Books
International Standard Book Number: 0-9522705 8 7
Printed and bound in France by
J Y Concept 29270 Carhaix
All the stories included in this edition were originally commissioned for the Central
Brittany Journal between 2004 and 2007. They are new re-tellings of traditional stories.
Thanks to Wendy Lewis for the illustration on page 43.

Contents
The Biniou ...................................................................................1
The Widow’s Son and the Three Dogs.........................................3
The Clogmaker’s Daughter ..........................................................9
The Kind-Hearted Prince ...........................................................13
Armel the Soldier .......................................................................17
The Three Brothers and their Sister ...........................................22
Princess Marcassa ......................................................................27
Isidore and Mariannik ................................................................37
Yves and Yvonne ........................................................................43
Sir Bayard and the Princess with the Golden Hair ....................49
The Three Brothers ....................................................................55
The Toad King and the Frog Queen ...........................................59
Prince Pengar and the Genie ......................................................63
Sickle and Spade are Worth a Fortune .......................................69
Jebedic le Ribet ..........................................................................73
Lame Jobik .................................................................................79
How Fransez Pautremad Found his Fortune ..............................85
Jeanne, Jeanette and Jeaneton ....................................................89
The Little White Hare ................................................................93
The King’s Drummer .................................................................97
How a Shepherd Boy Won the King’s Daughter .....................103
The Golden Ox .........................................................................107
The Sorcerer’s Three Belts ......................................................113
The Two Golden Frogs ............................................................119
Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff ....................131
Victor and Victorine .................................................................139
Learning and Wisdom ..............................................................145

Preface
The Celtic countries of Western Europe have always been
famous for their rich tradition of stories and story telling. Of
all these countries, Brittany has a particularly rich and diverse
heritage of stories because storytelling remained an essentially
oral tradition right up until the beginning of the twentieth
century.
In the early 1900s, stories from different parts of Brittany were
collected and translated into French from the original Breton
dialects and since then have become familiar and well-loved
by successive generations of children throughout the whole of
France.
Surprisingly few of these tales have, however, ever been
published in the English language and this new collection aims
to make some of the most popular traditional Breton fairy stories
more easily accessible to a wider audience.

Once upon a time my grandmother’s
grandmother’s grandmother had a
son. One evening, when dusk was
falling, she sent him to the village, and to
get there he had to walk through a wood
in which there were often wolves. Before
leaving, the boy said:
“As there are wolves in the wood I will
bring my biniou; if the wolves come to eat
me, I will play them a tune before I die.”
When the boy entered the wood he heard the wolves,
which had smelt him, and he looked round for a tree
to climb. However, the trees were all small, and their
trunks were little more than the width of a man’s arm.
The boy managed to scramble up the biggest of them,
keeping tight hold of his biniou.
Hardly had he reached the top of the tree when a pack of about twenty
wolves surrounded it, barking and sniffing
at the trunk. They started to scratch at the
earth with their feet and soon they had
uncovered the roots; the little boy began to
think the tree would fall down and he said:
“At least before I am eaten I will play my
prettiest song on my biniou.”
He put the instrument to his lips, but as
soon as the wolves heard the unfamiliar
sound they took fright and ran off as if a pack of hounds was after
them.
Delighted by his escape, the boy climbed down from the tree and
continued down the road to the village; to keep off the wolves he played
his biniou all along the way; and he
reached home safely.
Told in 1880 by Bathilde Delaselle, aged 13, who
heard the story from her grandmother.
1

Once upon a time there lived a young man who took his mother’s
goat out every day to graze. One day an old woman passed by,
followed by three dogs.
“Will you give me your goat, in exchange for my dogs?” she said.
“Oh no,” said the young man. “ I know my goat is only small, but she gives
us milk, and what would I do with three dogs?”
The next day the old woman came to him again.
“Have you changed your mind?” she said.
“No,” said the young man. “Keep your animals, and I will
keep mine.”
The next day the old woman came to him again.
“Come, young man, will you change your mind?” she
said. “You will not regret it.”
The young man thought for a moment and decided
to agree.
“Very well,” he said. “Here is my goat.”
“Thank you,” said the old woman. “Here are
my dogs, and I also give you this golden whistle.
Blow it when you are in need, and the dogs will
come to you. Their names are Break-Iron,
Hunter, and Fleet-as-the-Wind.”
The young man’s mother was a poor
widow, who owned nothing in the
world but her goat. When
she heard of her son’s
strange bargain she
flew into a rage
and seized a stick.
Immediately,
Break-Iron leapt
at it and bit it
through as if it
were a piece of
straw.
3

The Widow’s Son and the Three Dogs
“Since you have given away our goat, I cannot feed you,” she said. “Go
out into the world and see if your dogs can provide for you.”
“As you please, Mother,” said the young man. He left the house where
his mother and sister lived and went with his dogs to a nearby forest. It
was full of animals, but after three months the dog called Hunter had killed
them all.
The young man decided to go to a forest outside Paris. He had heard that
this too was full of animals, but people were afraid of it, because no one
who entered it ever returned. He was curious to see it for himself, so he and
his sister set out for Paris together. She would keep house for him, while
he went out hunting.
When they reached the edge of the forest the young man was surprised
to see that the branches were so tangled that the sunlight could not pass
through. As he began to make his way into the forest he heard a voice
saying:
“Do not go any further, your life is in great danger!”
“Bah,” he said, “I have my three dogs.”
He found an empty house for his sister in a clearing, and then went
hunting in the forest. He saw many animals, but not a single person.
He had arranged with his sister that when she had made the midday meal,
she should ring a bell to tell him it was ready. That day, however, midday
came and went, and he did not hear the bell.
“Can anything have happened?” he said. “Let me hurry home!”
Something had indeed happened. That morning, when his sister was
tidying the rooms of the mysterious house, twenty-four giants appeared.
They were all so strong that they could lift up an ox as if it were nothing.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in our home?” they cried.
“Forgive me,” said the poor girl. “It is all my brother’s doing.”
“Truly,” said one of the giants, “you are too pretty to die, but you must
help us to punish your impudent brother.”
So saying he threw several handfuls of poison into the soup that was
cooking over the fire, and then he and his companions hurried away. No
sooner had they gone, but the young man and his three dogs entered the
kitchen. Break-Iron sniffed the air, and leapt at the cooking pot. It rolled
over spilling all the soup.
“What has happened, sister?” asked the young man.
“I was busy tidying the house,” said the girl. “That is why dinner was not
ready on time.”
Next morning the twenty-four giants returned.
4

The Widow’s Son and the Three Dogs
“Is your brother dead?” they said to the girl.
“No, Break-Iron smelt the poison, and spilt the soup,” she said.
“No matter, we will try something else. In the corner of this room is a
chair which freezes whoever sits in it. Tell your brother to sit there while
dinner is being prepared, and we will see to the rest.”
The giants left, and the girl rang the bell. Her brother soon arrived with
his dogs, but when Break-Iron saw the chair he growled and crunched it
to pieces.
When the giants found out what had happened they grew very angry.
They decided on a new plan, and persuaded the girl to help them.
The next day, when the young man came home he found his sister in
bed.
“Alas, my brother, I am very ill,” she said. “I feel that I am about to die.
Please fetch me a physician.”
The young man hurried out and came back with a physician. However,
the physician was really one of the twenty-four giants.
“I know what is wrong with this young woman,” he said. “But I only
know one cure for her.”
“What is it?” said the young man. “I would go to the end of the earth to
find it.”
“She must drink goat’s milk,” said the giant.
“If that is all, I will fetch it immediately,” said the
young man.
He took his dogs and returned to the old woman
who had given them to him.
“Please take your dogs and give me back my
goat,” he said. “I must have some goat’s milk,
or my sister will die.”
“As you please,” said the old woman. “I
only hope your kind heart does not get you
into trouble.”
When the young man came to the house
in the woods the twenty-four giants were
standing in the doorway.
“So here you are,” they said. “We have
a bone to pick with you.”
They seized him and threw him into
a deep pit, and rolled a stone over the
opening.
5

The Widow’s Son and the Three Dogs
He lay there a long while, and scarcely knew if he were alive or dead.
How he wished he had not given back his dogs! Suddenly he remembered
his golden whistle.
He blew it, and soon heard the sound of joyful barking. The stone was
crunched to pieces by Break-Iron, and Fleet-as-the-Wind carried him up
out of the pit.
He returned to the castle, and walked through the rooms, looking for his
sister. At last he found her, in the midst of celebrations for her betrothal to
one of the giants.
“Never let it be said that treachery did anyone any good, not even you!”
he cried, and set his dogs on them. They could not defend themselves, and
the giants and his sister were swiftly slain.
Filled with sorrow, the young man left the castle in the wood, and walked
to Paris.
In the city, he was surprised to see everyone in mourning.
“What is the matter?” he asked.
“Don’t you know?” cried the people. “There is a seven-headed dragon on
yonder hill. It has eaten all the maidens in the city, but no man can slay it.
Today it is the turn of the King’s daughter.”
“Very good,” said the young man. “My dogs and I are looking for a
difficult task. We shall see if this dragon is truly invincible.”
He could not be dissuaded, and he and his dogs set out from the city. He
soon met the King’s daughter, walking up the hill to the dragon.
“Turn back, my poor friend,” she said. “Only one need die.”
“Where I come from, young men do not let maidens be slain,” he replied.
“May God protect us both, Princess.”
They reached the top of the hill and he called to his dogs.
“Now Hunter – it is up to you!” The dog called Hunter ran off like a
streak of lightning, and chased the dragon out of its cave. It had seven
heads and was breathing fire. Its tail swept along the ground, and was over
twenty yards long.
“Now, Fleet-as-the-Wind!” said the young man.
The dog called Fleet-as-the-Wind ran at the dragon and began to dart
round and round it, biting it all over. After a quarter of an hour the dragon
was exhausted.
“Now it is our turn, Break-Iron,” cried the young man, and he rushed at
the dragon, sword in hand. Soon the terrible creature lay dead.
The Princess had looked on from afar, and now she came running up.
“How can I thank you?” she said. “Take this handkerchief embroidered
6

The Widow’s Son and the Three Dogs
with my name; wherever you show it they will know you as the Princess’s
deliverer. Take this vial of water too – it can bring the dead back to life. My
father will also want to reward you.”
“Thank you, Princess,” said the young man. “I will make use of this
water straight away.”
He cut off the dragon’s seven tongues, wrapped them in the handkerchief,
and returned to the giants’ house in the forest. Ever since his sister had died,
he had felt unhappy, and he longed to see her alive again. When he arrived
at the giants’ home, he found her where she was lying and bent and dropped
a little of the water on her face. She awoke as if from a long sleep, and
stood up, as well as ever. The young man then dropped water
on the faces of the twenty-four giants.
They awoke, shook themselves,
rubbed their eyes, and asked for
something to eat and drink.
“Young man,” they said.
“You have justly punished
us for the wrong we did
you. From now on we
will stand by you to the
death.”
About a year after this,
news reached them that
the Princess was to marry
her deliverer. The young man
wanted to know if this was
true, and he and his dogs and
the giants set out for Paris.
Now, when the Princess had
been left behind on the hill, a
knight who had been hiding
close by, had come up to her.
He had cut off the dragon’s
seven heads, and made the
princess promise to tell
everyone that he was her
deliverer. He had come
before the King, and
their marriage had been
arranged.
7

The Widow’s Son and the Three Dogs
When the young man arrived in Paris and saw the preparations for the
wedding he grew very angry. He told the giants to attack the guard, and
ordered Fleet-as-the-Wind to knock over the tables, while Break-Iron tore
the dishes from the servants’ hands.
The King called the young man to him, and indignantly asked him who
he was.
“Tell me, your Majesty,” said the young man. “Is he who took the dragon’s
tongues the Princess’s deliverer, or is it he who took the dragon’s heads?”
“It is he who has the dragon’s seven tongues,” said the King.
“Then I am the Princess’s deliverer,” said the young man, and he showed
the King the tongues wrapped in the Princess’s handkerchief.
The impostor was led away, and the young man was married to the
Princess. When the King died he became king in his place, and he ruled
for many years with the aid of the giants. They became his chief advisors,
and he was always protected by his dogs, Hunter, Break-Iron, and Fleetas-the-Wind.
Told by Mathurin Guilleray, tailor in Noyal-Pontivy
8

Once upon a time there was a poor clogmaker. He lived in the middle
of a forest, and had nothing in the world but his auger for hollowing
out wood, and his little hut. He had a great many children, and
every year another child was born. On the birth of his thirteenth child he
set off into the village to try to find someone to be its godfather. Before long
he met the Lord of the forest, who was out walking.
“Good day, my friend the clogmaker!” he
said.
“Good day, your honour,” the
clogmaker replied.
“Are you setting off to find your
fortune?” said the Lord.
“Alas, I have not met with my
fortune for many a long day,”
replied the clogmaker. “All I
get is children. My thirteenth
was born last night.”
“Your thirteenth!” cried
the Lord. “What a lucky
number. I would like to be
the godfather. Is it a boy or
a girl?”
“A girl, your honour, as
fair as an angel, with skin
like the lily and cheeks
like the rose,” said the
clogmaker.
“Indeed? I would like to
be not only her godfather
but also her foster father.
You and your wife will
be allowed to see her
whenever you wish.”
9

The Clogmaker’s Daughter
So it was that the clogmaker’s thirteenth child went to live in the castle
of the Lord of the forest. There was a splendid christening, and the little
girl was given the name Simone. The Lord already had three sons, called
Hervé, Iann and Stévan. They were still young, but growing as fast as oak
saplings in a ditch in Brittany. They welcomed the clogmaker’s child, and
she soon became their beloved sister. The Lord did not tell them that the
little girl was not his real daughter, and the four children grew up in the
greatest happiness. Every day they went out driving or riding in the woods,
hills and valleys, and every day the coachman had to clean the carriage and
harness the horses. At last he lost his temper, and said that he was tired of
working for a clogmaker’s daughter.
“What do you mean?” said the children.
“Ask your father,” said the coachman. Stévan ran to the Lord, and told
him what the coachman had said.
“It is true,” said the Lord. “Simone is of humble birth, but her goodness
of heart and sweet temper make her worthy to be your sister.”
“If Simone is not really my sister, then she can be my wife,” said
Stévan.
“Slowly, my son,” said the Lord. “Hervé and Iann may feel as you do,
and they are older than you are.”
This proved to be the case. When Hervé and Iann learnt the truth, they
also wished to make Simone their wife. They began to quarrel with each
other, and the Lord of the forest had to intervene.
“Do not quarrel,” he said, “I have a way to settle the matter. Here are a
thousand écus each. Go out into the world, and whoever returns with the
best present for Simone, may marry her.”
“Very well, Father,” said the young men. They set out, and soon arrived
in Paris, the city of a hundred marvels. They each went their own way, and
walked through the streets, looking about them with wonder. After a little
while Hérve saw a large crowd gathered in front of a carriage-maker’s
shop. The most splendid carriages were for sale, and Hervé went up to the
carriage maker to ask which was the most expensive.
“The most expensive carriage,” said the man. “It is that little one in the
corner. It costs a thousand écus.”
Hervé looked surprised, and the carriage maker said:
“It is no ordinary carriage. It will take a man anywhere in the world in
the blink of an eye.”
“Indeed? Then I will buy it.”
10

Meanwhile, Iann had entered a jeweller’s shop. There were many
beautiful rings, necklaces and precious stones for sale, and Iann looked at
them all. In amongst them was a pair of spectacles made of plain metal.
“You must not judge by appearances,” said the jeweller. “These spectacles
are worth handfuls of those precious stones.”
“Have they a special power?” asked Iann.
“They have indeed.” said the jeweller. “Whoever wears them can see
whatever he wishes, even if a wall is in between.”
“I will buy them,” said Iann. “Surely my brothers will not find so
wonderful a present for Simone.”
Meanwhile, Stévan had grown hungry and stopped at a fruit seller’s stall.
He asked the price of three rosy apples.
“A thousand écus,” said the fruit seller . “There are no fruits like those in
the world. They will cure anybody, even if they are at death’s door.”
“I will buy them,” said Stévan.
The three brothers met together again, all very pleased with their
presents.
“I wonder how Simone and
our parents are faring,” said
Iann. “I will try out my
spectacles.”
He put on the spectacles
and gave a cry:
“Oh brothers, we must
go home! Our parents
and Simone are very ill,
and will soon be dead.”
“Quick, get in my
carriage,” said Hervé.
In an instant, they
arrived back at the castle
in the forest.
“Never fear,” said
Stévan. “I will save
Simone and our parents
with my apples.”
He gave each of his
dying relatives an apple,
and no sooner did it
11
The Clogmaker’s Daughter

The Clogmaker’s Daughter
touch their lips, but they stood up as healthy as before. However, after a
little while the brothers began to quarrel.
Who had done the most to save Simone’s life, and who had brought her
the best present?
“Without my glasses you would not have known she was ill,” said Iann.
“Without my carriage you could not have arrived in time,” said Hervé.
“Without my apples, they would all be dead,” said Stévan.
Their father decided to settle the matter.
“My sons, do not quarrel,” he said. “It seems to me that only one of you
has a right to Simone, and that is Stévan. Iann still has his spectacles, and
Hervé still has his carriage, but Stévan has used his apples, and is as poor
as before. To make up for their loss, he deserves the hand of Simone.”
The young people praised the wisdom of the old man, and soon Stévan
married Simone, the clogmaker’s daughter. They lived for many years in
the castle in the forest, and children and grandchildren sprang up around
them, like little oak saplings about an oak tree.
Told by Janton Métour, of Noyal-Pontivy
12

Once upon a time there lived in Paris, or thereabouts, a king, who
had an only son. He brought him up with the greatest care, and as
the child grew he became more and more handsome, like a rose
tree that bears more blossoms every year. However, while the boy was still
young he was stolen away by gipsies. His happy life in his father’s court
was soon forgotten, and he had to wander from fair to fair with the gipsy
folk, dressed in rags, and earning what little he could.
When the leader of the gipsies was dying, he called the boy to him.
“Your place is not among us, young man,” he said. “You are the son of a
king. Take this ring. If you show it to your father he will recognise you as
his son.”
The young prince set forth, with a hunk of brown bread in his pocket to
feed him on his journey. He walked as long as the sun was in the sky, and
the crickets sang in the corn. When night began to draw on, he saw a poor
beggar seated on a milestone. He was holding
out his hand to passers-by, and seemed to
be very ill.
“Why are you sitting on
that milestone?”
asked the young
man. “The
passers-by cannot
make you well.
Come with me to
the city and I will
find some way
to heal you. The
physicians will
refuse nothing
to the son of the
King.”
13

The Kind-Hearted Prince
He drew forth his ring, and showed it to the beggar.
“Look,” he said, “I will show this to my father and he will soon recognise
me. Then I will be able to command whomever I please.”
The beggar arose and set off at the young man’s side. He was full of
gratitude and thanked the Prince again and again. However, his intentions
were evil.
They walked on for several days, and began to think that they must be
near the capital. It was very hot and they stopped to drink from a clear,
sparkling spring.
“God be thanked – ” said the Prince, “I am very thirsty.” He fell down
onto his knees at the water’s edge and began to drink. The beggar sprang
forward, took the ring, and pushed the young man into the spring.
Fortune protected the poor prince and he managed to scramble up
the bank. He walked on with wet clothes, and eyes full of tears. He was
wondering how he could recover his ring when he saw a crowd of ants.
They were in great distress because a horse had trodden on their nest, and
they were doing all they could to rebuild it. Their predicament moved the
Prince’s heart, and he knelt down, and helped the tiny creatures to repair
their home.
This time his kindness met with the gratitude it deserved. The ants
formed a circle around him and their queen bowed gracefully and began
to speak.
“Handsome young man, my people and I do not forget. No matter where
you are, if you call on us we will come to your aid.”
The Prince walked on and soon came to a pond, where
some ducks were making a loud commotion. One of them
had broken its wings and feet, and was being swept away
by the current. The Prince lifted it out of the water and set it
down on the bank. The ducks were amazed at this act of
kindness from a man, and one who seemed to be their leader began to
speak.
“A father never forgets a kindness done to his son,” he said. “Wherever
you are, O Prince, if you are in need, the King of the ducks will come to
your aid.”
The Prince walked on towards the walls of the capital, which could now
be seen against the sky. Suddenly he saw a magnificent steed
struggling to free itself from its chain, with which it was
entangled.
14

“If I do not help the poor creature, it will harm itself,” said the Prince.
He ran over to the horse and set it free.
“Thank you,” said the steed. “I belong to the King, your father, and if
you are ever in need I will do all I can to serve you.”
The Prince thanked him and walked on until he reached the city.
“If I could only see the King,” he thought, “maybe he would recognise
me without the ring.”
His wish was soon granted. When he entered the palace he caught sight
of the King, surrounded by a splendid entourage. A young man walked
by his side; he was wearing the ring and the Prince recognised him as the
beggar.
“Sire,” he cried, “that man is an impostor. The ring he wears was stolen.
I am your real son.”
The King looked angry and the beggar ground his teeth.
“If you wish to be believed, you must pass three tests,” said the King.
“Otherwise you shall not leave here alive. My most beautiful crown has
fallen into a pond, and no one can find it for me, for they say the pond is
bottomless. You must retrieve it!”
The poor prince went to the edge of the pond and began to weep. What
was he to do? Suddenly he remembered the promise of the King of the
ducks.
“King of the ducks, King of the ducks,” he cried, “ come to my aid.”
Immediately the pond was covered with ducks. They arrived from all
sides, some on foot, some through the air, and began to dive into the water.
Soon one appeared with the crown in its beak.
The King was filled with surprise and joy.
“Truly, young man, your powers are great,” he said. “Let us see if you
can pass the second test. In my barn I have a hundred sacks of corn, which
have been gnawed through by rats. You must gather together the grains,
and put them in new sacks before sunset.”
The young man went to the barn and called:
“Queen of the ants, Queen of the ants, come to my aid.”
The words had barely passed his lips before ants began to cover the
ground, never were so many seen at once. They gathered
together the corn, grain by grain and filled the new sacks
in an hour. All the young man had to do was fasten up the
tops.
The King was once again filled with amazement.
“Truly, there is no one like you,” he said. “I hope you
15
The Kind-Hearted Prince

The Kind-Hearted Prince
can pass your third test. This year has been very dry and all my people are
thirsty. I wish you to make three springs in this meadow, at which they can
quench their thirst.”
The young prince raised his voice and called:
“King’s horse, King’s horse, come to my aid.”
When the King’s horse heard these words it burst out of its stable and
ran like lightning to the Prince’s side. The young man mounted its back
and in three leaps, the fiery steed had reached the other side of the meadow.
At the spots where it had touched the ground there bubbled up springs of
sweet, clear water. The thirst of all the people, and even of their animals,
could now be quenched.
This time all the King’s doubts were removed.
“These tests have proved that you are my real son,” he said. “Let the
beggar be chased from the city like a thief.”
The command was carried out, and the kind-hearted prince ruled for
many years in great happiness, over the people in his care.
16

Once upon a time there lived a brave soldier called Armel. He
had journeyed through the world for six years, without meeting
anyone who was his equal, and at last he grew weary of wandering
and decided to return home to his village.
One evening he came to a tumble-down cottage, and saw an old woman
at the door spinning.
“Good evening, little mother,” said Armel, bowing respectfully. “Would
you be so kind as to tell me where I can find board and lodging for the
night?”
“Gladly, my son,” she said. “Take the road on your left that goes up the
hill. When you come to the end, you will see a castle. Crows and owls fly
about its walls. If you are not afraid, you may go in and you will find a
good meal and soft beds. Take care not to sleep too soundly, however, for
they say the castle is inhabited by unfriendly spirits. For many hundreds of
years a maiden has been imprisoned there, and although many brave men
have tried to free her, they all have failed.”
“By my patron, Saint Armel,” said Armel, “this is an adventure after
my own heart. Let us hope that I will be more successful than my
predecessors.”
He wished the old woman farewell, and set off for the castle. He entered
the courtyard and rang the bell in the belfry, but no one appeared. Inside,
every room was empty.
“No one seems to be awake here,” said Armel. “I fear that there will be
nothing to eat.”
No sooner had he said these words but a table rose up from the floor
covered with many dishes. Armel ate and drank his fill, and when he had
finished, the table disappeared and a bed appeared in its place. Its sheets
and pillows were soft, and the coverlet was edged with lace.
“By my faith,” said Armel, “this is better than the barracks. I shall sleep
as well as the King of France tonight.”
However, he had not been in bed a quarter of an hour when he saw a
candle coming down the stairs carried by an invisible hand. Armel sat up
in bed and cried out:
17

Armel the Soldier
“Oho – I think you must be the master of this place.”
“Who is there?” asked a girl’s soft voice.
“Come here, and you will find out,” said Armel.
“I cannot – I would frighten you,” the voice replied.
“You will not frighten me,” said Armel. “I have wandered through the
world and met with many monsters, but I have never been afraid.”
“Very well,” said the voice, and a figure instantly appeared. It was so
ugly that Armel’s hair stood on end in spite of himself.
“There, I knew you would be frightened,” said the figure. “You will
never free me.”
“I am not frightened,” said Armel, “only surprised. What do you want
me to do?”
“You must spend three nights in this castle. Each night you will be beaten,
knocked about and ill treated. You must bear it all without saying a word.
In the morning rub the ointment in this pot over yourself, and you will be
healed.
Armel promised to do all she said, and soon fell into a deep sleep. At
the stroke of midnight he awoke. There was no one to be seen, but angry
voices were talking all around his bed. They asked him who he was and
why he was there and told him to leave the castle, but he did not say a
word. Next, they seized him with invisible hands and shook him until he
felt as if every bone in his body was broken. At last he turned to the wall
and fell asleep.
Next morning the monstrous figure came to him again, but now it had the
head of a beautiful maiden.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thanks to you, I am once more becoming myself.
Still, the worst is yet to come. Remember, do not say anything, no matter
what happens.”
“I will not forget,” said Armel.
That night the invisible spirits came again. This time the poor soldier
was beaten, hung from the ceiling, and finally thrown, more dead than
alive, onto his bed. He rubbed the ointment onto his body, and immediately
felt as well as ever. The next morning, the figure came to him with the first
ray of sunlight. She now had the form of a beautiful young woman down
to the waist.
“The final test will be tonight,” she said. “Only a little more courage, my
friend, and we will each receive our reward.”
“I will hold out to the last,” said Armel. “On my faith, as a Breton.”
He kept his word, even though he was sorely tried. The angry voices
18

Armel the Soldier
cried “Speak, speak!!” and rained down blows on his poor body; when
they left him he had scarcely enough strength to rub the ointment onto
himself.
However, his sufferings were now at an end. Next morning, the maiden
came to him, and she had regained her true form.
“How can I thank you?” she asked. “You have freed me from the spirits
who have kept me prisoner for hundreds of years. I would like to repay you
with my hand in marriage. I will return tonight and become your wife.”
At midnight the maiden entered Armel’s room. He was fast asleep, and
even though she told him she would have to leave if he did not wake up,
19

Armel the Soldier
he could not hear her. At last she sat down and wrote him a note, then she
wrapped it in a satin handkerchief and slipped it beneath his pillow. This
done, she went away.
In the morning Armel awoke and found the note beneath his pillow. It
told him that the maiden had left for the palace of the Sun: unless he could
find her in three days, she would have to become the Sun’s wife. Without
further ado he took up his sword and set out. As he was walking beside a
river he saw a great fish thrashing about in the water. Its tail was caught in
a net and Armel took pity on it and set it free.
“Thank you friend, for saving me,” said the fish. “What can I do for you
in return?”
“I do not know,” said Armel; “I am looking for my betrothed who has left
me for the Sun’s palace.”
“I have never heard of the Sun’s palace,” said the fish. “Still, I can take
you wherever you like on my back.”
Armel went on his way and after a while he came to an old beggar woman
kneeling beside the river. She was dying of thirst and was trying to take up
water in a leaky clog.
“Oh, godmother,” said Armel, “you will never get any water that way.
Give me your clog.”
He filled the holes with clay, took up some water, and gave it to the old
woman.
“God reward you for your kindness, my son,” said the old woman. “What
can I do for you in return?”
“It is not easy,” said Armel. “I am looking for my betrothed who is in the
Sun’s palace – but I do not know where that is.”
“Perhaps I can help you. I can command every bird in Creation, and I am
sure one of them will know. Let me summon them.”
So saying, she drew forth a golden whistle and blew upon it. The most
beautiful birds came from every direction and gathered in a circle about
their queen. Unfortunately, none of them had heard of the palace.
Armel was about to wish the wise woman farewell when a great raven
flew up carrying a half-gnawed bone in its beak.
“Forgive me, Mistress,” he said. “I was at the Sun’s wedding preparations,
and there was so much to eat that I forgot myself.”
“You were at the Sun’s palace?” cried Armel. “Could you show me the
way?”
“Gladly – but it is two hundred leagues from here, over the forests and
the oceans.”
20

Armel the Soldier
“Were it at the end of the world, it would be nothing to me!” said Armel.
In great haste, he called the fish, mounted on its back, and, guided by the
raven, set off over forests and oceans. He travelled very swiftly and soon
came to the end of his journey. It was high time, for the wedding procession
was already preparing to leave for the church.
“I will have to keep my eyes open and not lose my head,” thought
Armel.
He stood in the middle of the road and when the bride passed by he pulled
out the handkerchief she had given him. She stopped and recognised him,
but how was she to get away?
“I can see a messenger,” she said. “I think he brings me news of my
father. May I go to speak to him?”
“If you wish to, my love,” said the Sun. “Today you may do anything.”
“Thank you for those words,” said the maiden, and before the Sun could
recover himself she leapt onto the fish’s back, took the arm of her betrothed
and set off at a great speed. The Sun’s attendants pursued them, but in a
quarter of an hour they were left far behind.
Free at last, the maiden returned to her castle and celebrated her wedding
with Armel. Never were such festivities seen – everyone in the land was
invited, and people continued to talk of the marriage for many years. This
is how I came to hear of it and could remember it to tell to you, in the hope
that you would enjoy it.
21

Once upon a time there lived a clogmaker and his wife. They had
three sons and were expecting their fourth child.
Because they were very poor the clogmaker grew afraid that
he would not be able to feed them all. One day he said to his wife:
“Wife, if your fourth child is a boy, we shall tighten our belts, and manage
as best we can. However, if it is a girl I shall kill our three elder children,
and leave only her.”
His wife was filled with fear and she called her sons to her.
“Go my children,” she said. “Take a walk in the forest, and when you
return, if you see a pair of trousers fastened to the chimney then a boy has
been born, and you may come in. If there is a dress on the chimney, a girl
has been born, and your father will already be sharpening his knife to kill
you. You will have to run away into the woods.”
The little boys spent all that day in the forest. The next morning they
returned to their home and saw a dress fastened to the chimney. Then they
knew that they had to flee, and they went into the depths of the wood, and
people heard no more of them.
The years passed away, and there was now plenty of bread in the
clogmaker’s cottage. The brothers were never spoken of, even though the
mother often sighed over them, and the little girl was never told about what
had happened.
When she was about nine years old, she went to her mother.
“Where are my three brothers?” she asked. “I long to embrace them.
Tell me where they have gone and I will go to them.” Her mother began
to cry.
“God only knows where they have gone,” she said. “And a little girl like
you could not find them.”
Still the little girl’s longing grew and grew and one day she set off without
telling her parents. She walked through the land, asking everyone she met
if they had heard of her brothers. At last she met an old woman who felt
sorry for her.
“No, my dear,” she said. “I cannot tell you where your brothers are, for I
do not know. However, I can help you to find them. Take this ball of yarn
22

The Three Brothers and Their Sister
and let it roll out before you, whilst saying ‘Roulet, pellennig, ke ne gavein
me zri brérig’ (Roll, little ball, so long as I have not met my three brothers).
Wherever they are hiding, it will lead you there.”
The little girl rolled out the ball of yarn, and it led her to a clearing in
which stood a small hut. The hut was empty, but a cauldron of soup was
simmering over the fire, and the table was laid for three people.
“I am tired and hungry,” said the little girl. “Even if the owners are angry
with me, I must stop here.”
She entered the hut and, seeing a chest in the corner, hid inside it. No
sooner had she closed the lid, but the owners of the hut returned. They
were three young men, and they were all very angry.
“What a wretched life we lead here, in this forest,” said the first. “How
could our father be so cruel as to turn out three children?”
“Yes, and all for the sake of a sister who nobody wanted,” said the
second.
“If the little minx fell into our hands our father would be made to regret
his cruelty to us,” said the third.
The little girl saw that she had indeed been led to the house of her
three brothers. When they had eaten, the elder two went out hunting. The
youngest stayed behind to put things in order.
The little girl gently lifted the lid of the chest, and jumped out.
“Dearest brother, I am your sister,” she said. “I heard your unkind words.
Do you truly wish to kill me for something which is not my fault?”
The young man stared at her in wonder, and then rushed to embrace
her.
“No, neither I nor my brothers will kill you,” he said. “Your love for us
brought you here, and we would be men without hearts if we did you any
harm.”
When the other brothers came home they said the same thing.
“Stay here with us,” they said. “Having been separated so long will only
make us love you the more. While we go out hunting you can prepare our
meals. All we ask is that you never let the fire go out. If you do, you will
have to seek the help of our neighbour, the Caragine, who lives across the
clearing. He will certainly slay you, for he loves to eat human beings.”
The child promised to remember their words, and the brothers and sister
lived very happily together for some time.
The maiden never forgot the Caragine, and while she was cooking she
often muttered: “You shalt not have me today, cruel Caragine.”
One day she stayed in the wood for a long time, listening to the song of
23

The Three Brothers and Their Sister
a bird. When she returned home the fire was out. Full of sorrow, she went
to the home of the Caragine. He lived in a deep cave, and the door was
made of iron. As soon as she knocked upon the door, it flew open, and the
Caragine stood before her. He had black hair and glowing eyes. When he
saw the maiden he seized her by the arm.
“I have been hungry a long while,” he said. “Come into my palace and I
will have a fine meal.”
“I cannot protect myself from you,” said the maiden. “But if you kill me,
my three brothers are not afraid of you and they will be revenged.”
“Do you mean the three hunters in the forest?” said the Caragine.
“Yes, I am their sister.” said the girl. The Caragine looked afraid.
“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
“My fire has gone out; I want you to help me relight it.”
24

The Three Brothers and Their Sister
“That is easy enough,” said the Caragine. “But I do not give something
for nothing. There is nothing I like so well as human blood. If I help you,
you must give me a drop of yours every day.”
The maiden agreed and returned home with an ember with which to relight
her fire. Henceforward she went every day to the Caragine. She passed her
little finger through the keyhole in the iron door, and the Caragine drank
a drop of blood. After a month the maiden grew so pale that her brothers
asked her if she was ill. She told them what had happened and they swore
to be revenged.
“Tell the Caragine that you are growing too weak to go to him, and that
henceforward he must come here,” they said. “You
can leave the rest to us.”
The next day the Caragine arrived at the
hut. He thought that the young men were
from home but they were hiding behind a
door, with an axe. When he stepped over the
threshold, they felled him to the ground.
With the death of the Caragine the
brothers and their sister had no more
to fear, and several more years passed
happily away.
One day word reached them that the
King was preparing to go to war. He was
calling together all the young men in
his kingdom to go and fight. The three
brothers would have to obey, and the
poor little sister would be left all alone.
“Dear God,” she said. “I cannot live in
this wild forest without my brothers. I
would rather they became sheep, and I
could watch over them, as they grazed
on the heath.”
Immediately her wish came true,
and the young men were changed
into sheep. One day, as they were
grazing on the heath, the King’s
son rode by. He stopped in surprise
to see someone so lovely in such a
place.
25

The Three Brothers and Their Sister
“In all my father’s court there is no one so beautiful as this shepherdess,”
he said. “Tell me, will you be my wife?”
“I will,” said the girl. “All I ask is that I can bring my three sheep with
me to live in the court.”
The King’s son agreed and the marriage was celebrated. A year later the
maiden gave birth to a boy.
The King’s son began to look amongst the neighbouring kings for a
godfather, but his wife said, “I will have the oldest sheep, and no other.”
It was a strange request but no one had the heart to refuse her.
Soon the King’s son received a second surprise. No sooner was the baby
christened but the three sheep changed into handsome young men.
Now instead of the animals in his stables, the King’s son had three valiant
companions. Although they had refused to fight for him, he made them his
chief ministers and put them in command of his army, and they all lived
together in great happiness for many years.
Told by Madame Le Govic, of Bieuzy
26

Once upon a time there lived a king of France who had three sons.
The two elder sons were strong and handsome, but the youngest
was weak and sickly. He spent all day sitting in the corner of the
fireplace, and for this reason he became known as Luduenn (from the
Breton word ‘ludu’ for cinder or ash).
The old King had fallen ill and nobody could cure him. At last a magician
arrived, who said that he would not get better until he had touched the
Drédaine bird, in its golden cage.
“Where is this bird?” asked the King.
“In Princess Marcassa’s castle, which lies beyond the Red Sea,” said the
magician. “It is surrounded by three high walls, and the three courtyards
are guarded by giants, seven foot high, and dragons, who can breathe fire
seven leagues round about.”
“Who will go to such a castle, to fetch me the bird?” asked the King,
with a sigh.
“I will, Father,” said the eldest son.
He took gold and silver, mounted on the best horse in the stables, and set
out with the words:
“If I do not return in a year and a day, it is because I am no longer
alive.”
He travelled so swiftly that he soon came to Bro-Saoz (Land of the
Saxons i.e. England). He asked the way to the castle of Princess Marcassa,
but people only laughed at him. He went to stay at an inn, and found such
merry companions there that he did not leave until his money ran out.
When the year and a day had passed away, and the eldest son did not
return, the second son asked permission to go in quest of the Drédaine
bird. His father gave him gold and silver and he soon reached the same inn
as his brother. He too remained there, and led the same life.
The year and a day passed away, and seeing that his brother did not
return, Luduenn went to his father, who was growing more ill by the day.
“Father,” he said, “I wish to look for my brothers and the Drédaine
bird.”
27

Princess Marcassa
“You, my child?” said the old man. “Stay at home to close my eyes when
I die. You will never succeed where your two brothers have failed.”
But Luduenn still wished to go. His father gave him a little money, but
much less than he had given his other sons. Luduenn went to the stables,
and took a dromedary that travelled seven leagues an hour.
He soon reached the town where his two brothers were living, and asked
everyone if they knew the way to the castle of Princess Marcassa. People
replied that they had never heard of it except from the two young princes,
who led a merry life at the inn. Luduenn was overjoyed to hear that his
brothers were still alive, and hurried to meet them. They welcomed him,
stole his money, and sent him on his way.
Poor Luduenn went on, his heart heavy at his brothers’ unkind treatment,
but thanks to his dromedary, he travelled very swiftly.
One night he found himself in a great wood. Wild animals could be heard
all about, and growing afraid, he climbed a tree. From its branches he saw
a little light, and he climbed down and made towards it. It was a candle,
shining through the window of a little hut, made from branches and dry
grass. In it was a little old woman.
“Please, grandmother, may I stay here for the
night?” he said.
“I cannot take you in my child,” said the
old woman. “For I have no bed.”
“I can sleep on the hearthstone,
grandmother,” said Luduenn.
“Very well, come in, for I feel sorry
for you,” said the old woman.
Luduenn tied his dromedary to a
post, and entered the hut.
“How bad it smells in here,”
he said, holding his nose.
“Yes,” said the old woman.
“It is my husband. He has
been dead eight days, and his
body is still here.”
“Why do you not bury
him?” said Luduenn.
“Alas, my child. I have not
money to pay for the burial.”
28

“I am not rich, grandmother, but tomorrow morning I will pay for him to
be buried,” said the Prince.
The next morning he went to the men in the village.
“Here is the money that you asked of the old woman in the forest,” he
said to them. “Take it, and bury her husband straight away.”
The corpse was buried, and Luduenn walked by the old woman’s side
behind the coffin.
He continued on his way, and came to a great, barren plain. As he was
travelling over it he saw that he was being followed by a white fox.
“I wonder why this animal is following me?” he thought to himself.
At the far side of the plain,
the fox began to speak to him:
“Are you looking for the
Drédaine bird?” it said.
“Yes dear creature – can you
give me tidings of it?” said
Luduenn.
“I can,” replied the fox.
“You are not far from it now.
Can you see that castle on the
mountain? The Drédaine bird
is in there, and this is what
you must do to capture it.
The castle is surrounded by
three walls and inside each
wall is a courtyard, which you
must pass through. The first
courtyard is full of serpents,
toads and poisonous reptiles;
in the second courtyard are
serpents and tigers, and in the
third courtyard are serpents
and giants, who guard all the
doors into the castle.
“They all sleep from eleven
to the last stroke of noon, and
you can walk past them, and
even tread on them, without
their awakening. Once you are
29
Princess Marcassa

Princess Marcassa
in the castle you will pass through three magnificent apartments and in
the fourth (I will not tell you what you will find in the first three) is the
Drédaine bird in its golden cage which hangs from the ceiling by three
gold chains. He too will be asleep. Close by, a sabre hangs from a golden
nail. Take it, cut through the three chains, and carry off the bird in its
cage. But, do not forget, all this must be done by the last stroke of noon,
otherwise the doors will close on you, and you will never return.”
Luduenn thanked the fox for his advice, and continued on his way.
He arrived at the castle when eleven was chiming. The door stood open,
and he passed through the first courtyard. Enormous serpents and other
reptiles lay over the ground, but they did not awaken. It was the same in
the second and third courtyards, and his courage nearly forsook him at the
sight of such hideous monsters. At last, however, he reached the entrance
to the castle itself. No one was in the first room, but on a table there stood
a loaf of good white bread. He was hungry, and cut himself a large piece.
To his wonder, the loaf did not become any smaller, and he put it in his
pocket saying:
“This might come in useful on my journey.”
In the second room he found a tankard of wine, with a glass beside it. He
drank one glassful, then another, and then another. When he had finished,
he put the tankard in his pocket and went into the third room.
In this room lay a beautiful princess, fast asleep on a purple and gold bed.
He gazed at her, open-mouthed, and then he took off his shoes, tiptoed up
to her side, and kissed her. She did not awaken and, bearing in mind the
fox’s advice, he went on to the fourth room.
In this room he found the Drédaine bird, fast asleep in its cage. He saw
the sabre hanging from the wall, and on its blade he read these words:
“He who owns me can kill ten thousand men with the edge of my blade
and with the other side he can cut whatever he pleases.”
“Very good!” said Luduenn, and seizing the sabre he cut the three chains
with three powerful strokes – slash, slash, slash! He seized the cage and,
sabre in hand, ran out of the castle and through the three courtyards. As
he crossed the threshold of the last courtyard, midday began to strike. He
leapt onto his dromedary, which was waiting at the door, and set off with
the speed of the wind.
When the Princess, the giants, and the serpents awoke, they knew
immediately that the bird had been stolen. The serpents began to shoot
forth flames, and the giants set off in pursuit of the thief. Luduenn and
his dromedary had their hair singed, but the dromedary was guided by the
30

white fox who ran ahead of them, and travelled so fast that they soon left
the castle’s dominions behind.
The white fox immediately disappeared, and Luduenn continued on his
way.
At the far side of the great plain Luduenn stopped at a large inn. He asked
for the best food and drink they possessed, but the bread was not to his
liking and he sent for the innkeeper.
“Your bread is worthless,” he said.
“What do you mean?” said the innkeeper. “There is no better in the land,
and it is eaten by the King himself.”
Luduenn pulled out the loaf that he had taken from the castle.
“I have a better here,” he said, and cut the innkeeper a slice.
The innkeeper liked it so much that he asked for another piece. Luduenn
cut it for him, and showed him that the loaf grew no smaller.
“If you had a loaf like this it would make your fortune,” he said.
“Indeed it would – but where am I to find such a loaf?”
“Oh, nowhere, it is the only one of its kind.”
“Well, will you sell it to me then? I will give you a hundred écus.”
“Very well: you may have it on
condition that you return it to its owner,
Princess Marcassa, if she ever comes to
reclaim it.”
The innkeeper thought to himself
that no Princess Marcassa would ever
come to reclaim the bread, and he paid
Luduenn the hundred écus.
Luduenn went on his way and at sunset
stopped at another inn. Here he sold the
innkeeper the bottomless tankard which
he had taken from the castle.
After this he travelled, and travelled
until he arrived in Bro-Saoz. He went to
the inn in which he had left his brothers
and learnt that after they had spent all
their money, they had turned to thieving.
They had been caught and imprisoned,
and were now awaiting their death.
However, the King was waging a
terrible war with a neighbouring ruler,
31
Princess Marcassa

Princess Marcassa
and was too busy to turn his mind to the prisoners.
Luduenn decided to find the King and offer his services. He went to the
palace and showed the King his wonderful sabre. He promised to help him
to defeat his enemies, if he agreed to pardon his brothers.
The King agreed, and Luduenn marched at the head of the army against
the enemy. At the mere sight of the sabre the soldiers fled away, and he
won a resounding victory.
The two princes owed many debts, so, to pay them, Luduenn sold his
sabre to the innkeeper on the condition that if Princess Marcassa should
pass by, he would return it.
The three brothers set off towards France, bearing with them the Drédaine
bird in its golden cage. Luduenn carried it at all times, and his two elder
brothers began to plot together how they could be rid of him, and take the
bird home themselves.
One day they were passing by a deep well and the two elder brothers
both leant over to look into it.
“Oh,” they cried. “Look at that pretty flower! Come and see, Luduenn,
you have never seen a fairer.”
Luduenn set down his cage and ran to look into the well. His brothers
took hold of his feet and threw him in, then they seized the cage, and
hurried away on the dromedary.
When they arrived home they found the old King very weak. The sight of
the Drédaine bird cheered him a little, and there was feasting and festivities.
However, the bird was very sad, and when it was carried into the King’s
bedchamber, it grew angry, and uttered terrible cries, and would not allow
the old King to touch it. After this the King grew weaker every day, and
everyone around him was very concerned.
But what happened to poor Luduenn at the bottom of the well? Fortunately
the water was not deep, and the white fox soon came to his aid. He stretched
his brush into the well, and it grew and grew until it reached the water.
Then he told Luduenn to take hold of it, and he would pull him out.
“Now,” he said, “carry on till you get to your father’s palace. Not far
from here you will meet an old beggar man. Give him all your money,
and change clothes with him. When you come to your father ask for the
humblest position at his court. Do not worry about anything else; all will
go well, and the wrongdoers will be treated as they deserve.
‘Do you remember having lodged for the night in the hut of a poor old
woman? She could not afford to bury her husband, and do you remember
that you paid for the burial?”
32

“Yes; I remember very well,” said Luduenn.
“Well I am the soul of that poor man, whose last rites you paid for from
your own pocket. I have come in this form to show my gratitude to you.
Now I will say farewell, for we will not meet again in this world.”
So saying, the white fox disappeared.
Luduenn continued on his way, and soon met the old beggar man. He
gave him his money and his clothes, and dressed himself in his rags.
At length he reached his father’s palace. When his eldest brother saw
him come into the courtyard he said:
“Send him to mind the swine.”
This was done, and not long after, he became the stable boy. He took
such good care of the horses that the King heard of it, and often spoke
of him. However, his brothers had recognised him, and they counselled
their father to employ him in feeding the Drédaine bird. Since its arrival
at the palace the bird had been so bad-tempered that it had pecked anyone
who came near it; but when it saw Luduenn it began to sing, and flap its
wings for joy. Luduenn took it on his finger, and went with it to the King’s
bedchamber. The old man felt a little stronger at hearing it sing, but still the
bird would not allow anyone but Luduenn to touch it.
Meanwhile, in the castle of Princess Marcassa, the Princess had given
birth to a handsome boy. One day the child asked who was his father, and
the Princess replied that she did not know.
“I want to find my father,” said the child. “I will not stop looking until I
find him.”
So the boy set out, and his mother went with him.
They stopped to refresh themselves at the inn where Luduenn had left the
wonderful loaf. The innkeeper gave them it to eat, and the Princess knew
by this that Luduenn had passed that way.
“Give me that bread,” she said to the innkeeper.
“I will not give it away to anyone, unless Princess Marcassa asks me for
it herself one day,” said the innkeeper.
“I am Princess Marcassa, and the bread belongs to me, and I will take
it.”
So saying, she put it in her pocket. As for the innkeeper, he had already
made his fortune from the wonderful loaf.
The Princess and her son continued on their way until they came to the
inn where Luduenn had left the bottomless wine tankard. This too they
took away with them, and soon arrived in Bro-Saoz. Here they stopped at
the inn where Luduenn had left his magic sabre, and they also took that
33
Princess Marcassa

Princess Marcassa
away with them.
“Take heart, my son,” said the Princess to her child, “we are nearing your
father.”
At last they came to Paris, and the Princess informed the King’s servants
of her arrival. The old King was delighted and despite his illness he went
down into the courtyard and offered to help the Princess out of her golden
carriage.
“I will not get out of my carriage,” she said, “until he who carried off the
Drédaine bird comes to give me his hand.”
“I am he!” cried the eldest son, stepping forward.
“Very well: tell me how my castle is guarded.”
The eldest son could only say that the castle was surrounded by high
walls.
“It is not you!” said the Princess. “Let another come forth.”
The second son now approached.
“It is I,” he said.
“Tell me then, how is my castle guarded?”
But he knew no more better than his brother, and the Princess
exclaimed:
“It is not you either; leave us. Let the man who carried off the Drédaine
bird be brought to me or I will depart.”
Then Luduenn stepped forward, in the dress of a stable-boy.
“It is I, Princess,” he said.
“Tell me how my castle is guarded.”
“Your castle, Princess, is surrounded by three high walls, and three
courtyards. In the first courtyard are serpents and poisonous reptiles; in
the second are yet more serpents and lions and tigers; and in the third are
giants and serpents who breathe flames seven leagues round about.”
“I see that you do know something,” said the Princess. “But what
then?”
“All these animals were fast asleep, and I passed through them unharmed.
In the first room of the castle I found a wonderful loaf which did not
diminish when I ate it; in the second room was a tankard of wine, which
did not empty when I drank from it; and in the third room I saw a Princess,
fair as the day, asleep upon a bed of purple and gold.”
“And what did you do then?” asked the Princess.
“After having looked at her for some time open-mouthed, I bent and
kissed her.”
“This is all true,” said the Princess, “and here is your son, but go on.”
34

Princess Marcassa
“I then passed into a fourth apartment and cut down the Drédaine bird
with the sabre that I found hanging from the wall by a golden nail. Then I
fled, taking with me the bird, the sabre, the wine tankard, and the bread.”
“And where are they?” asked the Princess.
“The bird is here: I left the loaf, the tankard, and the sabre in the inns
where I lodged on my way home.”
“I found them there, and took them away with me,” said the Princess.
“But now show me the bird.”
Luduenn went to fetch the bird in its golden cage. When it saw the
Princess it beat its wings for joy and began to sing so sweetly, and so
loudly, that the palace rang with the sound, and every heart was glad – save
those of the older brothers.
The Princess opened the cage, took the bird on her finger, and held it out
to the King.
“Stroke it with your hand,” she said.
The bird which until now had been so obstinate allowed the old man to
touch it, and he was immediately cured and invigorated.
Then the Princess revealed before the whole court the wrongs which
had been done to Luduenn by his
elder brothers. They were duly
punished, and then Luduenn
and Princess Marcassa
were married. There was
great rejoicing and many
celebrations, and when
the old King passed
away, Luduenn became
King in his place.
Told in 1875 by
Marie Manac’h, a
serving woman from
Plougasnou.
35

Once upon a time there lived near Guiscriff an old couple called
Isidore and Mariannik. They had a little farm, called Loj ar Bleiz,
and Isidore grew hemp and apples and buckwheat. Mariannik
spun the hemp and made it into shirts, and they drank the sweetest cider
and ate the crispest pancakes. They would have been quite content if they
had only had some children.
They had made many pilgrimages to sacred places, and prayed to all the
saints in heaven but it was as if they stopped their ears and said: “N ’entend
ket, n ’entend ket” (I do not understand).
That year, after they had made their usual pilgrimage, Isidore said that
he would not go again. He was growing old, and the journey was becoming
difficult. Henceforward he would stay at Loj ar Bleiz.
Now, the old couple had a field that lay beside the open heath of
Kernoalet.
It was here that Isidore grew his hemp, and a finer crop had never been
seen. He went to look at it every day, for he knew that fierce winds could
come blowing across the heath, and he was afraid the plants might be
flattened.
One day Isidore was standing by his field when a great storm arose. In
the blink of an eye it tore up the ripening hemp, and Isidore had to run and
seek shelter.
He entered a sunken path and walked on until he came to a thicket.
Through the trees he saw a charcoal burner’s hut, which he had never seen
before.
“I am in luck,” he thought. “I can take shelter there from the storm.”
He went over to the hut and opened the door. Inside was an old woman,
wearing a round bonnet. She was stirring a cauldron of oat gruel, over a
fire of heather and bracken. When she saw the old man she became very
frightened.
37

Isidore and Mariannik
“Unhappy man,” she cried. “Why have you come here? Do you not
know that this is the home of the Caragine? He hates all mortal men, and
may even kill you.”
“For the love of God,” said old Isidore, falling to his knees. “Save me
from the Caragine.”
“I will do what I can,” said the old woman. “Never let it be said that
Zabel Goz (old Isabel), the Caragine’s serving-woman, helps her master in
his evil ways.”
So saying, the old woman hid Isidore beneath a pile of faggots.
In a little while the Caragine himself came to seek shelter from the
storm. He was very tall, and the trees bent as he passed by. He stopped on
the threshold and sniffed the air.
“A mortal man has been here, Zabel,” he said. “In fact, he may be here
still, for I think I can smell him.”
“Oh no, dear master,” said Zabel Goz. “It is the oat gruel; think no more
of it. You are tired and wet. Come in and warm yourself by the fire. Eat
some of this delicious gruel, and drink this foaming cider.”
The giant sat down and began to drink jug after jug of cider. At last
he became drowsy and rested his head on the table. Before long he was
asleep, and Zabel went to bed and also fell asleep.
Isidore crept out of
his hiding place and
tiptoed across the room
to the door. He hurried
out and soon came to
the road to Loj ar Bleiz.
The storm was over and
the night was calm. The
moon shone in the sky,
and was reflected in the
waters of the Doe Pool.
As Isidore drew nearer,
he saw a white shape
coming towards him.
“Who can this be?”
he thought, and began
to tremble. “Perhaps
it is Ankou (Death)
himself.”
38

The white shape came closer and he saw that it was a beautiful maiden.
Her golden hair floated out behind her, and she was dressed in a linen
gown that reached to her feet.
“Do not be afraid Isidore ar Bragou Bras*”, she said. “I mean you no
harm. I am the fairy of the Doe Pool and I have known you for many years.
I know the danger you have been in, and I can tell you that you were within
an inch of losing your life. Good men like you should not have to suffer
at the hands of wicked people, and I will give you a present to make up
for your fright. Take this white cloth and spread it over the table at Loj ar
Bleiz. Each time you open it out it will be covered with the choicest food.
Go, you are always kind to the poor; now you will be able to feed them all.
Invite them and invite your friends. They will become your children, and
there will be many happy days at Loj ar Bleiz.
“Good fairy,” said Isidore, “how can I thank you?”
“It is very easy,” said the fairy. “Follow my advice and every day invite
the poor and needy to your table. With this cloth I give you a second gift.
Take this stick; it has magical powers. It will protect you from anything.
When you wish to use it, say “gret ho micher!” (do your work) and when
you wish to stop it say ‘ouazé, ma goalik!’ (stop, my stick). Now farewell,
Isidore ar Bragou Bras. Be kind to the poor, beware of false friends, and
be content.”
Isidore hurried home and found Mariannik anxiously watching out for
him. He told her all that had happened, and showed her the white cloth.
“Now,” he said, “let us see what the fairy has given us.”
He spread the cloth on the table and there appeared before their wondering
eyes the most delicious food and drink they had ever seen.
“It seems selfish to keep all this to ourselves,” said Isidore. “Let us invite
our friends Francès the miller, and his wife Katel Goz, to take supper with
us tomorrow.”
The next day Francès and Katel arrived, full of excitement about the
meal. They were surprised to find Isidore smoking his pipe, and Mariannik
spinning at her wheel.
“Am I mistaken,” asked Francès, “or did you invite us to supper
tonight?”
“I did indeed,” said Isidore. “Here is the cloth, and we shall be served
immediately.”
As if by magic, the dishes appeared, loaded with cakes, fruit, victuals,
and delicious wines. Francès and Katel rubbed their eyes, and thought they
were in a dream.
39
Isidore and Mariannik
* Isidore of the big breeches. Wide knee-length trousers were worn in Brittany.

Isidore and Mariannik
“What has happened to you my friend?” asked the miller. “Did you meet
with a fairy on the road?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” said Isidore, who remembered the fairy’s advice
not to trust false friends. “Whatever the case, this cloth and that stick in the
corner are certainly mine.”
They began to eat and drink and old Isidore grew very talkative. He
forgot the fairy’s words and told the miller all about how he had been given
the tablecloth.
“Oh no, my cloth does not come from Rennes or Quimper, it is a gift
of the fairies,” he said. “I shall not tell my secret to anyone, not even
Francès.”
He and the two old women fell asleep, and only Francès the miller
remained awake. He arose, hid the magical tablecloth in his breeches and
left a cloth from the closet in its place. He returned home, delighted to have
got the wonderful cloth for himself.
When Isidore and Mariannik awoke they saw what had happened.
40

Isidore and Mariannik
“Do not cry, Mariannik,” said Isidore. “Francès has left us the stick and
we will use that to punish them.”
A few days later Francès and Katel received another invitation to supper
at Loj ar Bleiz. This time there was only plain fare, and Mariannik and
Isidore were silent and thoughtful. The miller and his wife were ashamed,
and wanted to return the stolen cloth, but their pride prevented them.
Before they returned home Isidore gave Francès the magic stick.
“Here, take this,” he said. “It is growing dark, and this stick will protect
you.”
In his head he thought: “In a quarter of an hour ‘gret ho micher’.”
When Francès and Katel were half way home the stick flew up into the
air and began to rain down blows like hailstones in March.
“Let us hurry back to Isidore,” cried the miller. “We must apologise for
what we have done!”
The stick chased them all the way to Loj ar Bleiz, and they fell on their
knees before Isidore and Mariannik.
“Forgive us, friends, forgive us,” they cried, and the stick dropped to the
ground.
“Ouazé, ma goalik,” said Isidore. The friends embraced and kissed each
other and they decided to hold a celebration, and to invite all the people
round about.
From that time forth, Isidore and Mariannik lived happily, and were
loved by everyone. No one in Guiscriff ever went hungry, and amongst the
poor folk they were known as Father and Mother.
Told by a nun at Kermaria
41

Once upon a time there lived an old man and his two children, Yves
and Yvonne. They owned a little farm, called Croix-Ruduno, and
lived on whatever they could grow.
When the boy and girl were still young the old man died, and the children
were left alone.
“I will go out and seek my fortune,” said Yves to his sister, one day.
“Alas, dear brother,” said Yvonne, “will you leave me alone?”
“Do not fear, little sister. I will soon come home rich, and I will find you
a good husband.”
Yves embraced his sister, and bade her farewell, then set out for Paris.
When he arrived he went to the King’s palace, and hammered on the
door.
“Have you need of anyone here?” he asked the doorkeeper.
“Yes, we need a swineherd; our last one left us yesterday.”
So Yves became a swineherd, and because he was handsome, and kindhearted
and obliging, he became a great favourite with the cook, who took
him under his protection.
One day he was with his pigs in the forest that surrounded the palace,
when the King came walking by. He heard the young man singing, and
stopped to listen. He asked the swineherd where he came from, and about
his position, and Yves’s answers and appearance so pleased him that he
made him his personal attendant. Soon he became the King’s favourite
companion.
After a time Yves asked for permission to return home to see his sister.
“Certainly,” said the King. “But do not stay away more than a fortnight,
for I need you here.”
So Yves set out, taking with him all the money he had, as well as presents
and jewellery, to give to his sister.
She greeted him with delight, and begged him not to leave her again.
The fortnight passed away, and when Yves left he took with him a portrait
of his sister. Yvonne was the fairest girl that the sun ever shone upon – not
only in Lower Brittany, but in the whole world.
The King welcomed Yves back to the court, and told him how keenly
43

Yves and Yvonne
he had missed him. With each day that passed, Yves’s influence grew and
grew. Whenever he had a moment he went to his room to look at his sister’s
picture, and he kissed and spoke to it as if it were Yvonne herself.
One day the King came unexpectedly into the room, and saw Yves
kneeling down before the portrait.
“Tell me, who is the maiden in this picture?” asked the King.
“It is my sister, Sire,” said Yves.
“Your sister? She is very lovely. I would like to see if she is like her
portrait. Go back to your own land and bring her to me.”
Yves left immediately, and soon reached his home.
“Dear brother, have you come back for good?” cried Yvonne, running
out to meet him.
“No, dear sister,” said Yves. “I have come to fetch you, and take you
back to the court.”
“To the court? Why, they will all laugh at me.”
“The King himself has sent for you, little sister,” said Yves. “And do not
fear, no one will laugh at you.”
So Yvonne and her nurse, and the nurse’s daughter, set sail for Paris.
The King had given Yves a glass chest, in which to put his sister during the
voyage, so that her complexion would not be browned and chaffed by the
sun and the sea air.
Yves himself had been given a message to deliver to the Prince of
Normandy, and while the others went by sea, he went by land. The captain
of the vessel was charged to take good care of them, and Yvonne stayed all
day in her glass chest. However, in the evenings, when the sun had set, she
would take a little walk on the deck, and enjoy the cool air.
Now, the nurse had taken a dislike to Yvonne, and she decided to do
away with her, and replace her with her own daughter, even though she
was ugly and bad-tempered.
One evening, after a very hot day, they were all three standing on the
deck looking at the sea. The nurse was on one side of Yvonne, and her
daughter on the other. Suddenly, the nurse cried:
“Oh, what beautiful golden fish. Look, Look!”
The two girls bent over the edge and the nurse seized Yvonne by the feet,
and threw her into the water. A mermaid rose up immediately and carried
the girl down to her coral palace, far beneath the water.
No sailor had been close by to see what had happened, and no one knew
that the nurse’s daughter had taken Yvonne’s place in the glass chest.
The boat came into port, and was met by Yves, who was waiting on the
44

Yves and Yvonne
quay. The nurse told him that his sister had been blown overboard and died,
during a storm. His grief was very great, but even though he suspected foul
play he had no proof, and said nothing. At the court the nurse’s daughter
was presented to the King. He looked at her in dismay, and asked Yves if
this was his sister.
“Alas, it is,” said Yves. “She caught smallpox during the voyage, and
that is why she is so changed.”
The King sighed and said:
“How unfortunate! Still, a King must not break his word. I promised to
marry her, and I will marry her.”
So the wedding was celebrated with every festivity, and the King and the
Nurse’s daughter were married.

Yves and Yvonne
The King and Yves were very sad and nothing could raise their spirits.
However, the nurse and her daughter were full of pride, and walked along
with their heads held high. They criticised and scolded the servants and
courtiers, and made themselves unpopular with everyone, but the King
was too downhearted to restrain them.
They both disliked Yves, and the nurse began to plan with several of the
courtiers how they could do away with him.
One day, two noblemen of the court invited Yves to come hunting with
them. He agreed, never suspecting any harm, and when they reached a
lonely place, they fell upon him and killed him. Then they took the body,
and threw it into an old ruined chapel in the heart of the forest.
The mermaid at the bottom of the ocean knew immediately what had
happened, and told Yvonne that her brother had been slain by two noblemen,
at the command of the nurse and her daughter.
“But all is not yet lost,” she said. “I will allow you to go to the ruined
chapel where they have thrown his body. Take this water of life, and for
the next three nights go to him, and rub it upon his body. You must return
when I pull upon the chain about your waist.”
The mermaid gave Yvonne a vial filled with water from the spring of
life, and fastened a golden chain about her waist. She kept hold of one end,
while Yvonne travelled to the ruined chapel. She arrived at midnight and
fell weeping upon her brother’s lifeless body. She rubbed it with the water
of life, and showered it with her tears, but he did not move. At daybreak
the mermaid pulled upon the chain, and Yvonne had to leave.
“I will come back two more times, poor brother,” she said, “and I will
bring you back to life.”
Meanwhile, the King had grown anxious about his friend and asked
everyone where he was: he was told that no one knew, but no doubt he had
lost his way, while out hunting in the forest.
The next day, a travelling knife grinder took shelter in the little chapel.
He fell asleep on an old chest, and at midnight he was awoken by the sound
of weeping and lamenting. Yvonne had arrived, and the light of her beauty
filled the chapel. Once again she rubbed the body of her brother with the
water of life, and did all she could to warm him with her kisses and her
tears. At last, he did begin to stir a little. At daybreak, the mermaid pulled
on the chain, and Yvonne once again had to return to the bottom of the
ocean.
“Do not fear, poor brother,” she said, “I will return tonight, for the last
time.”
46

Yves and Yvonne
The old knife grinder had heard and seen everything, and he went and
knocked on the palace door.
“I want to speak to the King,” he said.
“The King does not admit everyone who comes,” said the doorkeeper.
“I have important news, which will please him.”
“Tell me what it is.”
“No, I want to speak to him in person.”
The old man was so insistent that he was shown into the presence of the
King.
“Sire, you believe that you have married the sister of your friend, Yves,
do you not?”, asked the knife grinder.
“Yes, is it not true?” cried the King.
“No, Sire. You have married the nurse’s daughter; the true bride is held
prisoner by a mermaid, at the bottom of the ocean.”

Yves and Yvonne
“How can this be? Please tell me everything.”
The old knife grinder told the King all that had happened, and explained
how he had overheard the whole story while he was taking shelter in the
ruined chapel.
“The maiden comes there every night to rub the body of her dead brother
with the water of life,” said the old man. “Her beauty is so bright that it fills
the chapel like a lamp.”
“And how can we rescue her from the mermaid?” said the King.
“Give me twelve soldiers, Sire, each armed with a stout axe, and we will
hide ourselves tonight in the chapel. When Yvonne has come, and brought
her brother back to life, and is preparing to return to the mermaid, I will
give a sign, and the soldiers will each leap forward and strike the golden
chain, breaking it into twelve pieces. Then the maiden will be free, and I
will bring her to you with her brother.”
The King gave the old knife grinder the twelve soldiers, and they went
and hid in the ruined chapel, armed with their stout axes.
At midnight Yvonne arrived. She finally brought her brother back to
life, and he arose as well as ever. They embraced each other, and said
the fondest farewells, for dawn was approaching. Suddenly, the mermaid
pulled upon the chain, and Yvonne, said:
“Alas, dear brother, I must leave you now – perhaps for ever.”
The knife grinder cried:
“Stand firm, comrades!”
Immediately the twelve axes fell, and broke the chain into twelve pieces.
The mermaid gave a cry and when she pulled upon the chain and did not
bring back her prisoner, she set the sea tossing and heaving.
The brother and sister returned with the knife grinder and the twelve
soldiers to the palace, where the King met them with the greatest joy.
The nurse and her daughter, and the two noblemen who had slain Yves
were duly punished, and the King finally married Yvonne. He made Yves
the head of his armies, and set the old knife grinder to take care of his wine
cellars.
The festivals and rejoicing were magnificent, and lasted a whole
month.
48

Once upon a time there lived a King in France who had one son,
called Sir Bayard. The young man longed to see the world, and
one day he mounted his horse and set out, accompanied by his
servant, Izanik.
He also took a purse filled with money, but that was soon spent, for as
soon as he met anyone in need, he gave them everything they required. At
last they reached an abandoned castle. It was surrounded by a forest filled
with birds and animals, and they decided to stay there for some time.
“Very good,” said Sir Bayard. “We will not die of hunger here, for I can
go out hunting, and you can take care of the castle, and prepare the midday
meal.”
That day he brought home more than they could eat, and Izanik sold
the remainder in the nearby village. He earned seven écus and was very
pleased, for he saw that in this way they could earn enough money to
continue their travels.
The next day Sir Bayard brought home even more animals, and Izanik
sold them and earned 14 écus. The following day he earned 28 écus, and
on the fourth day Sir Bayard set out into the forest with a glad heart. As he
was riding along a path he
saw a female wild boar
and her nine piglets.
He was about to shoot
them, when the
animal started to
speak.
“Young
man,” she said
in a sweet voice,
very like that of
a young girl. “Do
not kill me. I am not
the animal you take
49

Sir Bayard and the Princess with the Golden Hair
me for. In fact, I wish to become your wife.”
“Oh no, no,” exclaimed Sir Bayard, in dismay. He scrambled quickly up
a tree to escape from them, but in a moment the nine piglets felled it to the
ground.
“It is up to you,” said the sow. “If you refuse, then I will end your life.
You have a night to make up your mind.”
Sir Bayard rode home to the castle, with the wild boar and her piglets
following behind. When Izanik heard what had happened he was filled
with horror, but neither he, nor the prince, could think of anything they
could do.
On the evening before the betrothal feast the poor prince was in a sorry
state. He sent Izanik again and again to the stable, in which they had shut
up the sow and her piglets, but all Izanik could tell him when he came
back was that he had heard a terrible noise. Nevertheless, Sir Bayard sent
him once again to the stable, and this time when Izanik peeped through
the keyhole he saw a magnificent room, blazing with light and filled with
precious things. In the middle was a maiden of great beauty, seated upon a
throne, and round about her stood nine other maidens, who were brushing
her hair. With each stroke of the comb gold coins fell to the ground, and
soon they quite covered the floor.
Izanik told his master what he had seen, and all Sir Bayard’s fears were
put to rest. He accepted the sow as his betrothed, and began to make
preparations for the wedding. It was to take place in eight days, and during
that time they were not to see each other. However, on the seventh day Sir
Bayard could not restrain his curiosity any longer, and when night fell, he
went to the stable, and looked through the keyhole.
He saw a beautiful princess, combing her golden hair, but she knew
immediately that he was behind the door, and became very angry. She arose
and came out to meet him, with all her ornaments shining and sparkling.
“Prince,” she cried, “you have broken your word. I can no longer be your
wife. I must leave at once. If you wish to find me, my home is between
the Black Sea and the Blue Sea, and it is joined to them by three chains of
silver and three chains of gold. Farewell.”
So saying she disappeared. Sir Bayard was greatly distressed, but he
decided to go after her without delay. He set out with two horses, leaving
Izanik behind at the castle, and taking with him a purse full of money.
After a few days the purse was empty, for Sir Bayard had once again
given all his gold away to the beggars he met along the road; now he had
nothing left but his two horses. One day, when he was riding up a hill, he
50

Sir Bayard and the Princess with the Golden Hair
met two wagon-drivers, who were
stuck in the mud and could not free
themselves.
“Wait, wait,” they cried. “Please
lend us your horses, so we can pull
our wagons out of the mud.”
“Lend you my horses?” said
Sir Bayard. “Never. I never lend
anything. Take my horses and keep
them for your own. All I ask in return
are your good wishes for my success;
for I am looking for the Princess with
the Golden Hair.”
“May God grant you success,
generous Prince,” cried the two
wagon-drivers, and Sir Bayard
continued on his way.
As night was falling he entered
a forest. Soon he came to a great
oak tree and, looking up, he saw
a strange shape, very like a
charcoal-burner’s hut, amongst
the branches. He climbed up
to it and found a bed made of
leaves and twigs. Being very
tired, he lay down and fell
fast asleep.
At midnight he was awoken
by a terrible commotion.
The oak tree was trembling
at the roots and, looking
down, he saw that
someone was climbing
up. Quickly, he hid
beneath the bed and
the next moment
a giant over
twenty feet
high, entered
51

Sir Bayard and the Princess with the Golden Hair
the hut. He seemed very pleased, and rubbed his hands, and chuckled to
himself.
“I have never had such a good day’s work,” he said. “Just fancy, a pair of
boots that travel a hundred leagues at a stride.”
The giant lay down on the bed of dry leaves, but before he had been
asleep an hour, a second giant arrived, even larger than the first.
“It smells of a mortal man in here,” he said.
“Be quiet, and let me sleep,” mumbled the first giant. The second giant
lay down on the bed, and Sir Bayard heard him mutter:
“I have not wasted my day; I have found a cloak that makes the wearer
invisible, and allows him to see everything.”
The young man wisely remained beneath the bed, for soon a third giant,
even larger than the others, came bursting into the hut.
“What luck! What luck!” he cried, “I have taken a sword that can slay
five hundred men at a stroke.”
“Tell us about it tomorrow,” said the other giants. “Right now we want
to sleep.”
All three giants fell asleep, and Sir Bayard crept out, picked up the boots,
the cloak, and the sword, and slipped quietly down the tree. He put on the
wonderful boots, and by daybreak he was far away, for with each stride he
travelled a hundred leagues.
He found himself upon the vast heath of Menéieu Gad, which stretched
on for a thousand leagues, and was free from all inhabitants. However, at
last he caught sight of a little cottage, whose roof was so low that it seemed
on a level with the ground. He was very hungry, so he went in.
He was met by an old woman. She was bent with age, her face was
covered with wrinkles, and she had a beard that reached to her waist. She
was stirring a steaming cauldron of Ioud silet (oat gruel).
“Good morning Mam goh (grandmother)”, he said. “I have not eaten for
eight days. May I have some of that delicious gruel?”
“Eat, my son,” said the old woman. “I always pity those in need. But tell
me what you are doing in this lonely place.”
“I am looking for the home of the Princess with the Golden Hair,” said
Sir Bayard. “It lies between the Black Sea and the Blue Sea. Do you know
where it is, Grandmother?”
“No,” replied the old woman. “I am two hundred years old, and I have
never heard of such a place. However, I have a sister who is three hundred
years older than I am. She lives a thousand leagues from here, on the heath
of Millebroches. Tell her that you are my son, for then you will receive a
52

Sir Bayard and the Princess with the Golden Hair
good welcome. Perhaps she will be able to help you. And remember – be
careful of her sons, for they have bad tempers.”
The next day the Prince travelled to the home of the second old lady, and
found her preparing a meal for her sons.
“Good day, Aunt,” he cried. “I bring you news of your sister.”
“My sister?” said the old woman. “It is a hundred years since I heard any
news of her. As you are her child, you are welcome here.”
Sir Bayard ate and drank, and then lay down to sleep at the bottom of a
large wardrobe. Before long he was awoken by the arrival of January, the
old woman’s eldest son. He was a giant, over fifteen feet tall.
“I can smell a mortal man,” he grumbled.
“Yes, indeed,” said his mother. “It is your cousin, come to visit you. You
will not eat him now, I hope.”
“My cousin? I am glad to hear it. Let him sleep on.”
An hour later the second son, February, arrived, and was given the same
explanation. At midnight, the third son, whose name was March, entered
the house. He was the strongest and fiercest of them all, and he rushed at
the wardrobe crying:
“A man – I must taste the flesh of a mortal man!”
He broke down the door, and had taken hold of the poor prince, when the
old woman called to him.
“For shame – would you eat your own flesh and blood? That young man
is your cousin.”
“Why didn’t you tell me so before?” said the giant. “I could have done a
great wrong to the family.”
Henceforward the giants and the young man were the best of friends.
They talked of their plans and travels, and one day January asked Sir
Bayard what he intended to do when he left that place.
“I am looking for the home of the Princess with the Golden Hair,” said
Sir Bayard. “But I do not know where it is.”
“That is easy,” said March, in his rough voice. “I am King of the birds,
and one of them is bound to know the way.”
With that he blew upon a whistle, and birds came flying from every
direction.
“Do you know the way to the castle of the Princess with the Golden
Hair?” asked March.
“No, Sire, we do not,” they all replied.
Just then an old jay came flying up, and began to apologise for his
lateness.
53

Sir Bayard and the Princess with the Golden Hair
“Please forgive me,” he panted, “but I was at the marriage of the Princess
with the Golden Hair, between the Black Sea and the Blue Sea.”
“Take us there at once,” commanded March. “And you, cousin, climb
onto my back.”
Sir Bayard obeyed, and in a moment they passed over land and sea and
came to the island of the Princess.
“I will leave you here, cousin,” said March. “Good luck, and farewell.”
Sir Bayard put on the invisible cloak and entered the palace. He soon
found the Princess preparing for the wedding, with her nine ladies-inwaiting
standing round her.
“Ah, Sir Bayard, dear Sir Bayard,” she murmured sadly. “Why do you
not come to rescue me?”
“I am here, my love,” said Sir Bayard, removing the cloak. “And so long
as we live, we need never part again.”
“Alas,” said the Princess. “But what of my husband to be, the King of
Turkey? He will slay you when he finds you, for he is very cruel.”
“I do not fear him,” said the young man. “Let him come.”
As he said these words, the King of Turkey entered the room. He flew
into a rage, at the sight of a young man in the presence of his bride, but in
the twinkling of an eye Sir Bayard slew him, and all who tried to fight him,
with his wonderful sword.
The Prince then married the Princess with the Golden Hair, and gave one
of her ladies-in-waiting to his servant, Izanik. He ruled over his subjects
wisely and well, and the people continued to remember him for many
years.
Told by Joseph Jégouzo, from Melrand
54

Once upon a time there lived three brothers who, when their father
died, found that all he had left them was a cat, a ladder, a sack, a
bucket, a scythe, and a cockerel.
They set out together with their new possessions, and by the evening
they reached a farm. A woman was inside, cooking porridge in a cauldron
for the evening meal, and the brothers asked her for something to eat.

The Three Brothers
“Come in, come in,” she said to them. They entered,
and the eldest brother set his cat down beside the
cauldron, to keep the mice from jumping up. The cat
killed ten while the woman prepared the meal.
“What a wonderful creature!” she said in
amazement. “Until today the mice have always got
into the porridge and tried to eat it. There are no
animals like that in this country.”
“I will sell it to you, if you like,” said the lad.
“I will give you whatever you ask for it,” said the woman, who longed to
rid her house of mice.
So he sold it to her and got a very good price.
The next day they set out and came to a farm where the workers were
tossing the grain into the corn loft with a fork. At the end of the day, the
heap before them had barely diminished.
“Poor fellows, they will be at it all year,” said the second
brother. “See, I will do the job in a day.”
So saying, he set his ladder against the barn wall, under
the entrance into the loft; then he filled the sack with grain,
climbed the ladder, and poured it into the loft.
By evening all the grain was in the corn loft. The farmer was amazed and
said that they must sell him the ladder and the sack.
The brothers agreed, and you can be sure that they got a good price for
them.
Next day they set off again, and this time they came to a
barber’s.
“Good day,” they said as they walked in.
“Good day,” said the barber. The brothers soon noticed
that he kept sending a boy to the well to fetch water in
a basket.
“That is not the best way to collect water,”
they told him.
“Why, do you do it differently in your
country?” replied the barber. “I am
always in need of water.”
“The way we do it there will work
as well here,” they said, and one
of them went to the well with the
bucket, and brought it back full.
56

The Three Brothers
When he saw this, the barber no longer wanted to send his boy to the well
with a basket.
“Please, sell us your bucket,” he said.
The three brothers agreed, and got a very good price.
Next day they set out again, and came to a country where
the people were cutting clover. Some gathered it with their
hands, while others were trying to cut it with wooden
tools.
“It will take them a month to make hay like that,”
said the brothers.
The third brother picked up his scythe and in
half a day he had cut down the whole clover
field.
“You must stay here with us,” the people
said to him. But he preferred to sell his scythe
and be on his way.
The next day, the brothers came to a land where the people did not know
how to make day arrive; every day they harnessed oxen to wagons and
took them to the top of a great hill to fetch the morning.
“You will have to be up early tomorrow,” said the farmer. “So you can
go and fetch the day.”
“What? Do not worry about that. We have a cock, and when he sings, the
day arrives.”
“Indeed?” said the farmer.
Next morning at dawn, the cock began to crow. Everyone in the farm
awoke.
“See, day has arrived,” said the brothers. “As
soon as the cock crows, it is daytime.”
“Truly, you have a wonderful animal,” said
the farmer. “You must sell it to me. We will no
longer need to fetch the day.”
The three brothers agreed, and then set off
homewards. They had made their fortune,
and they bought a farm and settled down on it
together.
Told in 1873 by Marguerite Philippe
57

Once upon a time there was a miller
at Moulin de la Mer, in the parish of
Matignon. He could not live in the
house beside his mill, because every night the
frogs and toads fought with each other around
the pool outside, and they made such a noise
that the miller and his wife could not get a
wink of sleep.
This went on for eighteen months, and people
started to come from far and wide to see the
battle between the frogs and the toads.
Amongst the visitors to Moulin de la Mer
was a man who understood the language of
the birds and the beasts.
“I can rid you of these frogs and toads who
will not let you sleep,” he said.
“I would be very grateful to you,” said the
miller. “How much do you want in return?”
“A hundred francs,” said the man.
“If you can rid me of those frogs and toads,”
said the miller, “I will owe you far more than
that.”
The miller took the man to the mill, and
when evening came, the frogs in the pool
began to croak, and the toads coming down
from the mountain began to give forth their
cry. They met, and began to fight in the water,
on the road, in the mill-yard, and even in the
house.
The man who understood the language of
59

The Toad King and the Frog Queen
the animals said nothing, but listened. When the fight was over, he turned
to the miller:
“Do you know why they are fighting?” he asked.
“No,” the miller replied.
“It is a war between the frogs and the toads. The Toad King has fallen in
love with the Frog Queen, and has made her an offer of marriage, but she
has refused him, and that is the reason for this war. However, if you like, I
will catch the Frog Queen tonight.”
“But how can it be done?” asked the miller.
“Do not worry about that. Have you a little fishing net?”
The miller gave him a net the size of a carrelet*, and the man who
understood the language of the birds and the beasts greased it with an
ointment that he took from a little bottle. Then he spread the net and the
Frog Queen was caught in it.
She had eyes as round and shining as pocket watches, and her webbed
feet were the size of a big man’s hands. They were both was astonished
when they saw her, and the miller was afraid.
The Frog Queen began to talk to the man who had set the trap.
“Oh fisherman, why have you caught me in your net?” she said.
“Because I wanted you in my power,” he replied.
“Who taught you how I could be caught?”
“It was Father Lampoudrie.”
“Alas,” cried the Frog Queen, “he is my great enemy. But take care; if
you do not set me free, your mill will never again have water.”
“Before you go,” said the miller, who had not yet spoken, “you must
promise to end this war; for it has kept me awake at night for many
months.”
“Why have you refused to
marry the Toad King?” asked
the other man.
“Because he is so ugly,” cried
the Frog Queen. “I will never
marry him!”
“Then I will take you home
with me,” said the miller.
“If you leave me for an hour
without water I will die,” said
the Frog Queen, “and your mill
will never turn again.”
The miller brought a great vat
60
*carrelet – small square fishing net

full of water, and put the frog in it.
When evening came, the frogs began to croak, and the toads came down
from the mountain. As soon as the Frog Queen saw the Toad King she leapt
ten feet into the air, out of the vat, and onto her enemy. There was a terrible
battle, and the fighting only ended at daybreak.
The following day, the man who understood the language of the birds
and the beasts came back to the mill. As before, he greased his net, and
once again he caught the Frog Queen.
However, this time she was forced to promise to end the war and to
marry the Toad King. The miller and the man found the toad, and he was
overjoyed at the good news.
When the Frog Queen saw him she said:
“Oh Toad, how can you want me to marry you when you are so ugly?”
“I may be ugly,” he replied, “but I draw poison from the earth and I
purify the water that feeds you.”
“Very well,” said the Frog Queen, “I will marry you tomorrow, and
bring an end to the war. Alas, since it began, I have lost over 10,000
frogs.”
“And I have lost over twenty thousand of my subjects,” said the Toad
King.
They invited the miller and his wife to the wedding, and they told them
that afterwards they would receive a reward.
Next evening, the King was the first to arrive at the pool. He was
accompanied by all his subjects, and he had made himself very handsome.
His eyes were red, and his body was covered with warts the size of hens’
eggs.
The Frog Queen was also looking very beautiful; she had put on her
prettiest green gown, and her eyes were as big and shining as pocket
watches.
All the frogs were
singing because the war
was finally over, and
the banquet took place
beside the pool. There
were countless dishes and
delicacies for the frogs
and toads, and a table was
set up for the miller, the
miller’s wife, and the man
61
The Toad King and the Frog Queen

The Toad King and the Frog Queen
who knew the language of the birds and the beasts. Upon this were placed
all that was best to eat and drink.
When the meal was over, the toads asked the frogs to dance, and the
festivities went on till morning. When the dance came to an end, the Toad
King turned to the miller:
“I have you to thank for helping me to marry the Frog Queen,” he said.
“To reward you, I will chase away all the reptiles from your land; I will stop
them from eating your crops, and you will always have good harvests.”
“And to reward you for sparing my life, I will make sure that your pool
is always full of water,” said the Frog Queen. “What’s more, you shall
always have corn to grind in your mill, and I will show you some treasure
that was hidden two hundred years ago by another miller.”
The Frog Queen and the Toad King showed the miller the treasure, then
they left together. The miller was always prosperous, and he never again
saw the Frog Queen and the Toad King.
Told by Rose Renaud, from Saint-Cast. She heard the story from Marie-Jeanne Carfantan, from
Henanbihan, who was told it by her grandfather.
62

Once upon a time there was a king of Persia who had one son,
called Prince Pengar.
The old king died, and as Prince Pengar was still young, his
mother ruled over the kingdom.
The young Prince was very kind-hearted and he gave a great deal away
to the poor. Sometimes his mother reproved him for his generosity, but he
always said:
“Oh Mother, why are you so uneasy? We are rich and will always have
plenty.”
However, the little prince was so generous that at last he gave away all
they had, and he and his mother became very poor.
One night Prince Pengar was asleep, and he dreamt that a genie came to
him. The genie told him to go to a certain place, to lift up a large stone that
he would find there, and to dig up the treasure that lay beneath.
The next morning Prince Pengar ran to his mother, and told her what the
genie had said.
“Unfortunately, it was only a dream, my son,” said the Queen.
“Dream or not, I will do what the genie told me,” said Prince Pengar.
“Then we will be rich again, and can give our wealth away to the poor.”
So the prince went with a party of men to the place described by the genie.
They lifted up the stone, and dug beneath it, but there was no treasure to be
found. They returned home, weary and disappointed.
“We could not find the treasure,” Pengar said to his mother.
“What did I tell you, my son?” said the Queen. “This is what happens to
those who believe in dreams.”
The next night the genie came to the Prince again, and told him to go to
a room in the palace which he had never entered. There he would find a
great stone, beneath which was an immense store of treasure, which his
father had hidden there.
The next morning Prince Pengar told his dream to his mother.
63

Prince Pengar and the Genie
“It is just another dream, my poor child,” said the Queen.
“All the same, I will do what it says,” said Prince Pengar.
He went with a party of men to the room, and lifted up the great stone.
They dug beneath it and at last they uncovered a stone staircase, leading
to a cavern beneath the palace. They went down into the cavern, and
came to a room in which there stood eight beautiful marble statues, on
eight pedestals. Round about them were piles of gold, silver, diamonds,
jewellery and ornaments.
There was also a ninth pedestal, but on this there was no statue. A little
chest, with the key in the lock, stood beside the empty pedestal. Prince
Pengar opened it and took out a letter. The letter told him that whoever
could find the ninth statue, and place it on its pedestal, would become the
owner of all the treasure in the room, and would never want for anything
so long as they lived. The letter also said that first of all, he should go to a
wise hermit who lived in the wood, and who would tell him what to do.
When the Prince had read the letter, he went back to his mother and told
her all he had seen.
“I know this hermit,” she said. “He was a great friend of your father’s.
He is certainly very wise, but I do not think you should go to him. I do not
quite trust him.”
However, Prince Pengar was determined to visit the hermit, and he set
out accompanied by one attendant.
They entered the forest, and soon came to the old man’s hermitage. The
hermit came out to see them, but he did not recognise the Prince.
“I am Prince Pengar,” said the young man. “I am the son of the King of
Persia, and I have heard that you used to be his friend and advisor.”
“Indeed I was,” said the hermit. “How can I help you?”
Prince Pengar told him about the genie and his dream, and the room full
of treasure, and he explained that he could only claim it when he had found
a statue to fill the ninth pedestal.
“Here is the letter I found in the little chest,” he said. “It tells me to come
to you, and ask your advice.”
The hermit took the letter, and immediately saw that it was in the
handwriting of his old friend, the Prince’s father.
“Yes,” he said, “I know what all this means. I will come with you to the
genie, for only he can tell us how to find the ninth statue. I know him very
well. We once had a battle of wits and skill together, and I won from him
as much land in his kingdom as can be covered by the lid of a barrel. This
is why I can enter his kingdom unharmed. I merely set down my barrel lid,
64

and so long as I do not step off it I am quite safe. We will both stand upon
it, and he will be forced to bring us the ninth statue, for this is another of
the conditions he agreed to when I defeated him.”
They set off together through the air, thanks to the magical powers of
the hermit, and soon came
to the edge of the genie’s
kingdom.
The hermit threw the barrel
top onto the ground, and he
and the Prince stepped onto
it. Almost immediately the
genie arrived, and invited
them to come to his palace,
where he could give them a
proper welcome.
“Oh no,” said the hermit.
“We will not leave this
circle, where, as you well
know, we have every right
to be, until you bring us
the ninth statue, belonging
to the ninth pedestal in the
King of Persia’s treasure
room.”
“With all my heart,” said
the genie, “but first you
must find a maiden who has
not only never done any
wrong, but has never even
thought of doing so.”
“Where shall we find such
a wonder?” said the hermit.
“Take this looking-glass,”
said the genie. “Give it to
all the maidens in Persia,
and if you find one whose
breath does not tarnish the
glass, bring her to me, and I
will take care of the rest.”
65
Prince Pengar and the Genie

Prince Pengar and the Genie
The hermit took the looking glass from the genie and they returned by
the way they had come.
When he got home, Prince Pengar announced throughout the kingdom
that he wished to marry, and that all the maidens were to come to the
palace.
Soon a crowd of girls
arrived, some rich, some poor,
some ugly, some beautiful, for
all were invited.
When they arrived, each
maiden was told to look into
the looking glass, and to
breathe upon it.
No one, be they ever so
beautiful or rich, could do so
without tarnishing the glass,
and Prince Pengar began
to despair, for almost every
maiden had been tested,
and none had succeeded. At
last, someone told him of
two sisters, who were living
in great seclusion in a little
village. They were young,
and rich, and beautiful, and
they had not, as yet, come to
the palace.
Prince Pengar gave orders
for them to be brought and
they soon arrived at the court.
The two sisters were certainly
very beautiful, and they were
also very shy, for they had
never been into the world
before.
First the elder sister was
given the looking glass. She
breathed upon it, and tarnished
it ever so faintly, but much
66

Prince Pengar and the Genie
less so than the other girls. Next it was given to the younger sister. She
also breathed upon it, but her breath did not leave the faintest mark.
“At last!” cried the Prince. “This is she whom I have been seeking, and
no one else shall be my wife.”
He and the hermit returned to the genie, and showed him the maiden they
had brought with them.
“Yes,” said the genie. “This is the wise and pure-hearted beauty that you
had to find. Now, give her to me and return to your palace. Go down into
the treasure room, and you will find the ninth statue on the ninth pedestal.
Prince Pengar will thus have fulfilled all the conditions, and will be able to
enjoy the vast wealth amassed by his father.”
The Prince did not want to give the maiden to the genie, but the hermit
assured him that all would be well, and they returned together to the
palace.
They entered the underground cavern, and saw the eight statues as before.
Upon the ninth pedestal stood a shape that looked something like a woman,
wrapped in a long, thick veil. The hermit told the Prince to pull off the veil,
and when he did so, he saw to his joy that the pure-hearted maiden stood
beneath, dressed in all the finery of a bride. He gave her his hand, and she
smiled at him, and stepped down off the pedestal. The Prince presented the
maiden to his mother, and the betrothal was celebrated immediately.
The wedding took place eight days later, and there was much public
rejoicing, and many festivities, to which both the poor and the rich were
invited.
The genie and the hermit were also there, and they forgave each other,
and became friends once again.
The hermit even gave up the circle of land which he had won from the
genie, as a token of thanks for all he had done for Prince Pengar.
Told by Marguerite Philippe
67

Once upon a time an old man was dying, and he called his
son to him.
“Yvonnik,” he said. “ I am very poor and I have nothing
to give you but my spade, for stirring up the earth, and my sickle, for
reaping the corn. Use them well and they will bring you happiness.”
The young man was brave and strong and when he had buried his father,
he set out into the world. He walked with his spade over his shoulder and
his sickle in his hand and was soon far, far from his village. After a year
and a day he came to a cornfield, in which men were busy reaping. They
were working with all their might, but they were going so slowly that it
took them a week to cut one swathe.
“Never have I seen such poor workers!” thought Yvonnik. “I could do
as much in an hour.” He went up to them, and saw that they were using
wooden sickles.
“What can your master be thinking of?” he cried.
“See here.”
So saying he bent and began to cut down the
corn, and soon he reached the end of the field. The
reapers were filled with admiration.
“You have a treasure there, young man,” they
said. “Come with us to the King, and he will give
you a good price for it.”
As they had said, the King was eager to buy the
metal sickle.
“I will give you in exchange three marvellous
dogs,” he said. “No harm can come to you so long
as they are with you. All you need to do is blow
this whistle, and they will come to your aid.”
The young man thanked him and continued on
his way. After another year he came to a graveyard.
A corpse was stood on the wall, and not far away a
group of gravediggers were digging a grave. They
were working with all their might, but it was of no
69

Sickle and Spade are Worth a Fortune
use, for they had only their nails to dig with. It took them a month to dig a
grave, and when someone died the King had to call together a large group
of gravediggers.
“Have you no spades here?” said the young man.
“Spades? No, we have nothing like that. Besides, we have no wood or
iron.”
“Let me show you their uses,” said the young man. He set to work
throwing the earth right and left, and before the clock in the town could
strike the half hour, he had finished the grave.
The King himself had come running, and was amazed when he saw what
had been done.
“Oh, give me your
spade,” he said. “I will
give you anything in
exchange. Take my
warhorse. He is cleverer
than the cleverest man,
and stronger than an
entire army.”
The young man took the
steed, mounted it, and set
off with his dogs following
behind. Soon his way led
him to a land where all the
people were in mourning. He
stopped, and asked someone
what was the matter.
“Alas, have you not heard?”
they said. “Our beloved
princess has been captured by
the Caragine. He has shut her
up in a castle surrounded by
seven walls, and guarded by a
dragon with three heads. It can
only be slain if its three heads are
cut off at the same time. The King
has promised to give his daughter’s
hand, and half his kingdom, to the
70

Sickle and Spade are Worth a Fortune
man who rescues her, but all who have tried have lost their lives. One man
got as far as the dragon, but he was slain immediately; the others could not
even get past the walls.”
“Very well,” said the young man. “With my horse and my hounds I will
be able to defeat this giant and this dragon.”
“Master,” said the steed. “Mount on my back , and when we are inside the
castle we shall see what we shall see.”
The young man obeyed, and the steed galloped to the Caragine’s castle.
“What a fine horse,” said the Caragine. “I have never seen one so
wonderful.”
“You shall have him,” said the young man. “But on one condition. You
must ride him first to see how tame he is.”
The Caragine got into the saddle and the steed galloped to the edge of a
high cliff. It stopped suddenly and reared up onto its back legs. The Caragine
lost his grasp, and fell down into the precipice.
“Now, Master, all we have left is the dragon,” said the steed to the young
man. They rode up the steep mountain to the castle surrounded by seven
walls. The door in the first wall was so heavy that twenty men could not
have forced it. The steed gave it one kick and the door and part of the wall
came crashing to the ground. The next door was even heavier, but the steed
kicked this down also, and the next, and so on, until they came to the castle
courtyard.
Here they found the dragon with three heads. Its tail was several yards
long, and its body was covered with scales. It had jaws like a wolf, and
when it saw the young man and his horse, it opened its mouths and let forth
a terrible roar.
The young man pretended to be afraid and fell at the dragon’s feet.
“Mighty dragon,” he said. “I have been very impudent to enter your lair,
and I know that I deserve to die. I do not ask you to spare my life, but
please, grant me one last favour.”
“What is it – quickly?” demanded the dragon.
“I wish to give three whistles.”
“Very well – whistle as much as you please.”
The young man put his fingers to his mouth and blew three long whistles.
The dogs that the first king had given him heard the sound, and came running
through the opened doors into the courtyard. Each one seized hold of one of
the dragon’s heads, and soon the monster fell dead to the ground.
Immediately, the air was filled with the happy cries of the people who
71

Sickle and Spade are Worth a Fortune
were being kept prisoner in the castle. They poured out of the doors into the
courtyard, and at the window of the great tower there appeared a beautiful
maiden. It was the King’s daughter.
“Young man,” she said, “I do not know who you are, or from where you
have come, but I know that no other man could have fought so bravely. I
will gladly become your wife.”
She got up behind him on the
saddle, and they rode home to
the King’s castle. The King
was as good as his word,
and soon the marriage was
celebrated. Everyone was
invited to the wedding: the
people, the steed and the
three dogs. I too was there,
and I found it very hard to
leave the festivities and
come here to tell you
of all the wonderful
things I saw and
heard.

Once upon a time there lived in Brittany a tailor, called Job. He
had a merry face, and pleasant manners and was a favourite with
everyone. In particular there were many girls who would gladly
have become his wife. Although he was only a tailor he had stitched and
cut enough cloth to earn a fortune, and he had built himself the largest
house in the village. Opposite this house there lived a young seamstress
called Jeanneton. She was modest and kind hearted and, apart from Job,
there was no one so skilled with a needle.
One day Jeanneton was sitting at her window, sewing, when she saw
Job crossing the field. She thought that she would like to marry him, and
the feeling grew from year to year. At last she went to him and told him
her wish.
“Very well,” he said, “I feel the same for you as you feel for me. I
will gladly marry you – but on one condition. They say you are the best
seamstress in the country; well, I have here a little cap, and I would like
you to make me one just like it.”
So saying he drew forth a baby’s bonnet. It was so beautifully
embroidered that it could have been the work of the fairies.
“I was asked to make one the same, but try as I might, it is too hard for
me.”
“I too will try,” said Jeanneton, “ and if God so wills, I shall succeed.”
She set to work at once, but although she used the fairest threads, and
embroidered the daintiest flowers and patterns, she could not make a cap
like the original. She stitched at it day and night, and tired out her eyes,
but all in vain. She began to despair and to think the task was impossible.
One night she was stitching at the cap when to her surprise, someone
stepped down out of the fireplace. It was a great nobleman, dressed in
clothes that sparkled with gold and precious stones.
“Do not be afraid, young woman,” he said. “I do not wish to harm you.
Tell me, why are you working so hard at this late hour?”
“Oh, my lord,” said Jeanneton, “I have been very foolish. I promised
to make Job the tailor a cap like this, and a month has passed and I have
done nothing.”
73

Jebedic Le Ribet
“A cap like that?” said the nobleman. “Nothing could be easier. See
here,” and he pulled from his pocket a cap exactly like the original.
“Please, my lord,” said Jeanneton, “give me that cap – it means everything
to me.”
“Willingly, if you will be my wife.”
“I cannot lie to you, my lord,” said Jeanneton. “I love Job, the tailor. I
have promised to be his wife, when this work is completed.”
“Very well,” replied the stranger, “I will respect your feelings. You shall
have the cap, on one condition.”
“What is that?”
“You must remember my name all year, and when I return, in twelve
months time, you must tell me what it is. If you fail, you will have to come
away with me.”
The conditions did not seem difficult and Jeanneton agreed.
“My name is Jebedic le Ribet,” said the nobleman. “In a year’s time you
must return to this place, and tell it to
me. Till that time live happily with Job
the tailor.”
So saying he disappeared, without
opening either door or window.
Jeanneton picked up the cap he had
left and saw, with wonder, that it was
the very image of the original.
The next day she ran with the cap to
Job, and showed it to him.
“See, the work is finished!” she said.
“Then we can be married without
delay,” said Job. “I am proud to become
the husband of such a marvellous
needlewoman.”
So the young couple were married,
and lived together in the greatest
contentment. They were so happy
that Jeanneton forgot all about the
nobleman.
At the beginning of the tenth month
she remembered him, but alas! she could
not recollect his name. She became
very sad and Job asked her what was
74

Jebedic Le Ribet
the matter.
“Do not cry, Jeanneton,” he said, “ tailors are clever fellows. I will call
them all together and I promise you that they will find the name you are
looking for.”
The tailors from ten miles around came to help Job. They searched the
woods and moorland for news of the nobleman; but they could learn nothing
of him. Soon the year was nearly at an end and Jeanneton was growing
more and more afraid; when only three days were left, Job and his friends
decided to make a final effort. They all set out in different directions and
one of the tailors entered a large wood. As he walked through it he saw a
beautiful white hare.
“If I catch that hare I can take it back to Jeanneton,” he thought. “It might
make her less unhappy.”
He set off after it and followed it through thickets and gorse, until he
reached the mouth of a cave. He plunged into it and along a tunnel that
led down into the earth. At last he came out before a magnificent castle.
The sun was rising and a crowd of grooms were cleaning a coach in the
courtyard. It was richly painted and decorated with gold.
The tailor went up to them, his hat in his hand.
“Might I ask why you are making these preparations?” he said.
“Of course. Tonight our master rides to the world above. He is going to
carry away a young woman and make her his wife.”
75

Jebedic Le Ribet
The tailor thought to himself: “Aha! this is the man for whom I am
searching!”
“Is your master rich?” he asked.
“I should think so! He owns all the gold mines in the earth.”
“Indeed? And what is the name of such a wonderful man?”
“You must be a stranger not to have heard it: his name is Jebedic le
Ribet.”
“Jebedic…Jebedic what?”
“Jebedic le Ribet.”
“Thank you gentleman,” said the tailor. He raised his hat politely and
hurried away.
“That is certainly the name I am looking for,” he thought.
“Now I must not forget it.”
He said it over and over as he ran along; “Jebedic le Ribet,
Jebedic le Ribet.” Suddenly he caught his foot in a fox’s set,
and fell to the ground. He cried out and rose painfully to his
feet.
“Jebe-, Jeb-” he said, but could go no further. “Never let
it be said that a tailor has been defeated,” he cried, “I will
go back to the castle!”
He hurried back and arrived when the grooms were
harnessing four horses to the carriage.
“I came to see what horses could be good enough
for such a carriage,” he said. “What fine animals
– their master must be very proud! By the bye,
what was his name? I have forgotten it.”
“Jebedic le Ribet, Jebedic le Ribet,” said the
grooms together.
“ I am very grateful to you,” said the tailor
and once more hurried away.
This time he did not forget the name. He
arrived at Job’s house on the last day, a few
minutes before midnight. Job and Jeanneton
and the tailors were gathered about the fire.
“Have you met with any luck?” cried Job.
“Yes – I think I have found the right name,”
said the tailor.
“What is it?” asked Jeanneton.
“Jebedic – Jebedic le Ribet.”
76

Jebedic Le Ribet
“Yes, that is the right name; thank you, thank you: you have saved me,”
said Jeanneton. “Now the stranger can come if he wishes.”
At the stroke of midnight the stranger arrived. There was a sound of
bells, wheels and snorting horses. The door swung open of its own accord
and the nobleman entered the room.
“Good evening, good evening, Jebedic le Ribet,” said Jeanneton in a gentle
voice. “You see I have not forgotten the name of my kind benefactor.”
The nobleman uttered a terrible oath and turned, banging the door behind
him. It broke into a thousand pieces and they heard the carriage drive
away.
Job and Jeanneton rejoiced at their escape, and lived happily together for
the rest of their days.
Told by Jean-Mathurin Cadic, recter of Bieuzy
77

Once upon a time there was an old man who had worked hard all
his life, and was now taking his last breaths. His wife, his elder
son, and his younger son were all stood about his bed, and he
spoke to each of them in turn.
To his wife he said, “Do not forget me.”
To his elder son, Matau, he said, “Work hard and be brave.”
To his younger son, Jobik, he said, “Be patient and hope.”
After this he passed away. This advice was all he had to leave his family,
for they were very poor.
Eight days after the funeral Jobik was lying in the box bed. He had been
crying all day over his father, but it was now nearly midnight, and he
and everyone else were fast asleep. Suddenly he heard a noise, and then
a voice calling “Jobik, Jobik”. He stuck his head out of the box bed into
the room. It was dimly lit and he thought he saw his father sitting beside
the table. He wanted to run and embrace him, but then he grew frightened
and hid his head beneath the bedclothes.
The next morning his mother and brother did not believe him when he
told them what he had seen.
“Why, you should have asked him what was the matter,” they laughed.
“He must want to tell you something.”
The next night the spirit appeared again.
“How can I help you, Father?” said Jobik.
“Ah, my son,” said the old man. “I promised when I was alive to make
a pilgrimage to Quelven, but I did not keep my word. Please fulfil my
pledge and make the pilgrimage yourselves.” So saying, he disappeared.
Jobik told his mother and brother what had happened, and this time
they did believe him.
“Very well,” said his mother. “When the good weather comes your
brother and I will go to Quelven. You can stay here and look after the
house while we are away.”
Poor Jobik was lame and walked very slowly, so he was always left
behind. This time, however, he was determined to go to Quelven. When
79

Lame Jobik
the day came he arose very early and said that he was going hunting in
the forest. He took his little sling and set off along the forest paths, in the
direction of Quelven. Towards evening he lost his way and found himself
in a tangled thicket. The stars were appearing and he could hear the cries
of wild animals. Growing afraid, he climbed a tree, and hid amongst the
branches.
After a while, he saw a light coming towards him. It was a lantern that
hung from a giant’s hat. He was carrying an ox over his shoulders, and he
sat down at the foot of Jobik’s tree and began to roast the animal over a
fire.
Jobik saw all this with dismay. He did not want the giant beside him
all night and he decided to chase him away. He slipped a pebble into his
sling, and fired it at the giant’s face. The pebble hit his nose but bounced
off like a rubber ball on a wooden table. The giant scratched himself and
muttered:
“The flies are biting hard tonight. No doubt there is a storm brewing.”
Jobik climbed lower and fired the next pebble above the giant’s ear. The
giant raised his head and saw Jobik in the tree.
80

Lame Jobik
“Oh, so it’s you throwing hazel nuts at me,” he said. “Stop those tricks
and come and join me. We can eat and then attend to business.
He took Jobik in his huge hand and set him on the ground. He would
have shared the ox with him, but the boy could not eat it, so the giant ate it
all. When he had finished he dropped Jobik into his knapsack and set off at
a great speed. Mountains, deserts and valleys passed by in the blink of an
eye, and Jobik could hear the giant’s breath coming and going like a pair
of bellows. At length they stopped beside a beautiful castle, surrounded by
a high wall.
“Do you see that castle, little one?” asked the giant. “ I want you to help
me get over the walls. Take these three eggs and climb into the courtyard.
There you will find a great serpent with a blue mark on its forehead. Throw
these eggs at it and take care not to miss.”
Jobik obeyed and when he entered the courtyard he hurled the eggs at the
serpent. It fell down dead and he called out “I have done it.”
“Very good,” said the giant. “Now fetch a pickaxe from the castle and
make a hole in the wall for me to come in by.”
Jobik began hacking at the wall and when the hole was large enough the
giant thrust in his head. Soon Jobik became very weary.
“I am tired,” said Jobik, “can’t you squeeze through?”
The giant pushed in his shoulders but could go no further. He made a
supreme effort and broke free, but the wall came tumbling down on top of
him.
Seeing that he was dead, Jobik breathed a sigh of relief for he was glad
to be rid of hhis troublesome companion. He entered the castle and passed
through many beautiful rooms. Everything was silent, and there was no
one to be seen except in the last room. Here he found a beautiful maiden
fast asleep with her head resting on a table. Beside her lay a handkerchief
and a snuff box. Jobik put these in his pocket, then fearing he would waken
the maiden, he left the castle and re-entered the forest, He wandered for
nearly a month, until at last he met his mother and brother, returning from
their pilgrimage. They were surprised and angry when they saw him, and
insisted that he come back to the village with them.
One evening, they came to the edge of the forest through which they had
been walking for several days. Beside the road stood a beautiful house,
which had just been built.
“It is wonderful how quickly things happen here,” said Metau. “On
our way that house wasn’t even there – and now it is furnished and
inhabited.”
81

Lame Jobik
What is more, over the doorway was a sign which read:
“Here food and drink are free
To all who tell a wonderful tale of adventure.
“Let us go in,” said Metau. “I’ll tell enough tales to earn us a night’s
board and lodging.”
When they entered, the owner of the house asked them if they knew any
interesting stories.
“Oh yes,” said Matau.
“Then eat your fill,” said the owner.
When they had finished, Jobik said that he also knew a story.
“You, poor simpleton,” said his mother and brother, laughing.
“And why not?” cried their host. “Something could have happened to
him that you know nothing of. Tell us your
story, child.”
So Jobik told them about how
he had left the house and walked
through the forest, and about his
meeting with the giant.
“Really,” said Matau. “How
can we be expected to believe
such nonsense?”
“Easily; go on my child,”
said their host.
Jobik told them all about the
giant’s death and about how he
had entered the castle and found
the slumbering maiden, and
about how he had taken
the handkerchief and
snuffbox.
“Do you still have
them?” asked their
host.
“Yes, of course,”
said Jobik and pulled
them out of his
pocket.
82

Lame Jobik
Their host went to a door, opened it, and led out a beautiful girl.
“This is your deliverer, my child,” he said to her.
The maiden ran to Jobik and began to thank him. “I will never be able
to repay you,” she said. “For many years I have been imprisoned in that
castle, guarded by the serpent, and every day the giant tried to break his
way in and slay me. Their deaths set me free, and my only regret was that
I did not know who was my saviour. I decided to build this house, and set
up that sign, in the hope that he would pass this way. Now here you are,
and it is my turn to do all I can to thank you.”
The maiden kept her word. She gave Jobik lands and farms, and to the
amazement of his mother and brother he became the richest man for twenty
leagues around. He behaved generously to his family, and he gave Matau
one of his farms, and put his mother in charge of his affairs. As for his
father, he continued to honour his memory for all the days of his life.
Told by a nun, at Kermaria
83

Once upon a time there lived a young man called Fransez Pautremad.
He was as strong as an oak, as tall as a giant, and as brave as a lion.
No one in Brittany could be found to match him. Unfortunately,
he also had a mighty appetite, and his father could not afford to feed him.
Soon he became very poor.
“My son,” said the old man one day, “When the bird grows wings, it
leaves the nest. The world is full of many paths, go out and seek your
fortune. If you are ever in difficulty, ask the advice of old people – they are
wise and will be able to help you.”
Fransez took a stout, knotty stick and set out into the world. As he
walked through the villages farmers called out to him, “You’re a strong
young fellow. Come and work for us.”
“You will find my wages a little high,” said Fransez, “I’m looking for
my fortune.”
As he walked through the towns the King’s officers stopped and offered
him a place in the army.
“Will I find my fortune?” asked Fransez.
“Men say soldiers
sometimes find their
fortune,” said the officer,
“but we never have.
Continue on your way.”
Fransez walked on
and on; soon he began to
think he would reach the
end of the world, where
the sun rests for the night.
Still, his purse was as flat
as when he set out from
his father’s house.
“My father said follow
the paths of the world
85

How Fransez Pautremad Found his Fortune
and you will find your fortune,” he thought to himself. “But I am as poor
as I ever was. I will ask the advice of old people, for he said they are wise
and will be able to help me.”
So Fransez began to look for the oldest person in the world. At last he
reached a lonely spot, and saw a tiny hut. Its roof was very low, and it was
covered with moss. From the inside came the whirr, whirr of a spinning
wheel. An old lady was sitting spinning. Her skin was so lined, and her
body so shrivelled that she must have been at least a hundred and fifty
years old.
“Good day, Grandmother,” said Fransez. “You are the person I have
been looking for, for my father told me to ask the advice of old people
when I did not know what to do.”
The old lady put her finger to her lips. “Hush. Do not speak so loud, or
you will awaken my grandmother.”
“Is your grandmother still alive?” cried Fransez. “She must be so old
that she has lost count of her age.”
The grandmother had awoken and was trying to sit up. Her skin was like
parchment, and her nose was so hooked that it almost met her chin. She
had heard the traveller’s request and began to speak.
“So you are looking for your fortune, young man,” she said. “You
will only find it on one condition; you must avoid men and defend the
oppressed.”
As Fransez walked away he thought about this advice.
“Avoid men and defend the oppressed,” he thought. “How can I do that?
I am no better off than I was.”
Still, his father had told him to follow the advice of old people, and he
decided to take heed of the grandmother’s words. In the middle of a deep
forest, far from mankind, he built a little hut. There he lived, surrounded
by the birds and beasts, and he took care of weaker creatures and defended
those that were in need.
One day he heard the cries of a bird. On drawing near he saw that it was
about to eat a little bee, which had landed on a flower.
“Kuit! Kuit!” sang the bird, “M’hou tèbrou, kommér! M’hou tèbrou!” (I
will eat you little gossip! I will eat you!)
With a blow of his stick, he felled the bird to the ground. Immediately he
was surrounded by hundreds of bees. They did not sting him, but performed
a graceful dance about his head.
“You have saved our Queen,” they buzzed. “How can we repay you?”
“The pleasure of having helped you is enough,” said Fransez.
86

How Fransez Pautremad Found his Fortune
“All the same, we are in your debt,” said the bees. “If you are ever in
need, we will help you.”
The next day Fransez was walking through the forest when he heard the
neighs of a terrified horse. The poor animal was being attacked by wolves,
and could not protect itself.
“Another chance to defend the weak,” said Fransez. With a few blows
of his stick he felled two or three wolves, and the remainder fled into the
forest.
“Thank you, young man,” said the steed. “You have saved my life. I am
the King’s horse, and I will repay this service.”
On his way home Fransez saw a sparrowhawk swoop down on a swallow
that had landed to drink from a spring. In a moment he had killed the
attacker and set the swallow free.
“Thank you,” said the bird, “You have rescued the Queen of the swallows.
If you are ever in need, I and my subjects will fly to your aid.”
The surprises were not at an end. As the swallow flew away, Fransez
heard the mewing of a cat. The poor creature was trying to defend her little
ones from a large hound. Fransez slew the ferocious animal, and the cat
began to purr with gratitude.
“You have saved us,” she said. “Know that I
am Queen of the cats, and some day I will repay
you.”
Seeing that animals were no different from
men, Fransez left the forest and continued his
travels. He walked and walked but he still could
not find his fortune and he began to grow weary.
He longed to return home, but he was afraid of
what his father would say.
“When I was in the forest I helped many poor
creatures,” he said to himself. “Maybe they
can help me now.” Raising his voice, he called,
“Queen of the swallows, where are you? Come to
my aid.”
Almost immediately the bird appeared.
“How can I help you, master?” asked the
swallow.
“I want to know how to find my fortune,” said
Fransez.
The Queen of the swallows summoned all her
87

How Fransez Pautremad Found his Fortune
people, and Fransez asked them the same question.
“I do not know,” said the first swallow.
“Nor I,” said the second.
“I do,” said the third. “It lies in the castle of the Caragine 1 , but no one can
enter there. The castle is surrounded by three walls. Behind the first wall
are thousands of rats, who will eat anyone who passes through. Behind the
second are furious lions and behind the third is the Caragine. In the castle
itself there is a prisoner. She is the King’s daughter, and she is the most
beautiful creature in the world.”
Fransez did not stay to hear more. He walked over hills and rivers for
many months until he reached the castle of the Caragine. It was as tall as
the clouds, and it would have taken twenty men to open the door. This did
not discourage Fransez.
He set his mighty shoulder against the door and burst it open. No sooner
had he done so, but lo! fifty or a hundred rats leapt down and began to bite
his face and neck.
“Queen of the cats, come to my aid,” he cried.
In the blink of an eye cats swarmed over the surrounding landscape and
began to pour into the castle. Soon all the rats had been devoured.
“Queen of the bees, come to my aid,” called Fransez. As he said these
words, he set his shoulder against the second door and burst it open.The
lions rushed to meet him, but already a black cloud of bees was pouring
through the door. They stung the lions and in the confusion the terrible
beasts slew one another.
The Caragine had heard the dreadful noise, and came running to help
his servants. Fransez did not hesitate; with a blow of his stick he felled the
giant to the ground and rushed into the castle.
He was greeted with joy by the poor prisoner. The little swallow had
spoken the truth for she was indeed the King’s daughter, and she was the
most beautiful person in the world.
Fransez called the King’s horse to him, and told him to carry the good
news to his master. When the King heard that his daughter was free, he was
filled with joy, and vowed to give his whole kingdom to her saviour.
Soon the marriage of Fransez Pautremad and the King’s daughter
was celebrated, and they lived happily in the Caragine’s castle for many
years.
Told by M. l’abbé Le Moing, curate at Cléguer
1
a Breton Giant
88

Once upon a time there were three sisters called Jeanne, Jeanette
and Jeaneton. Their parents were dead and they lived alone in the
forest of Grégo, not far from Vannes. They were all industrious
and cheerful and although they were very poor, they managed to earn a
living. In winter they knitted woollen stockings for the farmer’s wives
and in Summer they picked the woodland berries and sold them at the
market.
One morning they took their baskets and set out from their little cottage
into the wood. Each sister took a different path, and soon they were all
picking busily. Jeanne had almost filled her basket when she saw an old
woman coming towards her. She was bent and
walked with a stick; her face was wrinkled and
she looked at least a hundred years old. She was
dressed in rags and must have gone without
food for some time, for she seemed very weak,
and once or twice she almost fell.
“I come from far away, and I have wandered
a long time without eating,” she said. “May I
have some of your strawberries, my dear?”
“You may have them all, Grandmother,”
said Jeanne, “I will soon find more.”
So saying she tipped all her strawberries into
the old lady’s apron.
“Thank you,” said the old lady. “I wish I had
something to give you in return, but I am not
rich. All I have is this ribbon; take it and it may
do you a service some day.”
She put the ribbon into Jeanne’s hands, and
then hurried away. Jeanne went back to the
cottage and did not mention the meeting to her
sisters.
The next day it was Jeanette who met the old
lady. She greeted her with the same words.
89

Jeanne, Jeanette and Jeaneton
“I come from far away, and I have wandered a long time without eating,”
she said. “May I have some of your strawberries, my dear?”
Jeanette gave her all her berries, and the old lady gave her a tiny bag in
return. Then she disappeared into the forest, and Jeanette went home and
did not mention the meeting to her sisters.
The next day Jeaneton was searching among the long grass for berries
when she saw the old lady.
“I am very hungry my dear, may I have some of your berries?”
“Of course, take them all,” said Jeaneton.
“I am glad to see that all three sisters are generous-hearted,” said the old
lady. “Here, take this in return.”
She produced a tiny bell from beneath her rags, then disappeared into
the forest. Jeaneton went back to the little cottage, and she did not mention
the matter to her elder sisters.
One evening the three girls began to talk about their adventure, and they
showed each other the gifts the old lady had given them. For the first time
they wondered what they could
do with them.
“I shall tie my hair up with my
ribbon, like the town girls do,”
said Jeanne.
“I am a little ashamed of my
bag,” murmured Jeanette. “I will
never have any money to put in
it.”
As she said these words the
bag began to swell and swell.
At last it burst, overturning the
cottage, and a magnificent farm
house appeared in its place.
Jeaneton was softly tinkling
her bell, and now the three sisters
had a second surprise. With
each tinkle, farm animals came
running into the yard. Horses,
cows, sheep, pigs, ducks and
hens gathered about them; they
were all docile and handsome,
and seemed to be saying, “Now
90

Jeanne, Jeanette and Jeaneton
we are yours, do with us what you will.”
The sisters were rich, richer than any of the other farmers, and could
hardly believe their good fortune.
Only Jeanne looked sad, and her sisters asked her what was wrong.
“I see that only you have been given anything,” she said. “ I am still
poor. I must have displeased the old lady, for my ribbon is useless.”
“Do not say that!” cried the two sisters. “You know that whatever is
ours is yours. We always share everything. If we are rich, you are too!”
Jeanne was ashamed that she had doubted her sisters’ goodness of heart.
She was filled with happiness, and went out into the meadow to pick them
a bouquet of flowers. When she had gathered an armful she began to tie
them up with her ribbon.
No sooner did she unroll it but it flew from her hands, and in its path
there appeared a beautiful garden, full of fruit trees, laden with fruit, and
flowers of all the colours of the rainbow.
Truly, the fairy had not deceived them, but had amply rewarded their
generosity.
Told by Ferdinand Le Jallé, from Theix
91

Once upon a time there lived a little girl called Annette. She was
kind hearted and as good as gold, but her parents were dead, and
she worked as a shepherdess on a farm near Théix.
One day she was out grazing her sheep in the gulf of Morbihan. There
salt streams run through the plains, and the animals feed on the sea grass
that grows beside them. Suddenly, Annette saw something moving in a
thorn bush. It was a young hare, no bigger than two clenched fists, with
fur as white as January snow.
“Don’t be afraid, little hare,“ said Annette. “I won’t
hurt you.”
She knelt down, lifted the hare into her apron,
and carried it home with her. She was met by the
farmer’s wife.
“What have you there?” asked the woman. “It
looks like a hare – what fine white fur! Give it to
me and I’ll make it into the best stew we’ve ever
tasted.” Annette drew back in dismay.
“No,” she said, “I would rather die than
give you my hare.”
“Very well,” said the farmer’s
wife. “Then you can both leave
this place. No doubt you’ll find
some kind soul who will take
you in.”
So the little girl left the
farm. She walked and
walked, but she found no
house where she could
ask for shelter. At last
she saw a castle standing
in a forest clearing.
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The Little White Hare
“Perhaps the people here will be kind and give us shelter,” she said. She
knocked on the door, and it was opened by a serving woman.
“Come in, my dear,” she said. “You may stay here tonight, and many
other nights, if you wish – on condition you give me that white hare in your
apron. I will make a tasty dish with it – and I will share it with you.”
“No – I will not part with my treasure,” said Annette.
“Then you can be on your way,” said the servant, and slammed the
door.
The little girl wiped away the tears that had risen to her eyes, and set off
along a path that led into the forest. After a while she came to a great oak
tree. She sat down on the moss at its base, and began to stroke the hare
and wonder what she should do. Suddenly, she noticed a gentle rustling
amongst the grass and the branches of the oak. Hundreds and hundreds
of tiny figures were coming towards her. They sat down in a circle about
the tree, some on leaves, others on toadstools, and some clinging to the
plants.
Annette felt frightened, and was about to run away, when a voice as
sweet as a nightingale’s began to speak.
“Do not be afraid, dear Annette,” said the chief of the little people. “We
are Korrigans of the forest, and we want to help you. We know all about
the troubles you have had since you found your hare, and we want to help
you care for it. Come and live with us and be our housekeeper, and we will
look after both of you.”
“Thank you,” said the little girl. “I will gladly come and live with you
– especially as you will also take care of my little hare.”
The Korrigans led Annette to an underground cave, hidden beneath some
great stones in the deepest part of the forest. Each day they brought the
hare wild thyme and garden thyme, and they brought Annette the sweetest
honey, and fruits from orchards and gardens.
Five months passed in this happy way. Annette’s cheeks grew round and
rosy, and the hare’s fur became more sparkling white than ever.
One day Annette noticed a great commotion amongst the Korrigans.
They were running hither and thither, forming into ranks, and each one
held a dagger and was mounted on a rabbit.
“We are off to the other end of the land,” said their chief. “We are going
to storm the fortress of the cruel giant, Diaul Bras, and slay him. You will
be more pleased than anyone if we succeed. Farewell, and do not fear for
us.”
The Korrigans set off towards the East. They passed with ease through
94

the gorse bushes on the heath, and the rows of corn in the fields, but they
stopped in dismay when they reached a large pond.
“Never fear,” said their chief. He blew a whistle, and the fish who lived
in the pond rose to the surface, and formed a silvery bridge across the
water.
The Korrigans crossed over and rode on until they reached the giant’s
castle. It was very tall, and its walls were as smooth as glass. All the doors
were locked and barred – how were they to get in? Once again their chief
blew his whistle. The wood pigeons who live in the forest flew down and
took the Korrigans on their backs. They flew with them over the walls and
into the giant’s castle.
The giant was fast asleep, but he was soon awoken. Little people filled
the courtyard, the rooms, the furniture, even the kitchen utensils. Although
they were not much bigger than wasps, they marched on the giant from all
sides, their daggers held in their hands.
The giant tried to hide, but he could not escape. He rushed to the castle
walls but still he was pursued. He grew frightened and, losing his head,
leapt from the walls and fell dead on the ground beneath.
Gladdened by their victory, the Korrigans took the shortest way home,
humming joyfully as they went.
“You are avenged, Annette,” they cried. “Your enemy is dead!”
“But who is my enemy?” asked the little girl. “I have never harmed
anyone, and I did not know anyone was angry with me.”
It was the hare who answered this question. It had leapt down from
Annette’s apron into the midst of the Korrigans, and a young woman had
appeared in its place.
She was beautiful and graceful, and dressed in the most magnificent
clothes.
“Thank you,” she said to the little folk. “You have saved two helpless
creatures. The cruel giant, Diaul Bras, robbed us of our castle, and turned
me into a white hare. My daughter, Annette, had to work as a shepherdess
for a hard-hearted farmer’s wife. Thanks to her kind heart I was protected
and taken care of. We can now return to our home. Korrigans of wood and
moor, you will always be welcome at the castle of the white hare.”
Annette was full of joy to have found her mother and said good bye to
her forest friends.
They lived together for many years in their beautiful castle, and were
loved by all the people round about.
95
The Little White Hare
Told by François Le Tallec, from Theix

Once upon a time there lived a young
man who was a soldier in the King’s
army. He was cheerful and
brave and loved by his companions,
and he soon became the King’s
drummer. He played the drum so
well that when he left the army
he was allowed to keep his
instrument.
He set off home, and as
he walked he played gaily
on his drum. One night
he lost his way in a forest
and a hermit who lived in a
little hut offered to give him
shelter.
“Make yourself at home, young
man,”said the hermit. “Eat, drink,
and sleep to your heart’s content.
Tomorrow morning I will not be here,
for I get up very early. I advise you to be
on your way before the sun rises, or else you will not be able to leave.”
“Why, who will stop me?” asked the soldier. “I am afraid of no one.”
“With the sun’s first rays, a great serpent coils itself round the tree outside
my door, and stays there till sunset;” said the hermit. “It is protecting
the King’s daughters who wash their undergarments and bathe in yonder
pool.”
The next morning the hermit left before dawn, but the soldier was tired
and slept on until the sun was high in the sky. When he awoke he opened
the door, to see if what the hermit had said was true. He stepped back with
a cry of horror. A mighty snake hung from the branches of an oak. It glared
and darted out its forked tongue. If he stepped forward it would slay him,
so he could not leave the hut. Suddenly he saw his drum.
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The King’s Drummer
“This may be able to help me,” he said. He began to beat it with great
vigour, and the noise echoed through the forest like thunder. Birds hid
in the trees, and the serpent uncoiled itself and slithered away into the
forest.
That evening the hermit returned and asked the soldier what had
happened.
“Oh, I frightened off the serpent,” said the soldier.
“Indeed? Then you have done what no one else could do,” said the hermit.
“Did you see the King’s daughters?”
“No,” said the soldier, “I was too busy with my drum.”
“Then keep your eyes open tomorrow,” said the hermit.
When the sun rose next morning the soldier was at the door of the hut.
The serpent came up to the tree but when the soldier played a few rolls on
his drum it hastened away. At the same time the King’s daughters came
down to the pool. They were all very beautiful, and shone like stars. They
were so alike that each girl wore a different coloured ribbon about her
arm, so that people could tell them apart. The eldest wore a red ribbon, the
second a white and the third a blue.
“Which of the three girls is the best?” said the soldier to the hermit.
“The one in the middle – with the white ribbon,” said the hermit.
“Very well, then I will make her my wife,” said the soldier. When he
looked closer he saw that the second sister had a pair of wings on her back,
but he had chosen her, and he could not change his mind.
On the third day the soldier chased away the serpent, and crept down to
the pool. He hid amongst some willows and when the maidens came out
of the water he seized his chosen bride by the arm. Her sisters gave cries
of terror and ran away.
“What do you want, young man?” asked the second daughter.
“I mean you no harm, beautiful princess,” said the soldier. “All I ask is
your hand in marriage.”
“Gladly,” replied the maiden. “When can I become your wife?”
“This very day,” said the soldier. “Here is a hermit to bless the union.”
But the hermit did not wish to marry them without the aid of six other
hermits who lived in the forest. It was very hard to find them, for they
lived in the remotest parts of the wood, and they did not like to leave their
hermitages.
The soldier set off and after a year he had found them all. As his friend
the hermit had said, they would not leave their homes, so he began to play
upon his drum. At last the noise grew unbearable, and the hermits agreed
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The King’s Drummer
to accompany him.
After the wedding the soldier was filled with a longing to see his village
and family again.
“Go, my children,” said the hermit, “and do not forget your old friend.
The way is long and difficult. I will give you my donkey – you can have no
better companion. I ask only one thing. Do not make him travel between
sunset and sunrise, and never beat him.”
The young couple set out and journeyed on for five days. The donkey was
very obedient and as fleet as the wind. At nights they stopped where they
were and slept as best they could. They were not far from home when, one
evening, they found themselves in a sunken path. It was very muddy,and
they tried to make haste, but the sun set, and the donkey stopped. They
could not sleep where they were – what were they to do?
“Come on, you silly animal!” cried the soldier, and struck the donkey on
the haunches. No sooner had he done so, but the donkey threw him off into
the mud and bolted, and his wife soared up into the sky.
The soldier had to walk back to the hermit’s hut, along long and difficult
paths. When he arrived, he found that his wife had also returned to the
hermitage, He wanted to take her home with him, but the hermit would
not allow it.
“You may have her in a year’s time,” he said. “Return home, and in a
year she will join you. Do not sleep on your return journey, for if you do
you will forget all that has happened.”
The poor soldier bade his wife farewell and set off home. He only stopped
to dip his bread into the clear water of the springs, but after three days he
became very tired. He sat down by an oak tree and fell asleep. When he
awoke he had forgotten everything. He only remembered that he was a
soldier on his way home from the army.
There was great rejoicing when he arrived in the village and all the young
girls admired his courage and good looks. Before the year was over he
became betrothed to a rich heiress.
Meanwhile, the true bride was longing to rejoin her husband. Finally, the
year came to an end, and the hermit gave her permission to leave.
“Here,” he said, “take these three boxes. Each one contains a beautiful
dress. Use them wisely and all will be well.”
The true bride set off, and when she neared her husband’s home she put
on the first dress. Soon she met her husband himself, out walking with his
betrothed.
“What a beautiful dress,” said the maiden. “Tell me, young woman, what
99

The King’s Drummer
will you take for it?”
“It is not for sale, it can only be won,” said the true bride.
“What are the conditions?”
“You must allow me to spend the night in the room next to your future
husband.”
The maiden agreed and that night the true bride was shown into the room
beside her husband’s. The soldier’s servant was watching over him as he
slept, and all night long he heard a whispering voice.
“Have you forgotten the hermit and your drum and the serpent? Have
you forgotten the King’s daughter, whom you lost and whom you were to
see again after a year?”
The soldier did not hear, for his betrothed had given him a sleeping
draught, and he slept on soundly. He was surprised when, next morning,
his servant told him what had happened.
“What did the voice say?” he asked.
“I cannot tell you,” said the servant, “it would trouble you.”
The next day the true bride put on her second robe, and once again met
the soldier and his betrothed.
“Will you give me this dress on the same conditions?” said the maiden.
“Yes, I will,” said the true bride.
That night the servant heard the same voice, but now it was tearful.
“Have you forgotten the hermit and your drum and the serpent? Have
you forgotten the King’s daughter, whom you lost and whom you were to
see again after a year?”
The soldier was fast asleep, but next morning he asked the servant to
repeat to him what he had heard. He was filled with wonder, and swore to
get to the bottom of the mystery.
On the third day he and his betrothed once again met the true bride. She
was wearing an even more beautiful dress and the maiden could not resist
it.
“Will you give me that dress if I let you spend a night in the room beside
my husband’s?”
“Yes, I will,” said the true bride.
That night the servant replaced the soldier’s sleeping draught with a
harmless drink and the soldier heard the whispering voice.
“Have you forgotten the hermit and your drum?”
“Your drum!” The word reminded the soldier of everything he had
forgotten.
He remembered the hermit, the serpent, and the King’s daughter who
100

The King’s Drummer
had become his wife and who was now two feet away from him, trying,
through her tears to knock at the door of his heart.
There were great festivities to celebrate the happy couple’s reunion. The
betrothed was given the three dresses to make up for her disappointment,
and I myself was given a bowl of cider and as many loaves of white bread
as I could take away with me.
Told by M. Méliau Le Cam, from Pluméliau
101

Once upon a time there lived a king who claimed that he had never
told a lie. All day long he heard his courtiers saying “that is not
true – you’re a liar” and he grew very displeased. One day he
called them to him.
“You surprise and displease me,” he said. “Any stranger who overheard
you would think I ruled over the kingdom of liars. This must cease. You
never hear me say ‘that is not true’ or ‘you are a liar’: if anyone did I
would give him my daughter’s hand in marriage.”
A young shepherd heard the King’s words and said to himself: “Very
well, I will wed the King’s daughter, if he is a man of his word!”
The old King liked to listen to stories and hear gwerzioù and sonioù
(ballads and songs) being sung; very
often after supper he would sit down
at the great fireplace in the kitchen
and enjoy the songs and tales told
by his servants.
“What about you, little one, have
you nothing for us?” said the King
to the shepherd boy one evening.
“Oh yes, your Majesty,” said the
shepherd boy.
“Let us hear it then,” said the
King.
“Well, one day I was out walking
in the forest when I saw a fine hare,”
said the shepherd boy. “It ran in
front of me and I threw a ball of soot
at its forehead. The soot stuck to it
but it didn’t stop. Soon it ran straight
into another hare. The ball of soot
stuck their foreheads together, so
they could not free themselves and I
caught them with the greatest ease.
103

How a Shepherd Boy Won the King’s Daughter
What do you think of that, your Majesty?”
“Strange, but not impossible,” said the King. “Have you anything else
for us?”
“Before I came to your court, Sire, I worked for my father, the miller.
One day I loaded my donkey so heavily that it broke his spine.”
“The poor animal!” cried the King.
“I went to a nearby hedge and cut myself a hazel stick. I put it in his back
in place of a spine, and he leapt up and carried his load to the mill.”
“That is very strange,” said the King, “but what happened next?”
“The next morning – and it was the month of December – I was surprised
to see that branches, leaves and even hazelnuts had grown on the stick left
poking out, and when I took my donkey out of the stable the branches kept
on growing so fast , and so, so high, that they soon touched the sky.”
“That is strange indeed,” said the King, “but what happened next?”
“Goodness, when I saw that, I began to climb the branches and soon
reached the moon.”
“That is certainly very strange,” said the King, “but what happened
next?”
“When I reached the moon I saw some old women winnowing oats and I
watched them for a long while; when I wanted to go back to earth I found
that my donkey had walked away, and the hazel stick was gone. What was
I to do? I started knotting together the oat husks
and before long I had a fine rope.”
“Very strange,” said the King. “ What happened
next?”
“Alas, my rope was too short and I had to let
go. I fell head first and landed on a rock sticking
up out of the ground. I sank down into it up to my
shoulders.”
“Very strange,” said the King. “What happened
next?”
“I managed to wrench all but my head free, so I
ran off to find an iron lever to prise it out.”
“Very, very strange,” said the King. “What
happened next?”
“When I got back with the lever I found that a
wolf was eating my head. I gave it such a heavy
blow that I squashed it flat and out shot a letter.”
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How a Shepherd Boy Won the King’s Daughter
“Very, very, very strange,” said the King, “but what happened next?”
“In this letter, your Majesty, it was written that your grandfather had
once worked for my grandfather, the miller.”
“You lie through your teeth, son of a dog!” cried the King, and sprang
to his feet.
“Look out, your Majesty, I have won your daughter’s hand,” said the
shepherd boy.
“What do you mean?” asked the King.
“Have you forgotten that you promised to give your daughter to the man
who caught you saying ‘You are a liar’ ?”
“Very true, and the King must not break his word,” replied the old man.
“I will give you my daughter an you shall be betrothed today and married
in a week.”
And this is how a shepherd boy won the King’s daughter.
105

Once upon a time there
lived a King and a
Queen who had one
little daughter. The Queen fell
ill, and when she felt that her end
was nigh, she called her husband
to her and made him promise
that if he decided to remarry,
he would choose a woman who
looked so like her that she could
wear the same clothes.
Soon after, she passed away
and the King’s counsellors
urged him to take another wife.
Messengers were sent far and
wide to announce that the King
would marry the woman who
looked so like the dead Queen,
that she could even wear her
clothes.
Many maidens came to try on
the clothes, but they did not fit
any of them. The King himself
set out, and travelled through
many lands, but, although he
searched amongst princesses and
noblewomen, and merchants’
daughters and peasant girls, he
could find no one who looked
like his dead wife. He returned
home, and his advisors continued
to urge him to remarry.
107

The Golden Ox
Some years passed away, and the King’s little daughter grew into a
lovely maiden. One day she went into the room in which her mother’s
clothes were kept, and she decided to try them on. Her father was passing
by and he heard a noise. He looked through the keyhole and it seemed to
him that his dead wife had come back to life. Filled with delight, he opened
the door and hurried into the room. He only realized that it was not the
Queen when his daughter turned to speak to him, for she was as like her
mother as one drop of milk is to another.
“Daughter,” said the King, “it is you who are most like your mother, so
you must become my wife.”
“You cannot mean that, Father,” said the Princess.
“Yes I can,” said the King. “Before your mother died, I promised that
I would only marry a woman who looked just like her. I have searched
everywhere for such a person, but all in vain; however, when I came in just
now, I thought you were the Queen herself.”
The Princess was very distressed, but she did not dare to say no to her
father. When he had gone, she went in tears to her nurse, and told her what
had happened. The old woman advised her not to refuse outright, but to ask
her father for a gown with no seams, and made from violet flowers.
The King came to urge his daughter to marry him, but she replied:
“First I must have a gown with no seams, and made from violet flowers.
I will only marry you if you bring me such a gown.”
The King called together all the drapers and cloth-sellers in his kingdom,
but none of them could bring him the gown he wanted. At last he set out
himself, and travelled through many countries offering any person who
could make him a gown of violet flowers their own weight in gold. After a
long time he found the gown, and brought it joyfully home to his daughter.
She pretended to be well pleased, but when the King had left, she went
running to her nurse. The old woman advised her to ask for a gown made
from rose flowers, without so much as a stitch or a seam.
When the King came to his daughter again, he said:
“Well? When are we to be married?”
“Oh, Father,” said his daughter, “I must first have another gown, made
of rose petals, and without any seams or needlework.”
Once again the King called together all the drapers and merchants in
his kingdom, but none of them could give him such a dress. At last he set
out himself, and after he had searched far, far away, he found the gown
the Princess had asked for. He brought it joyfully to his daughter, and she
pretended to be pleased, but when he left she began to weep, and went to
108

The Golden Ox
seek the advice of her nurse.
The old woman advised her to ask for a hollow ox made from gold,
which was the same size, and looked just like a real ox.
When the King came to see his daughter he said:
“So, now you have your two gowns we can be married.”
“Yes,” said the Princess, “but first I would like a golden ox. It must be
hollow inside, and must look like the very largest living oxen that there
are.”
The King called together the most skilled goldsmiths in his kingdom,
and promised them a rich reward if they could make him a hollow golden
ox. They set to work, and when the ox was completed, the King had it
carried into the Princess’s bedchamber.
She declared herself well pleased with it and promised to marry her
father the next day.
However, during the night she put food and clothes inside the Golden Ox
and hid inside it – for there was a panel that could be opened and closed.
When the King came in to fetch his daughter the next morning, he could
not find her in her bedchamber, nor in any of the other apartments in the
castle. He thought that she must have drowned herself, or thrown herself
off the walls, or even run away, and messengers were sent out to look
for her. They searched far and wide, but they could not find the Princess
anywhere.
The King was very sad, and because the Golden Ox reminded him of
his daughter, he decided to sell it. Proclamations were made in many lands
and kings and princes came to buy the wonderful Golden Ox, which was
hollow inside and as large as a real animal.
In the end it was given to the King of Spain, and he set off with it to his
own kingdom. The King of Spain’s son was young and handsome but he
was never pleased with anything, and he lived all alone in his bedchamber.
He never laughed or smiled, and he did not seem to like anyone. The King
hoped that the sight of the marvellous ox would please him, and he placed
it in his chamber, but the Prince barely looked at it.
It was the custom for the servants to bring the Prince his food while he
was asleep. He was a heavy sleeper, and they never disturbed him.
When the Princess had eaten all the provisions that she had hidden in
the Golden Ox, she crept out silently, while the Prince was asleep, and ate
some of the food from the dishes which the servants had left behind.
When the Prince awoke he saw that all the food which he had been given
had already been started and he called his attendant and reproved him.
109

The Golden Ox
“What does this mean?” he said. “Why are you serving me the leftovers
of others’ dishes?”
“Indeed, I am not, Your Highness,” said the attendant. “The dishes had
not been touched when I brought them to you.”
Several days passed, and still the Prince saw that someone was eating
his dishes.
“I will have to pretend to be asleep,” he thought. “I will half close my
eyes, and I will find out who dares to rob me from under my very nose.”
As soon as his attendant had brought him his dinner, the Prince saw a
girl climb out of the Golden Ox, and come and eat from the dishes. When
she had finished he pretended wake.
“So it is you who comes every day to
taste my meal,” he said. “Please,
stay to dine with me.”
They started to eat,
and the Prince
found his new
companion
110

The Golden Ox
so pretty that, even though he did not like anyone, he began to smile
and talk to her. When the attendant came to clear away the meal, he was
surprised to see a maiden sitting at the table by the Prince’s side.
“Ask my father to come here,” the Prince said to the attendant.
The King came immediately, and when he saw the Prince seated beside
a maiden he was very glad, for she was as fair as the day.
“Well, my son,” he said. “So this maiden is to your liking?”
“Yes, father,” said the Prince.
“In that case you must marry her.”
“I would like that very much, if she agrees.”
The Princess replied that she would like nothing better, but they must
first obtain the consent of her father, who was also a king.
Messengers were sent to the Princess’s father, and at first he refused, for
he said that his daughter had already promised to marry him. However,
they urged and pressed him, and at last he gave his consent, and even came
to the wedding.
There was a magnificent feast, at which nothing was lacking, and
everyone came in their finest clothes. The Prince and Princess lived very
happily together, and ruled over their kingdom for many years.
Told in 1880 by François Depays, a fisherman from Saint-Cast, aged about 60 years old
111

Once upon a time there lived a king who had an only son. One day
he called the young man to him.
“My son, it is time for you to take a wife,” he said. “Go to the
turret at the other end of the castle and open the door with the golden lock.
You will find a throne room with as many windows as there are days in the
year. Beside each window stands a maiden. You must choose one of these
to be your wife. Here is the key to the room.”
The Prince hurried up the stairs and entered the throne room. It was full
of girls, all beautiful and all magnificently dressed. The Prince bowed to
each one and looked for a long time into her face, but each time he walked
on with the words, “No, she is not for me.”
He was about to leave the room when he saw a maiden standing halfhidden
in a corner. He raised the thick veil that covered her, and gazed with
wonder at her beauty.
“I choose you to be my wife,” he said.
“Alas, young man, I cannot wed whom I please,” said the maiden. “I
belong to a cruel Enchanter. Whoever wishes to win my hand must pass
three tests. All who fail are turned to stone.”
“A king’s son will succeed where others have failed,” said the Prince. “I
will not change my choice.”
The King and the Queen and all the courtiers pleaded with the young
man, but to no avail. He was determined to defeat the Enchanter.
Soon he set forth for the Enchanter’s castle. It lay on the other side of a
great forest, and the Prince lost his way. He wandered on for some time,
until he saw a huge man sitting at the foot of a tree.
“I am lost,” said the Prince. “Do you know the way out of this forest?”
The man arose, and began to uncoil upwards like a spring. Soon his head
was above the tops of the trees.
“The edge of the forest is a few stone’s throws from here,” he said.
The Prince was filled with amazement, for he had never seen such a man
in his life.
“Would you like to come with me on my travels?” he asked.
113

The Sorcerer’s Three Belts
“Gladly,” said the giant. “I am looking for adventure.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Hir (Long).”
They had only gone on a few steps when they heard the sound of snoring.
A man with a belly as round as a barrel was lying asleep on the grass.
“What are you doing there?” said the Prince.
“I am waiting for a master who will employ me to do difficult work.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Ledan (Wide).”
“What can you do?”
The man took a deep breath, and the air rushed into him with a sound like
the gurgling of a waterfall. His belly swelled like a huge pair of bellows,
and he had to breathe out very slowly, so as not to blow down all the trees
in the forest.
“Please join us,” said the Prince.
“Gladly,” said the man.
At the edge of the forest they met a third man. At the sound of their feet
he tied a bandage over his eyes.
“What are you doing?” asked the Prince. “Are you afraid of us, or do you
want to hide your eyes?”
“You have spoken the truth, young man,” said the stranger. “If I look at
a person or object it shatters into pieces.” He unfastened the bandage and
looked at a great boulder. It split apart as if struck by lightening.
“You are a wonderful man,” cried the Prince. “What is your name?”
“My name is Lagad Spiz (Clear Sight).”
“Would you like to come with us on our travels?”
“Gladly, I am looking for adventure.” And Lagad Spiz joined them, after
first covering his eyes.
Soon they reached the Enchanter’s castle. It was dark and gloomy, and
the door was bound with iron. They knocked loudly, but no one came to
welcome them.
“Lagad Spiz, take off your bandage,” said the Prince. Lagad Spiz obeyed
and the iron lock fell to the ground.
They entered the castle, and walked through the empty rooms. There was
no one to be seen, but a fine dinner was laid out in the dining room.
They ate until they were satisfied then continued their walk about the
castle. At last they met the Enchanter. He had three iron belts bound about
his chest and he asked them why they had come. The Prince explained that
he wished to marry the maiden that he was keeping prisoner.
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“I thought as much,” said the Enchanter, “and I guessed that you were a
king’s son. Still, all who wish to win the maiden must pass the same tests,
and if they fail they must meet with the same fate.”
That night the four friends were led to the maiden’s bedchamber. If they
could watch over her all night, they would be able to take her away with
them.
They stayed awake for a long time, but they were all tired and at last
they fell asleep. In the morning they awoke and found that the maiden was
gone. They had to find her before noon.
“Lagad Spiz, we need your help,” said the Prince. Lagad Spiz looked in
the darkest corners of the castle, but he could not see the maiden.
“Look outside the castle, in the forests, on the mountains, in the oceans,”
said the Prince.
“I can see her,” said Lagad Spiz. “She is hidden in an acorn, a hundred
leagues away, in the heart of a forest.”
“Now it is my turn,” said Hir. “Climb onto my back, Lagad Spiz.” He
made his legs so long that they covered the distance with ease. Soon they
had picked the acorn, freed the maiden, and returned to the castle. When
the Enchanter arrived at the first stroke of noon he swelled with anger, and
one of the iron belts about his chest burst asunder.
The next night the friends once again watched over the maiden, and once
again they fell asleep. In the morning she was gone.
“Lagad Spiz, we need your help,” said the Prince. Lagad Spiz looked and
looked and at last he saw the girl five hundred leagues away, hidden in a
grain of wheat.
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The Sorcerer’s Three Belts
Once again he climbed on Hir’s back and directed him over mountains
and valleys until they reached the field of corn. They picked the grain and
returned with the maiden to the castle. The Enchanter was filled with rage,
and his second belt burst asunder.
The third night the test was the same and once again the four friends fell
asleep. The next morning the room was empty.
“We cannot fail now,” said the Prince. “You must help us again, Lagad
Spiz.”
Lagad Spiz looked and looked but he could not find the maiden. At last,
at eleven o’clock, he cried:
“I can see her. She is a thousand leagues away, hidden in a ring at the
bottom of a lake.” How could they find her and return in time?
Hir set off with Lagad Spiz and Ledan on his back. Soon he had reached
the lake.
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“It is up to you now, Ledan,” he said. Ledan sucked up the water in
mighty mouthfuls, and in a little while they saw the ring lying at the bottom.
Leaving Ledan behind to slowly let out the water they took the ring and
hastened back to the castle. Midday was chiming as they entered.
We are lost,” murmured Hir.
“No, not yet,” said Lagad Spiz. “This will get there before the Enchanter.”
So saying, he threw the ring in through an open window. When the
Enchanter entered, the maiden was standing before him.
“I have been defeated by this little prince,” cried the Enchanter. The third
belt fell at his feet and as it touched the ground he was turned to stone.
The Prince returned with his bride and his three companions to his father’s
court. Before long, there was the most magnificent wedding to which even
I was invited.
I was given a piece of white bread and butter and I hurried back to my
village to tell this story to my friends.
Told by Louis Le Fur from Séglien
117

Once upon a time there lived an Enchanter
and an Enchantress. They were growing
old, and it was their dearest wish to have
some children.
One day the Enchanter was out hunting in the forest, when he saw a deer
suckling a little boy and a little girl. The animal fled as soon as she saw the
Enchanter, and he took up the two children and carried them home with
him to his castle.
“Wife, see what I have found in the forest,” he said.
“Oh, two dear little children,” cried the Enchantress. “You shall take
care of the boy, and I will have the girl.”
So they brought up the two children, in the way each thought best. They
taught them many strange things, and the girl, who was cleverer than her
brother, remembered everything she was told.
The Enchantress soon took a dislike to the boy whose name was Arzur.
The girl was called Azénor and, growing afraid for her brother whom she
loved dearly, she went to him.
“We are brother and sister,” she said, “but we are not the children of
the Enchanter and the Enchantress. The Enchanter found us in the forest,
suckling a deer, and carried us home to his wife. She wishes you ill, and
longs to be rid of you. She will set you very difficult tasks, which you must
carry out or lose your life. But do not be afraid; do everything I tell you,
and all will be well – I have read all her books of magic and I know them
better than she does herself.
“Tomorrow she will give you a wooden axe, and tell you to chop down
a forest that covers over a hundred journeaux of land. What is more, you
must make all the wood into spoons before sunset, or you will lose your
life.
“But do not fear; take this wand and when you are in the wood strike
it against the trunk of an old oak which is over a thousand years old, and
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which stands at the end of a great avenue, with these words – ‘By the
power of my wand, old oak, cut yourself down!’ The oak will immediately
fall down onto the tree beside it, and that will fall onto the tree beside that,
and so on until the entire forest has been felled.
“At midday the Enchantress will come to you, and when she sees all the
felled trees she will not be pleased. She will tell you that all the wood must
be made into spoons before sunset, or you will lose your life. As soon as
she is gone, touch the trunk of the old oak with the tip of your wand and
say, ‘By the power of my wand, let all this wood become spoons’, and your
wish will immediately be carried out.”
The next day everything fell out as Azénor had predicted, and Arzur set
off for the forest with his wooden axe. He was very anxious, in spite of his
sister’s words, and when he found the oak tree he looked at it for some time
without daring to strike it. At last he plucked up courage and as soon as he
had uttered the magic words the old oak fell down onto the tree beside it,
and so on and so on, until the whole forest lay on the ground.
Arzur went whistling back to the castle, very pleased with his work.
“Well?” said the Enchantress, when she saw him. “What are you doing
here?”
“I have finished,” he said calmly.
“You are lying – it is impossible.”
“Come and see if you don’t believe me.”
The Enchantress followed him, and when she saw all the fine trees on the
ground, she was very angry.
“Oh unhappy day,” she cried. “All my beautiful trees! But I told you to
make them into spoons.”
“Yes, but you gave me until sunset. Never fear – you shall have your
spoons by suppertime.”
The Enchantress left, still grumbling, and as soon as she was gone Arzur
struck the old oak tree with his wand and said:
“By the power of my wand, let all the wood become spoons.”
Immediately the branches and trunks changed into spoons, and soon a
mountain of spoons reached up to the sky.
When the sun began to set the Enchantress returned.
“Oh, unhappy, unhappy day!” she cried. “My beautiful forest made into
spoons! And what am I supposed to do with them all?”
“I only did what you commanded,” said Arzur. “You asked for spoons,
and I hope you have enough there for the rest of your life.”
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“You must have been helped with this; you could not have done it alone,”
said the Enchantress.
But I will set you another task tomorrow, and you shall not succeed so
easily.”
The next day the Enchantress called Arzur to her.
“The Enchanter and I are going away for a few days, and we are taking
Azénor with us. We must cross an inlet of the sea and as we have no vessel
you must build us a bridge out of feathers. If it is not ready in time, you
must die.”
Arzur went to tell his sister about his new task.
“This is what you must do,” said Azénor. “Tomorrow I will say I am
unwell so that I can stay behind. They will
take you with them in their carriage.
When you get to the sea, strike it with
your wand and say: ‘By virtue of
my wand, may a bridge of feathers
appear, so that the carriage can cross
over.’ When the bridge appears the
Enchantress will ask you to come
with them. Do not accept, but
hurry back to this castle as
soon as they are on the
bridge. Then we will
escape together.”
The next day
Azénor said that
she was unwell,
and stayed in bed.
The Enchantress
was angry, but
she set off with
the Enchanter and
Arzur.
When they
arrived at the
sea, Arzur struck
it with his wand
and repeated the
magic words.
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The Two Golden Frogs

The Two Golden Frogs
Immediately there appeared a beautiful feather bridge.
“He has become an Enchanter,” thought the Enchantress. “He must have
found and read my little red book – it is high time we were rid of him. He
shall come with us onto the bridge, and we will throw him into the sea.”
The Enchantress pretended to be pleased, and asked Arzur to walk on
ahead, to show them the way.
“No, I will give you the honour of being the first to cross my beautiful
bridge,” said Arzur. “But I will follow close behind.”
As soon as the carriage was on the bridge, Arzur struck it with his wand
and cut it off from the land; this done, he ran home to his sister.
“Let us be off at once,” said Azénor. “They will soon be back. But first
we must silence the big bell that hangs in the highest tower. It can be
heard for 700 leagues around. Its rope is tied to the foot of the Enchanter’s
dromedary, and he rings it to warn his master when anything is wrong.”
They ran to the bell and stuffed it with soot and carpets, and then they
filled their pockets with gold and precious stones. Next, they mounted the
two best horses in the stable.
“I have forgotten an important thing,” said Azénor. “Run back and fetch
the curry comb, the brush and the wisp, which are used for grooming the
horses. We will have need of them.”
Arzur obeyed, and at a special word the horses rose up into the air and
set off as swiftly as two birds. They had to travel seven hundred leagues to
escape from the Enchanter’s dominions. Once they had crossed the border
he would no longer have any power over them.
When they had travelled five hundred leagues they heard the bell. The
dromedary had tugged so hard at the rope that the soot and carpets had
fallen out.
“The Enchanter and Enchantress will soon be after us,” said Azénor.
“Fortunately, we have got a good start on them.”
The Enchanter and the Enchantress had rushed home at the sound of the
bell. They went to consult their books of spells, but Azénor had taken them
all, save one, which was not the best.
“Mount the dromedary, take the greyhound, and try to bring them back,”
said the Enchantress to the Enchanter. “They are flying through the air, but
they will come back to the ground. At about five hundred leagues from
here you will see a beautiful spring. It is paved with golden stones, and the
rim and the roof are made from silver stones. At the bottom of the water
are two golden frogs. These frogs are Arzur and Azénor; the horses have
been changed into the water in the spring, and the gold and precious stones
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The Two Golden Frogs
which they carried away have become the gold and silver pebbles, and the
leaves of the trees growing round about. Leave now, and do not come back
without them.”
The old Enchanter set off, followed by his greyhound and mounted on
his dromedary, which went as fast as lightning.
At the same time Azénor said to Arzur:
“The Enchanter and the Enchantress have returned home, and are very
angry at our flight. They are particularly angry about the disappearance of
their spell books. I can hear the Enchantress telling the Enchanter to follow
us – she says that he will find us changed into two golden frogs, at the
bottom of a spring. But I will make him forget her advice. He is travelling
faster than us – turn round and see
if you can see him.”
“I can see a greyhound
in the distance,
travelling like
lightning,”
said Arzur.
“He is
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The Two Golden Frogs
followed by the Enchanter on his dromedary.”
“Then let us return to the ground,” said Azénor.
As soon as they touched the earth, their horses were changed into a spring,
their treasure into gold and silver stones and yellow and white leaves, and
themselves into two little gold frogs.
A moment later the Enchanter arrived. He stopped in wonder before
the beautiful spring, which he had never seen before, and dismounted to
admire it.
“How beautiful!” he exclaimed. “I did not know I had such a wonder in
my domains.”
Next he saw the golden frogs at the bottom of the water.
“Oh what pretty little frogs,” he cried “they look as if they were made
from gold. I will take them home for my wife.”
He stepped into the water and tried to catch them, but they kept slipping
through his fingers. At last he lost patience and decided to return home.
When his wife saw him coming back alone she cried out:
“What? Couldn’t you find them?”
“No, I did not see them,” said the Enchanter.
“That is your own fault; did you see anything unusual?”
“Oh yes indeed – I saw a fine gold and silver spring, and two little golden
frogs.”
“Did you forget what I told you?” cried the Enchantress. “The frogs were
Arzur and Azénor, and you were not to come back without them!”
“Goodness – I forgot everything you told me,” said the old Enchanter.
“Well, hurry after them. This time they will have turned their horses into
two handsome trees; their gold and precious stones will be the leaves, and
they will be two little birds, singing in the branches. Remember what I told
you, and bring them back to me.”
This time the old Enchanter set off in the form of a cloud.
“I can hear the Enchantress scolding the Enchanter,” said Azénor to
Arzur. “She is telling him what we will change ourselves into next, but
I will make him forget her words. Look back, and tell me if you can see
him.”
“I can see a great black cloud that is catching up with us,” said Arzur.
“Then let us return to the ground.”
The moment they touched the earth their horses became trees, their
treasure gold and silver leaves, and they themselves became two little
birds, singing sweetly in the branches.
The cloud arrived and the Enchanter said to himself: “These are the trees
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The Two Golden Frogs
my wife described to me.”
However, when he returned to earth he was so delighted by the birds’
song that he stood listening to them open-mouthed, and quite forgot his
wife’s advice.
At sunset he returned home.
“What?” cried the Enchantress. “Why are you alone?”
“I did not see them,” said the Enchanter in confusion.
“Did you see anything unusual?”
“No – except for two trees, and two birds that sang so sweetly, I have
never heard anything so delightful.”
“But that was them! I told you!” cried the Enchantress, “You are a poor
enchanter! I shall go after them myself and I shall bring them back, even
though they have almost left our dominions.”
With these words the Enchantress set off, in the form of a black cloud. It
was sending forth forks of lightning, and thundered with a terrible sound.
By this time, Azénor and Arzur were close to the edge of the Enchanter’s
dominions.
“Now the Enchantress herself is after us, and she is very angry. Look
back and tell me if you see anything,” said Azénor.
“I see a great black cloud coming towards us,” said Arzur. “It is sending
forth lightning and thunder and making a terrible noise.”
“It is the Enchantress,” said Azénor. “Throw down the wisp that we
brought from the stable.”
Arzur obeyed and immediately there sprang up thousands of haystacks.
They were so large and so high that the cloud had to stop. However, the
Enchantress turned herself into a sparrowhawk and flew over them; once
she reached the other side she became a cloud again, and resumed the
chase.
“Look back and tell me if you see anything, dear brother,” said Azénor.
“I see the great black cloud again, sending forth lightning and thunder.”
“It is the Enchantress – quick, throw down the brush.”
Arzur obeyed and a vast pool appeared behind them. The cloud stopped
and began to suck up the water. Soon the pool had dried up, and the cloud
continued on its way, but slower now, for it was full of water.
“Look back again and tell me what you see,” said Azénor.
“I see the same cloud coming towards us – it is blacker and angrier than
ever,” said Arzur.
“It is the Enchantress again – throw down the curry-comb.”
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The Two Golden Frogs
Arzur obeyed and lo and behold, a great town rose up behind them. It
was full of houses and tall towers, and these hindered the cloud’s progress;
however, it still continued to move forward with thunder and lightning and
a terrible noise.
“Look back and tell me what you see,” said Azénor.
“I still see the cloud coming towards us – it is very close: it is going to
catch up with us!”
“Do not be afraid – we are almost at the border!”
At the same moment Arzur and Azénor crossed an inlet of the sea and
came back down to earth. They had left the Enchanter’s dominions and he
had no more power over them. The Enchantress could not cross the water
and stood gnashing her teeth and shaking her fist at them.
“May the thunder crush you!” she cried. “Worst of all, you have taken my
little red book, in which are all my spells!”
“Yes, I have it here, and I have no more care for you,” said Azénor, and
she and her brother laughed at the Enchantress and showed her the little
red book.
Then the old Enchantress once again assumed the form of a cloud and
returned home, destroying everything that lay in her path.
Azénor and Arzur set off together, happy to be free at last. They entered
a great forest and continued walking until nightfall. Then they made a bed
of grass and dry leaves against the trunk of an old oak, and quickly fell
asleep.
The next day Azénor awoke at daybreak. She tapped the ground with her
wand and said:
“By the power of my wand, may a beautiful castle appear here immediately.
Let it be furnished like the palace of the King himself, and let my brother
and I each find ourselves in bed in a splendid bedchamber, decorated with
gold and jewels.”
When Arzur awoke he could not understand where he was. He saw Azénor
lying in a bed beside his, and asked her what had happened.
“I have the Enchantress’s wand and her little red book,” said Azénor.
“They have caused all this to appear, and so long as we have them, we can
satisfy our every desire.”
They arose and went down to the dining room. The table was laden with
dishes and baskets of the choicest fruit, and they were served by invisible
hands. Next they walked through the rooms of the castle, all of which were
filled with jewels and treasure. The gardens were also very beautiful, and
they passed through them, looking at the flowers and fruits.
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The Two Golden Frogs
“There are many animals in these gardens,” said Azénor to Arzur, “and
you may hunt them if you wish. However, you must never leave here, or
else you will meet with misfortune.”
For some time the brother and sister lived happily in the beautiful castle.
However, one day Arzur went beyond the garden walls. Immediately, the
castle disappeared, and he sank down in a marsh up to his armpits.
Azénor heard his cries and came running to his aid. She pulled him out
and the castle immediately reappeared, but from that day forth Arzur lost
all memory of the Enchanter and of their flight from the Enchantress. He
even forgot that Azénor was his sister, and asked her to marry him. She
refused, but he would not give up, and she became very sad.
One day the King’s two sons were out hunting in the forest. They reached
Azénor’s castle, and they were filled with surprise.
“What castle is this, and who has built it?” they said. “They certainly did
not seek our father’s permission. Let us go in and find out.”
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The Two Golden Frogs
They entered the courtyard and were met by Azénor.
“To whom does this castle belong, gentle lady?” they asked.
“To me, noble sirs,” she replied.
“Who built it?” asked the Princes.
“I did,” said Azénor.
“And you did not ask our father’s permission – even though these are his
lands?”
“No, I can do without it.”
“The King will be displeased, he will raze your castle to the ground,” said
the Princes.
“I would like to see him try,” Azénor replied.
Angered by the young woman’s manner, the two princes left the courtyard.
As soon as they stepped outside the castle they fell into the same ditch
as Arzur, and stayed there, unable to climb out. The castle once more
disappeared.
Azénor heard their cries and soon came running towards them.
“Pull us out of here!” they said.
“What! So you can go and tell your father to raze my castle?” said
Azénor.
“No, you can keep your castle,” said the Princes.
“That is not enough. What else can you give me?”
“I will marry you,” said the elder prince.
“And what about my brother? Will you give him the hand of your sister?”
asked Azénor.
“Yes, he shall marry our sister,” the Princes replied.
Azénor pulled them out of the ditch, and the castle reappeared. Then all
four set off for the court of the King.
The King listened to all they told him, but before he would agree to
anything he asked to see Azénor’s marvellous castle for himself. He
visited it and was so struck with wonder that he gave his consent to the
two marriages.
Invitations were sent far and wide, and preparations began for the
celebrations.
On the first day, towards the end of the feast, Azénor pulled two little
golden frogs from her pocket and set them before her on a silver platter. They
began to speak to each other, and the guests listened in silent wonder.
“Do you remember, dear little brother, the Enchantress and the forest, and
how I helped you to fell all the trees?” said the first frog.
“I remember it very well, dear little sister,” said the second frog.
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The Two Golden Frogs
“Do you remember, dear little brother, the bridge of feathers which the
Enchantress told you to build and how once again I came to your aid?”
“I remember it well, dear little sister.”
“And do you remember how we escaped and the Enchanter pursued us on
his dromedary, and how I changed our horses into a spring, and ourselves
into two little golden frogs?”
“I remember that too, dear little sister.”
All the guests were listening closely to this conversation, and Arzur
closest of all, for his memory was slowly returning to him, and he knew
that his own story was being told.
“And do you remember, dear little brother, how I next changed our
horses into trees and ourselves into two little birds, and how once again we
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The Two Golden Frogs
escaped the Enchanter?”
“I remember it very well, dear little sister,” said the second frog.
“And you have not forgotten have you dear little brother, how the
Enchantress pursued us in the form of a black cloud, and how I succeeded
in baffling all her enchantments?”
“No, dear little sister, I have not forgotten.”
Then Arzur knew that the bride was none other than his sister and
protectress. He arose and tenderly embraced her.
“Forgive me, my dear little sister,” he said. “I owe you my life and I love
you, and will always love you until the day I die.”
Everyone was touched by this reunion, and the next day there were fresh
celebrations for the marriage of Arzur and the King’s daughter. She was
the fairest Princess under the eye of the sun, and the festivities, games and
feasting lasted a whole month.
The great great great grandmother of the great great grandmother of my
grandmother was a cook at the court, and this is how the memory of all I
have told you remained in our family.
Told in 1872 by Françoise Simon, a serving-woman at Trégrom, Côtes d’Armor
130

Once upon a time there lived a young man in Lower Brittany.
When he was still a boy he was stronger than anyone for miles
around, and the older he grew, the stronger he became. When he
was ten years old he tried to uproot a mighty oak, and the onlookers heard
the roots crack. When he was fifteen years of age, he lifted it half out of
the ground, and when he was eighteen he plucked it out as if it had been a
wisp of straw.
“Now is the time to set out into the world,” he said. “Let us see if I can
find anyone stronger than I am.”
The young man went to the blacksmith, and asked him to make an iron
staff.
“I want to take this with me on my journey,” he said. “It must be the
heaviest and the strongest you have ever made.”
The blacksmith set to work and for eight days you could hear the roaring
of the forge, and the clanging of the hammer on the anvil. At last the staff
was finished.
“Is this my staff?” cried the young man. “It is only fit for a child,” and he
snapped it across his knee.
Once again the blacksmith set to work. This time he toiled day and night
for two weeks, without stopping to rest. When the staff was as thick as the
hub of a cart the young man weighed it in his hands.
“It might do for a man of middle strength,” he said. “But it will not do for
me.” So saying, he once more broke it across his knee.
The blacksmith set to work and this time he laboured night and day for
a month. He cast burning brands into the furnace, and sent up showers of
sparks with the blows of the hammer. When the staff was finished it was as
thick as a ship’s mast.
“That is just what I wanted,” said the young man. “Now I can begin my
journey.”
He set out towards the East. When he came to the edge of the forest he
saw a lame woodcutter walking towards him. On his back he carried three
tree-trunks.
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Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff
“I think that you would make a good companion,” said the young man. “I
need strong fellows like you. Will you travel the world with me?”
“Gladly,” said the woodcutter, and fell into step beside him, still carrying
the load on his shoulders.
Soon they came to a millpond. The wheel was not turning and the mill
boy was outside, playing quoits with the millstones.
“Those stones must be very heavy,” said the Man with the Iron Staff.
“What are you doing with them?”
“Oh, I am just playing about while I wait for the water to rise, and I can
start my mill again,” said the miller’s boy.
“Would you like to join us?” said the Man with the Iron Staff.
“Gladly,” said the miller’s boy, and lifting the millstones onto his shoulder
he fell into step beside them.
They walked on in this way for a long time. At last, when the sun was
setting, they saw a dense forest, and at the entrance to the forest a wide,
deep river.
“Let us cross over,” said one of them.
“Yes, let us cross over,” agreed the others. The Man with the Iron
Staff planted his staff on the ground, and leapt over the water; the lame
woodcutter laid his tree trunks from one shore to the other, and crossed
over, and the miller’s boy threw his millstones onto the river bed, and used
them as stepping stones.
Before long they came to a little hut. In the door stood a poor man who
seemed very sad.
“Who is the owner of this forest?” they asked him.
“The owner of this forest used to live in the castle nearby,” said the man.
“However, he disappeared one day, no one knows where, and since then
the castle has been inhabited by spirits, and no one dares enter.
“We shall see about that,” said the three friends. “Where is this castle?”
“It is down that path on the left,” said the man. “Remember – whatever
you do, beware of the man with the beard.”
They followed the path, and soon came to high walls. Night had fallen,
and everything was still, save for the night birds and the bats. The great
door was open, and they passed through it and came into a magnificent
apartment. Here they spent the night, and next morning they began to
discuss how they could live comfortably in the castle.
They decided that each day two of them would go out hunting, while the
third person stayed behind to make the midday meal.
“Come, come,” said the lame woodcutter. “We will take it in turn to
132

stay at home, and I will take the
first turn. When the stew is ready,
I will ring the dinner bell.”
The other two set out, and the
woodcutter began cooking. He
prepared a fine vegetable stew,
and after it had been simmering
for some time over the fire, he
decided that it was ready. He
was about to ring the bell, when
he heard a noise at the top of the
chimney. Some pebbles fell down,
and a little soot.
“No doubt it is an owl, disturbed
by the smoke,” thought the
woodcutter, and he went on with
what he was doing.
Two minutes later, down fell
two more stones and then a stone
was thrown into the stew, which
splashed out onto the floor.
“Watch out, whoever you are,”
cried the woodcutter. “I’ll be up
that chimney before you can come
down any further.”
Before he had finished speaking,
a tall old man, with a beard so long
that it was wound seven times
about his waist, jumped down out
of the chimney into the kitchen.
He picked up the woodcutter by
the belt as easily as if he had been
a child and laid him, tightly bound,
beneath the hearthstone. Then he
knocked over the cauldron and
disappeared.
Meanwhile, the two other
travellers had grown weary of
hunting, and could not understand
Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff
133

Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff
why they had not heard the dinner bell.
“Either the woodcutter is asleep or something has happened to him,”
they said. “Let us go back.”
When they entered the kitchen a sad sight met their eyes. The stew had
run right up to the threshold, and broken pots and pans were all about. The
woodcutter himself was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly they heard a groan from under the hearthstone. They lifted it
up, and saw their poor comrade.
“The man with the beard did this to me,” said the woodcutter. “I was no
match for him.”
“Never fear,” said his friends. “We will avenge you – just let him show
his face here again!”
Next day the miller begged to be left behind. He put his mill stones down
beside him, and set about his housework. The stew was soon cooked, and
it was nearly midday, when two or three pebbles suddenly fell into the
cauldron.
Before the miller had time to seize his millstones, the man with the beard
was beside him, and in a second he had been seized and thrown into a wash
tub. The man with the beard set the millstones on top and disappeared.
When the others did not hear the dinner bell they guessed that some
misfortune had overtaken their friend. They hurried back and found the
kitchen in the same disorder as the day before; as for the miller, he was
nowhere to be seen.
“The devil take that bearded fellow,” cried the Man with the Iron Staff.
“I wager that he has killed our friend.”
Filled with anger, he seized the millstones and threw them across the
room, and sent the cover of the tub after them. They heard a groan and saw
the poor miller lying bound and gagged. They set him free, and he told
them what had happened.
“Very well, now it is my turn,” said the Man with the Iron Staff. “I will
make short work of this fellow.”
Next morning, his friends set off hunting, and he remained behind. He
began to prepare the stew, but he was on guard, and he kept his staff within
reach. Suddenly, two or three pebbles were thrown into the stew, and he
saw the end of a long beard.
“Aha, my friend, I’m ready for you!” cried the Man with the Iron Staff.
Waving his terrible staff he brought the giant to the ground, fastened his
beard beneath the roller of the mangle and nailed it down. Then he rang
the bell.
134

Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff
“Did you overcome him?” asked the miller and the woodcutter, when
they returned home.
“Come and see,” he replied, and led them to the mangle. However, the
man had vanished, leaving behind his beard.
“Let us follow him,” cried the Man with the Iron Staff. “I must know
who this man with the beard is.”
They followed the drops of blood that the giant had left behind him, and
came to a large cave in the heart of the forest. In the middle of the cave was
a sort of well, which seemed to be bottomless.
“He must be in there – let us go after him!” they cried.
“I will go first,” said the lame woodcutter. “If there is any danger, I will
tug on the rope.”
For half an hour he went down and down, and the rope unwound and
unwound. Suddenly the rope was tugged violently, and the two friends
hastened to pull him back up.
“What did you see?” they asked.
“I saw a huge fire – which must be Hell itself,” said the woodcutter.
“I will soon find out,” said the miller, and he was let down in his turn.
He went down for an hour, but before he reached the bottom, he tugged
on the rope.
“What did you hear?” asked the other two.
“ I heard human voices which said: ‘When the oven is ready, throw him
in,” said the miller
“I too wish to go down,” said the Man with the Iron Staff.
He went down and down for half a day. At last he reached the bottom and
saw a magnificent castle. At the door stood an enormous oven, and a crowd
of servants, who were filling it with bread.
“To whom does this castle belong?” asked the Man with the Iron Staff.
“To a great and powerful lord who has never met his match,” replied the
servants. “However, just now he is very ill – and he will not see you.”
“Hmm, we shall see about that,” said the Man with the Iron Staff.
“You are welcome to try,” said the servants, “but beware his temper. We
already have a great baron, who tried to defeat him, in chains. They say
that he has a fine castle above ground.”
The young man from Brittany entered the castle. Sentinels barred his
way, but with one blow of his staff he tossed them aside and entered the
sick room.
The giant was in bed, and three maidens, each as fair as the day, were
bandaging the cuts on his face.
135

Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff
“Mercy, young man,” cried the giant. “You are the stronger. Grant me
my life, and you may take away these maidens, whom I have been keeping
prisoner.”
“Gladly,” said the young man, and he took one of the girls, tied her to the
rope, and set her travelling upwards to his two friends.
However, when the time came to send up the second maiden, and he
tugged on the rope, there was no reply. The Man with the Iron Staff picked
up the second girl, and climbed up back to the opening. Here he found his
two comrades. They were fighting with each other over who should get to
136

Pautr Bah Houarn - The Man With the Iron Staff
have the first maiden.
“Peace friends,” said the Man with the Iron Staff, “here is another of them.
Take care of them both until I come back up with the third prisoner.”
Once more the Man with the Iron Staff slipped back down to the bottom.
Barely had he touched the ground, but the rope was pulled back up. The
miller and the lame woodcutter were deserting him.
“I am lost,” he thought, “unless the man with the beard can help me.”
He hurried back to the sick man, and asked him how he could escape
from that place.
“I will show you a way,” said the man. “Here is a magnetic key – hold up
one end towards the opening, and you will soon be out.”
The young man did as he was bidden. He took the third maiden, and her
father, the imprisoned baron, and with the key in his hand was carried back
above ground in the blink of an eye.
In the meantime, his two companions believed that they had rid themselves
of him forever. They were living in the deserted castle, and each had taken
a maiden for himself.
Filled with anger, the Man with the Iron Staff rushed into the castle, and
sent the two traitors flying, pursued by many blows from the Iron Staff.
After this, he married the prettiest of the three maidens, and they lived
very happily together.
I myself was at the wedding and received a fine loaf of white bread and
butter, and a bowl of cider, and returned home very well satisfied.
137

Once upon a time there lived a great King and Queen who ruled
over a kingdom about the size of Brittany. They had an only son,
whom they had obtained from the good God after many years, and
his name was Victor. He was kind-hearted and generous and handsome,
but the day before his birth an old woman had come to the court and
told the King and Queen that their son would experience the most terrible
dangers if he left the palace before his twenty-first birthday.
The King watched over the Prince with the greatest anxiety, and he set
his most trusted servants to guard him night and day. However, as the
young man grew older he began to long for adventure. He was the best
warrior and the swiftest rider in the kingdom, and he begged his father to
allow him to go out into the world.
One day, the Prince was left alone for a little while, and he seized the
opportunity. He ran down to the stables, leapt upon his horse, and set off at
a gallop. He rode on and on, filled with delight at finally being free, until
he came to the edge of a heath. Here he saw a large castle, with walls over
a hundred feet high; it was surrounded by a pond of glittering silver water,
and, in this, three girls were bathing.
“By Saint Cado, here are some lovely creatures,” he thought. “I wager
they are the daughters of the Lord of these parts. Whether they are or not,
I will ask them the way to that castle, for I am weary of travelling.”
He crept up to the pond, and picking up the bathers’ clothes, which
were lying on the bank, he hid himself in the reeds. The girls saw him
immediately and all three began to weep.
“Young man,” they cried, “please give us back our clothes. If you do not,
our father will kill us.”
“If that is the case then here they are,” said the Prince. “But, pray, may I
ask you the name of this cruel father?”
“He is the Caragine,” said one of the girls. She was the prettiest of the
three, and her name was Victorine. “Strangers who enter his palace never
come out alive.”
“Indeed?” said the young man. “I wonder if I will prove the exception.”
139

Victor and Victorine
“You are very daring to attempt such an adventure, but I will do whatever
I can to help you,” said Victorine. “Just remember, take care to carry out
my instructions exactly.”
Victor promised and, lifting his ivory horn to his lips he blew a blast
that echoed through the home of the Caragine. A terrible noise sounded
behind the door and a gigantic man appeared
on the threshold. His shoulders were as
high as a cathedral, his beard looked like
a prickly bush, and his teeth were as long
and pointed as the tusks of a wild boar.
When he saw the Prince, he let out a
mighty laugh, which shook him from head
to toe.
“By the devil, little man,” he cried, “you
almost frightened me with your ivory toy.
But tell me what you want, before I put you
in my cooking pot, along with your horse.”
“What I want,” said the Prince, “is the hand
of your daughter, Victorine, in marriage. I warn
you not to refuse, for I am a King’s son.”
“I could have guessed that from your bearing
and courage,” said the Caragine. “However, you
will have to pass three very difficult tests if you
wish to marry the daughter of the Caragine.”
“I accept them beforehand,” said Victor.
“So be it. Do you see this pond? Before the
sun has set I command you to empty it with this
bucket full of holes.”
“Very well!” said the young man. In spite of
his confident tones, he was filled with dismay,
and he sat down on the bank trying to keep
back the tears that had risen to his eyes.
Suddenly he saw Victorine running towards him.
“Do not weep,” she cried, “I have come to help you. Take my ring, throw
it in the pond and say:
‘Water to one side, fish to the other.’ ”
Victor obeyed, and no sooner had he uttered the words, but the pond
became empty and thousands of fish were left wriggling in the mud.
140

Victor and Victorine
The Prince went to the castle, and hammered on the door. “I have finished
now,” he said.
“What – already?” said the Giant.
“See for yourself,” said the Prince.
“Very good,” said the Caragine. “Let us move on to the second test. Take
this wooden axe. Tomorrow, at dawn, you must use it to cut down the
forest behind the castle, and you must be finished by noon.”
“Let us hope that I will be finished before,” said Victor.
Next day the Prince entered the forest, his axe under his arm, whistling a
cheerful tune. Soon he was joined by the Caragine’s youngest daughter.
“Command these trees to lie down,” she said. “You must say:
‘Trees here, branches there.’ ”
Victor uttered the command, and in an instant the forest had disappeared;
in its place were piles of tree trunks, and mountains of faggots made from
the branches.
When he saw what had been done, the Caragine was amazed.
“I can see that you are an excellent worker,” he said. “Perhaps you would
make a good son-in-law. But now I have a test which may outstrip your
abilities. On yonder tower of polished glass is a bird with golden feathers.
I have been watching it for a long while, and I give you two hours to bring
it to me.
“Two hours! that is very little time – still, I hope it will be enough,” said
the young man.
Soon Victorine came running up to him.
“Courage, friend,” she whispered. “This time you will have to kill me.”
“Kill you! Never!” exclaimed the Prince. “I would rather be killed
myself.”
“No, you must do what I say, and without delay. When I am dead you
must cut me into pieces and make a ladder from my bones. That will enable
you to reach the bird. When you have caught it, put each limb and each
bone back in its place, and then blow upon them, and I will come back to
life.”
Victor decided to obey Victorine’s commands. He killed her, clambered
up the ladder, and caught the bird. However, he was in such a hurry to
restore his sweetheart to life, that he blew upon her before he had laid
the last bone in its place. It was the bone of the little toe, and henceforth
Victorine was lame.
They went to the Caragine together, bearing the golden bird in triumph.
“Truly,” he cried, “you are the son-in-law I dreamt of. I will give you one
141

Victor and Victorine
of my daughters, but as they are all as pretty as each other, and I do not
want any jealousy between them, you shall have the girl you choose when
they are in their room this evening, with the lights out.
“Do not forget that I lack my little toe,” Victorine whispered to Victor.
“I understand,” he replied.
At around midnight the Caragine brought him into the bedchamber of the
three sisters. The Prince asked for permission to touch their toes.
“Strange request,” said the giant. “But please yourself – do whatever you
wish.”
The examination did not last long. Victor stopped before one of the
maidens, and declared that he chose her for his bride. The girl he chose
was Victorine.
Some time later, the marriage took place and the Caragine prepared the
most magnificent celebrations. However, he forbade the young couple to
leave the castle on pain of death.
During the first month, neither thought of disobeying his command, but
in the second month Victor began to tell his wife about the kindness of his
mother, and the pleasures of his father’s court.
“Why don’t we run away from here and go to them?” said Victorine.
“I am willing to try,” said Victor.
“I know a way to escape,” said Victorine. “My father has two magnificent
pairs of boots. With one pair he can travel seven leagues at a stride, and
with the other pair fourteen leagues at a stride. I will take the second pair,
and we will easily get a lead.”
That same evening she crept into the giant’s bedchamber when he was
fast asleep and snatched up a pair of boots. She hastened back to her
husband, and began to fasten them on to his feet, but she suddenly noticed
that she had made a mistake and taken the seven league boots, rather than
the fourteen league pair. She could not return to her father’s bedchamber
for already they could hear by his breathing that he was about to awaken.
“We must get ahead of him,” she whispered. “With the fourteen league
boots he will easily be able to bar our way.”
As she spoke, she cut off her beautiful golden hair with a pair of scissors
and, laying the locks on the bed, told them to reply three times to her
father’s calls. This done, she took her husband’s arm, and fled from the
castle.
Before they had even crossed the boundaries of the giant’s lands, the
Caragine’s wife awoke, and felt that something was amiss.
“Wake up,” she said to her husband. “Your daughter must have run away.”
142

Victor and Victorine
The giant sat up rubbing his eyes.
“Victorine! Victorine!” he called.
“What is it, Father?” replied the golden locks of hair, through the walls
of the young couple’s bedchamber.
Three times the giant repeated the call, and three times the hair replied
“What is it, Father?”
However, at the fourth call they remained silent.
The Caragine saw that he had been tricked, and he sprang out of bed,
pulled on his fourteen league boots, and, fastening on an enormous sword,
set off after the runaways.
They had already covered a good deal of ground, and Victor was beginning
to think that they were near to his father-in-law’s domains, when Victorine
stopped in terror. In the distance they could hear a sound like a storm
coming towards them, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.
“My father – it is my father,” she cried.
They were passing by a field of broom, surrounded by a ditch. It was
quite hidden by the branches of the broom plants, and the young couple
crawled beneath them. The Caragine passed by without sparing them a
glance.
Once again they set off, this time in the opposite direction, but they
soon realised that the Caragine was close behind them. At that moment,
they came to a chapel, and they hurried through its doors. Victor changed
himself into a priest, and Victorine turned herself into a choirboy at his
side.
The next moment, the giant crossed the threshold and asked after the
runaways. The priest murmured a few words in a foreign tongue, and,
uttering a curse, the Caragine went on his way.
Soon night began to draw on and the young couple
began to think that
they had seen the last
of the giant, when they
heard behind them
the same tempest as
before.
“It is he!” cried
Victorine. “Quick
– we must hide!”
They were in the
middle of a village,
143

Victor and Victorine
and hens and their chicks were busily pecking at the ground. In the blink
of an eye they changed into a cock and a hen, and were lost amidst the
group.
The giant soon arrived. He was weary with running, and he was wiping
off the sweat that ran down his face. At the sight of the poultry he stopped,
and it looked as if a suspicion passed through his mind, but he only stood
panting a while longer, and then disappeared.
“Are our trials at an end?” asked Victor, who felt almost spent.
“Soon, my love, if God so wishes,” said Victorine.
As if to contradict her words the tall shadow of the Caragine appeared at
the entrance to a cornfield in which they had stopped to rest.
They only just had time to change shape. Victorine became a partridge,
and Victor a hunter, hidden behind an oak tree, bow and arrow in hand.
“This time you shall not escape me!” roared the giant. He had recognised
the partridge flying at a great speed over the corn as his daughter, and,
changing himself into a falcon, he swooped down upon her.
Quick as lightning, Victor let fly his arrow. It entered the falcon’s heart,
and the bird fell heavily to earth.
The danger was finally past, and Victor hastened on with his wife to
his father’s court. They soon arrived, and there was great rejoicing to
celebrate his return. The storyteller himself was there, and it was only with
difficulty that he could get away to bring you this story of everything that
took place.
144

Once upon a time there was a lad who hired
himself out as a servant to a small farm. He
was very slow-witted and however hard he
tried, he always acted contrary to whatever he was
told to do.
One day his master said: “Yesterday we prepared
a field; today you must sow it with buckwheat.”
The lad took a sack of potatoes and sowed them
in the field. When he came back in the evening,
his master said: “Well Jean, have you done your
work?”
“Yes master,” he replied. “I have sown plenty
of good ’taties.”
“You simpleton!” cried the farmer. “You have
got it all topsy turvy. I don’t know why I don’t
give you a good thrashing. You must be off
tomorrow morning.”
Next day the poor lad tied his clothes into a
bundle, then he fastened the bundle onto the
end of a stick and set out. As he passed by
a forest, he saw a sparrowhawk chasing a
little goldfinch. He picked up a stone and
threw it at the sparrowhawk which fell
to the ground. The goldfinch landed on
a bush, and the next moment it changed
into a lady, beautiful as a fairy.
“My poor Jean, you did well to kill the
sparrowhawk that was chasing me,” she
said. “Your wits may not be sharp, but
you have a good heart. To reward you,
I will give you one of two things: you
may choose either learning or wisdom;
consider well.”
“I want learning,” replied Jean.
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Learning and Wisdom
“Consider your choice,” said the lady. “If you take learning, you may
regret it.”
“No matter,” said Jean. “I want to be learned, so that people stop calling
me Jean the Idiot.”
The lady touched him with her wand, and henceforward as soon as he was
asked a question, he knew the answer, and could explain all the reasons for
it. People were astonished and said: “Where in the world have you learnt
to be so clever?”
A lawyer in those parts needed a clerk
and everyone told him about the farmer’s
boy whose learning had made him famous
for miles around: however, Jean was more
learned than the lawyer and whenever he
was told to do something he said: “I know
all about that.”
Then he gave so many reasons, without
wisdom, that the lawyer grew tired of
him.
“Be off with you,” he said. “I have no
more need of you.”
Poor Jean went back to the forest and
he had hardly arrived when the beautiful
lady once more appeared.
“I knew you would regret choosing
learning,” she said. “I will take it from
you, and in its place I will give you
wisdom.”
The lady touched him with her wand,
then she disappeared.
Jean continued on his way, and it was
not long before he met a young man and
woman who were quarrelling with each
other.
“Ah,” they said, when they saw him.
“Here is a man who will settle our
differences. We have promised to abide
by the judgement of the first person we
meet on the road.”
“Tell me your story,” said Jean.
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Learning and Wisdom
“Well,” said the young man. “We have an uncle who promised to leave
all he owned to whoever arrived first when he was dying. I set out and
arrived before this girl; but she soon joined us, and our uncle died as I was
stepping outside to fetch something. Am I not his heir?”
“No,” cried the girl. “Surely I am.”
“You are cousins, aren’t you?” asked Jean.
“Yes,” they replied.
“And is either of you married?”
“No,” they replied.
“Very well,” said Jean. “What you had better do is marry each other.”
“Why yes – of course!” said the girl.
The two cousins were married and Jean was given the seat of honour at
the wedding.
After that, he became known as the wisest man in the land; everyone
came to seek his advice, and if he has not died, why, then he is living
still.
Told in 1880 by Joseph Macé,
a fourteen-year-old cabin boy.
147

Bibliography
Most of the stories in this book are taken from the work of François Cadic.
Born in Brittany in 1864, he was ordained as a priest in 1889, and spent
many years in Paris, trying to improve the lives of the Breton men and
women who had come there to find work.
In an effort to raise the spirits of these immigrants – who were often homesick
and impoverished – he produced a magazine called “La Paroisse Bretonne
de Paris”. Breton fairy stories were a popular feature of this publication,
and François Cadic would collect them himself, often returning to Brittany
for the purpose.
These stories have been out of print for many years, but they can be read
in the series entitled Contes et légendes de Bretagne. Compiled and edited
by Fañch Postic, the second edition appeared in 1998, and was published
by Terre de Brume Éditions, Presses Universitaires de Rennes.
Other stories are from the anthologies of François-Marie Luzel, reprinted
in 1995 in a six volume collection entitled Contes Traditionnels de
Bretagne, and published by An Here Hor Yezh Mouladurioù Hor Yezh, and
also from Contes des Paysans et des Pêcheurs by Paul Sébillot, edited by
Dominique Besançon, Terre de Brume Èditions 1999.

Traditional Fairy Stories
of Briany
Bethan Lewis
Briany is famous throughout the world for its unique culture and
history.
This new collection of 27 traditional fairy stories is accompanied by
over 70 delightful illustrations, and includes such favourites as:
Princess Marcassa, The Lile White
Hare, The Widow’s Son and the Three
Dogs, Jebedic le Ribet, Pautr Bah
Houarn (or The Man with the Iron
Staff), Jeanne, Jeanee and Jeaneton
and many more.
Dragons carry away beautiful
princesses; woodland pixies, (or
Korrigans) do bale against the terrible
ogre called the Caragine; young men
set out to seek their fortune, and old
women give wise advice as they turn
their spinning wheel or distaff by the
fireside.
Collected and wrien down for the
most part in the late 1800s, many of
these stories are appearing for the
first time in the English language, and
children and adults will enjoy hearing
or reading them again and again.