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French Fairy Tales and Folklore
Fairy Tales
Persinette. A hundred years before Rapunzel, there was Persinette. Before the Old Witch ever locked Rapunzel in a tower, a Fairy set out to change Persinette’s destiny.
Fairer. Once upon a time, there was a princess so beautiful that her people named her Fairer-than-the-Fairies. Of course, with a name like that, Fairer was destined for trouble.
Folktales of France
From Bretagne/Brittany:
- “Faeries in Upper-Brittany, France.”
Translated from the article “Fées en Haute-Bretagne,” originally published in Le Magasin pittoresque in 1886. - “A Sunken City of Ys.”
One day, it will rise again from the sea, but only if you’re worthy. - The Ankou of Brittany.
Legends and tales of Death’s right-hand servant.
From Lorraine:
- “The Cursed Bridge of the Faeries Over the Vologne River (Vosges Mountains).”
A hunter forgets his fairy godmother’s advice and meets his match in an ondine.
From Alsace:
- “The Nymph of Wangenbourg Castle.”
A maiden escapes her heartless husband through extraordinary means. - “The White Lady with the Green Slippers.” (patreon-exclusive)
- “The Faerie’s Gift of Tears.”
A knight’s lady learns the price of her parents’ wish for a happy baby. - “The Green Hunter.”
- “The White Lady of Kœpfle Hill.”
Beware the mysterious lady with keys who guards hidden treasure. - “The White Lady of Hohenstein.”
If you didn’t beware the other mysterious white lady with keys, then at least keep your promise to this one. - “The Silver Rose.”
In which the King of the Silver Dwarves falls in love with a damsel and offers her the key to the Gate between their worlds. As one does. - “The Enchanted Armies of Ochsenfeld.”
Here lie the sleeping armies of the traitorous sons of Louis the Debonaire, waiting for the end of their enchantment. - “The Legend of the Astronomical Clock of Strasbourg Cathedral,”
the wondrous making and gruesome unmaking. - “Tales of Christmas Horror from Illzach, France.”
‘Twas the Wednesday before Christmas…. - “The Wondrous Scarab.”
Just your average scarab tale: a traveling knight encounters a wondrous scarab beetle. - “The Women of Rouffach.”
A mother whose daughter is kidnapped starts an uprising. - “The Bride of the Dead.”
A young man dies and lures his lover into an early grave. - Some Dragon-lore of Alsace.
Discover the fire dragons of Alsace! They’re not what you think.
Folktales of Belgium
- The Dragons of Saint Ghislain.
Two anecdotes of dragon encounters taken from the town history published in 1737.
All the latest fairy tale and folklore translations….
The Ankou of Brittany
(Originally posted on Patreon and Twitter, September through October, 2021). The following is a translation of the article “L’Ankou, l’ouvrier de la mort” serialized on Twitter: “In Brittany, Death is personified by a fearsome being called the Ankou. The Ankou isn’t exactly ‘Death itself’ but a servant of Death (oberour ar marv) that labors forContinue reading “The Ankou of Brittany”
The Dragons of Saint Ghislain, Belgium
(Selections translated from L’Histoire de la ville de Saint Ghislain (1737). Originally posted on Patreon in April 2021). [Title page]. History of the Town of Saint Ghislain. Containing everything of utmost interest that happened since its beginning. The list of Abbots & their principle deeds, with an ample description of its Sieges, its Ruins, itsContinue reading “The Dragons of Saint Ghislain, Belgium”
Some Dragon-lore of Alsace
The following paragraphs are translated from Revue d’Alsace, 1851. They were originally published on Patreon in March 2021. The serpents that can be seen, sometimes, at night on the banks of the river Mossig in the Kronthal valley, and shine with a phosphorescent glow, are also specters from hell. The devil also appears in theContinue reading “Some Dragon-lore of Alsace”
“The Bride of the Dead,” Alsatian folktale
(Originally posted on Patreon in October 2020). “La fiancée du mort,” collected by Anatole Le Braz in La légende de la mort chez les Bretons Amoricains, 1902. In Bégard, the title of “handsomest peasant’s son that ever lived” fell to René Pennek, son of Ervoann, and the “prettiest girl in ten leagues around” was DunvelContinue reading ““The Bride of the Dead,” Alsatian folktale”
“The Women of Rouffach,” Alsatian folktale
(Originally posted to Patreon in September 2020). “The Women of Rouffach,” is an Alsatian folktale collected in Les récits historiques et légendaires by Robert Wolf, 1922, found here. Around the 12th Century, the capital of the holdings belonging to the bishops of Strasbourg was Rouffach. There, these prelates had an important fortress built that wasContinue reading ““The Women of Rouffach,” Alsatian folktale”
Fairer wide release!
Once upon a time, there lived a princess so beautiful her people named her Fairer-than-the-Fairies. Of course, with a name like that, Fairer was destined for trouble. When the wicked queen of the fairies hears of Fairer’s reputation, she swears to avenge her subjects’ pride. She captures the princess and condemns her to complete anContinue reading “Fairer wide release!”
A Sunken City of Ys
(I found a book about Death legends in Brittany, and I couldn’t resist. Then I encountered a chapter all about a sunken city I had never heard of…and I just had to explore it. Come with me on this trip to the sunken City of Is.) One night, some sailors from Douarnenez were moored inContinue reading “A Sunken City of Ys”
About little translator
Laura Christensen enjoys translating French folklore and weaving all the pieces together into a rich, immersive world. You can support her endeavors on Patreon, access her folkloric fiction via her writing blog and bibliography, and interact with her on Twitter.
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