𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔄𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔮𝔲𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔱
An ANTHOLOGY of
FANTASTIC PROSE and VERSE
with COMMENTARY
---
Compiled by Mr. Jack M. O'Donnell
28/4/25 --- La Belle Eulalie
INTRODUCTION
To conclude this brief series on shape-shifting, in today's entry I would like to present the French fairy-tale La Belle Eulalie, in English more often known as Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter. This tale recounts how a young soldier and the beautiful daughter of the Devil fall in love, escape from her cruel father's house, and following a brief confoundment, ultimately marry.
This another great example of shape-shifting, in this story of the trickster rather than contest type. Additionally, some other forms of magic feature; Eulalie uses her wand to clean impossible filth, and enchants pies to mimic the voices of Jean and herself to trick her fiendish parents, while her witch of a mother rides in a flying carriage and herself wields a wand, if to little effect.
I have a certain affection for the mundane, almost churlish depiction of the Devil found in folk traditions, perhaps my favourite example being The Farmer's Curst Wife (Child 278), though the title by which I first knew it was The Women are Worse than the Men. Though more esoteric depictions of demons, such as The Lesser Key of Solomon, and more high-romantic depictions such as Milton's Paradise Lost are my preference, the charm of the Devil as a rustic brute to be thwarted by folk-heroes (or anti-hero, in the case of Stingy Jack) is hard to resist.
This version of the tale taken from Paul Delarue's Borzoi Book of French Folk Tales.
THE TEXT
There was once a soldier by the name of Jean who was coming back from military service, having finished the period of his enlistment. He had been walking for a long time and he was very tired. As the sun was going down, he knocked at the door of a thatched house and asked to spend the night.
"I can't entertain you here," said the beautiful young woman who had come to open up to him. “My father eats people. Go farther on, for there's danger here for you."
"I don't care; I'm dying of fatigue. Whether I die or not, I prefer to stay here."
"Well, come in, my father isn't here. I'll hide you as best I can."
The soldier liked it at the Evil One's house. When he had rested for an hour the Devil returned.
"I smell fresh meat," he said, entering and rolling his eyes. "There's a Christian here." And he went toward the corner where his daughter had hidden the soldier.
"Father, don't get angry; it's a poor soldier who asked for lodging and who is resting as he passes by."
"A soldier! I shall eat him tomorrow for my lunch."
The next day when he woke up, he ran straight to the wretched fellow, who thought that his last hour had come, but the girl threw herself into her father’s arms and said : "Father, don’t eat him so soon. You have work to be done; let him do it; keep him busy serving you for a while."
"Well, then, I desire that before evening and without any other instrument than his hands he polish the andirons, the poker, and the pothook until they are as shiny as silver. Do you understand, Christian? Otherwise, tomorrow I shall eat you." And he went away.
It wasn't an easy thing to clean with one's fingernails objects covered with so much rust, soot, and smoke.
"Mademoiselle," said the soldier, “you might just as well have let me be eaten immediately."
"Listen! Will you promise to take me away with you and to marry me ? For I am indeed tired of staying here."
"I promise you."
"Don't worry, then. I'll do the work for you."
It can be seen at once that if the girl hadn't pleased the soldier at the very first instant, he had at least not made a bad impression on her. At the end of the day all she had to say was: "By virtue of my wand, may my father's order be executed." And the pothook, the andirons, and the poker became at once like silver.
The old man arrived and saw the hearth all sparkling: "Aha, Christian, you've worked well!"
"Do you think so, my master? It's because I got an education during my travels."
At sunrise the Devil reappeared.
"You got out of it yesterday, Christian, but that's not all. Before evening all my horses' trappings must be as shiny as gold or you will be eaten."
These trappings had not been cleaned for a thousand years, perhaps, and the soldier felt discouraged.
"You see, mademoiselle," he said to the young woman, "that you have saved me in vain. It's starting all over again."
"Will you keep your promise to take me away and to marry me?"
"Yes, you may be sure of it."
"Don’t worry, then. I'll do your work for you." And before evening, as she had done the day before, she used the power of her wand.
The old man, on coming home, found his horses' trappings as shiny as gold. "Christian," he said, "you've worked well, but that’s not all. There are other things to do. I'll tell you tomorrow."
Meanwhile the beautiful Eulalie (that was the name of the young woman) made the soldier understand that it would be wise to flee as quickly as possible. They decided to leave that very night. They slept in rooms that adjoined the one occupied by the old man and his wife.
My lovely Eulalie made two enchanted pies that could talk and answer for the two fugitives, one for her and the other for the soldier. She put them on the beds and held herself in readiness to leave the house with the young man.
All of a sudden the old man's wife, even more shrewd and more dangerous than he, said: "I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!"
"What are you dreaming?" asked the old man.
"I'm dreaming that the soldier is going to take my daughter away."
"Beautiful Eulalie!" shouted the father.
"Yes, Father?"
"Evil Christian!"
"Yes, master?"
"You see that they're in their beds," he said to his wife. "Let's let them sleep."
A moment later: "I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!" cried the woman.
"What are you dreaming?"
"I'm dreaming that the Christian has run away with my daughter."
"Beautiful Eulalie!"
"Yes, Father?"
"Evil Christian!"
"Yes, master?"
This time the pies' were answering- in their stead, for the two young people had already left the house.
"You see that they’re still in their rooms. Leave them alone."
A little later the old woman resumed: "I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!"
"What are you dreaming?"
"I'm dreaming that the Christian is already far from here with my daughter."
"Beautiful Eulalie!"
"Yes, Father?"
"Evil Christian!"
"Yes, master?"
The pies replied feebly for their voices grew weaker as the fugitives got farther away.
"They're asleep," said the old man. "Let's do the same."
But his wife still worried and woke up again.
"Beautiful Eulalie! Evil Christian!—They're asleep," said the old man.
"No. They're gone! Get up and pursue them."
He ran to the adjoining rooms and found them empty. A few minutes sufficed for him to saddle his horse and to mount.
The beautiful Eulalie, fleeing in all haste, kept saying: "My friend Jean, my tender friend! Can you see anyone coming?"
"I can see a horseman galloping and galloping."
"It's my father. By the virtue of my wand, let's transform ourselves, you into a pear on a pear tree, and I into an old woman who wants to knock it down."
It was high time. The horseman was arriving.
"Good woman, have you seen a young man and a girl pass?"
"Ah, sir, I'm having a lot of trouble knocking down this pear."
"I asked you if you haven't seen a young man and a young girl pass by?"
"You're right! I love pears!"
He grew impatient and went home. His wife was waiting for him.
"Did you see them?"
"No. I saw a deaf old woman under a pear tree."
"And you didn't understand that it was your daughter?"
"I'll set out again. This time they won’t escape me."
And the beautiful Eulalie, fleeing with her companion, kept asking him: "My friend Jean, my tender friend! Can you see anyone coming?"
"I can see a horseman galloping and galloping."
"It's my father again. By the virtue of my wand, be you a gardener in a garden, and I a rose on a rosebush."
"Gardener," said the old man, "haven't you seen a young man and a girl pass by here?"
"Sir, I don't sell onion seed."
"That's not what I asked you."
"I sell carrot seeds."
"Stupid!" said the old man going back to his home.
"Well, where are they?" asked his wife.
"I found a gardener in a garden and a rose on a rosebush."
"The rose was our daughter and the gardener the evil Christian. Go back quickly."
And the lovely Eulalie, still fleeing with her companion, kept saying to him: "My friend Jean, my tender friend! Can you see anyone coming?"
"I can see a horseman galloping and galloping."
"My father again! By the virtue of my wand, let's transform ourselves,I into a chapel and you into a priest."
And he arrives.
"Mr. Priest, have you seen a young man and a girl pass by?"
"Dominus vobiscum!"
"Are you deaf?"
"Alleluia!"
He spurs his horse and goes back to his wife.
"This time did you see them?"
"I saw a priest in a chapel and I couldn't get a sensible word out of him."
"But the chapel was she and the priest was he! Stay here! I will go catch them."
And the beautiful Eulalie, who was still fleeing with her companion, kept asking him: "My friend Jean, my tender friend! Can you see anyone coming?"
"I see a carriage coming, flying."
"Ah, it's my mother. By the virtue of my wand, you will be a pond and I a duckling on the water."
Already the Devil’s wife was on the edge of the pond. She had her wand too. She broke some bread crumbs and called: "Duckling! Pretty duckling! Come here."
The duckling approached, took the bread, and the Devil’s wife, leaning over, stretched out her wand. All of a sudden the duck threw herself upon the wand and dived into the water, carrying it away.
"Give me back my wand !" cried her mother, unarmed. "Lovely Eulalie! My daughter! Don't deprive me of my power." She wore herself out in useless supplications. Then she went away, crying and wailing.
"This time," said the beautiful Eulalie, "we are beyond danger. Is your country far from here?"
"No, we're more than half way."
"Listen carefully to the counsel I have to give you. When we arrive at your parents', don't let anybody kiss you; otherwise you will lose your memory and you will forget me."
"Don't worry. How could I forget you? As soon as we arrive we'll get married."
It was a great joy for the mother of the soldier to see a son come home from whom she had been awaiting news so long. She threw herself into his arms, but he withdrew, and as she insisted on kissing him, he pushed her away, which caused her great pain. After the meal she got him to go to bed to rest. As soon as she saw him asleep she leaned over his bed and kissed him with the prolonged kiss of a mother’s heart.
When he awoke, the soldier had forgotten everything. He didn’t recognize the beautiful Eulalie, who, rejected by him, was forced to leave the house. But she didn’t leave the country. At some distance from there by virtue of her wand she built a castle, moved in, and lived there quietly all alone.
Near the castle there was a big rural estate with lots of employees and servants. Three of them who saw the lovely girl from time to time at her window decided to make her acquaintance. They decided that the eldest should present himself first at the castle, then the second, and finally the youngest. So the eldest came one evening and was so well received that he asked to spend the night in the castle.
"Ah," said the girl to the suitor, "I have forgotten something. Please cover my fire with cinders."
Immediately the boy set himself to the task.
She seized her wand. "May it uncover itself each time you cover it, until dawn!"
No sooner had he covered the fire than it uncovered itself. All night long the boy kept re-covering the coals until his fingers were half roasted, and at daybreak he went sorrowfully away.
"Do you like that girl?" the other two asked him.
"Very much. Don’t fail to go there, too."
That evening it was the second boy’s turn. He was well received and treated in the same way as the other. But, as it was raining, the beautiful girl said to him: "The rain that is beating against the windowpane will stop us from sleeping. Go close the shutters."
And as soon as he had gone she seized her wand and said: "May they open each time you close them, until dawn!"
And she went away to bed. The closed shutters kept opening and the young man kept pushing them back. All night he was forced to work in the rain. He was frozen and trembling when he went back to his comrades.
"Are you satisfied?" they asked him.
"Very satisfied."
"Well," said the youngest, "it's my turn to go this evening."
And he had the same luck as the others. At the hour of retiring the girl asked him to go bolt the door, and as soon as he had his hand on the bolt she seized her wand. "May it be unbolted each time you bolt it, until dawn!"
And she went off to bed. Each time he pushed the bolt, it went back, and he worked thus until morning at such a pace that his hand was all sore.
When he went back to his two companions they asked him: "Are you satisfied?"
"No reason to be," he replied. "I spent the night bolting the door, which kept unbolting itself."
"And I covering the fire, which kept uncovering itself."
"And I closing the shutters, which kept opening." And all three of them came to an agreement to wreak their vengeance on the girl.
A few days afterward the marriage of Jean the soldier was announced. He was marrying a young woman of the country. The three boys, who had been invited to the marriage, went to find him. “Why shouldn’t you invite the girl of the castle? She would make one more lovely girl to dance with."
"I shall be happy to invite her this very day."
The rejected suitors thought they would take advantage of the wedding to punish her for their misfortune. The morning of the marriage she arrived at lunch time, as beautiful as the day. They sat down to the table. Since a seat remained unoccupied beside the husband, she took it. She had prepared two pies that could talk, one for her and the other for the soldier. She put them on the table and the two of them were the only ones who could hear.
One said: "My friend Jean, my tender friend! Do you remember my father’s house where I received you when you were dying of fatigue?"
"No, I don't remember," said the other.
"Do you remember the andirons, the poker, and the pothook that were cleaned?"
"No, I don't remember."
"Do you remember the trappings that were brilliant as gold?"
"No, I don't remember."
"Do you remember our flight, the-dangers that we were subjected to?"
"No, I don’t remember."
"I had told you: 'Don't let anybody kiss you!' Do you remember?"
"Yes, I remember."
"And your promise, do you remember?"
"Yes, I remember."
Immediately the soldier left the table and went to find his mother."“Mother, I have lost the key to my cupboard. I have ordered a new one, but I have just found the old one. Which one shall I take?"
"The first one, since you're familiar with it."
"Well, I had promised to marry that girl who saved my life. I had lost her, and now I have found her. So she's the one that I shall keep."
And the soldier married her. The wedding lasted a whole week, as long as they could find any food in the country. There were six hurdy-gurdies and six musettes.