Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter

Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter is a French fairy tale collected by Achille Millien. [Paul Delarue, "The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales", p 359, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York 1956]

It is Aarne-Thompson type 313, the girl helps the hero flee. [Paul Delarue, "The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales", p 359, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York 1956] and revolves about a transformation chase. Others of this type include "The Water Nixie", "Foundling-Bird", "The Master Maid", and "The Two Kings' Children". The motifs contain notably similarities to the legend of Jason and Medea, in the tasks set to the hero and the help from a woman connected with the villain. [Paul Delarue, "The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales", p 360, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York 1956]

ynopsis

Jean was coming back from his enlistment and knocked on a door because he was tired; Eulalie answered, and not even her statement that her father ate people persuaded him to go on. Her father, the Devil, came and would have eaten him at once, but Eulalie persuaded him to set Jean to work instead. The Devil ordered him to clean the fire irons with his bare hands. Jean told Eulalie she might as well have let him be eaten at once. Eulalie asked him to promise to marry her and take her away, and cleaned the irons with her magic wand. The next day, the Devil set him to clean the horse trappings; Eulalie got Jean to repeat his promise and cleaned them for him. Then she made two pies, and at night put one in each of their beds. They fled. The Devil's wife dreamed that Jean and Eulalie were running away and woke the Devil, but the Devil called to them, and the pies answered. Finally, they did not answer and the Devil's wife insisted they were not asleep. The Devil checked, found them gone, and rode after them.

Eulalie asked Jean to look behind them. When he saw the horseman, Eulalie used her wand and turned him into a pear on a pear tree, and herself into an old woman who wanted to eat it. The Devil reached her and asked after the young couple, and Eulalie talked only about the pears, as if deaf. The Devil went back, and his wife told him that the deaf old woman had been his daughter. He chased them again, and Eulalie turned herself into a rose and Jean into a gardener. Despite the Devil's questions, Jean talked only of selling seeds, as if deaf. The Devil went back, and his wife told him the gardener had been Jean. The Devil chased them a third time, and Eulalie turned herself into a church and Jean into a priest. The Devil asked after the couple, and the priest repeated only Latin. His wife told them who they were, but went after them herself. Eulalie turned Jean into a pond and herself into a duckling. The wife tried to lure the duckling near with bread crumbs, Eulalie went, the wife stretched out her magic wand and Eulalie stole it.

They went on to his home. Eulalie warned him not to let anyone kiss him; if they did, he would forget her. But when he went to bed in his father's house, his mother came to him while he slept and kissed him. When he woke, he no longer recognized Eulalie, and she had to leave. With her wand, she made herself a castle and lived in it. Three servants in a nearby castle decided to meet her. The oldest went and asked to stay the night, and Eulalie asked him to bank the fire. Then she used to her wand to make the cinders move away every time he moved them on, until morning, when he left, with burned fingers. The next went and asked to stay the night, and Eulalie asked him to close the shutters against the rain. Then she used the wand to make them open every time he closed them until morning, when he left, cold and soaked. The third one went and asked to stay the night. Eulalia asked him to bolt the door, and then used the wand to make it unbolt whenever he bolted it until he left the next morning, his hand sore.

Jean was to marry. The three servants decided to revenge themselves at the wedding and suggested that Eulalie be invited. At the wedding, she sat beside Jean and put two pies before them. One of them questioned the other about whether it remembered each of their adventures, and the other pie did not remember. Jean got up and told his mother that he had lost a key, ordered a new one, and found the old key -- which one should he keep? His mother said the old one. He declared that he would marry Eulalie and not the new bride.

ee also

*The Lost Children

References