Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter
Encyclopedia
Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter is a French
fairy tale
collected by Achille Millien.
The fable is classed as Aarne-Thompson type 313 (A girl helps the hero to flee) and revolves about a transformation chase. Others of this type include The Water Nixie
, The Foundling-Bird
, The Master Maid
, and The Two Kings' Children
. The motifs contain notable similarities to the legend of Jason and Medea, in the tasks assigned to the hero, and in the help from a woman connected with the villain.
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 replied only in Latin
. His wife told the Devil who they were, and this time 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 did approach her, but was able to snatch the wife's magic wand as she was raising it to touch the duckling.
The couple finally arrived at Jean's home. Eulalie warned him not to let anyone kiss him; if that happened he would forget Eulalie. 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 her wand to make the cinders move away every time he attempted to pile them up, 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 a local girl. 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 pie 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 the key to a beloved cupboard, ordered a new cupboard, and then 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.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by Achille Millien.
The fable is classed as Aarne-Thompson type 313 (A girl helps the hero to flee) and revolves about a transformation chase. Others of this type include The Water Nixie
The Water Nixie
The Water Nixie or The Water-Nix is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 79. It came from Hanau.It is Aarne-Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee and revolves about a transformation chase...
, The Foundling-Bird
Foundling-Bird
Foundling-Bird is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 51.It is Aarne-Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee, and revolves about a transformation chase...
, The Master Maid
The Master Maid
The Master Maid is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr. "Master" indicates "superior, skilled." Jørgen Moe wrote the tale down from the storyteller Anne Godlid in Seljord on a short visit in the autumn of 1842.It is...
, and The Two Kings' Children
The Two Kings' Children
The Two Kings' Children is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales, tale number 113.It is Aarne-Thompson type 313C, the girl helps the hero flee, and type 884, the forgotten fiancée...
. The motifs contain notable similarities to the legend of Jason and Medea, in the tasks assigned to the hero, and in the help from a woman connected with the villain.
Synopsis
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 when he agreed she 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. The two people then 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
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
time, and Eulalie turned herself into a church and Jean into a priest. The Devil asked after the couple, and the priest replied only in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. His wife told the Devil who they were, and this time 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 did approach her, but was able to snatch the wife's magic wand as she was raising it to touch the duckling.
The couple finally arrived at Jean's home. Eulalie warned him not to let anyone kiss him; if that happened he would forget Eulalie. 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 her wand to make the cinders move away every time he attempted to pile them up, 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 a local girl. 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 pie 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 the key to a beloved cupboard, ordered a new cupboard, and then 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.