Tales and Legends of the Forest

Oral Nivernais version of the tale of the Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Girl and the Wolf includes details, sometimes surprising, that are found in many oral versions of the tale but which Charles Perrault deliberately chose to omit in order to simplify the story in his collection ofTales of Mother Goose. The version […]

«  Once upon a time, at the foot of Mount Beuvray, there was a small farmer who owned only a few meager plots of land. He earned so little that he struggled greatly to raise his poultry. » Through hard work, the farmer eventually managed to buy a duck, a goose, and a pig. However, after […]

Once upon a time, there was a popular song featuring a « handsome woodcutter » who became a symbol of freedom for an entire profession.   This story, a variation of The King’s Daughter Who Longs for a Rose, once very popular in the Nièvre region, was collected by Achille Millien from several local inhabitants.   It’s […]

« Once upon a time, there was a kind old woodcutter who worked in a forest. He had three daughters who took turns bringing him food. » Once the woodland setting is established, the story ofThe Beast of the Forest continues with the woodcutter’s encounter with the mysterious and terrifying beast that dwells there. The beast threatens […]

Once upon a time, there was a place beyond the realm of human space and time, a place on the margins of civilization and hidden from sight, a place inhabited by wild animals, a place perfectly suited to the settings and actions of popular fairy tales and legends: the forest.   The forest, place of […]