The Beast of the Forest

« 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 to devour the woodcutter unless he gives one of his three daughters in marriage. The eldest and middle daughters, frightened by « the dreadful beast that lives in the forest, », refuse to marry it, while the youngest agrees and is taken away by the beast deep into the woods.
 

The animal-husband takes the woodcutter’s youngest daughter to a grand and magnificent castle, where he transforms into a handsome and wealthy man. However, the beauty and the beast do not immediately enjoy the happy ending typical of fairy tales. The story continues as the woodcutter’s daughter opens a forbidden door in the castle, causing her husband to transform back into a beast, condemned to wander for seven years. What follows is a long quest to find her lost husband, culminating in a series of trials and adventures. The tale concludes with their return to the castle, where they « reunited with the woodcutter, his wife, and their two daughters, who had been waiting for them all along. And they all lived very happily. »

As is often the case in fairy tales, the forest in this story symbolizes the savagery and monstrosity of the beast, while the castle, associated with civilization, represents beauty and opulence.

The Beast of the Forest, a tale collected by Achille Millien in 1886 from Louis Briffault, a farmer in Montigny-aux-Amognes, was later published in 1953 in Contes du Nivernais et du Morvan from Paul Delarue.

The Beast of the Forest is a tale of type AT 425*, with the most well-known version beingBeauty and the Beast, This story has over 1,100 variations.**.

*Tale type AT 425 (« The Quest for the Lost Husband ») on the classification Aarne-Thompson.

**Beauty and the Beast is one of the most famous tales in French literature. A magical and philosophical story first published in 1740 by Gabrielle de Villeneuve, Beauty and the Beast tells a tale of redemption through love, set against a backdrop of rivalries between fairies, and explores themes of love, family bonds, and the many forms of power. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont later adapted the story for a younger audience, simplifying the plot and cutting the narrative midway. This new version, published in 1757, has been revisited countless times and continuously reprinted for over two centuries.
 

Visual 1 : The Beat of the forest (Contes du Nivernais et du Morvan, A. Millien et P. Delarue)

Visual 2 : Beauty and the Beast (Paris, Librairie Hachette et Cie, vers 1870)