La fée Mélusine, the Donjon, Niort

Poitou-Charentes myths, legends and history

Thank you so much for the positive feedback on last week’s post about the mysterious cries through the fog, your comments put a smile on my face much like a ray of sunshine does on a cloudy day and inspired me to share more tales from the Poitou-Charentes. Before I launch into today’s post, I’d like to explain why I’m still using the old regional name of Poitou-Charentes, despite it ceasing to exist at the end of 2015.

France is made up of ninety-six (mainland) administrative departments, that are then grouped into thirteen regions. The old Poitou-Charentes region was made up of four departments, the Deux-Sèvres (where we live), the Vienne, the Charente and the Charente-Maritime. On 1^st January 2016 it was consumed by the new super-region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, home to twelve departments, in a geographical area that stretches from the Loire in the north to the Pyrenees in the south, making it the largest region in France. For the purposes of these tales of local myths, legends and history, it’s going to be Poitou-Charentes all the way, as most of our travels by bike fall into this area.

International Day of Tolerance

Today is International Day of Tolerance. A day to embrace our differences and spread kindness, to create a world where everyone feels accepted and valued. Having this week commemorated the 106^thanniversary of the end of World War One, once known as the “war to end all wars”, yet with current world politics in turmoil, I can’t let this go by without a mention.

We all need to be more accepting and tolerating of others, wherever in the world we live and whatever we believe in.

I am different, nerdy some might say, with a thirst for knowledge that often leaves my poor brain smouldering at the choice of information out there to absorb. My improved French language skills have enabled me to actively seek out interesting historical stories in the local papers or listen to podcasts in French, and I am no longer afraid to open a book written in French – if any of you have ever learned a new language you will know the difference between reading a short news article and stepping into an actual book.

My discoveries have sent me back in time across the centuries as well as indulging my love of a good myth, legend or fairytale. However, now there are more books available to me, full of fascinating stories, I’m going to need more time to immerse myself into them or fear a premature death as I’m crushed beneath my toppling ‘to be read’ pile.

La fée Mélusine, Lusignan

La Fée Mélusine

One of my favourite local legends is all about the fairy Mélusine, said to be one of the area’s most celebrated builders of châteaux, towers and abbeys. However, as with all fairies, Mélusine promised great riches, that came at a price and living as a fairy with a secret curse, she certainly ticks the box about being different from those she lived amongst.

Mélusine was the daughter of a fairy named Pressine, and as a punishment for going against her mother’s wishes, she was cursed with reverting to her fairy form every Saturday, that of half woman and from the waist down, a serpent. She would only be able to live and die like a real woman, if the man she married agreed never to see her on a Saturday.

For many years, Mélusine lived in the vast Poitou forests until one day, by a fountain in a clearing, she met a young knight in a state of distress. Raymondin had been hunting wild boar with his uncle, the count of Poitiers, when the boar had turned on the men and in trying to kill the beast, he had accidently killed Aimery, his uncle. Tormented by his actions, Mélusine comforted him and assured him all would be well and if he did as she advised, he would have a rich and successful future.

Lusignan, Vienne

Raymondin fell in love with the beautiful woman of the forest fountain, and they married, with him agreeing to never visit her chambers on a Saturday. By following her instructions, he was rewarded with vast areas of land on which she built a magnificent chateau she named Lusignan. Raymondin and Mélusine lived a happy life where they welcomed ten sons, although eight of them were born with mysterious facial disfigurements. They included Guy who was born with only one eye, Antoine who had the scar of a lion’s claw on his cheek, Odon with one ear larger than the other, Geoffroy with a tooth the size of a tusk and Horrible who had three eyes. All was well in their unusual family unit until one Saturday, Raymondin, provoked by his brother, peered through a hole in her door to see his wife bathing in an enormous marble bath, her long serpent’s tale splashing around in the water.

The spell had been broken and Mélusine is said to have flown from the window, her cries of despair ringing in the air as she fled, cursed forever to remain half woman, half serpent, with the wings of a dragon.

La fée Mélusine, Lusignan

It is almost impossible to find a medieval château, a ruined tower or an abbey in the Poitou-Charentes that doesn’t claim to have been built by Mélusine, and I have also fallen under her spell. I loved visiting Lusignan and its château ramparts, and it always puts a smile on my face when we come across her image on carvings, sculptures or paintings on our travels. As well as buildings, her story is also linked to many celebrated and important local families, all claiming to be her descendants, including the counts of Lusignan and La Rochefoucauld. We even found her inside the village church in Bignac, Charente, painted onto the black funeral band that shows the parish in respectful mourning for the local baron, François VI de la Rochefoucauld, in 1680.

La fée Mélusine, Bignac, Charente

The Rochefoucauld family also have links to the Château de Javarzay, although sadly I’ve yet to find a link between Javarzay and Mélusine, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up looking.