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French folklore encompasses the fables,
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...
,
fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
and
legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
s of the
French people The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially the na ...
.


In the Middle Ages

Occitan literature Occitan literature (referred to in older texts as Provençal literature) is a body of texts written in Occitan, mostly in the south of France. It was the first literature in a Romance language and inspired the rise of vernacular literature thro ...
- were songs, poetry and literature in Occitan in what is nowadays the South of France that originated in the poetry of the 11th and 12th centuries, and inspired vernacular literature throughout medieval Europe. These early recorded songs, poetry and their highest development in the 12th century and includes the well known ''Songs of the Troubadours'':


Songs of the Troubadours

* Songs of the Troubadour - The songs, poetry and narratives of the
troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...
s, who were composers and performers during the High Middle Ages, flourished during the 11th century and spread throughout Europe from Southern France. Their songs dealt mainly with themes of
chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...
and
courtly love Courtly love ( oc, fin'amor ; french: amour courtois ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing var ...
. Several established categories of poetry and song were: ** Canso or canson were songs concerning courtly love. **
Sirventes The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours. The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...
songs covered war, politics, morality, satire, humor, and topics outside of love. **
Tenso A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of troubadour song. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position; common topics relate to love or ethics. Usually, the tenso is written by two different poets, but several examples ...
and Partiment is a dialog or debate between poets **
Planh A genre of the troubadours, the or (; "lament") is a funeral lament for "a great personage, a protector, a friend or relative, or a lady."Elisabeth Schulze-Busacker, "Topoi", in F. R. P. Akehurst and Judith M. Davis, eds., ''A Handbook of the T ...
is a lament on a death. **
Pastorela The ''pastorela'' (, "little/young shepherdess") was an Occitan lyric genre used by the troubadours. It gave rise to the Old French ''pastourelle The pastourelle (; also ''pastorelle'', ''pastorella'', or ''pastorita'' is a typically Old Fre ...
is a song trying to win the affections and love of a shepherdess. **
Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...
is complaint of lovers upon parting.


Songs of the Trouvère

Songs of the Trouvère are songs and poetry that stemmed from poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France.


Epic narratives

A second form of legend in France during the Middle Ages was
epic poetry An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...
, partly historical and partly legend with themes covering the formation of France, war, kingship, and important battles. This genre was known as
chansons de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th ...
which is Old French for "songs of heroic deeds." It is also called the epics of the "Matter of France":


Matter of France

*
Chanson de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th c ...
:
Matter of France The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French ''chans ...
was part history and part legendary heroic epic tales of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
and the history and founding of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
by the Franks. Some of the legendary and notable topics were: **
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
, the
mythological king A mythological king is an archetype in mythology. A king is considered a "mythological king" if he is included and described in the culture's mythology. Unlike a fictional king, aspects of their lives may have been real and legendary, or that ...
**
Battle of Roncevaux Pass The Battle of Roncevaux Pass ( French and English spelling, ''Roncesvalles'' in Spanish, ''Orreaga'' in Basque) in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on ...
**
Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) * Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places * Bayard, Delaware, an unincorporated community * Bayard (Jacksonville), Florida, a neighborhood * Bayard ...
- the legendary horse ** Durandal - a magical sword ** ''
Song of Roland ''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century '' chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It is ...
'' (in French: ''Chanson de Roland'') ***Describes
Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
- the chief paladin of Charlemagne ** ''
Huon of Bordeaux Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th-century French epic poem with romance elements. ''Huon of Bordeaux'' The poem tells of Huon, a knight who unwittingly kills Charlot, the son of Emperor Charlemagne. He is given a reprieve from ...
'' written circa 1215-1240 ***Includes very early descriptions of:
Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...
, and son
Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...
**
Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French ''chanson de geste'' known as ' ...
- epic
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...


Animal fables, mock epics

Another folkloric medium in the Middle Ages were fables, mock epics and animal folk tales, notably: * Reynard Le Roman de Renart (circa 1175) by Perrout de Saint Cloude, a mock epic, the first known appearance of the following animals: *
Reynard the fox Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, a ...
in literature and folklore, an
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
fables of a fox,
trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...
** Bruin the Bear ** Baldwin the Ass ** Tibert (Tybalt) the Cat ** Hirsent the She-wolf


Satirical tales by Rabelais

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , , ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He is primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes ...
, 1494–1553, wrote: *
Gargantua and Pantagruel ''The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel'' (french: La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel) is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais, telling the adventures of two giants, Gargantua ( , ) and his son Pantagruel ...
- the story of two giants


Fairy tales

French fairy tales are particularly known by their literary rather than their folk, oral variants. Perrault derived almost all his tales from folk sources, but rewrote them for the upper-class audience, removing rustic elements. The
précieuses The French literary style called ''préciosité'' (, ''preciousness'') arose in the 17th century from the lively conversations and playful word games of ''les précieuses'' (), the intellectual, witty and educated women who frequented the salo ...
rewrote them even more extensively for their own interests. Collection of folk tales as such only began about 1860, but was fruitful for the next decades.Paul Delarue, ''The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales'', p xi-xii, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York 1956


Fairy tales by Perrault

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tale ...
(1628–1703) collected tales: *
Bluebeard "Bluebeard" (french: Barbe bleue, ) is a French folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in '' Histoires ou contes du temps passé''. The tale tells the s ...
*
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
(in 1697) *
Diamonds and Toads Diamonds and Toads or Toads and Diamonds is a French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, and titled by him "Les Fées" or "The Fairies". Andrew Lang included it in ''The Blue Fairy Book''. It was illustrated by Laura Valentine in ''Aunt Louisa's nurs ...
*
Donkey Skin ''Donkeyskin'' (french: Peau d'Âne) is a French fairytale fantasy, literary fairytale written in verse by Charles Perrault. It was first published in 1695 in a small volume and republished in 1697 in Perrault's ''Histoires ou contes du temps pa ...
*
Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Bro ...
(''Le Petit Chaperon Rouge'' in 1697) * Mother Goose Tales (''Contes de ma mère l'Oye'' in 1695) *
Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for ...
(in 1697)


Fairy tales by d'Aulnoy

Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy, 1650/1–1705, collected tales: *From
Fairy Tales
' (''Les Contes des Fees'') (1697) **
Babiole Babiole is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy (1650/1651 – 14 January 1705), also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French author known for her literary fairy ta ...
** Cunning Cinders (''Finette Cendron'') **
Graciosa and Percinet Graciosa and Percinet is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Red Fairy Book''. Synopsis A king and queen had a beautiful daughter, Graciosa, and an ugly duchess hated her. One day, the queen died. ...
(''Gracieuse et Percinet'') ** Princess Mayblossom (''La Princesse Printaniere'') **
Princess Rosette Princess Rosette (french: La Princesse Rosette) is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Red Fairy Book''. Italo Calvino included an orally collected tale, ''The King of the Peacocks'', in his ...
(''La Princesse Rosette'') **
The Bee and the Orange Tree The Bee and the Orange Tree (''L'Oranger et l'Abeille'') is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Synopsis After many childless years, a king and queen had a daughter, whom they named Aimée. Unfortunately, a ship she was on, wrecked. ...
(''L'Oranger et l'Abeille'') ** The Benevolent Frog or ''The Frog and the Lion Fairy'' (''La Grenouille bienfaisante'') ** The Blue Bird (''L'Oiseau bleu'') ** The Dolphin ** The Fortunate One or ''Felicia and the Pot of Pinks'' (''Fortunée'') **
The Imp Prince The Imp Prince (known as ''Le Prince Lutin'' in French) is a French fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy and published in her book ''Fairy Tales'' (''Les Contes des Fees'') in 1697. The word ''Lutin'', in French, can have several tra ...
(''Le Prince Lutin'') **
The Little Good Mouse The Little Good Mouse is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Red Fairy Book''. Synopsis A king and queen were in love and happy, and made their entire kingdom happy. Nearby lived a crue ...
(''La bonne petite souris'') ** The Ram or ''The Wonderful Sheep'' (''Le Mouton'' ) **
The Story of Pretty Goldilocks The Story of Pretty Goldilocks or The Beauty with Golden Hair is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Blue Fairy Book''. It is Aarne–Thompson type 531. This type is generally called "Th ...
or ''The Beauty with Golden Hair'' (''La Belle aux cheveux d'or'') **
The Yellow Dwarf The Yellow Dwarf (french: Le Nain jaune) is a French literary fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Blue Fairy Book''. Synopsis A widowed queen spoiled her only daughter, who was so beautiful that kings vied for the ...
(''Le Nain jaune'') ** The White Doe or ''The Doe in the Woods'' (''La Biche au bois'') *From 'New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion'' (''Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fees a la Mode'') (1698) ** Belle-Belle (''Belle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné'') ** Green Serpent (''Serpentin vert'') **
Puddocky "Das Mahrchen von der Padde" ("The Tale of the Toad") is a German folktale collected by Johann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching in ''Volks-Sagen, Märchen und Legenden''. It has been translated into English under the titles of "Puddocky" or "Cherry the ...
or '' The White Cat'' (''La Chatte Blanche'') **
The Golden Branch The Golden Branch is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Red Fairy Book''. Synopsis A cruel king had a hideous but good-hearted son. The king wanted to arrange an alliance by marrying his son ...
(''Le Rameau d'Or'') ** The Pigeon and the Dove (''Le Pigeon et la Colombe'') ** Prince Marcassin (''Le Prince Marcassin'') **
Princess Belle-Etoile ''Princess Belle-Etoile'' is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Her source for the tale was '' Ancilotto, King of Provino'', by Giovanni Francesco Straparola. It is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 707 ''The dancing water, ...
(''La Princesse Belle-Étoile'')


Fairy tales by Souvestre

Émile Souvestre Émile Souvestre (April 15, 1806July 5, 1854) was a Breton novelist who was a native of Morlaix, Brittany. Initially unsuccessful as a writer of drama, he fared better as a novelist (he wrote a sci-fi novel, ''Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera'') and as a ...
(1806–1854) collected tales: * The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok


Other fairy tales

*
Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
- first published version by
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (28 November 1685 – 29 December 1755) was a French novelist influenced by Madame d'Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, and various précieuse writers. Villeneuve is particularly noted for her original story of '' ...
, 1740. * The Enchanted Apple Tree * The Goblin Pony - translated in ''Grey Fairy Book'' by
Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University o ...
, 1900. * Quackling or ''Drakestail'' (''Bout-d’-Canard'') - original in ''Affenschwanz et Cetera'', by Charles Marelle 1888, translated in ''Red Fairy Book'' by Andrew Lang, 189

*
The Wizard King The Wizard King (''Le Roi Magicien'') is a French fairy tale published in ''Les fees illustres'' by the Chevalier de Mailly. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Yellow Fairy Book''. Synopsis A king was lord over many lands and had mastered magi ...
- original in ''Les Fees Illustres'', translated in ''Yellow Fairy Book'' by Andrew Lang, 1894.


Legends of people

*
Lancelot-Grail The ''Lancelot-Grail'', also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance in Old French. The cycle of unknown author ...
(''Prose Lancelot'') * The Account of Nicolas Flamel


Legendary creatures

*
Beast of Gévaudan The Beast of Gévaudan (french: La Bête du Gévaudan, ; oc, La Bèstia de Gavaudan) is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorised the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of ...
* Brownie of the Lake * Cheval Gauvin (horse) * Cheval Mallet - A fabulous and evil horse that appears at night and tempts exhausted travelers into riding it, only to take off with the rider never to be seen again. *
Dahu The dahu is a legendary creature that resembles a mountain goat and is well known in France and francophone regions of Switzerland and Italy, including the Aosta Valley. The dahu, a quadrupedal mammal, may have been inspired by the chamois, a ...
* Dames Blanches, type of female spirit *
European dragon The European dragon is a legendary creature in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe. The Roman poet Virgil in his poem ''Culex'' lines 163-201, describing a shepherd having a fight with a big constricting snake, ca ...
* Fae - aka Fae, Fée, the origin of the word ''Fairy'' * Gap of Goeblin - is a "goblin hole", the legend that surrounds a hole and tunnel in Mortain, France. * Gargouille - A legendary dragon *
Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry wa ...
- A beast *
Goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...
s *
Lutin A () is a type of hobgoblin (an amusing goblin) in French folklore and fairy tales. Female lutins are called (). A ''lutin'' (varieties include the '' Nain Rouge'' or "red dwarf") plays a similar role in the folklore of Normandy to househ ...
s - A type of hobgoblin *
Matagot A matagot or mandagot is, in oral traditions of southern France, a spirit in the form of an animal, frequently a black cat, though rat, fox, dog, or cow types are also said to exist. Matagots are generally evil, but some may prove helpful, like t ...
- A spirit in the form of an animal, usually a cat *
Melusine Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a lamia or a mermaid). She is als ...
- A feminine spirit of fresh waters *
Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...
(''Morgue le Faye'') - In the early ''Legends of Charlemagne'', she is most famous for her association with
Ogier the Dane Ogier the Dane (french: ; da, ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French ''chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (ca. 1220), which belongs to the ''Geste de ...
, whom she takes to her mystical island palace to be her lover. In
Huon de Bordeaux Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th-century French epic poem with romance elements. ''Huon of Bordeaux'' The poem tells of Huon, a knight who unwittingly kills Charlot, the son of Emperor Charlemagne. He is given a reprieve from de ...
, Morgan le Fay and
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
are the parents of Oberon. *
Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...
- King of the Fairies. In the early ''Legends of Charlemagne'',
Huon de Bordeaux Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th-century French epic poem with romance elements. ''Huon of Bordeaux'' The poem tells of Huon, a knight who unwittingly kills Charlot, the son of Emperor Charlemagne. He is given a reprieve from de ...
he is the son of Morgan le Faye and Julius Caesar. *
Reynard Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, a ...
- A trickster fox. See also Animal fables, mock epics. *
Tarasque The Tarasque is a fearsome legendary dragon-like mythological hybrid from Provence, in southern France, tamed in stories about Saint Martha, such as the one told in Jacobus de Voragine's '' Golden Legend'' (13th century). The tarasque was des ...
- A legendary dragon *
Werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
*
Woodwose The wild man, wild man of the woods, or woodwose/wodewose is a mythical figure that appears in the art and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to '' Silvanus'', the Roman god of the woo ...
(aka ''Homme Sauvage,'', ''Wadwasa'' and ''Wild Man'')


Other folklore

*
Bear games Bear games is a category of board games of which many have historical roots in the Roman Empire. They were played in parts of the Empire as far away as Turkey and France and are still played today, especially in Italy. All of the games are two-pl ...
* La Femme Aux Serpents * Follet * Feulates *
King Ursus King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
*
Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed in ...
- a national emblem of France * Rayarcus *
Rogero Ruggiero (often translated Rogero in English) is a leading character in the Italian romantic epics ''Orlando Innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando Furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. Ruggiero had originally appeared in the twelfth-century ...
* Les Tribulations de l’Ours Martin *
Wild Hunt The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif (Motif E501 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature) that occurs in the folklore of various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by ...


See also

*
French mythology The mythologies in present-day France encompass the mythology of the Gauls, Franks, Normans, Bretons, and other peoples living in France, those ancient stories about divinity, divine or heroic beings that these particular cultures believed to be t ...


References


Bibliography

* Bonner, Anthony, ed. ''Songs of the Troubadours.'' New York: Schocken Books, 1972.
''Legends and Romances of Brittany'' by Lewis Spence 1917French Folk Tales
(en) {{Europe topic, Folklore of Folklore