''La Chasse-galerie'' also known as "The Bewitched Canoe" or "The Flying Canoe" is a popular

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

tale of lumberjacks from camps working around the river of Gatineau who make a deal with the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

, a variant of the

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 ...

. Its best-known version was written by

Honoré Beaugrand Honoré Beaugrand (24 March 1848 – 7 October 1906) was a French Canadian journalist, politician, author and folklorist, born in Berthier County, Quebec. As a young graduate from military school Beaugrand joined the French military forces und ...

(1848–1906). It was published in ''

The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associatio ...

'' in August 1892.

Origin

The story has origins in a French

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, 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 valu ...

about a rich nobleman named Gallery who loved to hunt. He loved it so much that he refused to attend

Sunday mass Mass is the main Eucharistic liturgy, liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term ''Mass'' is commonly used in the Catholic Church, in the Western Rite Orthodoxy, Western Rite Orthodox, in Old Catholic Church, Old Cathol ...

. As punishment for this sin he was condemned to fly forever through the night skies, chased by galloping horses and howling wolves, in a fashion reminiscent of the

stories. When French settlers arrived in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, they swapped stories with the natives and the tale of Gallery was combined with a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

legend about a flying canoe. In time bark canoes became associated with French-Canadian culture as well; when some of the earliest French-Canadians arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, they were reported to have landed on the banks of the Hudson River to "the amazement and admiration of the people, who had never seen bark canoes in their waters before".

Variations

After a night of heavy drinking on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, a group of

voyageurs The voyageurs (; ) were 18th and 19th century French Canadians who engaged in the transporting of furs via canoe during the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the ' ...

working at a remote timber camp yearn to visit their sweethearts some away. The only way to make such a long journey, and be back in time for work the next morning, is to run the ''chasse-galerie''. Running the ''chasse-galerie'' means making a pact with the Devil so that their canoe can travel through the air to their destination quickly. However, the travellers must not mention God's name or touch the cross of any church steeple as they whisk by in the flying canoe. If either of these rules is broken during the voyage, then the Devil will take their souls. This in mind, the men promise not to touch another drop of rum, to keep their heads clear. The crew take their places in the canoe which begins to rise off the ground. They start to paddle. Far below they see the frozen

Gatineau River The Gatineau River (french: Rivière Gatineau, ) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river is long and drains ...

, many villages, plenty of shiny church steeples and even the lights of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. The bewitched canoe eventually touches down near a house where New Year's Eve festivities are in full swing. No one questions at the trappers'/loggers' sudden arrival. They are embraced with open arms and soon are dancing and celebrating as merrily as everyone else. After spending time with their sweethearts and enjoying the festivities, the men notice it is late and know they must leave if they are to get back to camp in time for work. As they fly through the moonless night, it becomes apparent that their navigator had been drinking as he steers the canoe on a dangerously unsteady course. While passing over Montreal, they narrowly miss running into a church steeple, and soon after the canoe ends up stuck in a deep snowdrift. The drunken navigator starts swearing and taking the Lord's name in vain. Terrified the devil will take their souls, the men bind and gag their friend and elect another to steer. The navigator soon breaks his bonds and begins swearing again. The crew become more and more shaken at the possibility of losing their souls, and they accidentally steer the bewitched canoe right into a tall pine. The men spill out of the canoe, and are knocked unconscious. The ending of the story changes from version to version. In some versions, the men are sentenced to fly the canoe through Hell. They appear in the sky every New Year's Eve but, in all but one version, all the men escape the terms the devil (Lucifer) made. Several different versions of this legend exist. An

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

version involves an axe handle. It stretches to accommodate as many as climb on. Another variation has the devil himself steering and deliberately trying to break the rules on the return journey, at which point they throw him out of the canoe to save themselves. In English, this particular legend is known as "The Canoe", or "The Wild Hunt Bewitched". The second name is used to translate precisely ''chasse-galerie'' as it is known in Canadian French; the other term is much broader. In Quebec, the best-known version is written by

. This is the story of the

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

loggers who make a pact with the devil in order to steal a boat so they can visit their women. They are warned, however, not to blaspheme during the voyage, or touch crosses atop church steeples, and they must be back before six o'clock the next morning. Otherwise they would lose their souls. In his version, the devil (Lucifer) is rather generous, and allows the men to return unhurt and undamaged. The tale appeared in a book of French-Canadian folktales called ''Legends of French Canada'' by Edward C. Woodley, published in 1931, republished in 1938. The tale is told as a recollection of one of the men who made ''chasse-galerie''. The men travel from St. Maurice to St. Jean. The return accident is credited to '' whiskey-blanc''. An earlier volume in English, entitled ''The Flying Canoe (La Chasse-Galerie)'' was written by J.E. LeRossignol, by

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. History It was founded ...

Publishers in 1929. In it, thanks is given (with no further publication information) to "the Toronto ''

Star Weekly The ''Star Weekly'' magazine was a Canadian periodical published from 1910 until 1973. The publication was read widely in rural Canada where delivery of daily newspapers was infrequent. History Formation The newspaper was founded as the ''Toronto ...

'', and the ''

Canadian Home Journal Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

'' for their courteous permission to republish certain stories which appeared originally in these journals." In 2015, a musical theatre version of the story was performed at the Storefront Theatre in Toronto, and won two Dora Awards and two Toronto Theatre Critics Awards. A larger production was mounted in 2016 by Soulpepper Theatre.

In popular culture

A Canadian 40¢

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

was issued in 1991 (as the Witched Canoe), illustrating this legend (Canadian Scott #1334 or #1445), which forms part of a series on Canadian

folktale A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally. Folktale may also refer to: Categories of stories * Folkloric tale from oral tradition * Fable (written form of the a ...

s. One of the oldest rides at Montreal's

La Ronde La Ronde may refer to: Geography * La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France * La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica *La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada *A La Ronde, an ...

amusement park, La Pitoune, uses this legend as inspiration. It is a basic sawmill log ride, but overhead is a representation of the flying canoe, with the devil perched behind the terrified men. The high bench at the back of the log-cars is therefore referred to as "the devil-seat". It closed down during the 2016 season. The legend serves as the label motif for

Maudite Unibroue is a brewery in Chambly, Quebec, Canada, that was started by Serge Racine and Quebec native André Dion. The company was purchased by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004, which was itself taken over by Sapporo Brewery, Sapporo in 2006. The c ...

, an ale produced by the

Unibroue Unibroue is a brewery in Chambly, Quebec, Canada, that was started by Serge Racine and Quebec native André Dion. The company was purchased by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004, which was itself taken over by Sapporo in 2006. The company was incorp ...

brewery of Quebec. The Science Fiction author

Gordon R. Dickson Gordon Rupert Dickson (November 1, 1923 – January 31, 2001) was a Canadian-American science fiction writer. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2000. Biography Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, ...

wrote a novelette titled " The Immortal" in 1965, which was later incorporated into the collection

Mutants In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

(1970). A French-Canadian spaceman, piloting a spaceship called "la Chasse Gallerie" (the misspelling is consistent through the story), is the victim of an attack by aliens that misfires, sending his ship hundreds of light-years away. He tries to return, but only the ship itself, devoid of any occupant, is then discovered and rescued by humans two centuries later. The novelette was later expanded into the novel

The Forever Man ''The Forever Man'' is a novel by Gordon R. Dickson published in 1986. Plot summary ''The Forever Man'' is a novel in which people can transfer their disembodied minds into spaceships. Reception Dave Langford reviewed ''The Forever Man'' for ' ...

(1986), by the same author. The

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

produced a short animated film of ''The Legend of the Flying Canoe (La Chasse-galerie)''.

Claude Dubois Claude André Dubois (born 24 April 1947) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Dubois was an early star of the Francophone musical '' Starmania''. He was a vocalist in the Canadian famine relief song " Tears Are Not Enough" and was nominated Most ...

sings a song called "Chasse Galerie" on the live album ''Rencontre de rêves'' (1992). Bruno Pelletierbr>performed it
in 2001 at the opening of the fourth Jeux de la Francophonie. The Quebec folk band

La Bottine Souriante La Bottine Souriante is a folk band from Canada. The band specializes in traditional French Canadian folk music, often with a modern twist. Formed in 1976 by Yves Lambert, Andre Marchand, and Mario Forest, they have toured extensively throug ...

recorded a song based on the legend, "Martin de la Chasse-Galerie", for their album '' La Mistrine'' in 1994. In the song, Satan condemns the men in the flying canoe to wander in the skies over Montreal until the day of judgement.

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band Blackguard use an image of the flying canoe on the cover of their 2009 album '' Profugus Mortis''. Included on the album is a song called "The Last We Wage", whose lyrics are based on this legend. During the

Opening Ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

for the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, a canoe containing fiddler Colin Maier was lowered from the ceiling in an allusion to the legend. The Flying Canoe also appears in

Frédéric Back Frédéric Back (April 8, 1924 – December 24, 2013) was a Canadian artist and film director of short animated films.John L. Kennedy and Eugene Walz"Frédéric Back". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', November 4, 2007. During a long career with R ...

's 1981 animated film ''

Crac ''Crac'' is a 1981 animated short film produced, written and directed by Frédéric Back. Plot The story follows the experiences of a rocking chair, from its creation from a tree through its time as a member of a Canadian farming family. Recept ...

''.

Adaptations

The radio program ''

C'est la Vie C'est la vie may refer to: * C'est la vie (phrase), ''C'est la vie'' (phrase), a French phrase, translated as "That's life" Books * C'est la Vie (comic strip), ''C'est la Vie'' (comic strip), an English-language comic strip by Jennifer Babcock * ...

'' retold the story on December 28, 2001, narrated by storyteller Marylyn Peringer. The first feature film adaptation, '' Wild Run: The Legend (Chasse-Galerie: La Légende)'', was released in February 2016. It was written by

Guillaume Vigneault Guillaume Vigneault, (born August 5, 1970 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian novelist. He is the son of Gilles Vigneault. Studies and works After receiving a bachelor's degree in literary studies at the Université du Québec à Montréal and be ...

and directed by Jean-Philippe Duval. A stage play written by

Tyrone Savage Tyrone Savage is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor and theater director. He is the son of actor Booth Savage and Janet-Laine Green. He is currently living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He provided the voices of Matthias in ''Redwall'' ...

, with music and lyrics by James Smith was produced by the

Soulpepper Theatre Company Soulpepper is a theater company based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest non-profit theater in the city. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has sinc ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 2016.

References

External links