French folklore encompasses the

fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the Folklore, folklore genre. Such stories typically feature Magic (supernatural), magic, Incantation, e ...

and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

s of the

French people French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common Culture of France, French culture, History of France, history, and French language, language, identified with the country of France. The French people, esp ...

In the Middle Ages

Occitan literature Occitan literature (referred to in older texts as Provençal literature) is a body of texts written in Occitan language, Occitan, mostly in the south of France. It was the first literature written in a Romance language and inspired the rise of v ...

- 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 (, ; ) 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 equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

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 language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...

and

courtly love Courtly love ( ; ) 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 various deeds or services for ladies b ...

. Several established categories of poetry and song were: ** Canso or canson were songs concerning courtly love. ** Sirventes songs covered war, politics, morality, satire, humor, and topics outside of love. **

Tenso A ''tenso'' (; ) 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 exist in whic ...

and Partiment is a dialog or debate between poets ** Planh is a lament on a death. ** Pastorela 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 Kingd ...

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 In poetry, 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. With regard t ...

, 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 , from '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 centuries, shortly before the e ...

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 , from 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poetry, 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 centuries, shortly ...

Matter of France The Matter of France (), also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and the Paladins. The cycle springs from the Old Fr ...

was part history and part legendary heroic epic tales of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

and the history and founding of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

by the Franks. Some of the legendary and notable topics were: **

, 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 th ...

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 - the legendary horse **

Durandal Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. The sword is famous for its hardness and sharpness. Sources including '' La Chanson de Rolan ...

- a magical sword ** ''

Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French lite ...

'' (in French: ''Chanson de Roland'') ***Describes

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; 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 Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

- the chief

paladin The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers (), are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, wh ...

of Charlemagne ** '' Huon of Bordeaux'' written ***Includes very early descriptions of:

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (; Welsh language, Welsh and Cornish language, Cornish: Morgen; with ''le Fay'' being garbled French language, French ''la Fée'', thus meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan , Morgain /e Morgant Mor ...

, and son

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, 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 ...

Renaud de Montauban Renaud (or Renaut or Renault) de Montauban (Modern ; ; ; or ) was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French known as ''The Four Sons of Aymon''. The four sons of Duke Aymon are Renaud, Richard, Alard and Guiscard, ...

- epic

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

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 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 to ...

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 otherw ...

** 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 writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

, 1494–1553, wrote: *

Gargantua and Pantagruel ''The Five Books of the Lives and Deeds of Gargantua and Pantagruel'' (), often shortened to ''Gargantua and Pantagruel'' or the (''Five Books''), is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais. It tells the advent ...

- 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 ''Précieuses'' ( , i.e. "preciousness") was a 17th-century French literary style and movement. The main features of this style are the refined language of aristocratic salons, periphrases, hyperbole, and puns on the theme of gallant l ...

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 ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a 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 tales, published in his ...

(1628–1703) collected tales: *

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" ( ) is a French Folklore, folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in . The tale is about a wealthy man in the habit of murdering his wives an ...

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

(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 nur ...

* Donkey Skin *

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...

(''Le Petit Chaperon Rouge'' in 1697) * Mother Goose Tales (''Contes de ma mère l'Oye'' in 1695) *

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

(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 ** Cunning Cinders (''Finette Cendron'') ** Graciosa and Percinet (''Gracieuse et Percinet'') ** Princess Mayblossom (''La Princesse Printaniere'') ** Princess Rosette (''La Princesse Rosette'') ** The Bee and the Orange Tree (''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 (''Le Prince Lutin'') ** The Little Good Mouse (''La bonne petite souris'') ** The Ram or ''The Wonderful Sheep'' (''Le Mouton'' ) ** The Story of Pretty Goldilocks or ''The Beauty with Golden Hair'' (''La Belle aux cheveux d'or'') ** The Yellow Dwarf (''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 Märchen von der Padde" ("The Tale of the Toad") is a German folktale collected by Johann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching in ''Volks-Sagen, Märchen und Legenden'' (1812). It has been translated into English under the titles of "Puddocky" or "Che ...

or '' The White Cat'' (''La Chatte Blanche'') ** The Golden Branch (''Le Rameau d'Or'') ** The Pigeon and the Dove (''Le Pigeon et la Colombe'') ** Prince Marcassin (''Le Prince Marcassin'') ** Princess Belle-Etoile (''La Princesse Belle-Étoile'')

Fairy tales by Souvestre

Émile Souvestre Émile Souvestre (15 April 18065 July 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 r ...

(1806–1854) collected tales: * The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok

Other fairy tales

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

- first published version by

Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (28 November 1685 – 29 December 1755) was a French author influenced by Madame d'Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, and various précieuse writers. Villeneuve is particularly noted for her original story of ''L ...

, 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 folkloristics, collector of folklore, folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectur ...

, 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 - original in ''Les Fees Illustres'', translated in ''Yellow Fairy Book'' by Andrew Lang, 1894.

Legends of people

Lancelot-Grail The ''Lancelot-Grail Cycle'', also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian legend, Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance originally writte ...

(''Prose Lancelot'') *

Man in the Iron Mask The Man in the Iron Mask (; died 19 November 1703) was an unidentified prisoner of state during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1643–1715). The strict measures taken to keep his imprisonment secret resulted in a long-lasting legend about ...

* The Account of Nicolas Flamel * Père Fouettard * Robert the Devil * Julie d'Aubigny

Legendary creatures

* Beast of Gévaudan * 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 * Dames Blanches, type of female spirit *

European dragon The European dragon is a legendary creature in folklore and mythology among the overlapping culture of Europe, cultures of Europe. The Roman poet Virgil in his poem Appendix Vergiliana#Culex ("The Gnat"), ''Culex'' lines 163–201, describing a ...

* Fae - aka Fae, Fée, the origin of the word ''Fairy'' * Horses of Pas-de-Calais * Gap of Goeblin - is a "goblin hole", the legend that surrounds a hole and tunnel in

Mortain Mortain () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Mortain-Bocage. Geography Mortain is situated on a rocky hill rising above the gorge of the ...

, France. * Gargouille - A legendary dragon *

Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

- A beast *

Goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid 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 appearan ...

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 househo ...

s - A type of hobgoblin * Matagot - A spirit in the form of an animal, usually a cat *

Melusine Mélusine () or Melusine or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a nixie (folklore), female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a Serpent symbolism, serpent or Fish in culture, fish fr ...

- A feminine spirit of fresh waters *

(''Morgue le Faye'') - In the early ''Legends of Charlemagne'', she is most famous for her association with

Ogier the Dane Ogier the Dane (; ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French ''chanson de geste, chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (), which belongs to the ''Geste de Doon de ...

, whom she takes to her mystical island palace to be her lover. In Huon de Bordeaux, Morgan le Fay and

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 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 Caesar's civil wa ...

are the parents of Oberon. *

- King of the Fairies. In the early ''Legends of Charlemagne'', Huon de Bordeaux he is the son of Morgan le Faye and Julius Caesar. *

Reynard Reynard the Fox is a list of literary cycles, literary cycle of medieval allegorical Folklore of the Low Countries, Dutch, English folklore, English, French folklore, French and German folklore, German fables. The first extant versions of the cy ...

- A trickster fox. See also Animal fables, mock epics. * Tarasque - A legendary dragon *

Werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...

Woodwose The wild man, wild man of the woods, woodwose or wodewose is a mythical figure and motif that appears in the art and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to ''Silvanus (mythology), Silvanu ...

(aka ''Homme Sauvage,'', ''Wadwasa'' and ''Wild Man'')

Other folklore

* Bear games * La Femme Aux Serpents * Feu follet * Feulates * King Ursus *

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 i ...

- a national emblem of France * Rayarcus * Rogero * Les Tribulations de l’Ours Martin * Wild Hunt

Texts

Golden Legend The ''Golden Legend'' ( or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of 153 hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in Europe during the Late Middle Ages. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary Maddo ...

References

Bibliography

* Bonner, Anthony, ed. ''Songs of the Troubadours.'' New York: Schocken Books, 1972.
''Legends and Romances of Brittany'' by Lewis Spence 1917
{{Europe topic, Folklore of European folklore