THE MAN WITH TWO DOGS
The purification.
Jean's sister returned to consult the witch again.
"I don't know what power protects him", she told her, "But I cannot fight against this power which is stronger than me. I can't do anything against him."
The wicked sister returned to the castle, furious, with other betrayals running through her head.
However, Jean understood that his life would never be safe with his sister and, convinced that she would not correct herself, he thought that what he had best to do was to leave secretly and leave her there. And that is what he did.
He returned to Paris, with his wife and his two dogs. The people seeing the return of the young prince, whom they had thought dead for a long time, expressed their joy and happiness and immediately recognized him as their true king. John therefore ascended the throne destined for him by his father, and there were magnificent celebrations throughout the kingdom on this occasion.
But the wicked sister, curious to know what had become of her brother and his wife, went to consult the witch again. She told him that they had gone to Paris, where they had been welcomed with happiness and enthusiasm by the people, so much so that they were now on the throne of France. She added that she could do nothing against this prince because he had a protector more powerful than all the witches in the world, who was God himself.
The villain almost died of rage when she learned that her brother and his wife occupied the throne from which she had been driven. She immediately took the road to Paris.
On the way, she consulted another witch, who told her it was necessary to place a wheel filled with razors under the king's bed, her brother, so that he and the queen would fall and be broken into pieces.
She arrived in Paris and was almost stoned by the people. But her brother, always good, protected her against popular fury, and received her, as before, in his palace. To show her gratitude, she had the wheel filled with razors placed under her bed, as the witch had recommended to her, and the king and queen fell on it, and their bodies were reduced to small pieces like meat. All the fragments were carefully gathered together, and put in the same coffin, and all the people accompanied them to the edge of the tomb where they were lowered. Bris-Fer and Sans-Pareil, the two dogs, walked in front of the convoy, sad and with bowed heads.
During the following night, they returned to the cemetery, dug up the coffin, opened it, and the king and queen immediately came out, alive and well. The two dogs then said to the king:
"We are your father and mother, sent by God, in this form, to protect you against the wickedness and black betrayals of your sister. She has always been heartless and merciless towards you.
To atone for her crimes and purify her, and thus rescue her from eternal damnation, she must be subjected to a terrible ordeal: an oven must be heated and she must be thrown into it alive. When she has thus passed through the fire, she will be pure before God, and, like you, she will join us in Paradise, where we are now returning."
The two dogs then disappeared, we do not know how, and Jean did what they had recommended concerning the king's sister.
THE END
Told by Marguerite Philippe, from Pluzunet.
Source: L’Homme aux deux chiens. from the French book Contes et légendes de Basse-Bretagne published in 1891.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
At the end of the story, Jean is the king of France, his sister is still trying to kill Jean, and the two dogs reveal that they are their parents.
The two dogs explain how to rescue Jean's sister from eternal damnation and they disappear.
Last Sunday, I decided to get a marriage license. This is necessary to be able to marry in British Columbia.
I was doing this at this time because you need to get the license less than 3 months before the wedding.
The British Columbia government's website says that only one of the spouses needs to be present when buying the license and only the certificates of Canadian citizenship of both spouses are needed.
I had not realized it was Sunday, and I had not checked the hours when the insurance office that could deliver marriage licenses was open. It was raining slightly and I walked there. I arrived at 9:45 AM, but the office was opening only at 10:00. So, I waited patiently. They did not open at 10:00, but at 10:15, so I had to wait for half an hour.
I was told then that I needed our passports for our dates of birth, and the divorce documents. So, I went back home in the rain.
We printed our divorce documents and at 1:25 PM I was again at the insurance office, but they were closed for lunch until 1:40 PM. Another 15 minutes of wait.
This time I had all the documents needed and I got the license after I paid CAD$100.
-- Vincent Celier