Belle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné facts for kids

Belle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné is a French literary fairy tale. It was written by Madame d'Aulnoy.

The Story of Belle-Belle

This exciting fairy tale begins with a king facing a big problem. An emperor had taken over his capital city. The king needed to build a new army. He ordered that one person from every noble family must join his soldiers. If they didn't, their family would pay a huge fine.

An old nobleman, who was quite poor, had three daughters. He was too old to fight himself. His oldest daughter offered to go. She dressed up like a soldier. On her way, she saw a shepherdess whose sheep were stuck. The oldest daughter said she felt sorry for her. The shepherdess thanked her, calling her a "beautiful girl." The daughter felt embarrassed that she was recognized so easily. She went back home.

The second daughter then decided to try. She saw the same shepherdess. This daughter made fun of the shepherdess for being clumsy. The shepherdess said goodbye to the "lovely girl." The second daughter also felt ashamed and returned home.

Belle-Belle's Journey

Finally, the youngest daughter, named Belle-Belle, set out. She was kind and helped the shepherdess. The shepherdess was actually a fairy in disguise! The fairy told Belle-Belle that she had stopped her sisters. They were not helpful, so they couldn't complete their mission.

The fairy then gave Belle-Belle a special gift. It was a new horse and soldier's gear. She also received a magical chest that could appear and disappear. Her new horse could even give her advice! The fairy told Belle-Belle to call herself Fortuné. This means "lucky" or "fortunate."

Fortuné's Gifts and Friends

Fortuné traveled to a city. She wanted to send gold from her magical chest back home. But she realized she had lost the key. Her wise horse told her how to open the chest. She sent back lots of gold and jewels. However, when her sisters touched them, the jewels turned into glass. The gold became fake coins. They told their father to keep the rest of the treasure safe.

Fortuné went to join the king's army. Her horse advised her to find special people. First, she met a woodcutter who could chop down many trees very quickly. Fortuné asked him to join her. Next, she found a man who tied up one foot when he hunted. He did this so his prey would have a small chance to escape. Then she met a man who covered his eyes with a bandage. This was so he wouldn't shoot everything he saw.

She also found a man who could hear everything on Earth. Another man could blow so hard he could move windmills. If he stood too close, he could even knock them over! Fortuné also met a man who could drink an entire lake. Finally, she found a man who could eat a huge amount of bread. Fortuné asked all these amazing people to keep their special abilities a secret.

Facing Challenges

Fortuné met the king and his sister-in-law, the queen-dowager. They welcomed her warmly. The queen found the knight, Fortuné, very charming. Fortuné, in turn, found the king attractive. Many ladies at court also showed interest in Fortuné, which made her quite shy.

The queen sent her lady-in-waiting, Florida, to talk to Fortuné. Florida was supposed to convince Fortuné to like the queen. But Florida herself fell in love with Fortuné! Instead of helping the queen, Florida spoke badly about her. The queen eventually questioned Fortuné directly. She learned that Fortuné was not in love, even though "he" sang love songs as was the custom.

The queen became very unhappy with Fortuné's refusal. When news came of a terrible dragon, she told the king that Fortuné had asked to fight it.

The Dragon and the Treasure

When the king called Fortuné, she went to fight the dragon instead of telling on the queen. The man with super hearing heard the dragon coming. Following the horse's advice, Fortuné had the drinker empty a lake. Then, the strong woodcutter filled the lake with wine and spices. This would make the dragon very thirsty. All the villagers hid in their homes. While the dragon was drinking, Fortuné attacked and killed it!

The king was very pleased with Fortuné. But the queen was still upset. She told the king that Fortuné had claimed "he" could get back the treasure the emperor had stolen, without any army.

Fortuné and her special men went to see the emperor. The emperor said they could have the treasure back only if one man could eat all the fresh bread in the city. The glutton ate every single loaf! The emperor then added that one man must drink all the water from the fountains, reservoirs, and aqueducts. He also had to drink all the wine in the cellars. The drinker did it all.

The emperor's daughter suggested a race against her. She gave the fleet-footed hunter a special drink. But it made him fall asleep! The man who could hear everything heard him snoring. The sharp-eyed man shot an arrow to wake him up. The hunter woke up and won the race!

The emperor then said they could only carry away what one man could carry. The strong woodcutter carried off everything the emperor owned! As they were leaving, they came to a river. The drinker drank the entire river so they could cross. The emperor sent his men after them. But the man who could blow hard sank their boats.

Fortuné's servants started arguing about their reward. Fortuné told them the king would decide their rewards. They agreed and submitted to the king. The king was very happy with Fortuné and her men.

The Truth Revealed

The queen openly tried to get Fortuné into trouble. When Fortuné refused her, the queen made false accusations against "him." She claimed Fortuné had attacked her. Fortuné was sentenced to death.

But when Fortuné's soldier clothes were removed, everyone saw that "he" was actually a woman! The king was surprised and pleased. He then married Belle-Belle.

Legacy of Belle-Belle

When this tale was translated into English, it was sometimes called The Story of Fortunio or just Fortunio. This happened in a book called The Old, Old Fairy Tales by Laura Valentine.

The story was also turned into a play! James Planché adapted many of Madame d'Aulnoy's tales for the stage. He called his play version of this story Fortunio, and His Seven Gifted Servants.