Father Roquelaure facts for kids
"Father Roquelaure" is a classic French fairy tale. It was collected by Achille Millien, who gathered many traditional stories. This tale is known as a "Type 516" story in the Aarne-Thompson classification system. Other famous stories of this type include Trusty John and The Raven. These tales often feature a loyal servant who helps a prince, sometimes making great sacrifices.
The Story of Prince Emilien and Jean
Once upon a time, a widowed queen wanted her son, Prince Emilien, to get married. But Emilien wasn't interested. After his mother passed away, he saw a beautiful painting of Princess Emilienne and instantly fell in love. The artist told him that a powerful fairy kept the princess locked away in a tall tower.
Emilien shared his secret with his most trusted servant, Jean. Jean quietly made all the necessary preparations for a long journey. Soon, they set out to find the princess. During their travels, they took turns watching while the other slept.
One night, while the prince was sleeping, Jean heard voices. One voice belonged to Father Roquelaure. He was explaining how difficult Prince Emilien's quest would be. Father Roquelaure said that to cross a river without a bridge, they would need to rub the carriage wheels with moss. This would magically create a bridge. He also said that Emilien would have to offer the fairy a special spinning tool decorated with diamonds. Then, he would need to give her a sleeping potion.
When they finally took the princess, their horses would refuse to move. Emilien would have to ignore offers from other coachmen and instead smash their carriages. Later, the princess would get thirsty, and vendors would offer her drinks. These drinks would be poison, and Emilien would have to spill them on the ground. They would also come across a drowning man. The prince would have to push him back into the water instead of saving him. Finally, to return home, they would need to rub the wheels with moss again. Father Roquelaure warned that if Jean ever repeated these instructions to anyone, he would turn to stone.
Throughout their journey, Jean remembered Father Roquelaure's words. He told Prince Emilien to trust him completely. Jean followed all the strange instructions. His actions often frightened the princess. She even told Emilien that if he truly loved her, he would imprison Jean.
After they returned home and Prince Emilien and Princess Emilienne were married, the prince demanded an explanation from Jean. He threatened to imprison him if he didn't explain his strange behavior. Jean finally told the prince everything he had heard from Father Roquelaure. As soon as he finished speaking, Jean turned into stone. The prince was heartbroken.
Within a year, the princess gave birth to a son. The prince wanted to name him Jean, in honor of his loyal servant. At the baby's christening party, a poor old woman arrived. To make sure everyone was happy, the prince gave her a place to sit and food to eat. The old woman then told them that if they sacrificed their baby, its blood would bring Jean back to life.
The prince, filled with grief for his friend, made the difficult choice to follow her advice. He killed the baby, and as the blood touched Jean, the servant came back to life! Then, the old woman produced a magic wand and brought the baby back to life too. The princess suddenly realized that the old woman was the same fairy who had kept her in the tower. She begged the fairy for forgiveness. The fairy simply told her to be happy, and everyone lived happily ever after.
