Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter facts for kids

Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter (French: La belle Eulalie) is a French fairy tale. It was collected by Achille Millien. This story is about a brave soldier named Jean and a magical girl named Eulalie.

The tale is a type of story where a girl helps a hero escape. It often includes a transformation chase. Other stories like this include The Water Nixie and The Master Maid. The story also has parts that remind us of the ancient Greek legend of Jason and Medea. This is because the hero gets help from a woman connected to the villain.

The Story of Jean and Eulalie

A Strange Welcome

Jean was a soldier returning home. He was very tired and knocked on a door for a place to rest. A girl named Eulalie answered. She warned him that her father ate people! But Jean was too tired to care and still went inside.

Eulalie's father was the Devil himself. He wanted to eat Jean right away. But Eulalie convinced him not to. Instead, Jean was given simple chores to do. The Devil first told him to clean hot metal tools with his bare hands. Jean felt hopeless.

Eulalie then offered to help Jean. She asked him to promise to marry her and take her away. Jean agreed. Eulalie used her magic wand to clean the hot tools easily. The next day, the Devil told Jean to clean the horse gear. Eulalie got Jean to promise again and cleaned them for him.

Escaping the Devil

That night, Eulalie made two pies. She put one pie in her bed and one in Jean's bed. Then, they quietly escaped. The Devil's wife had a dream that the young couple was running away. She woke her husband.

The Devil shouted Jean and Eulalie's names. The pies answered back, making it sound like they were still in bed. This happened a few times. Finally, the pies stopped answering. The Devil's wife insisted the young people were gone. The Devil checked and found them missing. He quickly rode after them.

Eulalie asked Jean to look behind them. He saw the Devil riding fast. Eulalie used her wand. She turned Jean into a pear on a tree. She changed herself into an old woman ready to eat the pear. When the Devil caught up, he was fooled. He asked the old woman if she had seen the couple. Eulalie, pretending to be deaf, talked only about pears. The Devil went home empty-handed. His wife told him the old woman was Eulalie in disguise.

The Devil chased them again. Eulalie turned herself into a rose and Jean into a gardener. When the Devil asked, Jean, pretending to be hard of hearing, talked only about selling seeds. The Devil went back home, and his wife again told him who they really were.

For the third time, the Devil chased them. Eulalie changed into a church, and Jean became a priest. The Devil asked about the couple. The priest only replied in Latin, which the Devil did not understand. His wife told the Devil who they were and chased them herself this time. Eulalie turned Jean into a pond and herself into a duckling. The wife tried to trick the duckling with bread crumbs. Eulalie swam close. Just as the wife lifted her magic wand to touch the duckling, Eulalie snatched it away!

A Test of Love

The couple finally arrived at Jean's home. Eulalie warned Jean not to let anyone kiss him. If he did, he would forget all about her. But when Jean went to sleep, his mother came and kissed him while he was asleep. When he woke up, he did not remember Eulalie. She was very sad and had to leave.

Eulalie used her wand to create a beautiful castle for herself. Three servants from a nearby castle decided to visit her. The oldest servant asked to stay the night. Eulalie asked him to tend the fire. But she used her wand to scatter the ashes he collected. She kept doing this until morning. He left with burnt fingers.

The next day, the second servant asked to stay. Eulalie asked him to close the shutters against the rain. But she used her wand to make them open each time he closed them. This went on all night. He left cold and soaking wet. The third servant asked to stay the night. Eulalie asked him to bolt the door. She used her wand to unbolt it each time he shut it. He left the next morning with a sore hand.

A Wedding and a Choice

Meanwhile, Jean was about to marry a local girl. The three servants, wanting to get back at Eulalie, suggested she be invited to the wedding. Eulalie came and sat next to Jean, the groom. She placed two pies in front of them.

One pie "asked" the other if it remembered all their adventures. The other pie "said" it could not remember. Jean heard this and suddenly remembered everything. He stood up and spoke to his mother in a riddle. He asked if he had an old cupboard he loved but lost the key to. He then ordered a new cupboard. But if the old key turned up, which cupboard should he keep? His mother said he should keep the old one. Jean then declared that he would marry Eulalie, not the new bride.