La petite Toute-Belle facts for kids

"La petite Toute-Belle" ("Little Toute-Belle") is a Breton fairy tale from France. It was first published in 1900 by Paul Sébillot in his book Contes des landes et des grèves.

This story is a type of fairy tale known as Aarne-Thompson type 709. This means it shares many similarities with other famous tales like Snow-White. Other stories of this type include Bella Venezia, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree, Myrsina, Nourie Hadig, and The Young Slave.

The Story of Toute-Belle

Once upon a time, there was a girl so beautiful that everyone called her Toute-Belle, which means "Very Beautiful." Her own mother became very jealous of her amazing looks.

They had a servant who often stole things. This servant hated Toute-Belle because the girl would tell her mother about the thefts. The servant then tricked Toute-Belle's mother into believing that Toute-Belle herself was the one stealing.

When the mother found her jewels missing, she was very angry. She promised a reward to anyone who could get rid of Toute-Belle. The servant offered to push Toute-Belle into a well, making it look like an accident.

The Well and the Dragons

The next day, the servant pretended to see a beautiful flower in the well. Toute-Belle leaned over to look, and the servant pushed her. But instead of drowning, Toute-Belle found herself in a lovely room.

This room was home to three friendly dragons. They asked her how she got there. Toute-Belle told them her sad story, and the dragons decided to let her stay with them.

The next morning, the servant went to the well to get water. Toute-Belle greeted her from below! The servant rushed to tell the mother that Toute-Belle was still alive.

Poisoned Gifts

The mother then asked an evil fairy for a way to kill her daughter. The fairy gave her some red sugared almonds. She said Toute-Belle would die as soon as she ate them.

The following morning, the servant gave Toute-Belle the almonds. But just as the girl was about to eat them, the dragons appeared. They warned her that the almonds were poisoned.

The mother was furious that her plan failed. She went back to the fairy, threatening to harm the fairy if she didn't succeed this time. The fairy, though unwillingly, gave the mother a red dress. She said Toute-Belle would die the moment she put it on.

The next morning, the servant gave Toute-Belle the beautiful red dress. Toute-Belle decided to wear it to show the dragons how pretty she looked. But as soon as she slipped on the poisoned dress, she fell down and lost consciousness.

Toute-Belle's Journey

When the dragons found Toute-Belle, they believed she was dead. They carefully placed her in a special shrine. They then put the shrine on the beach.

As the tide rose, the shrine floated away. The dragons watched it, crying, until it disappeared from sight. They thought it had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

The shrine floated until it came to rest on some rocks near a castle. A young king saw it and asked his servant to bring it to him. When he opened the shrine, he found Toute-Belle inside. She looked so fresh and alive that he couldn't believe she was dead. He lit a fire in the fireplace and tried to wake her up.

The Queen's Discovery

The king's mother wondered why he stayed in his room so long. She thought he might be ill and asked her maid to peek through the keyhole. The maid reported that she saw the king holding a girl in his arms.

The angry queen broke down the door. But when she saw Toute-Belle, she felt pity for her. The maid pointed out that the girl looked too fresh and pretty to be dead. She suggested they take off the dress to warm her up.

As soon as they removed the dress, Toute-Belle woke up! She then told them her entire story.

Justice and Happiness

The king sent for the three dragons. He rewarded them for their kindness to Toute-Belle. He then asked Toute-Belle if she would marry him, and she agreed.

Next, the king invited Toute-Belle's mother and the servant to the castle. He asked the mother if she had a daughter old enough to marry. The mother replied that she had one, but she had died very suddenly.

The king then revealed the truth about what the mother and servant had done. He condemned both the mother and the servant to be burned at the stake for their cruel actions. Toute-Belle and the king lived happily ever after.

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