When legend meets reality, sometimes tragic... Welcome to this new episode of "Mysteries from here", the secret series of the podcast "Summer in your ears" devoted to the extraordinary stories, stories and legends of our regions.
After the ghosts of the Louvre, or the enigma of the Auberge rouge, let's discover the twelve fairies of the Planche des Belles Filles, at the top of the southern Vosges massif, between Haute-Saône and the Territoire de Belfort, in Burgundy Franche-Comté region.
What is the symbol of the number twelve?
It is in this territory, these forests, that the legend of the twelve fairies comes to life.
These beings, benefactors and generous, accompany the inhabitants, but love their secrets.
And beware of those who would like to reveal them.
How was the legend of the good fairies of the Planche des Belles Filles inspired by tragic events that occurred in the region?
Our guide for the day is Chloé Chamouton, Franc-Comtoise, journalist, author of several books, including
Les mysteries de Haute-Saône
, published by De Borée (2011).
Not so long ago, twelve young women still visited homes after dusk, "beings with laughing eyes and imbued with infinite kindness, with golden hair", says Chloé Chamouton in this episode.
These exceptional beings practiced fairy arts for the benefit of the inhabitants of the surrounding area.
They were twelve, like the number symbolizing the accomplishment, the perfection, the immutability of nature and life.
These fairies refused to let anyone know where they came from, where they lived.
A young man paid the price for his excessive curiosity.
When the legend is inspired by reality
"If these twelve beautiful ladies embody the beneficent and generous aspect of the fairy, there hides behind this tale a more tragic reality", reports Chloé Chamouton again.
During the Thirty Years War, in the 17th century, twelve women from the region would have preferred to commit suicide rather than be raped by the Swedish troops who were devastating the region.
These female martyrs would then have become beneficial fairies for the local population.
“Mysteries from here” is a series from the “Summer in your ears” podcast.
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