Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-08-14
THE ORIGINAL BLUE-BEARD.
The Historical Origin of the Old Nur-
sery TaIe-The Different Versions
Given It,
New York Independent.

In the days of the great monarque
there were two brothers called Claude
and Charles Perrault. The first de>
signed the famous colonnade of the
Louvre; the latter wrote some very
ambitious poems and disputations, of
which he was very proud, and some
exquisite fairy tales, of which he
thought very little. Nobody now
cares anything about his poems; but
every body is familiar with his Hop
o'>My-Thumb," ''Riquet with the
Tuft," and his still more famous
Blue Beard" Many of Perrault's
fairy tales are purely imaginative;
others are based upon legends or his
torical facts, which were already well
known, and among the latter class is
| 'Blue-Beard."
The home of the true Blue>Beard
was Brittany. Take map and look
for the river Blavet. At the point
where it changes its course from east
to west there is deselate, rocky pro-
montory, and on its summit the re-
mains of stone Notifications. 1t is
y0nd all reasonable doubt, it was the
stronghold of Blue Beard, whose real
name was Comorre the Cursed.
He lived about 1, 800 years ago; but,
in order to begin the story at the be-
ginning, we must go still farther
back to the time when Grallon the
Great, a British prince, emigrated to
Breton, and built the famous city of
Is, whence, some scholars say, the
city of Paris derived its name. This
was long before King Arthur and his
famous knight fought dragons and re.
dressed wrongs in Grallon's native
isle. Grallon had daughter, beau
tiful and wicked princess, called Ahes,
and she gave her name 10 the quaint
old city of Carhaix-Ker>Anes, which
still stands, full of high>peaked, queer
gabled houses, between Lorient and
Roscof.
Well, in A. D. $50 Carhaix was
notorious bandit called FInans, or
Comorre. This was when Prince
Arthur reigned in Britain; but it was
an age of great and general misrule
and oppression; an age which allowed
many bad, brave men to carve out
Kingdoms for themselves, and Com
ORA was only following the prevalent
| law
That they should take who have the power,
| And they should keep who can.
Comorre was a brutal tyrant, worse
even than the traditional Blue>Baard;
for he killed his sons as we'll as his
wives, although one of them was such
holy man that he was canonized
| after his death. The incidents of his
life adorn the church door at Carhaix;
and in one of the groups he is repre-
scented as holding his head on his
hands; so We may presume that he
was beheaded by his fathers orders.
While ruling at Carhaix, Comorre
married four wives, all of whom mys-
teriously disappeared. Then he fell
in love with Triphyne, the daughter
of the Count of Vanpes.
But he was so universally abhorred
not care to ask her hand himself So
he sent for Sir Gildas, whose fame for
sanctity was all over Brittany. He
built the abbey which bears his name,
overlooking the bay of Quiberton,
and of which, 600 years later, the re-
nowned Abelard was abbot. ST. Gill
das answered readily to the call of
Comorre. He desired to convert him,
and when requested to 60 aud ask for
the hand of Triphyne he did bis best
to forward the marriage. He hoped
to prevent war and bloodshed, and to
bind Comorre to better life through
the influence of a wife whom he
loved.
Triphyne was not willing to 60 to
the Castle Finan, but she consented
finally on condition that the very hour
Comorre tired of her she should be al
lowed to return In honor and safety to
her fathers court. Comorre promis-
ed all that was required, and the mar
riage was splendidly solemnized at
Vannes.
So far the monkish chronicles
gathered by Albert LIE Grand agree
with the more important evidence of
the frescoes discovered a few years
ago near Napoleonville; but as the
monks were writing to glorify st.
Gldas they could tell the story TO suit
that aim. According to them, very
soon after Triphyne arrived at Castle
Finans she saw a change in her hus>
bands manner. His brow was ever
black with anger, MS words few and
rough. She became terrified, and one
morning, In sudden panic, mounted
her palfrey and fed.
Her flight was Immediately discover
ed. She was pursued by Csmmorre,
dragged from the thicket in which she
had hid to the high road and beheaded.
Then Comorre left the body and re-
turned to the castle, but a servant
who had accompanied her reached
Vannes and told what had been done
to her mistress. The poor lady's re-
mains were recovered by her father,
and st. Gildas was sent for 10 see the
result of his advice
The saint was terribly angry and
much troubled, and, according to the
monks, by a wonderful prayer full of
sublime faith he restored Triphype to
life. Then he went 10 Castle Flnans,
but Comorre refused to admit him
So the holy man threw a handful of
dust against the walls and they in
stantly crumblsd away. Comorre
was not killed; he escaped to another
castle which he possessed. and con.