Nowhere in France are curious beliefs so rife as in Finistère,
the Morbihan, and the Côtes-du-Nord, where most of the
little-known facts contained in the following pages were
collected. As to the photographs by M. Paul Géniaux, the
well-known authority on Breton folk-lore, they are unique,
since they represent for the first time a number of the
superstitious ceremonies to which the Bretons, in spite of the
spread of education, still pin their faith.
We were cycling through Brittany--my Breton friend and I--and the turn
of the road suddenly brought us within sight of a typical Finistère
village, with its picturesque grey cottages surrounded by verdant
orchards. Slackening speed, we began to look about us, and it was then
that, glancing to my right down a narrow side road, I beheld a scene
that made me dismount and call to my companion.
"I say, Géniaux, whatever are they doing to the little chap?" I cried.
"Are they grilling him for supper?"
My friend's only reply was a chuckle and the click of the shutter of
his camera, which, on coming to me, he had instinctively swung into
the right position for a snapshot. Not until the photographic record
had been obtained and the plate had been changed did he vouchsafe to
give me an explanation of what we saw before us. In the middle of the
road a small bonfire was merrily crackling. Over it a boy of six
or seven was being held by a man and a woman, whilst three other
peasant-women and some children looked on with solemn faces. What
could be the meaning of this extraordinary proceeding, which looked
for all the world like a human sacrifice?
"No; he's not being prepared for supper," replied Paul Géniaux,
with another chuckle. "That boy has something the matter with his
leg--hip-disease, I should say; and these good people think they are
going to effect a cure by holding him over a bonfire on St. John's
Day. I hope they'll succeed. Poor little chap! We are lucky to have
seen the ceremony and got a photograph, for this is one of the most
curious of our Breton superstitions. I'd quite forgotten that to-day
was the 'Jour de Saint-Jean.' Many a bonfire will be lit in Brittany
to-night, and many a cripple will be submitted to this ordeal of
fire."
Whilst my friend was speaking the ceremony had come to an end and the
little boy had been handed over to his mother, who departed on her
way, probably rejoicing. As the other members of the group were about
to disperse we drew near, with the usual salutations, and entered into
conversation. Though I knew that my fellow-traveller's knowledge was
quite equal to that of these simple peasant folk, I was anxious to
learn something from their own lips, and above all to judge for myself
of their sincerity. At first they were decidedly shy, but when my
friend spoke a few words to them in their native Breton they became
quite open, and evidently no longer regarded us as "strangers."
[Illustration: THE TOMB OF ST. YVES--HUNCHBACKS COME FROM FAR AND NEAR
TO CRAWL THROUGH IT AND SO GET THEIR DEFORMITY REMOVED.
_From a Photograph._
]
"Yes; we were quite right," explained the man. "The boy was suffering
from hip-disease; and as all the doctors in the district had failed
to do him any good they were trying a remedy in which they had every
faith. It was a great pity that the mother had not resorted to it
sooner. But she was a young woman, full of all sorts of new ideas,
and she had preferred to waste her money on the doctors. _He_ was
a believer in the old remedies. He had known a 'feu de Saint-Jean'
perform miracles. But to be thoroughly effective it was essential that
the two people who held the child should concentrate their thoughts on
the work and have perfect faith. Nothing could be done without faith."
There was such a ring of sincerity in his voice that we two sceptics
were disarmed. It was useless to try to disillusionize the man, so we
asked him further questions and obtained the additional information
that a "feu de Saint-Jean" was good for other things besides
complaints and diseases. A horse, for instance, that had been passed
through the fire was rendered proof against illness, and would perform
its work much better than one that had not undergone the ordeal. This
chance meeting with an interesting example of Breton superstition
prompted an idea. We determined that whilst on our journey through
Brittany we would collect as many similar examples as we could, so as
to form the nucleus of a book on the folklore of that part of France.
And wherever we went we found something to add to our records, as the
following examples will show.
A very large number of the superstitions of Brittany apply to
ailments. Poor food, the excessive use of alcohol, and profound
ignorance of the laws of health make the Bretons subject to numerous
complaints, which they endeavour to cure by means that were adopted by
their forefathers as far back as the fourteenth century. On reaching
a little village near Tréguier we were advised to see the tomb of
St. Yves in the church-yard, and on going there found an old woman--a
hunchback--creeping through a narrow aperture with which that
beautiful monument is pierced. Though she had been deformed since
childhood, she was quite convinced that the saint, who had been
renowned during his life-time for the miraculous healing of the sick,
might still be able to do something for her. This "Hunchbacks' Hole"
in the tomb of St. Yves had already cured quite a number of _bossus_,
in accordance, legend said, with a promise made by the holy man. He
himself, in his youth, had been hunchbacked. Remembering this when on
his death-bed, he gave instructions that his tomb should be fashioned
in the particular form in which it is to-day, at the same time
promising that every cripple who crept through it should have the
benefit of his prayers in heaven.
[Illustration: A CURIOUS CURE FOR WARTS--DROPPING HARICOT BEANS ONE BY
ONE DOWN A "HOLY" WELL.
_From a Photograph._
]
The minor troubles to which poor humanity is subject are also "cured"
by the carrying out of certain other peculiar ceremonies. When
a Breton girl suffers from warts, for instance, she has herself
blindfolded, takes a handful of haricot beans, and feels her way to
the nearest well, into which she must throw the beans one by one, at
the same time wishing. Should the well be a holy one--and most
wells in Brittany have been blessed by the priests and are therefore
considered to be "holy"--all the better; for her warts will disappear
the very next day. In the case of an ordinary well, however, they will
not be "charmed away" anything like so rapidly. Still, in the end the
sincere wisher will get rid of them. To combat acute forms of headache
a very curious method is employed near Billiers, in the Morbihan. The
sufferer pricks his or her forehead with a needle until blood flows;
then, with the same needle, he or she pricks a certain cross that was
erected in 1874 near the village. By this means it is believed that
the headache is made to "enter the wood," where it will remain for at
least a fortnight. This "cure" is attributed to the intervention of
the Virgin Mary, who is said to have appeared in the above-mentioned
year where the cross is erected, with a promise that she would perform
miracles "to prove her descent at that spot." Adjoining the cross for
curing headaches is another that is reputed to be of great service in
the cure of diseases of the scalp. All that the sufferers need do is
to come and pray there, leaving their bonnets or caps behind them,
attached to a forked branch stuck in the earth.
[Illustration:
HOW TO REMOVE A HEADACHE--HAVING PRICKED YOUR FOREHEAD WITH A
NEEDLE TILL BLOOD FLOWS, YOU STICK THE NEEDLE INTO THE CROSS
ON THE RIGHT. THE SECOND CROSS IS HELD IN HIGH REPUTE FOR
CURING SCALP DISEASES.
_From a Photograph._
]
[Illustration: UNLESS ONE OF THE HIVES OF A DECEASED PEASANT IS
IMMEDIATELY COVERED WITH CRAPE THE BEES WILL FLY AWAY AND SEEK ANOTHER
MASTER!
_From a Photograph._
]
When, in the case of serious ailments, a cure is not effected by one
or other of these means, the sufferer considers that he has received
a very bad sign. Everyone must die sooner or later, and he recognises
that he has received a warning. Sometimes the "warning" is a very
definite one, as we were told on passing through a place called
Muzollac. A candle is seen to float out through the church door and
fall down the chimney of the house of the sick person! Death is not
far off when that phenomenon is observed, and one of the first things
that the relatives do, should there be bees in the garden, is to cover
one of the hives with crape. If this is not done they believe the bees
will all fly away and seek another master!
There are all sorts of superstitions in Brittany connected with
candles and death. On the occasion of a marriage, for instance, the
bride and bridegroom take great care to give an extra large tip to the
choir-boy whose duty it is to light the candles on the altar and see
that they burn well throughout the ceremony. For, should one of the
candles begin to flicker and go out, it is certain that someone is
going to die within a year. If it is one in front of the bride, then
she is to be the victim; if it is one opposite the bridegroom, then
the misfortune is to descend upon him.
[Illustration: DIVINATION BY NEEDLE--IF THE GIRLS' NEEDLES FLOAT
TWICE OUT OF THREE TIMES THEY WILL SECURE A HUSBAND. SOME UNSCRUPULOUS
INQUIRERS "SQUARE" THE ORACLE BY GREASING THEIR NEEDLES!
_From a Photograph._
]
The majority of the strange beliefs of ancient Brittany apply,
however, not to so gloomy a subject as death, but to the joyful one of
love and marriage. Especially are the maidens of that part of France
believers in signs and portents. They begin at the age of sixteen or
seventeen with the floating needle superstition. In little parties of
three to six they set out for a walk in the country, choosing a day
when there is not much wind, for there must be hardly a ripple on the
surface of the pool where they intend to question the future.
When, in the beautiful, orchard-covered suburbs of Quimper, we met one
of these bright-faced, laughing groups of lasses, the object of whose
journey was evident from the plaster statuette of St. Catherine which
one of them carried in her arms, we asked to be allowed to accompany
them. Hearing that their portraits were to be taken they willingly
consented. So we set off across the fields together and soon arrived
at a shaded pool of clear spring water.
[Illustration:
ANOTHER METHOD OF "QUESTIONING ST. CATHERINE"--THE STATUETTE
OF THE SAINT IS AFFIXED TO A TREE AND A HEAD-DRESS PLACED
UPON IT. IF IT FALLS TO THE RIGHT THE GIRL WILL MAKE A HAPPY
MARRIAGE; IF TO THE LEFT, SHE WILL BE AN OLD MAID.
_From a Photograph._
]
The statuette of St. Catherine--the patron saint of old maids--was
then placed on one of the banks, and the girls, taking out their
needles, began to see if they would float on the surface of the water.
If they succeeded twice out of three times in making them float,
then the saint had answered in the affirmative; they were to have
a husband, and perhaps before many months had gone by. But if the
needles went to the bottom, then they would remain spinsters all their
lives. In the eyes of the Breton girl this is a terrible fate; and
Géniaux told me, as we continued on our way towards the ancient
cathedral city, that sometimes those who go on needle-floating
excursions do not play fair: they take care to grease their needles
well, so that they cannot do anything else but float!
In other parts of Brittany, especially in the northern departments,
another method of questioning St. Catherine is adopted. The statuette
is affixed to a tree in an orchard. One after the other the girls then
arrange a head-dress above the saint's head. If the wind blows the
_coiffure_ down to the right, it is regarded as proof that the girl
to whom it belongs will make a happy marriage; but if it falls to
the left, she will be an old maid all her life. To the girls in the
Côtes-du-Nord this is an absolutely reliable test, and no amount of
argument will make them believe that St. Catherine does not control
the wind in such a manner that it answers "yes" or "no."
[Illustration: IN SOME PARTS OF BRITTANY IT IS BELIEVED THAT NO
MARRIAGE WILL TURN OUT WELL UNLESS THE YOUNG MAN DEPOSITS A CERTAIN
SUM OF MONEY WITH HIS INTENDED--IF THE MAN BREAKS THE ENGAGEMENT HE
LOSES HIS MONEY.
_From a Photograph._
]
[Illustration: THE VILLAGERS OF BILLIERS PUT LARGE CROSSES IN
WHITEWASH OVER THEIR DOORS TO PROTECT THE HOUSES FROM LIGHTNING.
_From a Photograph._
]
Before leaving the subject of marriage superstitions, I must not omit
to mention the belief that is common around Pont-l'Abbé to the
effect that no marriage will turn out a happy one unless the _fiancé_
deposits a sum of money, varying from fifty to five hundred francs,
according to his social position, with his intended. Parisians are
well acquainted with this custom in the case of their tailors, who,
when a customer is not very well known, insist on a deposit. "On est
prié de laisser des arrhes" is a common notice in the shops of French
_tailleurs_; but until I went to Brittany I was not aware that it was
also observed in the marriage market. The money is deposited, as I have
said, in order to assure a happy union; but should no marriage take
place, and this through the fault of the _fiancée_, the sum must be
returned. If the engagement is broken off by the man, then he loses his
deposit. When at Pont-l'Abbé we were told an amusing story in this
connection.
A certain shrewd Breton maiden, whom the inhabitants of the little
town still called "the perpetual _fiancée_," got herself engaged no
fewer than seven times in succession, and each time she succeeded
in forcing her _fiancé_ to break the engagement. In this way she
collected close on one thousand francs. After the seventh young man
of Pont-l'Abbe had been cast aside she could not succeed in finding
an eighth, for everybody fought shy of her. One day, however, the
announcement went forth, to everybody's amazement, that "the
perpetual _fiancée_" was to be married. The fortunate, or unfortunate,
bridegroom turned out to be a sailor of the neighbouring port of
Loctudy, who had been away on a long voyage, and to whom, people said,
the girl had been engaged all the time. During his absence she had
simply been collecting a little dowry for the man of her heart!
As will be seen, superstition enters so largely into the daily life of
the Breton that wherever you go you are sure to find instances of it.
The millers of Pont-l'Abbé and district nail a pair of sabots to their
water-wheels in order to make them turn well and grind the corn to
perfection.
Even the sportsmen, whom you would think would depend entirely on
their skill, are superstitious. Near Billiers we came across one of
them who was busily engaged in searching for the pellets with which he
had killed a fine hare. After a good deal of difficulty he found three
or four. He then proceeded to fill some new cartridge-cases, putting
one of the used shot into each case; for this, he said, was an
absolutely certain means of killing every time that he raised his
gun to his shoulder. This was, perhaps, the strangest of all the
superstitions encountered during our wanderings through ancient
Armorica.
The inhabitants of Billiers put a large cross in whitewash over the
doors of their cottages, so as to protect them against lightning; they
stretch cords over their huge iron stew-pots, and sit watching them
for hours to see if they are vibrated by some unseen power--vibration
being a sure sign that those who take part in the experiment are to be
happy for the remainder of the year; and on the fish-women receiving
the first proceeds of a sale they fall down on their knees to make the
sign of the cross, which will ensure them having a profitable day's
work.
[Illustration: ON RECEIVING THE PROCEEDS OF THEIR FIRST SALE THE
FISH-WOMEN FALL DOWN UPON THEIR KNEES TO MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS,
WHICH ENSURES A PROFITABLE DAY'S WORK.
_From a Photograph._
]
THE WIDE WORLD: In Other Magazines.
[Illustration: AN OLD WHEEL OF FORTUNE IN BRITTANY.]
In the village church of Comfort (near Pont-Croix), in Western
Brittany, is a very good specimen of the now rare "Wheel of Fortune."
It is made of wood, with a row of bells on its outer rim and
pivoted between a couple of rough beams--altogether very primitive
workmanship. By means of a cord attached to a crank the wheel can be
made to revolve and set all the bells a-jangling. The peasants believe
that it has miraculous power of healing when rung over the head of
a sufferer who has placed a sou in the box to which the rope is
padlocked.--"THE STRAND MAGAZINE."