- Origin
- France
- Source
- The Drac: French Tales of Dragons and Demons
- By Felice Holman and Nanine Valen
- Drawings by Stephen Walker
- Scribner's Sons: New York, 1975
- The Story
- Once a year, the serpent Vouivre leaves her guarded treasure to drink
and wash herself. The door to the treasure cave then opens up. Anyone
who dare venture can bring out anything, IF the serpent does not kill him
in the chase. On one of these nights, Louise brings her little son up to
the cave after the sign from a dream. Louise is discovered by the
serpent and separated from her son -- for an entire year. Her son is in
the cave, just a door away from Louise. In the end, she rescues her son
and they bring home a big goldpiece. The fate of the Vouivre is unclear.
One story tells of her being burned, the other tells of her escape from
the magic power she possesses.
- Comments
- The Vouivre is an enormous female beast with shining green scales
which gives off a low and strange musical sound as she flies. She
wears a crown of pearls and a gold circlet on her tail which also ring. But
most strange of all is her dragon's head with its one great and glowing
ruby eye. This luminouse orb she removes when she bathes, making herself
blind for just those minutes.
The Vouivre dwells in a cave and can
breathe fire. It guards the treasure and devours people who come to
stealth the treasure.
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Introduction/Index