As you may know, behind Aeternum lies a small business based in Brittany (in the south of Finistère, to be precise). And it is well known that this region lives to the rhythm of legends, myths, and magical practices, some more famous than others (Brocéliande, Merlin, the Fairy Viviane, the Alignments, and many others). So, to shed light on our beautiful region, we will regularly publish little-known legends from Breton history. This week, we are heading to the beautiful city of Vannes.
In the waters of the Étang au Duc in Vannes, a Marie-Morgane, a water fairy from Breton mythology, has lived for centuries. When the summer sun caresses the surface of the lake, she sometimes rises from the water to braid her long seaweed-green hair while sitting on a rock. Her beauty draws the eye, but woe betide those who venture too close.
One day, a soldier, dazzled by this vision, tried to approach her. Enchanted by her delicate features and fascinating gaze, he failed to see the trap closing around him. The water fairy wrapped her translucent arms around him and drew him into the depths of the lake, where he was never seen again.
If you ask the elders what this creature is, they will tell you her story. Long ago, the Étang au Duc belonged to a princess of great beauty. A powerful lord, master of the Étang de Plaisance not far away, repeatedly asked her to marry him, but she rejected his advances, preferring another love. Tired of his pleas, she set him a challenge she believed impossible:
— I will be yours when the Étang de Plaisance flows into the waters of the Étang au Duc.
But the man, driven by his desire, had a canal dug connecting the two bodies of water. One day, he invited the princess to a feast at his castle and had her board a boat. Sailing along the canal he had had dug, he took her to the Étang au Duc and, triumphantly, declared:
— I have fulfilled your wish. Now it is your turn to keep your promise and become mine.
Faced with the irreversible, the young woman’s heart broke. Rather than unite with a man she did not love, she chose to give herself to the waters that had watched her grow up. Without a cry, she leaned over the side and let herself fall into the lake.
Since that day, they say, a Marie-Morgane of enchanting beauty appears at first light. On her rock, she detangles her hair, braided with water pearls, and weaves crowns of gladioli. Those who meet her gaze remain troubled forever, for beneath her immortal splendor still echoes the sorrow of a sacrificed love.
Par Olivier of Aeternum
Passionate about esoteric traditions and the history of the occult from the earliest civilizations to the 18th century, I share some articles on these topics. I am also co-creator of the online esoteric shop Aeternum.
