An Invitation to Wonder

This book invites you to see France through new eyes—not just as a modern nation of cities, vineyards, and tourist destinations, but as a land where every forest might hide a fairy ring, every crossroads might be haunted, and every grandmother might know a story that reaches back through centuries.

Whether you're a student of folklore, a lover of French culture, or simply someone who enjoys a good story, we hope this collection will introduce you to the rich diversity of French mythological traditions. Some tales will make you laugh, others might give you chills, and many will leave you pondering the deep human truths hidden within seemingly simple stories.

So turn the page, and step into a France where mermaids sing from Loire châteaux, where Breton forests hide portals to other worlds, where Pyrenean witches fly to their sabbaths, and where even in the heart of modern Paris, the old stories refuse to die. The journey through French myths and legends begins now.

Bienvenue dans le monde des contes et légendes de France!# Chapter 1: Brittany - Land of Mists and Legends

The peninsula of Brittany juts into the Atlantic like a granite fist, defiant against the waves. Here, where ancient stone circles stand sentinel over moorlands and where the sea mists blur the boundary between worlds, Celtic traditions have endured longer than anywhere else in France. This is Breizh to its inhabitants, a land apart, where the veil between the mortal world and the Otherworld remains gossamer-thin.