This place in France is celebrated by many poets and writers. Today we will tell you about the Broceliande forest, an ingenious invention, the prototype of which was the largest forest area in Brittany, the Pempon forest.
According to ancient legends, once upon a time, beautiful fairies and evil dwarfs hid in the thicket of the fairy forest, and fire-breathing dragons circled over the tops of the trees …
Druid kingdom
The first legends about Broceliande were born in distant times, when these places were still inhabited by Celtic tribes, and Brittany itself was called Armorica. Legends say that initially the entire territory of the modern peninsula was covered with centuries-old forests, where slender pines alternated with spreading oaks, beeches, elms, and each of these trees was filled with magical power.
It is believed that Pempon is a miraculously preserved protected piece of those former thickets, which is designed to keep the age-old secrets of the past.
Broceliandes remembers the days when the Druids lived here (this word is translated as "people of the oak") - Celtic priests. The forests gave them great power. I must say that in the Celtic kingdoms, the Druids enjoyed great respect. Under the canopy of trees, they judged the guilty tribesmen and sacrificed to their gods.
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It was here that the kings of the Celts came to ask the priests for advice and hear the prophecy. However, it should be noted that the druids looked into the future with the help of bloody rituals. Knowing this, the kings brought captives to Broceliandes, into whose bodies the prophets stuck daggers and, looking at the convulsions of the unfortunate, made predictions from them.
It's hard to believe, but even now in the Pempon forest there is a relict oak Gil-oten, which found the time of the Druids. This giant, which has exchanged the second thousand years, is amazing: its trunk is more than nine meters in girth, and 10 people can easily fit in its hollow.
Fairy mirror
Like any fairy forest, Broceliande is inhabited by mysterious inhabitants who settled here thousands of years ago. Its most famous inhabitants are fairies. The legends of Brittany say that a long time ago the fairies deserved the curse of the gods, after which they were forced to wander the world until they found a refuge for themselves.
Broceliande became such for the fairies of Brittany. Here they found the magical spring Barenton, whose water helped them to preserve their youth and beauty forever. The fairies took the inhabitants of Brittany under their protection and were always willing to help people with a good heart.
An old legend says that one day an evil sorcerer decided to expel the fairies from Broceliande. Leaving the forest, the sorceresses cried bitterly, and from their tears a whole lake arose, later called the Fairy Mirror. After some time, when the magician's spell weakened, the exiles returned to Broceliande, and this lake became a reserved place for them.
At that time, the water in the Fairy Mirror was so crystal clear that future events were reflected in it. This lake is still one of the most famous corners of Broceliande, but now its waters have darkened, and it is no longer possible to see the future in them.
And fairies, according to rumors, still live in a magical forest. Moreover, to this day, every child in these parts has a fairy patroness, who protects her pet from evil spells and helps out of trouble in difficult times.
A reward for a good dancer
Other inhabitants of this wonderful forest are no less interesting. Legends say that as soon as the first autumn cold hits, tiny little men - Corrians - flock to Broceliande from all around to hide from the coming winter under the roots of trees.
Corrians are a peaceful people, but sometimes people have a hard time because of their leprosy. They love to scare late-night passers-by. If the wanderer turns out to be not one of the timid, then the Corrians will offer him to dance with them, promising untold riches for this.
One who is flattered by a tempting offer must stick a knife into the ground and perform a dashing dance, never touching a weapon. A dexterous dancer will receive a worthy reward, but a clumsy lump will go home empty-handed.
Sorcerer's love
Many tourists come to Broceliande every year. They all want to visit the grave of the famous sorcerer Merlin - because it was here that his life ended. According to legend, the wizard, having quarreled with his pupil King Arthur, was hiding in Broceliande, where he met a young sorceress Viviana.
The young maiden confessed passionate love to the aged sorcerer, which once and for all won Merlin's heart. The elder fell in love with Viviana without memory, and she, shamelessly using his passion, elicited his magical secrets from the wizard. An insidious girl seduced the elder with one goal - to gain the knowledge of a magician and become the most powerful witch on earth. She didn't need Merlin himself.
And although the sorcerer, possessing the gift of providence, knew what his love adventure was worth, he could not fight the feeling that gripped him. And the denouement was not long in coming.
Once, when the wizard and the maiden were walking through the forest, Viviana invited him to rest under a spreading oak tree, and as soon as he dozed off, with the help of spells she plunged him into eternal sleep and imprisoned him in an underground cave.
They say that the magician is still sleeping in Bros-liand, and over the place of his imprisonment huge ancient stones, called the Crypt of Merlin, are stacked. According to one of the legends, the sorcerer's grave is a portal through which a person skilled in witchcraft can enter another dimension. Also, eyewitnesses say that on special days you can hear the voice of the great wizard and even ask for his advice.
People from all over the world come here all year round to leave gifts to the great sorcerer and notes with wishes on gray stones. All the surrounding boulders are full of these notes, because it is believed that the great sorcerer does not ignore any request.
Punishment for deception and betrayal
Plots of almost all known knightly novels are associated with Broceliande. It was here that King Arthur received his legendary sword - Excalibur from the Virgin of the Lake, and in the mysterious castle of Lake Comper, the sorceress raised the brave Lancelot.
However, the most amazing legend tells us about the wonderful Valley of No Return, the creation of the evil fairy Morgana. Betrayed by her lovers and embittered by the whole world, the sorceress decided to create a place where all the traitorous knights would pay for their past treachery.
Using spells, Morgana created a castle of amazing beauty in the western part of Broceliande, surrounded by an invisible wall. This place has become a real trap for unfaithful knights. The trick was that anyone could get behind the wall, but only someone who had never, even in his thoughts, cheated on a lady could get out.
I must say that even in those distant years there were practically no faithful knights, and soon the Morgana castle was filled with young men. For many years the knights languished in captivity at the insidious sorceress, until her spell was destroyed by the knight Lancelot.
The storm is against enemies
Many knightly novels tell that it was in Broceliande that brave warriors fought the last dragons of Europe. However, it was not so easy to deal with the fire-breathing giants, and two knights fought with the last of them.
The legendary Spring of Youth, whose water retained the beauty of fairies, also had its own knight. This warrior was supposed to protect the wonderful water from uninvited guests and severely punish them. I must say that many warriors sought to find Barenton, because even a drop of his water could cause a strong storm, which immediately fell on enemies during the battle.
Now, on the site of Barenton, there is a small pool lined with stone. The water in it is no longer protected, although they say that it has not lost its wonderful properties over the centuries. And although this moisture will no longer bring beauty and youth to modern ladies, a skilled magician with its help can send terrible bad weather to the possessions of enemies, which can cause considerable destruction.
Elena MUROMTSEVA