| THE LEGENDS OF BRITTANY | ||
 |
||
| THE SUBMERSION OF IS | ||
| During the great spring tide the sea of Douarnenez withdraws so far that the rubble of a huge city and the debris of stone roads stand out. This engulfed city is named Is. It used to stretch on 9 leagues (about 22 miles), and was surrounded by thick ramparts. Perhaps it was already an island when it was erected and perhaps it gave its name to Douarnenez, which is the Breton for Ground of the Island . | ||
| At that time King Gradlon reigned over Cornwall, he had appointed the holy man named Corentin master of the capital of Kemper, and he had retired in Is with his only daughter Ahès-Dahut. | ||
| No one knows exactly if the city of Is was a precious gift from the King to his daughter, or if Ahès-Dahut made it appear one night through the workings of evil spirits, for the seven deadly sins ruled her dissolute court. | ||
| Every night, the princess would take a new lover, whose body was thrown into the hell of Plogoff the next morning. | ||
| One night, a strange prince who was dressed all in scarlet and came from nowhere brought the princess under his control."Beautiful lady, if you love me then give me a proof of your devotion." |
||
| "The key to the lock gates." | ||
| "This key was entrusted to Gradlon only by the spirits of the sea. My father never takes it off his neck." | ||
| "Your father is old. He is sleeping. And your hand is so soft." | ||
| So Dahut steals the key, and the prince opens the locks. Here comes the sea that falls down on Is like a wild beast. It floods into the streets, it knocks the houses down, lashing them into a fury, it breaks escaping knees, it muffles the cries of horror ... | ||
| Old Gradlon rides his marine horse in the waves beside Saint Guénolé so as to get back to the Great Land. But the horse struggles over the tempest with difficulty. | ||
| "Gradlon, throw away in the water the wild creature that clings to you !" | ||
| "But Guénolé, she is my daughter. I cannot leave her" | ||
| "You will be the only one rescued, the only one !" |
||
| Gradlon, in tears, frees himself from his daughter's arms. The relieved horse overcomes the wave and reaches the dry land. The sea dies down. It is no more than a glittering lake in which sounds of bells die away. | ||
Return to Légends |
||
| To contact me | ||
|
|
||
|
||