Legend of Mont St. Michel

by Guy de Maupassant

　　

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I had first seen it from Cancale, this fairy castle in the sea. I got anindistinct impression of it as of a gray shadow outlined against themisty sky. I saw it again from Avranches at sunset. The immense stretchof sand was red, the horizon was red, the whole boundless bay was red.The rocky castle rising out there in the distance like a weird,seignorial residence, like a dream palace, strange and beautiful-thisalone remained black in the crimson light of the dying day.The following morning at dawn I went toward it across the sands, my eyesfastened on this, gigantic jewel, as big as a mountain, cut like a cameo,and as dainty as lace. The nearer I approached the greater my admirationgrew, for nothing in the world could be more wonderful or more perfect.As surprised as if I had discovered the habitation of a god, I wanderedthrough those halls supported by frail or massive columns, raising myeyes in wonder to those spires which looked like rockets starting for thesky, and to that marvellous assemblage of towers, of gargoyles, ofslender and charming ornaments, a regular fireworks of stone, granitelace, a masterpiece of colossal and delicate architecture.As I was looking up in ecstasy a Lower Normandy peasant came up to me andtold me the story of the great quarrel between Saint Michael and thedevil.A sceptical genius has said: "God made man in his image and man hasreturned the compliment."This saying is an eternal truth, and it would be very curious to writethe history of the local divinity of every continent as well as thehistory of the patron saints in each one of our provinces. The negro hashis ferocious man-eating idols; the polygamous Mahometan fills hisparadise with women; the Greeks, like a practical people, deified all thepassions.Every village in France is under the influence of some protecting saint,modelled according to the characteristics of the inhabitants.Saint Michael watches over Lower Normandy, Saint Michael, the radiant andvictorious angel, the sword-carrier, the hero of Heaven, the victorious,the conqueror of Satan.But this is how the Lower Normandy peasant, cunning, deceitful andtricky, understands and tells of the struggle between the great saint andthe devil.To escape from the malice of his neighbor, the devil, Saint Michael builthimself, in the open ocean, this habitation worthy of an archangel; andonly such a saint could build a residence of such magnificence.But as he still feared the approaches of the wicked one, he surroundedhis domains by quicksands, more treacherous even than the sea.The devil lived in a humble cottage on the hill, but he owned all thesalt marshes, the rich lands where grow the finest crops, the woodedvalleys and all the fertile hills of the country, while the saint a ruledonly over the sands. Therefore Satan was rich, whereas Saint Michael wasas poor as a church mouse.After a few years of fasting the saint grew tired of this state ofaffairs and began to think of some compromise with the devil, but thematter was by no means easy, as Satan kept a good hold on his crops.He thought the thing over for about six months; then one morning hewalked across to the shore. The demon was eating his soup in front ofhis door when he saw the saint. He immediately rushed toward him, kissedthe hem of his sleeve, invited him in and offered him refreshments.Saint Michael drank a bowl of milk and then began: "I have come here topropose to you a good bargain."The devil, candid and trustful, answered: "That will suit me.""Here it is. Give me all your lands."Satan, growing alarmed, wished to speak "But--"She saint continued: "Listen first. Give me all your lands. I will takecare of all the work, the ploughing, the sowing, the fertilizing,everything, and we will share the crops equally. How does that suityou?"The devil, who was naturally lazy, accepted. He only demanded inaddition a few of those delicious gray mullet which are caught around thesolitary mount. Saint Michael promised the fish.They grasped hands and spat on the ground to show that it was a bargain,and the saint continued: "See here, so that you will have nothing tocomplain of, choose that part of the crops which you prefer: the partthat grows above ground or the part that stays in the ground." Satancried out: "I will take all that will be above ground.""It's a bargain!" said the saint. And he went away.Six months later, all over the immense domain of the devil, one could seenothing but carrots, turnips, onions, salsify, all the plants whose juicyroots are good and savory and whose useless leaves are good for nothingbut for feeding animals.Satan wished to break the contract, calling Saint Michael a swindler.But the saint, who had developed quite a taste for agriculture, went backto see the devil and said:"Really, I hadn't thought of that at all; it was just an accident, nofault of mine. And to make things fair with you, this year I'll let youtake everything that is under the ground.""Very well," answered Satan.The following spring all the evil spirit's lands were covered with goldenwheat, oats as big as beans, flax, magnificent colza, red clover, peas,cabbage, artichokes, everything that develops into grains or fruit in thesunlight.Once more Satan received nothing, and this time he completely lost histemper. He took back his fields and remained deaf to all the freshpropositions of his neighbor.A whole year rolled by. From the top of his lonely manor Saint Michaellooked at the distant and fertile lands and watched the devil direct thework, take in his crops and thresh the wheat. And he grew angry,exasperated at his powerlessness.As he was no longer able to deceive Satan, he decided to wreak vengeanceon him, and he went out to invite him to dinner for the following Monday."You have been very unfortunate in your dealings with me," he said;"I know it, but I don't want any ill feeling between us, and I expect youto dine with me. I'll give you some good things to eat."Satan, who was as greedy as he was lazy, accepted eagerly. On the dayappointed he donned his finest clothes and set out for the castle.Saint Michael sat him down to a magnificent meal. First there was a'vol-au-vent', full of cocks' crests and kidneys, with meat-balls, thentwo big gray mullet with cream sauce, a turkey stuffed with chestnutssoaked in wine, some salt-marsh lamb as tender as cake, vegetables whichmelted in the mouth and nice hot pancake which was brought on smoking andspreading a delicious odor of butter.They drank new, sweet, sparkling cider and heady red wine, and after eachcourse they whetted their appetites with some old apple brandy.The devil drank and ate to his heart's content; in fact he took so muchthat he was very uncomfortable, and began to retch.Then Saint Michael arose in anger and cried in a voice like thunder:"What! before me, rascal! You dare--before me--"Satan, terrified, ran away, and the saint, seizing a stick, pursued him.They ran through the halls, turning round the pillars, running up thestaircases, galloping along the cornices, jumping from gargoyle togargoyle. The poor devil, who was woefully ill, was running about madlyand trying hard to escape. At last he found himself at the top of thelast terrace, right at the top, from which could be seen the immense bay,with its distant towns, sands and pastures. He could no longer escape,and the saint came up behind him and gave him a furious kick, which shothim through space like a cannonball.He shot through the air like a javelin and fell heavily before the townof Mortain. His horns and claws stuck deep into the rock, which keepsthrough eternity the traces of this fall of Satan.He stood up again, limping, crippled until the end of time, and as helooked at this fatal castle in the distance, standing out against thesetting sun, he understood well that he would always be vanquished inthis unequal struggle, and he went away limping, heading for distantcountries, leaving to his enemy his fields, his hills, his valleys andhis marshes.And this is how Saint Michael, the patron saint of Normandy, vanquishedthe devil.Another people would have dreamed of this battle in an entirely differentmanner.

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Legend of Mont St. Michel was featured as TheShort Story of the Day on Sun, Jan 01, 2012

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