The Pot-Man

Here is the story of the Man-Pot. There was a guy who had three daughters. They had a little farm, and they made a poor living on it. The girls went to work in the fields every day, and their father, who had grown too old, stayed at home and took care of the cattle.

Pot-man

But, he went to see his daughters every day, in the fields, at one time or another. One day, when he came back to see them, he met a handsome, well-dressed lord on his way; there was only one thing to complain about: he had his bottom in a pot.
"Good morning, friend," said the lord to the old man.
"And to you likewise, Monseigneur," replied the peasant.
- Will you give me one of your daughters in marriage?
- Yes, of course, if they are happy.
- Well ! go tell them to come talk to me.
And the good man returned to the field, and began to call his three daughters:
- Marie, Jeanne, Marguerite, hurry up! The young girls ran up and asked:
- What is it, father?
"There is a handsome lord over there on the road who wants to marry one of you!"
And the young girls hurry to who would arrive first. But, when they saw the Unknown Lord, with his butt in the pot:
- That's it ! they said; and who would want such a husband?
"It still won't be me," said the elder.
"Neither do I," said the second, "her pot was gold!"
- Yet one of you three must consent to take me, said the lord, or your father will not return home alive.
"I will take you, Monseigneur," said the youngest, who until then had not spoken, for I do not want any harm to happen to our father.
And the wedding day was fixed straight away.
When the appointed day arrived, there were many guests. The two betrothed were alone in a fine coach to go to church. When the young bride got off, she was so beautiful, so adorned, that her parents did not recognize her; it was covered with gold and pearls. The bridegroom also went down; but, he still had his bottom in his pot.
They entered the church, and, arriving at the balusters of the choir, the groom took his feet out of his pot; but her bottom was still there.
There were magnificent weddings, daily feasts, games and dances, for eight days.
At the end of this time, the newlywed asked his stepfather if he did not know his lord.
"No, of course, I don't know him," he replied; every year, at Saint-Michel, I pay his receiver, at Guingamp; but I have never seen him.
- Well ! I am your lord. I am giving this farm to you and your two other daughters, and don't worry about the one I take with me, because she will not miss a thing. Then he got into his golden coach and left with his wife.
If the old farmer was in trouble before, now everything was fine. Also, suitors were not lacking in his daughters, pardons and aires-neuves. One of them married soon after.
"One of your sisters has just got engaged," said the man with the pot to his wife; you will go to the wedding alone. You will be asked for my news; but, take care not to say that, at night, I leave my pot, because, if you say so, it will be for your misfortune and mine too. Although absent, if you say so, I will find out immediately. You will go in my golden coach, which will be harnessed by a cavalry which throws fire through its nostrils, and whose back resembles the blade of a knife; and it is on the back of this runaway that you will have to turn your back, if you reveal my secret.
The young woman promised to be very discreet, then she got into her golden coach and went to her sister's wedding. She was so adorned, so beautiful, that there was no woman there who could compare to her, so that all were jealous of her.
When the meal was over, an old aunt, who had drunk a little too much, came to her and said:
- God, my niece, how beautiful and pretty you are! Sit down next to me, to drink a shot of old wine, and tell me about your housekeeping. And your husband, how is he?
- He is doing well, aunt, and I thank you.
- And why did he not come to the wedding? I would have enjoyed seeing him again and talking to him. Tell me, my child, does he never come out of his pot?
- No, aunt, never.
- Well ! my poor child, I pity you then, in spite of everything; having a husband who always has his bottom in a pot is really not pleasant; but, at night, does he also sleep with his pot?
- Oh ! no, at night, when it comes time to go to bed, he gets out of it.
And immediately there is the old aunt going to tell it to everyone.
The next morning, a servant of the man with the pot arrived, who told the young woman that he must come home immediately; it was her husband's order.
Then she was seized with fear, and said to herself: - I made a mistake!
She followed the servant. When she reached the courtyard gate, she fainted, seeing that there was no coach to bring her back, but only the skinny run whose backs looked like a knife blade.
"Get on this run," said the servant to him.
- No, I prefer to walk, she replied. But the servant forced her on the run; then they set off at a gallop.
When she arrived at her husband's castle, she was badly received by everyone.
- So there you are, carrion, devil's wife! said the servants and maids to him; when you give birth (she was pregnant), you will be put to death like a female dog!
The Lord was also very angry.
- Ah! unhappy woman, language of hell! he said to him. You lost me, and you lost yourself! I only had a year to stay in my pot, and now I'll have to stay another six hundred years!
The poor woman was sorry and was crying and shouting:
- Take me back to my father!
- If your pain is real, said her husband, and if you do exactly as I tell you, you can save me again.
- Oh ! ask whatever you like, there is nothing in the world that I am not prepared to do for you.
- Listen to me carefully, then: now you have to get naked, then go and kneel on the steps of the cross at the crossroads. No sooner will you be there when it will rain, wind and thunder, in a frightful way; but, do not be afraid and remain, in spite of everything, on your knees on the steps of the cross. Then a white horse will arrive at a red gallop, neighing and making a loud noise. Do not be afraid of it: it will stop for a moment near you. Clap your hand on his forehead and say: - Will you be married? Then he will go away, and immediately a bull will come, roaring and making such a noise, that the earth will shake. Don't be afraid any more; strike him a little on the forehead and say: - Will you be a brother? Immediately he will also leave, and will be replaced by a black cow, which will make more noise and noise than the white horse and the bull together. But, still don't be afraid; she will stop, like the others, for a moment near you and you will give her a little blow with your hand on the forehead, saying: "Will you be a mother?"
If you have the courage to do all of this, then you can still deliver me, and you yourself will be saved.
- I will do it ! replied the young woman.
And she got naked, she went to kneel on the steps of the cross at the crossroads, and, at the same moment, the rain, the wind, the thunder, were unleashed and raged. It was scary ! Soon a white horse arrived, galloping, and neighing. He stopped in front of the cross: the young woman gave a little knock with her hand on her forehead, and said: - Will you be married? And the horse set off. A bull came after him, with a terrible uproar. He also stopped in front of the cross, and the young woman smacked him on the forehead, saying: - Will you be a brother? and he left immediately.
The rain, the wind, the thunder, the lightning kept increasing. Then the black cow arrived, bellowing and making a hellish din; the earth trembled. - Will you be a mother? said the young woman, hitting her lightly on the forehead; and she went also, like the white horse and the bull.
Then the rain, wind and thunder ceased and the sky became clear and serene. A golden coach descended from the sky to the young woman. Her husband came out, gave her clothes to dress in, and they threw themselves into each other's arms, weeping for joy.
'You delivered us, my brother and my mother,' cried the man with the pot, 'for the white horse was me; the bull was my brother, and the black cow my mother! The three of us had been held back under a spell for a very long time; but, our sentences are now over, and I will no longer go into my pot. My brother owns a golden castle, and he gives it to you, to thank you for what you have done for us, and we will live there, now, happy and peaceful.
So there was a beautiful banquet, you can believe it!
If I could have been there too, I would have had better soup, I think, than I do at home, where my usual treat is French fries with potatoes!