THE BLUE BARB

In the old folk tales of the Vendée and beyond, the character of Bluebeard murdered successive wives in a gruesome chamber of his castle. Tiffauges, once the home of Gilles de Rais, is known widely as Bluebeard's castle, and the remains of a sinister double-walled keep are said to testify to his crimes of child murder. The two characters are inextricably linked in local tradition, although it is very unclear how far back the connection goes.

French academic and historian, Emile Boutin, published more than twenty books on the history of this region before his death in 2013. Boutin was was brought up on the story of Bluebeard who, it was said, 'devoured little children'. The historian recounts how, in times past, on the anniversary of Gilles de Rais's death, the local children were soundly whipped to make sure that they never forgot this evil man.

My favourite explanation for why Gilles de Rais might have earned the title of Bluebeard was given to me by Maurice Chatry. I give him the final word:

"They say that Gilles rode a black horse of the breed called Barb or Berber. And that its mane glinted blue in the sunlight. And that the people — when the rumours ran rife that children were disappearing — the people would tell one another: 'Beware of the Blue Barb’ (le Barb Bleu).  Because when the Blue Barb was seen abroad, you knew that you must run to hide away your children."