What do you think?
Rate this book
Legend of Mont St. Michel
Short story
- GenresShort Stories
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1882
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Guy de Maupassant
7,549 books3,063 followersHenri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 17, 2023
I loved this small book with short stories
July 22, 2022
Guy de Maupassant's "Legend of Mont St. Michael" is religious short story that seems kind of off with somethings the Saint does, not that he wins over the Devil but is he truly a Saint to helping the people or himself?
Story in short- A man wandering the town of Mortain hears the Legend of the Saint and his Castle.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13443
As surprised as if I had discovered the habitation of a god, I wandered
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13444
through those halls supported by frail or massive columns, raising my eyes in wonder to those spires which looked like rockets starting for the sky, and to that marvellous assemblage of towers, of gargoyles, of slender and charming ornaments, a regular fireworks of stone, granite lace, a masterpiece of colossal and delicate architecture. As I was looking up in ecstasy a Lower Normandy peasant came up to me and told me the story of the great quarrel between Saint Michael and the devil.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13452
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 and victorious angel, the sword-carrier, the hero of Heaven, the victorious, the conqueror of Satan. But this is how the Lower Normandy peasant, cunning, deceitful and tricky, understands and tells of the struggle between the great saint and the devil.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13456
To escape from the malice of his neighbor, the devil, Saint Michael built himself, in the open ocean, this habitation worthy of an archangel; and only such a saint could build a residence of such magnificence. But as he still feared the approaches of the wicked one, he surrounded his domains by quicksands, more treacherous even than the sea. The devil lived in a humble cottage on the hill, but he owned all the salt marshes, the rich lands where
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13459
grow the finest crops, the wooded valleys and all the fertile hills of the country, while the saint a ruled only over the sands. Therefore Satan was rich, whereas Saint Michael was as poor as a church mouse. After a few years of fasting the saint grew tired of this state of affairs and began to think of some compromise with the devil, but the matter 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 he walked across to the shore.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13463
The demon was eating his soup in front of his door when he saw the saint. He immediately rushed toward him, kissed the 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 to propose 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— “
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13468
She saint continued: “Listen first. Give me all your lands. I will take care of all the work, the ploughing, the sowing, the fertilizing, everything, and we will share the crops equally. How does that suit you?” The devil, who was naturally lazy, accepted. He only demanded in addition a few of those delicious gray mullet which are caught around the solitary 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:
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13472
“See here, so that you will have nothing to complain of, choose that part of the crops which you prefer: the part that grows above ground or the part that stays in the ground.” Satan cried 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 see nothing but carrots, turnips, onions, salsify, all the plants whose juicy roots are good and savory and whose useless leaves are
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13476
good for nothing but 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 back to see the devil and said: “Really, I hadn’t thought of that at all; it was just an accident, no fault of mine. And to make things fair with you, this year I’ll let you take everything that is under the ground.” “Very well,” answered Satan.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Saint Michael out smarts the Devil but the Saint having built such an extravagant castle seems more in line with the worldly ways.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13480
The following spring all the evil spirit’s lands were covered with golden wheat, oats as big as beans, flax, magnificent colza, red clover, peas, cabbage, artichokes, everything that develops into grains or fruit in the sunlight. Once more Satan received nothing, and this time he completely lost his temper. He took back his fields and remained deaf to all the fresh propositions of his neighbor. A whole year rolled by. From the top of his lonely manor Saint Michael looked at the distant and
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13484
fertile lands and watched the devil direct the work, 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 vengeance on 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 you
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13488
to 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 day appointed he donned his finest clothes and set out for the castle.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13493
They drank new, sweet, sparkling cider and heady red wine, and after each course they whetted their appetites with some old apple brandy. The devil drank and ate to his heart’s content; in fact he took so much that 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— “
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13496
Satan, terrified, ran away, and the saint, seizing a stick, pursued him. They ran through the halls, turning round the pillars, running up the staircases, galloping along the cornices, jumping from gargoyle to gargoyle. The poor devil, who was woefully ill, was running about madly and trying hard to escape. At last he found himself at the top of the last 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
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13500
him and gave him a furious kick, which shot him through space like a cannonball. He shot through the air like a javelin and fell heavily before the town of Mortain. His horns and claws stuck deep into the rock, which keeps through eternity the traces of this fall of Satan. He stood up again, limping, crippled until the end of time, and as he looked at this fatal castle in the distance, standing out against the setting sun, he understood well that he would always be vanquished in
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13504
this unequal struggle, and he went away limping, heading for distant countries, leaving to his enemy his fields, his hills, his valleys and his marshes. And this is how Saint Michael, the patron saint of Normandy, vanquished the devil. Another people would have dreamed of this battle in an entirely different manner.
Story in short- A man wandering the town of Mortain hears the Legend of the Saint and his Castle.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13443
As surprised as if I had discovered the habitation of a god, I wandered
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13444
through those halls supported by frail or massive columns, raising my eyes in wonder to those spires which looked like rockets starting for the sky, and to that marvellous assemblage of towers, of gargoyles, of slender and charming ornaments, a regular fireworks of stone, granite lace, a masterpiece of colossal and delicate architecture. As I was looking up in ecstasy a Lower Normandy peasant came up to me and told me the story of the great quarrel between Saint Michael and the devil.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13452
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 and victorious angel, the sword-carrier, the hero of Heaven, the victorious, the conqueror of Satan. But this is how the Lower Normandy peasant, cunning, deceitful and tricky, understands and tells of the struggle between the great saint and the devil.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13456
To escape from the malice of his neighbor, the devil, Saint Michael built himself, in the open ocean, this habitation worthy of an archangel; and only such a saint could build a residence of such magnificence. But as he still feared the approaches of the wicked one, he surrounded his domains by quicksands, more treacherous even than the sea. The devil lived in a humble cottage on the hill, but he owned all the salt marshes, the rich lands where
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13459
grow the finest crops, the wooded valleys and all the fertile hills of the country, while the saint a ruled only over the sands. Therefore Satan was rich, whereas Saint Michael was as poor as a church mouse. After a few years of fasting the saint grew tired of this state of affairs and began to think of some compromise with the devil, but the matter 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 he walked across to the shore.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13463
The demon was eating his soup in front of his door when he saw the saint. He immediately rushed toward him, kissed the 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 to propose 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— “
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13468
She saint continued: “Listen first. Give me all your lands. I will take care of all the work, the ploughing, the sowing, the fertilizing, everything, and we will share the crops equally. How does that suit you?” The devil, who was naturally lazy, accepted. He only demanded in addition a few of those delicious gray mullet which are caught around the solitary 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:
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13472
“See here, so that you will have nothing to complain of, choose that part of the crops which you prefer: the part that grows above ground or the part that stays in the ground.” Satan cried 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 see nothing but carrots, turnips, onions, salsify, all the plants whose juicy roots are good and savory and whose useless leaves are
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13476
good for nothing but 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 back to see the devil and said: “Really, I hadn’t thought of that at all; it was just an accident, no fault of mine. And to make things fair with you, this year I’ll let you take everything that is under the ground.” “Very well,” answered Satan.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Saint Michael out smarts the Devil but the Saint having built such an extravagant castle seems more in line with the worldly ways.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13480
The following spring all the evil spirit’s lands were covered with golden wheat, oats as big as beans, flax, magnificent colza, red clover, peas, cabbage, artichokes, everything that develops into grains or fruit in the sunlight. Once more Satan received nothing, and this time he completely lost his temper. He took back his fields and remained deaf to all the fresh propositions of his neighbor. A whole year rolled by. From the top of his lonely manor Saint Michael looked at the distant and
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13484
fertile lands and watched the devil direct the work, 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 vengeance on 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 you
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13488
to 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 day appointed he donned his finest clothes and set out for the castle.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13493
They drank new, sweet, sparkling cider and heady red wine, and after each course they whetted their appetites with some old apple brandy. The devil drank and ate to his heart’s content; in fact he took so much that 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— “
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13496
Satan, terrified, ran away, and the saint, seizing a stick, pursued him. They ran through the halls, turning round the pillars, running up the staircases, galloping along the cornices, jumping from gargoyle to gargoyle. The poor devil, who was woefully ill, was running about madly and trying hard to escape. At last he found himself at the top of the last 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
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13500
him and gave him a furious kick, which shot him through space like a cannonball. He shot through the air like a javelin and fell heavily before the town of Mortain. His horns and claws stuck deep into the rock, which keeps through eternity the traces of this fall of Satan. He stood up again, limping, crippled until the end of time, and as he looked at this fatal castle in the distance, standing out against the setting sun, he understood well that he would always be vanquished in
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 13504
this unequal struggle, and he went away limping, heading for distant countries, leaving to his enemy his fields, his hills, his valleys and his marshes. And this is how Saint Michael, the patron saint of Normandy, vanquished the devil. Another people would have dreamed of this battle in an entirely different manner.
January 2, 2025
3.25⭐
AKA: The Legend of Mont St. Michell; La légende du Mont-Saint-Michel
A Norman peasant explains to the narrator, who has just finished visiting the famous abbey, the sly, earthy Norman version of the combat between Saint Michel and the devil that clarifies the saintly origins of the great monument.
AKA: The Legend of Mont St. Michell; La légende du Mont-Saint-Michel
A Norman peasant explains to the narrator, who has just finished visiting the famous abbey, the sly, earthy Norman version of the combat between Saint Michel and the devil that clarifies the saintly origins of the great monument.
July 3, 2021
Library download narrated by George Guidell. What starts out as a love letter to Mon St. Michel morphs into a contretemps between St. Michael and Satan.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews