Half-Man is a French

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

collected by

Achille Millien Achille Millien (4 September 1838 – 12 January 1927) was a French poet and folklorist. His poetic work includes a dozen collections of rustic inspiration: ''La Moisson'', ''Chants agrestes'', ''Musettes et clairons'', ''Chez nous'', ''Aux cha ...

and Paul Delarue. It is Aarne-Thompson type 675, a type of tale found throughout Europe. Another variant is ''

Peruonto Peruonto is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the ''Pentamerone''. Synopsis A widow named Ceccarella had a stupid son named Peruonto, as ugly as an ogre. One day, she sent him to gather wood. He sa ...

''.Paul Delarue, ''The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales'', p 389, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York 1956

Synopsis

A farmer and his wife had

three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

sons, but the youngest was only half a man: one arm, one leg, etc. One day, the mother sent the sons for wood. The older two got ahead of Half-Man and came to a river. An

old woman Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

asked for help across, but they said they did not have time. Half-Man came and helped her. She gave him a

magic wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which c ...

. He used it to get wood, and then to turn himself into a

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

. He went to speak to his father, who told him that he was poor, and that one of his sons was only half a man but he liked him better than the others. Half-Man took back his normal form and filled the pantry with things to eat. He went for a walk and saw the king's daughter. He used the wand to make her magically pregnant with a son who would walk and talk at birth and say that Half-Man was his father. She gave birth nine months later, and the boy said he could recognize his father. The king made all the men pass before the boy, who recognized Half-Man. Angry, the king sent all three of the sons away. As soon as they reached a suitable place, Half-Man conjured up a castle. He went ahead of the princess, turned himself into the bourgeois, and went back. The princess repulsed him because she did not want to deceive Half-Man. Half-Man made himself known, and the princess was pleased. After some time, Half-Man invited three kings, one his

father-in-law A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-law ...

, to the castle. His son played with three

golden apple The golden apple is an element that appears in various national and ethnic folk legends or fairy tales. Recurring themes depict a hero (for example Hercules or Făt-Frumos) retrieving the golden apple (symbolism), apples hidden or stolen by a mons ...

s, and Half-Man used the wand to put one in his father-in-law's pocket. The boy complained. Half-Man had the castle searched, and then demanded that his guests be searched. His father-in-law was astounded, and Half-Man told him the same magic had made his daughter pregnant.

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Synopsis

See also

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