Les dolmens de Bretagne

Notre de notre dernière visite en Bretagne, qui date de 2019, nous avons visité un dolmen dans un petit boisé loin des sentiers touristiques. C'est ce qui est bien en Bretagne: pleins de mythes et légendes, mais il y a pleins de petits attraits touristiques que personne ne connaît. Je suis retombé sur cette photo que j'ai prise à ce moment et je me demande si nous allons voyager à nouveau en Bretagne et revoir des dolmens.

Le Roi des Korrigans

Petit retour sur notre séjour en Bretagne avec ce qui est peut-être une belle occasion manquée. Je suis tombé par hasard dans un magasin de jouets sur un jeu de société basé sur le folklore breton: Le Roi des Korrigans. C'est un jeu "écolo-fantastique" qui se passe dans la forêt de Brocéliande. Je n'en sais pas plus, mais je regrette déjà de ne pas l'avoir acheté, même si je ne sais pas quand je pourrais prendre le temps d'y jouer et où trouver des joueurs.

A visit to the dolmen

I haven't really shared any "typical"picture of Brittany since the beginning of our holiday. Here is one of a nearby dolmen. We had visited it before (and you probably saw a few pictures of the dolmen if you have been visiting this blog in the last few years), but this time it was with little Wolfie. I had wanted to show the dolmen to him for a long while. I try to explain to him what it was (well, what little we know about it) and its folkloric aspects (mainly that it is a gathering point for korrigans). What he got from it is that it was "a big rock". And he really was eager to walk in the surrounding woods. It was a short visit, but a lovely one and I hope a memorable one for our little Wolfie.

Des korrigans partout

Nous sommes récemment allés à la Gacilly, où j'ai découvert que plusieurs commerces ont sur leur enseigne des korrigans. Pour ceux qui lisent ce blogue depuis sa naissance, vous vous rappelez peut-être suis un grand fan de ces créatures féériques, ainsi que toutes les autres du folklore breton, de tout folklore en fait, alors je suis très heureux de les voir ainsi mis en valeur dans la petite ville. Je ne sais pas si c'est le cas d'autres coins de Bretagne. Dans tous les cas, les korrigans sont en général difficiles à trouver, alors je n'ai pas hésité à prendre quelques photos, dont celle-ci. La Bretagne a du charme et du mystère dans ses coins les plus perdus.

À quand la Bretagne?

Je me pose la question depuis le début de l'année. Les grands-parents maternels de notre fils vivent en Bretagne (la petite Bretagne). Or, en 2017, nous pensions déjà nous y rendre en visite, afin qu'il découvre l'endroit et ses dolmens et dans ses dolmens, les korrigans. Et aussi, afin que petit loup soit dans un environnement francophone. Or jusqu'ici rien ne s'est produit. Ce serait le temps d'y songer, d'autant plus que j'ai grand besoin de vacances depuis un certain temps. Même si la Bretagne nous est maintenant presque familière, elle possède de par ses mythes et légendes bien des charmes et bien des mystères.

Des dolmens et des korrigans

Tiens, ça fait un bail que je n'ai pas blogué sur le folklore breton. Je regardais mes photos de notre dernier séjour en Bretagne, qui date de 2015, il y a déjà longtemps. On n'a pas encore prévu de voyage chez mes beaux-parents, on en parle plus qu'on essaie de le préparer, mais c'est que nous avons beaucoup à faire ces temps-ci. quand ça se fera, il faudra aller voir des dolmens. Je sais que je n'y verrai pas de korrigans, mais je peux les imaginer. Peut-être qu'on les voit mieux de soir.

Holidays in Britanny?

I took this picture in Brittany. It is a dolmen of course, which is, according to folklore, the place where Korrigans meet. My parents-in-law live in Brittany and it is at our last holidays there that I took this picture. Since little Wolfie is born, they have been wanting to greet us there again. Today, they have suggested that we go and visit them after their trip to England around July. We are very tempted, although there are a lot of things to solve before: Wolfie will need a passport, for one, and we need to know how to get from A to B to C with a baby. But if we can sort it out it would be good practice for future, longer journeys and it would be great to have Wolfie discover this land, rich of so many myths and legends that mean so much for his daddy, and spend time with his maternal grandparents.

Dolmens

J'ai pris cette photo en 2015, lors de notre dernier séjour en Bretagne. C'est bien entendu un dolmen. Voir un dolmen, c'est toujours impressionnant, puisqu'ils datent de la préhistoire. Lors de notre prochain séjour en Bretagne, que j'espère être pour pas trop tard, même s'il n'y a aucune date arrêtée, j'espère pouvoir visiter des dolmens comme celui-ci. Et peut-être aller à la chasse aux korrigans, qui selon la légende habitent souvent les dolmens. Je suis d'ailleurs plus intéressé par le folklore entourant ces mégalithes que par leur histoire véritable. Mais bon, tout ça pour dire que j'ai hâte de les revoir et de partager les photos sur Vraie Fiction.

A dolmen in the woods

We visited this dolmen during our last time in Brittany. I had wanted to see one for ages and, as a visit to Brocéliande was not possible for this stay (unfortunately), it was a great way to get in contact to one of the most important artifact of Breton folklore. Dolmens are associated with the supernatural in old myths and legends, they are allegedly the dwelling of Korrigans (for those who have not been reading this blog since its beginning, you might be interested to know that we have a Korrigan at home) and other magical creatures. We didn't see any of them, but it was not for lack of trying. It is true also that we were in the middle of the afternoon. At nighttime, it might have been different. Nevertheless, the place was very atmospheric and I could easily see why it could fire up the imagination of people.

À la recherche des korrigans

Je me suis rendu compte aujourd'hui que je n'ai pas du tout blogué sur les mythes et légendes bretonnes depuis que je suis ici et que je n'ai pas blogué à propos des korrigans depuis des années. En fait, pas depuis que j'ai écrit ce billet sur Nimble. Alors bon, je songeais à ça car je suis à la recherche de korrigans. Pour décoration, comme compagnon de Nimble, ou alors dans les bouquins. J'ai déjà acheté un bouquin de contes les mettant parfois (souvent?) en scène. J'en réécrirai plus à ce sujet. Je suis allé visiter un dolmen aujourd'hui, un de leurs lieux de résidence (voir l'encadré à gauche), ça m'a mis les korrigans à l'esprit.

Nimble the Korrigan at home

I thought I would give you some news of Nimble, the Korrigan I bought in Brittany. He is settled home with his many friends that were coming with him (a rabbit, a dog, a cat and some horrible, ugly rats that make me shiver when I see them at his feet), right next to a new friend (the sheep I bought my wife in Montreal). When I finally get the garden gnome my sister-in-law made for me, I will put it right next to Nimble, so he will have another friend. I also intend to buy more Korrigans in our next trip to Brittany and build a whole community here. I would do the same with gargoyles, but my wife would hate that. Gargoyles simply are not as cute as Korrigans, although Korrigans can be quite naughty and play tricks, even cruel ones.

Question to myself: am I trying to create a haunted house (or flat)? Maybe not by ghosts, but by spirits/mythical creatures? Sometimes I wish this place was haunted, so my life (and this blog), would be more exciting. In a house like this, way too modern, I doubt there are any ghosts to haunt it. There is one Korrigan, but he had to be imported from Brittany. When I was living in a hall of residences, I had a Chinese neighbour and she believed the residences were haunted by all the spirits that lived in the cemetary nearby. She was a bit weird, telling us about all the encounters she had with those ghosts, but cool (she hated rats too). I kind of envied her. I have never been superstitious, but I always wanted to be, it that makes any sense. Life is more fascinating when it is full of monsters. When I was a child living in a new developing area of Chicoutimi, I remember walking with my parents in the neighbourhood at dusk and hoping to see ghosts in the woods nearby. I never saw one and now the woods are gone. I always thought the Victorian house I lived in Liverpool would be ideal for a ghost story, it was old, dusty, falling apart, beautiful, austere and close to a graveyard (and my bedroom was red just like in the H.G Wells short story). I'll try to write one some day. I didn't write it then, but we threw a great Halloween party there.

Wow, that's a long post! And all I wanted to blog about at first was Nimble.

Nimble the Korrigan

Before I forget: the Korrigan has been baptised by my wife. His name is Nimble.

Journey to Brocéliande

We went to Brocéliande (also known as Paimpont, but I prefer its Celtic name) yesterday. We didn't see all (not Barenton, for instance), but the forest is so big and there is so much to see. I will see barenton next trip. We went to the Tombeau de Merlin, the Château de Comper and some other things, I will write entries with pictures later on. I didn't see any Korrigan, or l'Ankou (but it was daytime), not even the ghost of Merlin or the Lady of the Lake. But that was still nice, and the forest really has character.

Korrigan

Voici le Korrigan en question. Il faudra lui trouver un nom. Des suggestions?

Rochefort-en-Terre

We didn't go to Rennes today, sadly, but we visited briefly Rochefort-en-Terre. It's a beautiful village, much nicer than la Gacilly I think, or more tourists-friendly anyway. I bought a little Korrigan figure, it's supposed to give good luck when put in a home. I was tempted to buy some more books on Breton folklore. If I had time, I could buy enough gifts for my family for all the birthdays and Christmas. As for treating myself, I have to be careful not to spend too much here, but I do want one or two more books, while I ams till here. I am still tempted to get a witch, but I still have to convince my wife of the use of being protected against Evil Eye.