PERSINETTE, THE MAIDEN IN THE TOWER

A French 'Rapunzel' Fairytale

By Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force

Other contributors: Wentworth Webster,

Édouard Laboulaye, Paul Sébillot, and Léon Pineau

Translated by Rachel Louise Lawrence

"Persinette, let down your hair so I may climb up."

In this French fairytale, a girl with long tresses of golden hair by the name of Persinette is raised by a Fairy, and when she is on the cusp of womanhood, the Fairy conceals her in a silver tower. However, fate intervenes and Persinette is discovered by a Prince, and soon all the Fairy’s best laid plans begin to unravel…

Penned by Mademoiselle de La Force, Persinette is an earlier, more expansive version of the more famous tale of Rapunzel from the Brothers Grimm. In addition to this new translation of Persinette, this book contains several other ‘Maiden in the Tower’ variants for an English readership to enjoy. These include the French tales Fragolette, Parsillette, and The Blonde Beauty, as well as the Basque tale, The Fairy-Queen Godmother.

[Folklore Type: ATU-310 (The Maiden in the Tower)]