The Story of Bluebeard.

Manawatu Herald, 25 May 1893, Page 3

The Story of Bluebeard.

The story of Bluebeard appears first in literature in the tales of Perranlt, a French writer of the severiteeth century. It was long supposed that the story was purely fictitious, but modern students of literature and history assert that the savage husband of the tale had an ' actual prototype in Giles de Retz, Marquis of Laval, who was the Marshal of France in 1429, and who, according to some historians, niur- ■ dered six of his seven wives, airi ■was strangled for his crimes jnj^i.^ 1 Another similar ohar£^J^»*tf Count .Cohomar, Lieutenant of Brittany in the reign of Chiidebert, who married Tryphyna, the beautiful and amiable daughter of Count Guerech. It is said that she after her marriage ■ ascertained that he had a number of wives previously, all of whom he had murdered, and she sent word to her, friends revealing his true character during his absenoe from the castle. On his '/return, finding that she had revealed his sacreis, he was, about to kill her, but . hpr friends came in time to save her life, and just punishment was executed on him for his crimes. His wife was subsequently can- . onized as a saint. It is, however, impossible to ascertain positively how much truth and how miioh of fiction there is in either one of these legends. '