BEZIERS HISTORY

• The Narbonne Witch :

 One night, later, the bridegroom woke up and wondered himself not to see his wife in the conjugal bed. When she reappeared, he asked her :
- Where did you go ?
- I sleepwalk : I often get up unconsciously and I wake up sometimes in the countryside, the wife said.

 The next night, the bridegroom woke up again and noticed that his wife had still disappeared. He became then suspicious and, as in the following days he suffered from a strong migraine, he suspected his wife to make him drink some potions, with the aim to let him be profoundly asleep.

 He noticed that his wife, although she was plump, contented himself with a simple glass of water during meals. Each time he attempted to get her to eat, she answered :
- I am not hungry.
- But how do you do not to lose weight while you eat nothing ?
- It is my corpulence, she said, each little food I swallow is enough to me !

- Oh naughty girl ! Yesterday evening I followed you to the cemetery and I know now who you really are !
 The witch, imperturbable, fixed him with a black glance and answered :
- So you saw me; you saw what no mortal has the right to see but right now, you will never see me anymore with an human sight !

 Then she pronounced some magic words and immediately our poor man was metamorphosed into dog ! Then she took the broom and chased away our wretch.
 "What a misfortune to have married a witch; I'm in such a trouble now !", he thought. He ran towards the neighbours' house, towards people he knew, but each time, he was repulsed.
- Get out of here, mutt ! put your fleas somewhere else, we don't need you ! they said.

 During several days he roamed here and there, trying to find something to eat. But each time he found a bone to gnaw, the other dogs, more hardened, beat him unmercifully and stole him the precious meal. Starved, exhausted and depressed he roamed in the streets of the city when a baker noticed him :
- What a beautiful nice dog ! You would be very useful for me to keep guard my bakery ! Do you want to come with me ? I am gonna give you something to nibble.

 This peculiarity came one day to an old woman's ears who had reputation to be healer. She come to the bakery and, as soon as she saw the skill of the dog, she exclaimed :

 "But this dog is human ! There isn't any other possibility : someone have send a spell on it !".

 After claiming so, she took out, from her underskirts, a phial containing a strange liquid and splashed our canine from the head to the tail. Immediately the dog became again a man and covered the old woman and the baker with kisses. Then he told in detail his story and how he had been transformed.

 No sooner said than done : the wife was transformed into mare. The man took a whip and gave her a beating knocks so strong as the mare had no more force to leave. The next day, he sold the animal to the "poubellaïre" (the dustman) of the city and, since, the naughty wife collects the garbage of the whole village !

• The Moujan Fairy:

 Around 1200's, in Moujan's hamlet, near Narbonne, was a man named Jean Bistan. Our man used - on the road of the vineyard - to pause for drinking to a fountain, still visible nowadays, a fresh and clear water he delighted in it with pleasure.

 Surprised our friend Jean raised the head and noticed a shape laying near the fontaîne. He got up, and saw a very beautiful sleepy girl, quite dressed in white lace, as beautiful as a princess! Her hand brushed water in a so delicate manner that he was moved.

 He got back his mind and remembered magnificent stories his parents told him when he was a child during the long winter's evenings. There was no more any doubt: this could be only a fairy, a Mitoune as it was named in the country! Despite of fatigue, he approached her noiselessly and, supple as a cat, jumped on the girl to retain her captive.

 Our man understood he had been a little bit too strong and loosened his grip by maintaining nevertheless the arms of the beautiful: he did not want to let passing this unhoped chance as long as the fairy had not promised : he was well determined not to let her go.

- I promises you, one more time , not to hurt you; swear me that you will fulfill my wishes and I'll free you straightaway ! The Mitone understanding it was the only way to get her freedom accepted :

- Let me go and as soon as I shall be in my palace I shall take charge of you. Do not expect to become rich from day to day, but I shall keep my words: you will get what you asked for : I promise you.

- OK, Jean says, I rely on you. And he released her immediately.

 The fairy, relieved, rubbed his arms bruised by the embrace, arranged gracefully her lace dress, her long golden hair, drank a mouthful of fresh water and disappeared noiselessly in the twilight. Immediately cicadas and birds recovered to sing, the breath of the wind, through the foliages, became again audible and some crickets began their night-concert.

 Then Jean, still under the emotion, drank fresh water asking himself if the event was a dream or not and then went back towards his poor hut the heart filled with enjoyment and hopes. The next day, he returned, as usually , to the vineyard. He noticed that the ground was supple, that there were less stones and the grapes seemed filled with nectar. The harvest was premature and extremely fruitful: never the vineyards had so much produced. The wine he got had an exceptional quality, so good that people came from everywhere to buy it and was ready to pay a very good price.

 Phenomenon happened again next year, then the year after, then every other years. Jean was able to buy new vineyards which also produced in profusion a beverage deserving of gods. His fortune growing, he bought the house of his dreams, numerous horses and numerous carts.

 Every day he paused at the fountain place, blessing the day he met the magnificent creature. He told one day the story to the country's bishop, but this one had trouble to believe him. Later, our man invests in the maritime business where, once again, his success was fabulous.

 In 1204, doubtless because of the chance he got, he donated one of his properties, the " domain of Olieux ", to the Fontfroide's monks. The only condition was that these monks had to establish there a women's Cistercian convent, certainly in homage to the beautiful Mitoune who had brought him happiness and prosperity.

• The Faugères Mayor :

 In bygone days, in the village of Faugères, there were two religious communities : Catholics and Protestants. That did not cause any problem in the everyday life but, at the municipal elections' time, everything was different : Indeed, there was no monarchic, right, left list, radical or reactionnary, but only Papistes (Catholics) and Parpaillots (Protestants).

 At the elections' time every group managed to have the same number of vote as the political opposite side and that gave many problems to determine the choice of a mayor. No solution had been found and the attempts to alternate a mayor Catholic with a mayor Protestant, every week, had been refused by the sub-prefect of Béziers: a mayor for six years was needed and the Republic's laws had to be apply to all, even to Faugères.

 Debates becoming more and more fired, it was necessary to find a solution and it was the stationmaster who proposed one:

- The express of Montpellier stops here every day to take water. We just have to ask to the first passenger we see inside the first class of the train and swear to obey to what he'll say..

 Everybody swore and, the next day, the entire village waited for the arrival of the train. A single passenger occupied the first classes. It was a small cheerful person, with a Parisian accent, who accepted to answer the question:

- Messieurs, he said amused by the demand, there is only one way to solve the problem : ask to your strongest young man to throw an apple on the road and the first of you who catches up it will be appointed as mayor.

 The train left the village and the villagers agreed that this idea was not so stupid. So, they decided to organize the trial run on the road of Béziers, the next Sunday. The day coming, candidates of the two lists were aligned on the starting line, ready to jump up, and a young man threw the apple with all his forces on the road. Papistes and Parpaillots ran in the pursuit but a pig, coming from nowhere, caught the fruit and swallowed it straightaway. It was consternation among the crowd. However, a voice spurted out the silence :

 So, money was taken from the city hall's cash desk to pay the pig and provide its maintenance. The city hall's secretary, Frayssinous, drafted the report and sent it by mail to the sub-prefect. This one didn't be too surprised that a mister " The Pig " was appointed as mayor, too satisfied the conflict was finally solved.

 So everything took place normally : Cardinous the Parpaillot and Lesparrous the Papiste were appointed as assistants of the pig, sharing fairly the work. The mayor, too well fed, became enormous.
 The Christmas holidays approaching, the municipal councillors began to watch it with greed:

 <--- PREVIOUS LEGENDS