Belgian Fairy Tales
Copyright© 2024 by William Elliot Griffis
Chapter 9: Wine-Crust, the Blue-Beard of Flanders
Ever so many centuries ago, when all Belgium was part of the great forests, that covered nearly all of northern Europe, there was a chief of a powerful tribe, who was named Halwyn; or, as we shall call him, Wine-Crust, or Crusty Wine. He was famous for loving three things, wine, women and song. Being a magician, he had great power over young maidens, many of whom thought they would like to marry him.
This Halwyn got his name from a curious custom which he had. He was very fond of anything sweet, whether it were honey or the sugary crust, left, by old or sweet wine, on the sides of barrels and the wooden vessels, in which the wine had stood for a long time. He chipped or broke it off, and ate it as if it were candy. So people called him Sir Halwyn, or Wine-Crust.
Now the curious thing about Sir Halwyn and his castle, was, that it was supposed that he had been married more than once. Yet no one ever saw his wife with him, or met any one of the wives he had had; for no other chief or nobleman was ever admitted into his castle. It was because he had such a fine voice, and could sing so well, that he was invited into other castles. Yet he never made any return of the courtesies which he had received. It was rumored about, in Flanders, that he had married in distant places and brought his brides, one after another, to his own castle; yet, no one in Flanders or the Ardennes ever saw or heard of them afterwards.
So, in time, in spite of his good singing, Halwyn’s reputation was so bad, that no king or noble would allow his daughter, when out hunting, to go anywhere near the stronghold of Sir Halwyn. Moreover, it was suspected that he was a magician, and used his magic craft very cruelly.
In those forest days, girls were trained to riding, wrestling, and the use of the sword, spear and shield. The women often went to war with their husbands and brothers, and fought the enemy, both in the tribal fights and those against the Romans.
Now there was a beautiful maiden, named Quirina, one of several daughters of the king of Arlon, and she was his favorite and best beloved child. Her father, mother, brother, and her only sister, who was never jealous of her, vied with each other in making her presents of ornaments, and clothes, and pretty things, that would please her; and all this, she repaid with sweet and tender affection.
Quirina was unusually well skilled in horsemanship, and the use of the sword and spear. She had brown eyes and hair of the same color, but much darker, and was tall and slender but very strong.
Though bold in hunting, she was very fond also of pretty clothes, and when she dressed herself in her best, there was no woman, young or old, in the castle hall, even on great occasions, that looked finer than she. In fact, it was well known, through all Belgic Land, that no maiden possessed a richer wardrobe than Quirina. Many times Sir Halwyn had tried to win her; and, by openly making love to her, and by offering her father a title and home for his daughter, he hoped to succeed. Or, he strove to lure her away, by telling of his great castle and domain; but had never succeeded. Yet, as much as ever, he seemed determined to persevere and win her.
Quirina, on the other hand, openly declined; for she was secretly determined not to be his wife. By this time, also, her father, mother, brother and sister, had heard the evil reports about Sir Halwyn, and that none of his wives had ever been heard from, after once entering his castle. They steadfastly warned their dear sister to beware of the fellow, as a dangerous person, and not even, in the ardor of her chase after deer, to get too near his domain.
One day, every one was surprised, when Quirina asked her father to give his consent for her to go to visit Sir Halwyn’s castle. In the words of the old Flemish ballad, he answered.
“O neen! myn dochter—neen gy niet;
Die derwaert gaen en keeren niet.”
In English, this is:
“O no, my daughter; no, not so,
They ne’er return who thereward go.”
Then Quirina asked her mother, but she replied to her daughter, exactly as her father had done.
Then she sought the advice of her older sister, whether she should go to Sir Halwyn’s castle.
The answer made was the same.
Finally of her brother, she made the same request. His reply was different from that of the others; for he trusted that his sister’s wit would extricate her from any difficulty.
“Go where thou wilt, all’s one to me,
But see thou keep’st thine honor free,
Thy crown bear firm and uprightly.”
After receiving these answers, though secretly encouraged, more by what her brother had purposely refrained from saying, than from what he had said, this is what the maiden Quirina did:
She went up into that part of her father’s castle called the Virgin’s Bower, which, in ancient days, was a room upstairs and off from the main hall, or “house.” It was reached by a stairway built on the outside. There, in her room, she dressed herself in her finest robes.
First she put on a chemise, which was soft as silk. Over this, was a skirt and bodice, richly trimmed with lace, made of threads of gold. Her crimson petticoat, showing behind that part of her dress which was open in front, was studded with golden stars. Around her neck, she clasped strings of pearls. Finally, on her head, she placed a coronet, rich in precious stones. In her resplendent attire, she stood forth as fair in face, and form, and as gorgeously arrayed, as any queen on earth.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.