THE GIANT HOK-BRAS
The moon of Landerneau.
Finally, Hok-Bras' feet touched the bottom of the abyss.
"Godmother, he said, I feel a big eel under my feet."
"Bring it", said the fairy, "it was she who swallowed my ring, and went back straight away."
Crack! Suddenly Hok was seen emerging from the black abyss like an enormous tree, and he was still climbing, still climbing.
“Godmother,” said a voice coming from the clouds, “won’t you stop me?
“You just have to say enough, my boy, and your growth will stop."
Enough! shouted Hok in a voice of thunder...
And instantly he shortened and then got down on his knees to kiss his pretty aunt and put the ring on her finger.
Unfortunately for us, Hok, in his joy, forgot to block the Devil's Hole. We know this only too well in this world, alas!
Hok returned to his father who, seeing him already three feet taller since the day of his baptism, thought that such a boy would be very expensive to feed without doing anything... Yes, Hok didn't want to do anything, except to run adventures, fight and get married as soon as possible.
Get married at this age! Do you think about it?…
Indeed, when leaving Huelgoat, our young giant first had the idea of taking his little aunt under his arm. Still, the fairy, who was wise (a rare thing indeed), had made him understand that it was not suitable for his age and that she only wanted to be his wife when he had accomplished at least three feats, which would be easy for him, as she had given him the secret of lying down at will.
The discovery of the ring could count as one feat, but two remained. — And this is what tormented our big baby, already full of ambition.
Hok, in his impatience, did little more than run up hill and down dale. In his spare moments (and that was usually the case) he amused himself, instead of working like a good day laborer, by making piles of earth and stones, like children. So much so that one day when he liked the work, he finished building the Monts d'Arrée, from Saint-Cadou to Berrien. He even planted Mont Saint-Michel there, from where he could see the woods of Huelgoat, for which he sighed in memory of his fiancée.
Finally, when he had finished his mountain, he found himself a little idle and went for a stroll to Landerneau; because if his pretty aunt had allowed him to hope, she had, out of prudence, forbidden him to come to Huelgoat.
Lo and behold, while looking sometimes at the shops, sometimes at the clouds, Hok-Bras met the bailiff with his sash.
“Hey,” said the bailiff, “here’s a big guy who looks like he wants to catch the moon with his teeth."
“I would like to do so right away,” replied the character, greeting the bailiff like a poplar swaying in the wind.
"At least wait until it's up, you imbecile, and then I'll give you ten crowns to buy a new suit of clothes if you can catch Landerneau's moon this evening."
“Here you go,” said the young giant, shaking the bailiff’s balance.
And in the evening, on the square de Saint-Houardon, the crowd, led by the seneschal and the judges, gathered to see the affair. Judge the amazement of these brave people. As soon as the moon was above the small square, Hok stood in the middle and exclaimed:
"Hok, lie down!"
Crack! Immediately we saw his head rise, rise, rise, and sometimes get lost in the clouds passing over the sky.
Then the moon darkens. We heard a clap of thunder which said enough! and little by little we saw the moon descend rapidly. When she arrived under the clouds, we could see that it was Hok-Bras who held her by the edge between his teeth. Hok-Bras, who was right near the bell tower of Saint-Houardon, delicately placed the night star on the end of the weather vane, asked for his ten crowns and left very happy.
And two! not to mention the mountain…
Source: Le Géant Hok-Bras from the French book Contes et légendes de Basse-Bretagne published in 1891.
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
In this tale, several well-known places or stories are described as more or less created by the giant Hok-Bras.
The(hole of the devil) trou du diable in Huelgoat is famous, and I saw it when I was a child. The Monts d'Arrée and the Mont-Saint-Michel are also well-known.
And the Lune de Landerneau is a story that people in Landerneau know well.
After more than a week, I am still sick. Although it is less acute, I still cough, especially in the evening.
My nose is no longer running and I don't think I have a fever.
Three nights in a row, I woke up around 2 AM drenched in sweat. I had to change my pajamas.
Kati told me to take Nyquill before going to bed.
Although I try to avoid taking drugs, I obey. I hope this will go away soon.
-- Vincent Celier