Melusina o La naturaleza de las hadas

Between 1392 and 1393, Jean d'Arras wrote Melusine, or the Noble History of Lusignan. The novel, with its strong magical and chivalric elements, is based on one of the most captivating legends of the Middle Ages. It tells the story of a fairy who transforms into a woman for the love of a mortal, Raimondin. Subject to a curse, every Saturday she transforms into a serpent from the waist down and reverts to her human form, a condition she would lose forever if a mortal were to see her with her scaly tail. Melusine makes her husband promise never to search for her when she disappears on Saturdays, but Raimondin betrays his wife, with terrible consequences for them both. The oldest records of Melusine's story date back to the 12th century. Her possible origins lie in pre-Christian legends of Hellenic, Celtic, and Near Eastern cultures. The magical figures of the waters are, as is well known, found in numerous traditions, and the story of the fairy was also intertwined with the Arthurian tales of the Matter of Britain. In the 14th century, it crystallized into its most famous version, the novel that Jean d'Arras wrote on commission to justify the origins of the Lusignan family in the French region of Poitou. Translations and the printing press contributed to its great popularity in the following centuries.