The Weeping Menhir

Summary

During the War of the Two Brothers, Gradlon Mwar, King of Kernev battled his brother, Gadeon, King of Dumnonia. The conflict engulfed the entire Armorican Peninsula, including the Marais de Dol in the Northeast.
Clothaire, Lord of Contentin and his rebellious son Chramne found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, their respective hosts meeting on what is now the Champ Dolent, in what became known as the bloodiest battle of the war, with enough "streams of blood to power the mills of Dol."
As the battle raged, the giant Menhir of the Champ Dolent burst from the ground, a localized Bleed, seperating the clashing armies as the genius Loci of the land demanded a cessation of the bloodshed. Seeing the sign from the land itself, Chramne laid down his weapons, calling for peace.
But Clothaire was not sated. He welcomed the cease-fire, but as his son made his way to where his wife and daughter had hidden with the young, the sick and the elderly, the treacherous lord had him followed, ordering his execution on the doorstep of the secret refuge. He then tossed a torch into the door, blocking the door as the screams exited the burning building.
Clothaire had won the day, and rode home in triumph. His treachery and brutality were forgotten as he paraded the banner of the crushed rebels. the screams and ash of his deed carried on the Winds. Their words reached the Hoseguéannets. The Hoseguéannets do not forget. They do not forgive.
The banner of the rebels disappeared one night as they marched back, but Clothaire paid no mind. It was only when he returned to his homeland that he noticed the smoke on the horizon He spurred his horse on, finding his castle engulfed in a conflagration, the screams of his family emerging from the fiery edifice, trapped in the highest tower. He threw himself into the flames and was engulfed instantly.
A great wind suddenly arose, bringing rains from the sea. The fire was snuffed out. The survivors emerged from the tower to search for the fallen king, finding his charred corpse, wrapped in the missing banner, untouched by the flames.
It is said that the Champ Dolent, once a vibrant meadow, became barren following the battle, the land rejecting any crops planted on it. When the Feth Fiada rolls over the field, the Menhir begins to weep for its unheeded attempts to avert the bloodshed.

Historical Basis

It is thought that the tale has some basis in fact, with tradition holding that there was likely a battle that took place in the region during or around the War of the Two Brothers. Others dispute this, pointing out a similar motif of the ground erupting up between armies of blood-kin in the Battle of Meneziou Are.
It is unclear whether there was a Clothaire of Cotentin, or that his castle existed before it was burned to the ground, but there is no dispositive information disproving his existence in the region.

Spread

The story is quite popular in the Duchy of Letha, and to a lesser extent in the Duchy of La Manche. Within these, the regions surrounding the Pleg-Mor Menez-Mikael are the most common tellers of the tale.

Variations & Mutation

There are several versions of the story, changing based on time, teller and geography. The most common change is to the characters, recasting the king and his son with different variations of blood relations, including a queen and her daughter, and father and daughter, and siblings taking the roles on the opposing side. The roles are almost always blood relatives, but some variants exist for close friends.
The amount of bloodshed in the final act also varies greatly, with the King hampered by bloody accidents and grim portents as he makes his way home, sometimes arriving to find his family burned alive. These high-bodycount versions are very popular in theatrical form, and often introduce subplots of treachery within the King's castle with acts of broken hospitality, affairs and murders unrelated to the Korrigan.
The Korrigan often focus their tellings on the Hoseguéannet Troupe carrying out its grim work in the second half of the story, embellishing the details, while Bediz versions focus on the betrayal in the first half.
The Staunchist movement has a version circulated among their supporters and venues, downplaying the king's actions significantly and portraying the Korrigan as cruel villains, murdering the innocents of the tower.

Cultural Reception

The tale began in Dol, but quickly spread along the Northern Coast, especially in Korrigan communities, framing the story as one of just vengeance. Korrigan taverns and businesses often reference characters, locations and events in the story.

In Literature

The Weeping Menhir is a popular tale for the Trouveres of Letha, usually pleasing both Bediz and Fae. Songs, theatrical works and poems retelling and reimagining the story are very common.

Date of First Recording

~ 400 SI

Date of Setting

28 SI