The Castle of Spirits
Encircled by the mirror like waters of its moat, Trécesson strangely attracts revenants between its red shale walls. The castle is built at the foot of the Buttes de Tiot which hide under their gorse and heather bushes, graves from prehistoric times. Is this why the spirits of the deceased are familiar to it? In its own way, Trécesson proclaims, as does everything in Broceliande, that the border between this world and the Other is not impassable. It fades away in certain privileged places, like this beautiful mansion surrounded by water, so similar to the castles of chivalric quests.
The Bride of Tresceston
In the night, near the ditches of Trécesson, a black coach stops and two men get out. Armed with shovels and picks, they silently dig a deep pit. Then they pull out of the carriage a young woman in a wedding dress, as pale as the satin she was clothed in. She neither begs nor cries, and does not even struggle when her executioners lay her in the grave, covering her quickly with the soil. Then they ride off into the darkness, at the full gallop of their horses. A poacher saw the scene and finally found the courage to alert the people of Trécesson. Despite their haste to rescue the unfortunate woman, she is hardly breathing when they free her from her clay prison. In the early morning light, she breathes one last breath without a word. Her pale ghost sometimes returns to float on the waters, still wearing her wedding dress. No one has been able to discover her name, or the reason for her torment.
The Lovers of the Time of the Crusades
The young revenant is not alone in her journey between worlds. Where the ancient entrance to the castle once stood, the shadows of a Trecesson boy forced by his father to go on a crusade and his beloved walk side by side. Endlessly, they say goodbye again and again. He perished in the Holy Land, she died of grief upon hearing of his death, but however far apart their graves, their spirits walk together at the edge of the enchanted forest for eternity.
The Ghostly Card Game
In Trecesson, almost three centuries ago, swearing, shouting and knocking shook the walls of one of the chambers every night. In the castle, no one dared enter this chamber. Everyone chattered in their beds, and the servants hid around the fireplaces, what better weapon than a red-hot poker against those who come out of hell to torment the poor living? A bold guest finally agreed to sleep there from night to morning. Everything seemed normal. But in the middle of the night, awakened by shouts, he saw two card players violently fighting over a huge pile of gold coins, the stake of their game. The visitor, with a pistol shot, put an end to the dispute of the two adversaries who were replaying every night the card game which had been fatal to them. Everything disappeared, except the gold coins. Calm returned; well, almost, because the courageous visitor decided to claim the gold he felt he had earned. The lord of Trécesson refused, the gold was his, since it was found within his walls. The quarrel ended in a trial in which the ghosts were careful not to testify.
PERFUME OF THE OLD TIMES
Contemplating the castle from the walking path along the dike, one can try to locate the boudoir of the ladies of Trécesson. Where they dressed up for parties and balls.The eau de senteur… their exquisite perfume is still so present in the room that the bees entering through the open window die of pleasure.
Then, if you wish, you can go for a beautiful walk that leads to the chapel of St. John, two kilometers higher, and don’t forget to cure your thirst and toothache with the fresh water of the fountain of St. Apolline.
Text written by Claudine GLOT, Centre de l’imaginaire Arthurien .
