Tricksters. The Devil's Bridge

Carrying on with Devil folktales this week, here's a delightful children's book (but fun for any age!) about one of the most famous types of Devil folktales: The Devil's Bridge: A Legend by Charles Scribner, with illustrations by Evaline Ness. And yes, this is Charles Scribner of the "Scribner and Sons" publishing house; more about his life and career at Wikipedia.

As the author explains in a note, he started with a traditional French legend dating back to the Middle Ages, but then tweaked it with a plot twist of his own, imagining a new way that the Devil is thwarted in the end... and it really is very satisfying! When the Devil shows up, he doesn't look like the Devil at all; like other tricksters, he is a master of disguise (click on the image for a larger view):

A child, however, recognizes the Devil for who he is:

I liked how the Devil used a bit of Latin doggerel to build his bridge: Veni vidi vici; multum bonum mihi.

I won't give away the twist at the end for how the Devil ends up falling victim to his own trick, but if you want to read some traditional versions of the legend, Dan Ashliman has a great collection online here: The Devil's Bridge: Folktales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1191.

And I'll be back with more devilish tricks tomorrow! 

The Devil's Bridge: A Legend

by Charles Scribner