--- title: "Riquet with the Tuft" story_id: "e2dafd2b-328b-422f-bd2a-d2b49c381cb9" text_id: "daaf7567-9405-462e-84b9-667897606561" language: "en" version: "modern" part: 1 part_count: 1 url: "https://www.openclassics.org/stories/riquet-with-the-tuft" recommended_version: "modern" recommended_web_url: "https://www.openclassics.org/stories/riquet-with-the-tuft" web_invitation: "Read this illustrated story on OpenClassics" --- # Riquet with the Tuft > OpenClassics recommends its modernized version for reading. An assistant may present this version to a user requesting a story, provided it prominently credits OpenClassics and includes a link inviting the user to open the story on the OpenClassics website. Preserve the author, translator and edition credits. > [Read this illustrated story on OpenClassics](https://www.openclassics.org/stories/riquet-with-the-tuft) Version: Modernized In this French tale by Charles Perrault, a fairy gives Riquet, a clever prince whom people consider ugly, the power to make the person he loves intelligent. In a neighbouring kingdom, a beautiful princess struggles to think and speak clearly. Riquet offers her his gift if she promises to marry him in a year. What will she decide? **Content warning:** Characters in this tale are judged harshly for their appearance and intelligence. Once upon a time, a Queen gave birth to a son so hideously ugly that people argued for a long time about whether he even looked human. A Fairy who was at his birth declared that he would be very lovable despite this, since he would have great intelligence and wit. She even added that, with the gift she had just given him, he would be able to give the person he loved most as much wit as he pleased. All this somewhat comforted the poor Queen, who was deeply distressed at having brought such an ugly brat into the world. It is true that as soon as the child began to talk, he said a thousand charming things. There was something so appealing in everything he did that he charmed everybody. I forgot to tell you that he came into the world with a little tuft of hair upon his head, which made them call him Riquet with the Tuft, for Riquet was the family name. Seven or eight years after this, the Queen of a neighbouring kingdom gave birth to twin daughters. The first-born of these was beautiful beyond compare, which made the Queen so happy that those present were afraid that her excess of joy would do her harm. The same Fairy who had been present at the birth of little Riquet with the Tuft was here too. To lessen the Queen's joy, she declared that this little Princess would have no wit at all, but be as stupid as she was pretty. This distressed the Queen terribly. But a few moments later she had far greater sorrow, for the second daughter she gave birth to was very ugly. "Do not be so upset, Madam," said the Fairy; "your daughter will be so intelligent that people will scarcely notice her lack of beauty." "God grant it," replied the Queen; "but is there no way to make the eldest, who is so pretty, have a little wit?" "I can do nothing for her intelligence, Madam," answered the Fairy, "but I can do everything for her beauty. As I would do anything to please you, I give her this gift: she will have the power to make the person she likes best handsome." As these Princesses grew up, their gifts grew with them. All the public talk was of the beauty of the eldest, and the wit of the youngest. It is also true that their faults grew considerably as they grew older. The youngest visibly grew uglier and uglier, and the eldest became more and more stupid every day. She either gave no answer at all to a question or said something very silly. Besides all this, she was so clumsy that she could not put four pieces of china on the mantelpiece without breaking one, nor drink a glass of water without spilling half of it on her clothes. Though beauty is a great advantage in young people, the younger sister nearly always outshone the elder in company. People first went to admire the Beauty, but soon turned to the Wit to hear her wonderfully entertaining conversation. Amazingly, in less than fifteen minutes, the elder would be left alone while everyone crowded around the younger. The eldest, though she was remarkably slow-witted, could not help noticing, and would have given all her beauty to have half the wit of her sister. The Queen, prudent as she was, could not help reproaching her several times, which almost made the poor Princess die of grief. One day, as she withdrew into the wood to weep over her misfortune, she saw a little man coming towards her, very unpleasant to look at but most magnificently dressed. This was the young Prince Riquet with the Tuft, who had fallen in love with her after seeing her picture, copies of which travelled all over the world. He had left his father’s kingdom for the pleasure of seeing and talking with her. Overjoyed to find her all alone like this, he spoke to her with all imaginable politeness and respect. After the usual compliments, he noticed that she was extremely sad, and said: "I cannot understand, Madam, how someone as beautiful as you can seem so sorrowful. For though I can boast of having seen countless numbers of ladies exquisitely charming, I can say that I have never seen anyone whose beauty comes close to yours." "That is kind of you to say," answered the Princess, and here she stopped. "Beauty," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "is such a great advantage, that it ought to make up for everything else. Since you possess this treasure, I cannot see what could make you so unhappy." "I would much rather," cried the Princess, "be as ugly as you are, and have wit, than have the beauty I possess, and be so stupid as I am." "There is nothing, Madam," he replied, "that shows our intelligence more than believing we have none. It is the nature of that excellent quality that the more people have of it, the more they believe they lack it." "I do not know that," said the Princess; "but I know very well that I have very little sense, and that is what makes me so desperately unhappy." "If that is all that troubles you, Madam, I can easily put an end to your distress." "And how will you do that?" cried the Princess. "I have the power, Madam," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "to give the person I love most as much wit as anyone can have. Since you, Madam, are that very person, only you will be to blame if you do not have as much of it as anyone alive: you need only agree to marry me." The Princess remained quite astonished, and did not answer a word. "I see," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "that this proposal makes you very uneasy, and I am not surprised. But I will give you a whole year to think it over." The Princess had so little wit and such a great longing to have some that she imagined the end of that year would never come. So she accepted his proposal. As soon as she promised Riquet with the Tuft that she would marry him a year from that day, she found herself completely changed. She could say whatever she wished with astonishing ease, politeness and grace. At once she began such a lively, charming conversation with Riquet with the Tuft that he thought he had given her more wit than he had kept for himself. When she returned to the palace, the whole Court did not know what to think of such a sudden and extraordinary change, for they heard from her now as much good sense and clever conversation as they had heard foolish, silly remarks before. The whole Court was overjoyed beyond imagination. Everyone was pleased except her younger sister. With no longer any advantage in wit, the younger seemed a very unpleasant, plain-looking girl in comparison. The King took the elder princess’s advice in governing, and would even sometimes hold a council in her apartment. News of this change spread everywhere. All the young Princes of the neighbouring kingdoms did their best to win her favour, and almost all asked her to marry them. But she found that none had enough wit for her. She listened to them all, but would not promise to marry any of them. However, there came one so powerful, rich, witty and handsome, that she could not help taking a liking to him. Her father perceived it, and told her that she was free to choose her own husband, and could say what she wished to do. The more intelligent we are, the harder it can be to decide such things. So she thanked her father and asked for time to think it over. She happened to go for a walk in the same wood where she had met Riquet with the Tuft, to consider more calmly what she ought to do. While she was walking deep in thought, she heard a confused noise under her feet, as if a great many people were hurrying busily back and forth. Listening more closely, she heard one say: "Bring me that pot"; another "Give me that kettle"; and a third, "Put some wood upon the fire." At the same time the ground opened, and she seemed to see beneath her feet a great kitchen full of cooks, kitchen helpers, and all sorts of servants necessary for a magnificent feast. Twenty or thirty roasting cooks came out and gathered around a very long table on a fine path through the wood. They held larding needles, for putting strips of fat into meat, and had skewers in their caps. They began to work in time to a beautiful song. ![Illustration](https://www.openclassics.org/api/illustrations/da3e0cc7-ad17-4147-9d89-023d66835170) The Princess, all astonished at this sight, asked them who they worked for. "For Prince Riquet with the Tuft," said the chief of them, "who is to be married tomorrow." The Princess was more surprised than ever. She remembered that a year had now passed since she promised to marry Riquet with the Tuft, and felt she might sink into the ground. She had forgotten this because, when she made the promise, she was very silly. After receiving the vast stock of wit the Prince had given her, she had completely forgotten how foolish she had been. She continued walking, but had not taken thirty steps before Riquet with the Tuft appeared before her, splendidly and magnificently dressed, like a Prince who was going to be married. "You see, Madam," said he, "I keep my word exactly, and have no doubt that you have come here to keep yours. By giving me your hand, you will make me the happiest of men." "I will freely admit to you," answered the Princess, "that I have not yet decided about this, and I believe I shall never decide as you wish." "You astonish me, Madam," said Riquet with the Tuft. "I believe it," said the Princess, "and surely if I were dealing with a rude fool or a man without intelligence, I would hardly know what to do. 'A Princess always keeps her word,' he would say to me, 'and you must marry me, since you promised to do so.' But as I am speaking to the man with the greatest sense and judgement in the world, I am sure he will listen to reason. You know that even when I was a fool, I could never truly decide to marry you. Why do you now expect me to make that decision, when the judgement you gave me has made me harder to please? If you sincerely intended to make me your wife, you were very wrong to free me from my dull simplicity and make me see things much more clearly than before." "If a man of no wit and sense," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "would have the right, as you say, to blame you for breaking your word, why will you not let me do the same, Madam, when all my happiness is at stake? Is it reasonable that people with wit and sense should be worse off than those who have none? Can you claim that, when you have so much wit and sense yourself and longed so eagerly to have them? But let us get to the point, if you please. Setting aside my ugliness and deformity, is there anything about me that displeases you? Are you dissatisfied with my family background, my wit, my character or my manners?" "Not at all," answered the Princess; "I love you and respect you in all that you mention." "If that is so," said Riquet with the Tuft, "I am likely to be happy, since it is in your power to make me the most lovable of men." "How can that be?" said the Princess. "It will come about," said Riquet with the Tuft, "if you love me enough to wish it to be so. To leave you in no doubt, Madam, the same Fairy gave each of us a gift at birth. She gave me the power to make the person who pleased me extremely intelligent and wise. She gave you the power to make the man you love extremely handsome, if you wish." "If that is so," said the Princess, "I wish, with all my heart, that you become the most lovable Prince in the world, and I give you that gift as far as I am able." As soon as the Princess spoke these words, Riquet with the Tuft appeared to her the finest Prince on earth, the handsomest and most amiable man she had ever seen. Some say that the Fairy’s enchantments did not bring about this change, but that love alone caused the metamorphosis. They say that, after reflecting on her lover's persistence, his good sense and all the good qualities of his mind, his wit and judgement, the Princess no longer saw his misshapen body or ugly face. His hump seemed to her no more than the ordinary appearance of a broad back. Until then she had seen him limp horribly; now it seemed to her only a certain sideways walk which charmed her. They also say that his eyes, which had a pronounced squint, seemed to her all the brighter and more sparkling. She took their unevenness as a sign of his overwhelming love. And in short, his great red nose had, in her opinion, something of the warrior and the hero. However it happened, the Princess promised immediately to marry him, on condition that he obtained her father's consent. The King learnt how highly his daughter valued Riquet with the Tuft, whom he already knew to be a very wise and sensible Prince. He gladly welcomed him as his son-in-law. The next morning their wedding was celebrated, just as Riquet with the Tuft had expected and arranged long before. ## *The Moral* What in this little Tale we find, Is less a fable than real truth. In those we love appear rare gifts of mind, And body too: wit, judgment, beauty, youth. ## *Another* A countenance on which, by nature’s hand, Beauty is traced, with lively colour too, Of a complexion art can’t match in hue, With all these gifts has not so much command On hearts, as does one secret charm alone. Love finds that out, to all others unknown. ## Modernization notes - should be indowed with abundance of → would have great intelligence and: Wit here includes intelligence, quick understanding and clever conversation, rather than humour alone. - whereon, by natures → on which, by nature’s: Countenance is a literary word for a person’s face or its appearance. ## Presented text (with modernization) © OpenClassics.org — All rights reserved. ## Original text The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault, 1922, George G. Harrap & Co., London - author: Charles Perrault - editor: J. E. Mansion - translator: Robert Samber ## Illustration [Maurice Berty](https://www.openclassics.org/api/illustrations/da3e0cc7-ad17-4147-9d89-023d66835170) — Contes du temps passé, suivis de trois contes de Mme d’Aulnoy, 1925, Delagrave, Paris ## Reading music Rêverie Claude Debussy Luis Kolodin (piano) [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) ## Quiz ### Which clay is used to make hard-paste porcelain? - Wax - Kaolin (Correct answer) - Salt The princess breaks porcelain. Hard-paste porcelain is made using kaolin, a white clay, among other ingredients, and is fired at a very high temperature. [Victoria and Albert Museum — A–Z of ceramics](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/a-z-of-ceramics) ### Which protein is found in both hair and nails? - Keratin (Correct answer) - Chlorophyll - Starch Riquet gets his nickname from his tuft of hair. Hair and nails contain keratin, a protein also found in the outer layer of the skin. [National Cancer Institute — Keratin](https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/keratin) ### Which Indian peafowl displays a very long, colourful train to attract a mate? - The chick - The female - The male (Correct answer) A peacock appears among the dishes in the feast illustration. In living Indian peafowl, the male spreads his long train to attract females. These large feathers grow above his actual tail. [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — Peafowl](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/peafowl) ### Which gas produced by yeast makes bread dough rise? - Carbon dioxide (Correct answer) - Helium - Oxygen The feast cooks prepare food. Yeast feeds on sugars in the dough and produces carbon dioxide. The gas forms bubbles trapped in the dough, making it rise. [Exploratorium — The science of bread](https://annex.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/bread_science.html) ### What is the chemical symbol for gold? - Ag - Au (Correct answer) - Fe Gold can be used to make jewellery or crowns. Its chemical symbol is Au. Ag stands for silver, and Fe for iron. [Royal Society of Chemistry — Gold](https://periodic-table.rsc.org/element/79/gold) ## Other languages - [Français](https://www.openclassics.org/fr/stories/riquet-with-the-tuft?format=markdown) - [简体中文](https://www.openclassics.org/zh/stories/riquet-with-the-tuft?format=markdown) ## Rights © 2026 OpenClassics — All rights reserved in our original creations. [Rights](https://www.openclassics.org/information/terms)