A Ramoneur (Chimney sweep) falls in the cauldron of the Cuisinière du Roi Noir (The Black King’s Cook), an imposter who murdered his brother the Roi d’Azur (Azure King) and locked up his niece the Princesse d’Azur (Azure Princess) in a cage. Doomed to be cooked in the oven, the Ramoneur is freed by the Corbeau du Roi (King’s Crow) who tells him that the key to the cage where the Princesse is locked up is hidden at the back of the oven. When the Roi Noir discovers that the Ramoneur is still alive, he throws him in the well. The Corbeau asks the Ramoneur to retrieve the Roi d’Azur’s sword at the bottom of the well and to kill the Roi Noir in order to free the Princesse: the Roi Noir threatens the Princesse to kill her if she does not marry him. The Corbeau warns the Roi Noir of the Ramoneur’s intentions, and says that he is invincible; the Roi tells the Corbeau where the royal treasure is hidden to bribe the Ramoneur. The Ramoneur refuses the money, cuts the Roi Noir’s head and frees the Princesse, who wants to marry him in return. The Corbeau lives a happy life with them.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

France

Paris

Printed

Usurper

Cauldron

Oven

Well

Cage

Sword

Treasure

Fantasy

Comical

Farcical

French

Chimney sweeper

King

Regicide

Black Man

Cook

Baker

Princess

Raven

Bird

Off-stage voice

Fall of a character

Hidden character

Blow

Chase

Character covered in flour

Talking animal

Burnt character

Characters bumping into each other

Fainting

Headbutt

Character dragged by their feet

Character thrown in a well

Off-stage scream

Sword thrust

Stuck character

La Fortune du ramoneur

The chimney sweep’s fortune

Starving, Gripandouille goes to the pork butcher to buy some black pudding. Because they’re out of it, he ruins the shop, beats the Charcutier (Pork butcher) to death and puts his corpse in his basket. Still starving, Gripandouille steals a black pudding from a Vieille Femme (Old Woman), then from an Élégant (Sophisticated Man) and finally from a Gendarme (Constable) before killing them all and hiding them in his basket. However, every stolen sausage is taken from him by a Chien (Dog) and then by the Diable (Devil). The Diable leaves, but not before bringing Gripandouille’s victims back to life: they beat their murderer to death to punish him for not resisting his desires.

Hunger

Black pudding

Lust

Basket

Punishment

Trade

Resurrection

Tantalus punishment

Frontispiece of Les Boudins de Gripandouille. Drawing: Duranty. Engraving: V. Cousin.