Melusina

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Melusina

The most famous of the fays, or fairies, of medieval French legend. Being condemned to turn into a serpent from the waist downward every Saturday, she made her husband, Count Raymond of Lusignan, promise never to come near her on a Saturday. This prohibition finally excited his curiosity and suspicion, and he hid himself and witnessed his wife's transformation.

Melusina was now compelled to quit her mortal husband and was destined to wander about as a specter until the day of doom. She became the Banshee of Lusignan. It is said also that the count immured her in the dungeon of his castle.

Sources:

Briggs, Katherine A. A Dictionary of Fairies. London: Penguin Books, 1976. Reprinted as An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. New York: Pantheon Books, 1976.

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