Mackinac State Historic Parks

Fort Fright, which takes place October 2-3 at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City. It draws upon traditional French Canadian folklore of the 18th century. The stories at the core of Fort Fright come from Dirk Gringhuis’ Werewolves and Will-o’-the-Wisps: French Tales of Mackinac Retold, which he wrote for Mackinac State Historic Parks in 1974. Gringhuis drew from several sources found in a variety of 19th-century publications, notably Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin’s Legends of Le Detroit, published in 1884. He also drew from the works of Canadian folklorist Honoré Beaugrand.

The devil appears as a recurring character in many Canadian folktales. The Clever Woman, included below, features the devil as the primary antagonist. Unlike some other folktales, those featuring the devil include basic morals, such as the dangers of laziness, which plays a central role in The Clever Woman. In this story, the devil disguises himself by wearing long gloves to conceal his claws, a tall hat to hide his horns, and a long coat to cover his tail.

Enjoy The Clever Woman, presented by Devan, our Lead Interpretive Supervisor. For more folktales like this, we hope you join us for Fort Fright.

To learn more about Fort Fright, click here. For more stories, click here or here. To purchase tickets, click here.