Le Bois de Vierges
Encyclopedia
Le Bois des Vierges is a French
comic book
series created by author
s Jean Dufaux
(writer) and Béatrice Tillier (artist), and published by Robert Laffont Fantastique.
The comic is set in a fantasy world
populated by humans in a Tudor period
level of technological sophistication, and several races of anthro
pomorphic carnivora
; including wolves (referred to as Bêtes d'haute taille or High Beasts), lynx
es and red fox
es (both of which are referred to as Bêtes de baisse taille or Low Beasts). The first volume was published in February 2008.
After years of incessant fighting, the war between humanity and the High Beasts is brought to an end after the humans begin using firearms, forcing the comparatively primitive High Beasts to declare a truce. It is decided that an interspecific marriage be formed between Aube, the daughter of the human nobleman Arcan, and Loup-de-Feu, the son of the Beast Lord Loup-de-Traille. Aube is not pleased with the arrangement, believing that the product of such a union would be a blasphemy
. When the time comes to consummate the marriage, Aube's brother Saliat assassinates Loup-de-Feu, and escapes with his sister while the High Beasts declare the truce null. After the High Beasts indulge in a slaughter, Arcan is approached by Griffe-Tout, a lynx who offers to give him information on his daughter on the condition that he sacrifice a pound of his own flesh to him. He reveals that Saliat has been killed by the High Beasts, while Aube escaped to the Wood of Virgins, an area from only virgins can come out alive.
Years later, the war between the two races has reached a stalemate
, with neither side gaining advantage over the other. Though the humans are technologically superior, the High Beasts are physically stronger, more numerous, and have faster growth rates, thus allowing troops to be replenished quicker. In order to break the stalemate, the humans send an envoy, Hugo, to find the banished Lord Clam, who is a famed wolf killer. Under similar orders from his own superior officer, Loup-de-Traille reluctantly accepts to find his eldest and most skilled son, Loup-Gris whom he previously disowned for having married a fox. Loup-de-Traille discovers that his son now has two hybrid children, and refuses to involve himself in the war. Suspecting that his son's wife Lady Goupil has softened him, Loup-de-Traille leaves heavy hearted. Along the way, he finds a band of human bandits attacking a group of foxes. Loup-de-Traille intervenes, but is decapitated by the bandit leader. His body is found by Griffe-Tout and his band of lynxes, and is taken to his son, who decides to form an alliance of High and Low Beasts in order to defeat the human forces. Meanwhile, Hugo discovers a delirious human soldier covered in plant-like growths. Hugo takes him to a monastery, where it is discovered that he found Aube in the Wood of Virgins. The abbot of the monastery reveals himself to be the disgraced Arcan, who offers to aide in the war effort on condition that his daughter be found and returned to him. Hugo crosses a cursed swamp filled inhabited by tree spirits, and finds Clam in a Church, taking a sacrament. The two depart to the Wood of Virgins.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series created by author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s Jean Dufaux
Jean Dufaux
Jean Dufaux is a Belgian comic book writer. Initially beginning his professional career as a journalist for "CINÉ-PRESSE", Dufaux started writing comic books in the 1980s...
(writer) and Béatrice Tillier (artist), and published by Robert Laffont Fantastique.
The comic is set in a fantasy world
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
populated by humans in a Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
level of technological sophistication, and several races of anthro
Anthro
Anthro may refer to:* Anthro-, a prefix for having human qualities or another sentient being apart from the biological definition.* Anthro, short for Anthropology...
pomorphic carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
; including wolves (referred to as Bêtes d'haute taille or High Beasts), lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
es and red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
es (both of which are referred to as Bêtes de baisse taille or Low Beasts). The first volume was published in February 2008.
Humans
- Arcan: A nobleman, father of Aube and Salviat. Along with Loup-de-Traille, he tries to broker a peace between the constantly fighting humans and High Beasts.
- Aube: The headstrong daughter of Arcan, she refuses to go through the arranged marriage with Loup-de-Feu.
- Salviat: The brother of Aube, he murders Loup-de-Feu, thus igniting an exhausting war with the High Beasts.
- Hugo: A young scout, sent by the Armour Prince to find Lord Clam.
- Lord Clam: A pale man, responsible for an unclarified crime, and famed wolf killer.
High Beasts
- Loup-de-Feu: The youngest son of Loup-de-Traille, he is a former soldier in the High Beast army engaged to marry Aube. He is murdered by Saliat.
- Loup-de-Traille: Father of Loup-de-Feu and Loup-Gris, Loup-de-Traille originally agrees with Arcan's desire for peace, until his son's assassination.
- Loup-Gris: The eldest son of Loup-de-Traille, Loup-Gris, like his brother was a soldier. He was banished from his clan after he married Lady Goupil, a Low Beast with whom he has two hybrid children.
Low Beasts
- Griffe-Tout: A lynx and chieftain of a band of mercenaries.
- Lady Goupil: A vixen for whom Loup-Gris was abandoned by his tribe.
One: Hache
Published in 2008After years of incessant fighting, the war between humanity and the High Beasts is brought to an end after the humans begin using firearms, forcing the comparatively primitive High Beasts to declare a truce. It is decided that an interspecific marriage be formed between Aube, the daughter of the human nobleman Arcan, and Loup-de-Feu, the son of the Beast Lord Loup-de-Traille. Aube is not pleased with the arrangement, believing that the product of such a union would be a blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
. When the time comes to consummate the marriage, Aube's brother Saliat assassinates Loup-de-Feu, and escapes with his sister while the High Beasts declare the truce null. After the High Beasts indulge in a slaughter, Arcan is approached by Griffe-Tout, a lynx who offers to give him information on his daughter on the condition that he sacrifice a pound of his own flesh to him. He reveals that Saliat has been killed by the High Beasts, while Aube escaped to the Wood of Virgins, an area from only virgins can come out alive.
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
, with neither side gaining advantage over the other. Though the humans are technologically superior, the High Beasts are physically stronger, more numerous, and have faster growth rates, thus allowing troops to be replenished quicker. In order to break the stalemate, the humans send an envoy, Hugo, to find the banished Lord Clam, who is a famed wolf killer. Under similar orders from his own superior officer, Loup-de-Traille reluctantly accepts to find his eldest and most skilled son, Loup-Gris whom he previously disowned for having married a fox. Loup-de-Traille discovers that his son now has two hybrid children, and refuses to involve himself in the war. Suspecting that his son's wife Lady Goupil has softened him, Loup-de-Traille leaves heavy hearted. Along the way, he finds a band of human bandits attacking a group of foxes. Loup-de-Traille intervenes, but is decapitated by the bandit leader. His body is found by Griffe-Tout and his band of lynxes, and is taken to his son, who decides to form an alliance of High and Low Beasts in order to defeat the human forces. Meanwhile, Hugo discovers a delirious human soldier covered in plant-like growths. Hugo takes him to a monastery, where it is discovered that he found Aube in the Wood of Virgins. The abbot of the monastery reveals himself to be the disgraced Arcan, who offers to aide in the war effort on condition that his daughter be found and returned to him. Hugo crosses a cursed swamp filled inhabited by tree spirits, and finds Clam in a Church, taking a sacrament. The two depart to the Wood of Virgins.