1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener Discretion advised. A speck 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: appeared on the horizon. It hovered there tantalizingly, tauntingly, as 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: a young, emaciated woman stumbled out onto the frigid shoreline, 5 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: staring at it. Was the speck a figment of her 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: desperate imagination, perhaps a trick of the pale light, or 7 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: just another cruel test from her harsh island purgatory. Since 8 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: being marooned on an expedition to the quote New World 9 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: in fifteen forty two, Marguerite de la Roque de Roberval 10 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: had lost. 11 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 2: Count of all the dots and flecks and specks that 12 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 2: she had prayed would grow into the familiar shape of 13 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 2: ships on the horizon. And yet as she squinted intently, 14 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 2: this speck grew. Details emerged. It was a ship. It 15 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 2: had to be a ship. But this instantly brought up 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 2: more tricky questions. What were the vessel's origins? Had the 17 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 2: same vengeful captain who had condemned Marguerite to her tragic 18 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: fate finally decided to return to rescue her, or was 19 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 2: it merely an unknowing craft. Of the rare few sailboats 20 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 2: that had actually appeared in the distance, none had ventured 21 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 2: close enough to instill any true hope of rescue before 22 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 2: they had blended back into the dark sea and gray sky, 23 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 2: disappearing forever. And why would they come close. Marguerite's small 24 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 2: island had little to offer besides hardship and peril, and 25 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 2: yet this boat was as near as any she had 26 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 2: seen in the months since she'd been stranded. Marguerite was 27 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 2: now facing a very tough decision. Starting a huge fire 28 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: was surely the best way to signal to the far 29 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 2: off sailors, but that would mean Marguerite would use essentially 30 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 2: all of her painstakingly stored and gathered firewood. If her 31 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 2: signaling attempt failed, it would be nearly impossible for her 32 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 2: to make it through the next few chilly weeks, let 33 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 2: alone the upcoming winter. In addition to possibly wasting her 34 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 2: collected fuel, the effort of igniting a sizeable enough bonfire 35 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: on the windy Rocky Beach would be exhausting, With every 36 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 2: last calorie counting as a precious commodity, such exertion could 37 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 2: easily prove fatal if it were done in vain, and 38 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 2: yet what were Marguerite's alternatives? More grueling months spent gradually 39 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 2: wasting away, losing every shred of hope and sanity as 40 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 2: the beasts and the elements finally broke her. It was 41 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 2: morbidly absurd to consider how in her past life as 42 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 2: a French noblewoman she had so many servants and suitors 43 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 2: and royal acquaintances. But if she died here on this island, 44 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 2: no one would even know. Was the risk of fire 45 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 2: worth the reward to possibly see her homeland again, or 46 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 2: even to possibly just speak to another human. There was 47 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 2: only one way to find out. Like countless times before 48 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 2: Marguerite got to work, I'm Danish warts and this is 49 00:03:54,960 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 2: noble blood. King Francis the First of France was eager 50 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 2: to keep pace with his more nautically successful European rivals, 51 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: and so he authorized a transatlantic colonizing exploration to New 52 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 2: France in fifteen forty two. According to reports and legends 53 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 2: from European explorers, the regions he was eyeing now parts 54 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 2: of Canada were supposed to be wonderfully fertile lands. Rumor 55 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 2: had it there were even stashes of gold, silver, and 56 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 2: gems to be found. Francis the First chose Jean Francois 57 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,679 Speaker 2: de la Roque de Roberval to lead an exploratory mission. 58 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 2: Many sources point out that Roberval severely lacked seafaring experience, 59 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 2: but the ambitious nobleman was a viceroy and a close 60 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 2: friend of the kings. It's possible that the expedition, or 61 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 2: at least its destination, was actual largely Roberval's idea, given 62 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 2: that he had purportedly mismanaged his assets and hoped that 63 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 2: the discovery of fresh resources would renew his fortunes. Finding 64 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 2: willing participants for the mission was a challenge, though the 65 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 2: hazards and high mortality rates of such colonizing ventures, even 66 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 2: the better organized ones, were no secrets among the French 67 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,799 Speaker 2: working classes, and even if one didn't die at sea 68 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 2: or at a bare bones settlement, there was an extremely 69 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 2: high chance of suffering through diseases like scurvy. Nevertheless, through 70 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:49,720 Speaker 2: some combination of persuasion and force, Roberval eventually gathered sailors, soldiers, 71 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 2: and artisans, the latter group being mostly former inmates and 72 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 2: set sail One other key passenger who joined the adventure 73 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:07,119 Speaker 2: was Marguerite Delaroque. Depending on the account, Marguerite was either 74 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 2: Roberval's sister or niece. Regardless, the two were apparently close, 75 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 2: but even a tight familial bond and a general thirst 76 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 2: for adventure failed to entirely and convincingly explain the young 77 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 2: noblewoman's decision to want to join such a fraud endeavor. 78 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 2: Marguerite's motivation makes much more sense when considering another crucial factor, 79 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 2: her romantic prospects. Practically all versions of the story agree 80 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: that Marguerite was pursuing a passionate relationship with a man 81 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 2: during the voyage. The identity of Marguerite's male lover remains 82 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 2: a mystery, but all signs point to him being a 83 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 2: sailor or skilled laborer. The timeline of the romance also 84 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 2: appears hazy. It's possible that Marguerite was initially trying to 85 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 2: escape an arranged marriage at court and then fell in 86 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 2: love while at sea. Some scholars have suggested that Marguerite's 87 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 2: mysterious lover was a distant admirer, and he volunteered for 88 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 2: the expedition in order to woo her. Another highly plausible 89 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 2: explanation is that the lovebirds already had some existing relationship 90 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 2: before deciding to embark on the expedition, an expedition that 91 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 2: they saw as an opportunity to enjoy greater romantic freedom, 92 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 2: regardless of their class differences. Whatever the case, Marguerite and 93 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 2: her man supposedly had quite the secret intimate romance, which 94 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 2: is truly impressive considering the cramped confines of a sixteenth 95 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 2: century ship. Fortunately for Marguerite, she supposed had an older 96 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: loyal maid named Damienne with her. Sources vary when it 97 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 2: comes to Demienne's involvement and feelings on the ethics of 98 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 2: the romance, but several sources assert that she helped the 99 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 2: infatuated couple sneak around, and there was certainly plenty of 100 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 2: time for plotting trysts, since the trip was long and 101 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:29,679 Speaker 2: the ship stopped for a while when first reaching Newfoundland. However, 102 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:35,679 Speaker 2: secrecy could only last so long. Word reached Captain Roberval, 103 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 2: and he reportedly grew furious. He became dead set on 104 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:47,439 Speaker 2: punishing Marguerite, and like so many legendary pirates and infamous captains, 105 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 2: he chose to maroon his detainee on a desolate island. 106 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 2: A natural question is why Roberval would dole out such 107 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:04,719 Speaker 2: harsh punishment to a noble family member. Historians offer several reasons. 108 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 2: One is that he worried that Marguerite's indiscretions with a 109 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 2: commoner could damage their family's reputation. A second explanation is 110 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,320 Speaker 2: that Roberval was an exceedingly pious man. He may have 111 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 2: feared that Marguerite's unmarried affair was an affront to God, 112 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 2: and that failing to penalize her would invite vengeful consequences 113 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,079 Speaker 2: on the entire mission and crew, many of whom were 114 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 2: already highly superstitious about their ocean bound fates. Several modern 115 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 2: historians claim a third and more sinister reason, greed. Roberval 116 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 2: supposedly had dire money problems when leaving France, but he 117 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:55,319 Speaker 2: shared certain lavish properties and other valuable assets with Marguerite. 118 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 2: He stood to be the one to solely inherit those properties. 119 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 2: She was removed from the equation, But as the logic goes, 120 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 2: he didn't want to jeopardize his claims by directly killing 121 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 2: her and inviting accusations of financially motivated foul play, so 122 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 2: he may have played up his righteous need to punish 123 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 2: Marguerite in order to obscure his more cynical, premeditated schemes. 124 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 2: We may never know the extent of Roberval's rationale, but 125 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 2: his final decision was clear. He selected an island on 126 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 2: which to deposit Marguerite, as well as the woman he 127 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:46,359 Speaker 2: saw as complicit in Marguerite's indiscretions, Damienne. However, Roberval apparently 128 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:51,559 Speaker 2: underestimated the power of love, because, in some dramatic tellings, 129 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 2: Marguerite's partner was to be marooned on another island, but 130 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,560 Speaker 2: he jumped overboard and swam to be with Marguerite as 131 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 2: she was being abandoned first. In other versions of the story, 132 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,320 Speaker 2: Marguerite realized what her fate would be and negotiated with 133 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 2: Roberval to at least leave her and her partner together. 134 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 2: A particularly stirring recap of the events even claim that 135 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 2: Marguerite threatened Roberval at gunpoint, demanding that if she were 136 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 2: to serve such a severe sentence, that she should be 137 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 2: able to serve it with her beloved co conspirator. Details 138 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 2: on which virtually all reports seem to agree are that 139 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 2: the stranded trio were left with four long guns, some ammunition, 140 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: and a few other meager tools and supplies, but survival 141 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 2: was still clearly a long shot. The conditions were harsh, 142 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 2: and the island was allegedly so infested with evil spirits 143 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 2: that it was named the Isle of Demas. Descriptions and 144 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 2: sketches from explorers of that era depict the Isle of 145 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 2: Demons as a beautiful but wild place. It had striking 146 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 2: coastlines and alluring vistas, but was essentially uninhabited due to 147 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:24,959 Speaker 2: its fairly remote location and dangerous animal predators. One sailor, 148 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 2: who claimed to have spotted the relatively small island from afar, 149 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 2: put it simply quote, wild beasts come to the shore 150 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 2: unafraid of the sight of men. Tribes native to the 151 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,239 Speaker 2: mainland of what is now Canada and other surrounding islands 152 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 2: supposedly sent occasional hunting parties to the Isle of Demons 153 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 2: and had vast knowledge of its ecosystem, but European settlers 154 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 2: generally feared them. The entities that European travelers feared most, however, 155 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 2: were these which inspired the island's sinister name, that is, 156 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 2: the alleged Demons. European colonists and cartographers of the time 157 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 2: certainly had a habit of picking dramatic or unpleasant sounding 158 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 2: names for islands in that region. Two neighboring islands were 159 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 2: the Isle of Fire and the Isle of Rats. Terrible 160 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 2: as both of those sound, Unfortunately for Marguerite, she was 161 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 2: stranded on the scariest island of them all. According to 162 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 2: one account, the demons on her island quote visibly show 163 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:44,079 Speaker 2: themselves and make attempts to lead men astray, and principally 164 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 2: appear as remembered figures which have been drowned in some 165 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 2: violent adventure. Despite being trapped in a honeymoon of nightmares, Marguerite's, 166 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 2: her romantic partner, and her maid did their best to 167 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 2: make do. They built a simple cabin shelter and gathered 168 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 2: fruits and edible vegetation. They attempted to hunt wild game 169 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:13,959 Speaker 2: with their guns. Some historians claim Marguerite's partner taught her 170 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 2: to shoot, while others suggest that she was probably already 171 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 2: a proficient shooter, having trained with Roberval during royal hunting 172 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 2: expeditions in the forests of France. In case you haven't noticed, 173 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 2: details about what exactly occurred in this story are difficult 174 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 2: to establish definitively. The two main sources we have from 175 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 2: the sixteenth century that tell Marguerite's story are both embellished 176 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 2: for the sake of dramatization, and sometimes they're slightly contradictory. 177 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 2: But in almost every version of the story, the castaways 178 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 2: were supposedly tormented by the island's evil spirits. In the 179 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 2: words of one sixteenth century writer, the spirits cry were 180 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 2: so loud at night that quote it seemed that there 181 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 2: were more than one hundred thousand men together end quote. 182 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 2: And to make it all exponentially more difficult, Marguerite was pregnant. 183 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 2: Simply staying warm and finding enough food required tremendous effort. 184 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 2: Marguerite's devoted partner seemingly did his best to provide for 185 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 2: his beleaguered group, but apparently, after roughly eight months on 186 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 2: the island, he died. The exact cause remains unknown, but 187 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 2: several modern historians suggest it was a combination of fatigue, 188 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 2: poor nutrition, and water contamination. Marguerite had to bury her 189 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 2: beloved while in the late stages of pregnancy. With Damien's help. 190 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 2: She reportedly tried to dig a deep enough grave, but 191 00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 2: the cold, hard ground made this a grueling task, As 192 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 2: if the strenuous labor and emotional toll wasn't enough. Marguerite 193 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 2: allegedly still had to guard her partner's graveside to keep 194 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 2: animals from unearthing and devouring his body. Supposedly, her faith 195 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 2: in God fortified her. But all of this was a 196 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 2: truly devastating blow, and yet Marguerite could not simply give 197 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:29,120 Speaker 2: herself over to mourning. She soon gave birth to a son, 198 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 2: possibly the first baby to have ever been born on 199 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,000 Speaker 2: the Isle of Demons. Rather than entering a world of 200 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 2: luxury and being celebrated as a new noble heir, the 201 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 2: baby was thrust into immediate and constant danger. Likewise, Marguerite 202 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 2: must have had little time to celebrate or to recover 203 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 2: from the baby's arrival. She had to simultaneously nourish her 204 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 2: baby and protect him from wolves, wolverines, and bears. An 205 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 2: early embellished account of Marguerite's marooning specified that she had 206 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,679 Speaker 2: such amazing aim that she shot three bears in a 207 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 2: single day. One of them was supposedly quote white as 208 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,960 Speaker 2: an egg, a claim that has prompted several scholars to 209 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 2: analyze whether it's possible that she could have legitimately killed 210 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 2: a polar bear again by then she ostensibly had ample 211 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 2: shooting skill, and evidently polar bears did sometimes float south 212 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 2: to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on Arctic ice floes, So, 213 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:44,240 Speaker 2: while perhaps improbable, that daring feat is actually within the 214 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:50,439 Speaker 2: realm of possibility. While not attempting to slay apex predators, 215 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 2: Marguerite and Damien watched for passing ships. They hardly saw any, However, 216 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 2: as the weeks continued to pass. Similarly, no mention of 217 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,719 Speaker 2: any encounters with tribes native to the area pop up 218 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 2: in any of the most studied sources. Then, not long 219 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 2: after Marguerite gave birth, Damienne died. Several writers have estimated 220 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 2: that she was already well past sixty, so her death 221 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 2: was not necessarily surprising. If anything, it was amazing that 222 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 2: she had made it so long, apparently assisting Marguerite as 223 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 2: best she could. Once again, Marguerite had to dig a 224 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 2: grave and fashion a makeshift cross. But once again Marguerite 225 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,880 Speaker 2: had no time to idly mourn. With no one left 226 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 2: to share the workload nor help protect her infant son, 227 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 2: every daily chore and survival decision fell to Marguerite. Soon 228 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 2: the burden became too great, and once again Marguerite suffered 229 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 2: a devastating loss. Tragically, her baby passed as well. Somewhere 230 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 2: on the Isle of Demons, three makeshift crosses marked three 231 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:13,960 Speaker 2: graves of three different sizes. Even centuries later, Marguerite's grief 232 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 2: over bearing her loved ones comes across as nearly unfathomable, 233 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:25,160 Speaker 2: especially as she was then truly alone. Would the noble 234 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 2: woman turned survivalist be too heartbroken to continue? Was she 235 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 2: destined to suffer the same dire fate with no one 236 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 2: to bury her. Would she become a scant meal for 237 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 2: the stalking carnivores. No, Marguerite kept fighting. Per some sources, 238 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 2: it was late autumn and winter was coming. She overcame sickness, cold, 239 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 2: and the loss of her guns as protection once her 240 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 2: gunpowder ran out. Possibly even worse than all of the 241 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 2: physical threats was the mental torment. Marguerite was coping with 242 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:07,719 Speaker 2: terrible loneliness, with no one to talk to nor to 243 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 2: find comfort from. She was reportedly besieged by anxiety, depression, 244 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 2: and paranoia. She believed animals were demons in disguise and 245 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 2: envisioned evil phantoms relentlessly trying to cast spells upon her. 246 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 2: Although to be clear the inner workings of Marguerite ted 247 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,439 Speaker 2: can't be known for sure. This information comes from a 248 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:36,119 Speaker 2: sixteenth century historian named Andrea Thavett, who claimed to have 249 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 2: interviewed Marguerite, but we don't know for sure whether he 250 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 2: actually did. Through some combination of resourcefulness, faith, and stubborn 251 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 2: survival instinct, Marguerite kept working. She set traps, stored food 252 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 2: for winter, and made clothing out of hides. It's tough 253 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:59,520 Speaker 2: to ascertain whether she held out any legitimate hope of 254 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 2: a rescue. Contemporary sixteenth century writers seem pretty certain that 255 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 2: she had given up on the idea of Roberval returning. 256 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 2: Clearly he thought he had resigned her to her fate, 257 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 2: and unbeknownst to Marguerite, he had actually headed back to 258 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 2: France after a disastrous colonization attempt, but would any ship 259 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 2: at all sail by and rescue her. Finally, after Marguerite 260 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 2: had been living on the island for a little over 261 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:34,919 Speaker 2: a year, according to a particularly thorough study, a tantalizing 262 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 2: speck appeared on the horizon. Marguerite decided to use all 263 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 2: of her firewood to build a huge fire. She ignited 264 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 2: the blaze, she ran along the shore desperately shouting and flailing. 265 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 2: As it turned out, the ship was a fishing vessel, 266 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 2: and she certainly caught the fishermen's attention, But whether they 267 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:02,240 Speaker 2: would come to her rescue a different matter, because by 268 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 2: then Marguerite herself came across like a demon. Emaciated, filthy, 269 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 2: and covered in hides. She apparently made the cod fishermen 270 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 2: extremely wary of going ashore and encountering her. They thought 271 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 2: she could very well be an evil spirit intent on 272 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 2: tricking them, especially since they were from Brittany and she 273 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:31,360 Speaker 2: was yelling in their native French. Again, Marguerite's life now 274 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 2: hung in the balance. Would the former noblewoman be able 275 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 2: to lure the fishermen to her aid, or had she 276 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 2: become too feral and unrecognizable, a deranged representation of her 277 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 2: demonic island. Ultimately, the fisherman's curiosity won out. The fishingboat 278 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 2: captain ordered a scouting party to shore, and Marguerite led 279 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,680 Speaker 2: the stunned fishermen back to her shelter to show them 280 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,880 Speaker 2: how she had survived. They were reportedly gobsmacked at her 281 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 2: bravery and determination upon learning of her noble heritage. It's 282 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 2: also fairly probable that they envisioned a reward if they 283 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,360 Speaker 2: rescued her and reunited her back with her wealthy family 284 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 2: in France. But was that what Marguerite wanted after all? 285 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 2: Even after hoping to be saved for so long, when 286 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 2: the time came, she allegedly had second thoughts. She became 287 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 2: reluctant to return to her extravagant lifestyle and noble obligations. 288 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 2: In several tellings of the tale, while the fishermen rode 289 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 2: Marguerite back to their ship, she expressed a sudden desire 290 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 2: to stay on the island so she could live out 291 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:49,959 Speaker 2: her solitary life until she died in the same place 292 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 2: as her loved ones. Nevertheless, eventually Marguerite did decide to 293 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 2: return to France with the fishermen. Records are a bit hazy. 294 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,879 Speaker 2: After that, she seemingly opted for a quiet life, and 295 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 2: it's unclear whether she ever saw Roberval again or sought 296 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,360 Speaker 2: any justice for the fact that he had stranded her. 297 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 2: Roberval seemingly suffered plenty of self inflicted punishment. However, he 298 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:22,439 Speaker 2: led another failed, miserable attempt to colonize and loot quote 299 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 2: New France. Then he ultimately died in a riot between 300 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:30,880 Speaker 2: Protestants and Catholics. A friend of his, who became one 301 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,160 Speaker 2: of the chief chroniclers of the whole story, at one 302 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 2: point tried to rename the Isle of Demons for his friend, Roberval, 303 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 2: but fittingly, this idea didn't gain traction, and the group 304 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 2: of islands that supposedly included Marguerite became known for a 305 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 2: while as the Il de la Demoiselle or Isles of 306 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 2: the Young Lady. Among modern scholars, Marguerite's story has sparked 307 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:02,119 Speaker 2: plenty of debates. Some have questioned whether the entire tale 308 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 2: might have been a fabrication, especially considering how many of 309 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 2: its heightened tragic elements fit neatly with French tastes in 310 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 2: literature at that time. However, while various versions probably almost 311 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:23,400 Speaker 2: certainly contain exaggerations, analysis of reports made by several observers, 312 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 2: including the pilot of Roberval's ship, do appear to corroborate 313 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:34,919 Speaker 2: the fundamental narrative of Marguerite being marooned, surviving her harsh isolation, 314 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 2: and eventually returning to her homeland. In addition, there has 315 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 2: been a fair amount of debate over which island the 316 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 2: Isle of Demons actually was. Most historians agree that the 317 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 2: island is one of the many in the Gulf of 318 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 2: Saint Lawrence, either close to the coast of Canada's Quebec Province, 319 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 2: off the northeast edge of Labrador, or near the northern 320 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 2: tip of Newfoundland. Two such sparsely populated islands, Harrington Harbor 321 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:13,120 Speaker 2: Island and Quirpon Island, have even leaned into the story 322 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 2: as a tourist attraction, offering accommodations and tours of locations 323 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:25,679 Speaker 2: where Marguerite purportedly stayed. Over the years, Marguerite's dramatic ordeal 324 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 2: has captivated many artists and writers. The first published account 325 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:36,479 Speaker 2: was actually by another Marguerite, Queen Marguerite de Navarre, in 326 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:41,640 Speaker 2: her fifteen fifty eight short story collection Heptameron. Since then, 327 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 2: Marguerite's exploits have been adapted into many other forms, novels 328 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:51,880 Speaker 2: like the twenty twenty five novel Isola, poems, plays, songs, 329 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:56,720 Speaker 2: and a recent feature film called A Survivor's Tale. Two 330 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 2: fans of the reality television competition series Alone, Marguerite's unforgiving 331 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,679 Speaker 2: environment might also sound familiar the show, which documents the 332 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 2: struggles of solo survival experts attempting to make it as 333 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 2: long as they can in the wilderness, has used several 334 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:20,600 Speaker 2: locations in Canada, including a northern area of Labrador. For 335 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:25,199 Speaker 2: comparison's sake, the record for the longest stay on the 336 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 2: series stands at one hundred days, a feat that came 337 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 2: with a one million dollar prize. Even by modest estimations, 338 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 2: that stay was still less than a third of Marguerite's stretch. 339 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:44,439 Speaker 2: As for Marguerite herself, while many chronicles were hazy about 340 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 2: the later portions of her life, a few were more specific. 341 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 2: Several detailed explorations of Marguerite's journey conclude somewhat cathartically, with 342 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 2: her settling into the town of Nontran, France, and living 343 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 2: for many years while while working as a school teacher. 344 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:06,679 Speaker 2: Noble ladies in the area were reportedly more than happy 345 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 2: to send their daughters to learn from such an intrepid 346 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 2: and worldly woman. That's the indomitable story of Marguerite de Laroque. 347 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,600 Speaker 2: But don't fly off after a brief sponsor break. There's 348 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:27,760 Speaker 2: one more, very intriguing detail to share about the cacophonous 349 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 2: demons populating the Isle of Demons. Many versions of Marguerite's 350 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 2: story heavily lean into religious imagery and themes, particularly when 351 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 2: it comes to descriptions of the islands, demons and their habits. However, 352 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:56,560 Speaker 2: modern historians and biologists have suggested that Marguerite's recounting of 353 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 2: the evil spirits nightly Shrieks could have a more earthly 354 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 2: explanation massive flocks of migrating birds, specifically species that would 355 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 2: have been vastly unfamiliar to European visitors. While perhaps not 356 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 2: inherently as diabolical as the torment of demons, as the 357 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:25,680 Speaker 2: film The Birds spotlights, such avian interactions can apparently still 358 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:37,800 Speaker 2: be the stuff of nightmares. Noble Blood is a production 359 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 2: of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble 360 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,440 Speaker 2: Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing 361 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 2: and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit 362 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,200 Speaker 2: and Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced by 363 00:29:55,280 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 2: Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and executive 364 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 2: producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more 365 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 2: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or 366 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 2: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.