One of Guernsey's most dramatic folk tales tells of a fairy prince who arrived on Vazon Beach through the magical gate at L'Érée known as the Creux es Faies — a Neolithic passage grave long associated with the otherworld. The prince discovered a beautiful local woman, traditionally named Michèle De Garis, and fell instantly in love. Using fairy enchantment, he spirited her away to his realm and made her queen.
The story
The fairies were so delighted with their new queen that they resolved to capture more Guernsey women. A fairy army invaded the island, and the battle that followed was savage and prolonged. Local tradition places the final confrontation at the site now known as Beau Séjour. The Guernsey men were outmatched by the prince's forces, and only two or three survivors escaped. The fairies took the remaining women as their prize.
The legend explains several features of local identity. The road where the heaviest fighting occurred ran red with blood and is still called Rouge Rue — 'the Red Road.' More playfully, islanders say that the mixing of fairy and human blood explains why many Guernsey folk are short: anyone under six feet is said to descend from the fairies, while the tall are descended from the handful of survivors. Scholars have noted parallels with the recorded mercenary raid on Guernsey in 1338, suggesting the fairy tale may preserve a folk memory of a real invasion.