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The True Story of Beauty and the Beast

Although the tale of Beauty and the Beast may have been inspired by a fable by Apuleius about the love affair between Cupid and Psyche, the fate of the two heroes is also a true story.

In the 16th century, Petrus was born in 1537 in the Canary Islands with a peculiarity: his entire body was covered in particularly long hair. The child actually suffered from hypertrichosis, the result of a rare genetic mutation.

At the age of 10, the young boy was brought to the French court and offered to Henry II, who exhibited him and allowed him to be treated like an animal. When it was determined that he was not dangerous, his name was Latinized and became Petrus Gonsalvus. The king wanted to take the experiment further and see if it was possible to turn this animal into a cultivated gentleman.

Petrus then received a classical education. Upon Henry II's death, his widow, Catherine de' Medici, took charge of his destiny and sought to find him a marriage. She found him the young and pretty daughter of one of her servants, who had no idea who she was going to marry.

Petrus and Catherine had several children together, at least four of whom were born with hypertrichosis. The family traveled extensively throughout Europe, visiting sovereigns whose curiosity compelled them to welcome and entertain them.

Upon Catherine de' Medici's death, they were forced to settle in Italy with Duke Ranuccio I Farnese, who offered the children as gifts to his entourage, as if they were pets. All traces of the family were subsequently lost, and their whereabouts and dates of disappearance are unknown.

Good day and good game ;)