Speaker 1: Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
Speaker 1: is Wamanica. Historically, women have been told to make themselves smaller,
Speaker 1: to diminish themselves. Some have used that idea to their advantage,
Speaker 1: disappearing into new identities. For others, a disappearance was the
Speaker 1: end of their stories, but the beginning of a new
Speaker 1: chapter of their legacies. This month, we're telling the stories
Speaker 1: of these women. We're talking about disappearing acts. Sometimes people
Speaker 1: don't disappear by choice. In fifteen forty two, a French
Speaker 1: ship sailed away from a remote island along the coast
Speaker 1: of modern day Canada. From its deck, sailors could make
Speaker 1: out the figures of three people standing on the shoreline.
Speaker 1: The captain had spoken the crew was leaving a young
Speaker 1: woman and her two companions behind on the unsettled island,
Speaker 1: with its wild beasts and foul weather. They were sure
Speaker 1: to vanish from history, but somehow one of them survived.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about Marguerite de la Raque. We don't know
Speaker 1: much about Marguerite's personal history, except that she was born
Speaker 1: in the early sixteenth century in France. We also know
Speaker 1: that she was related to Jean Francois de la Roque,
Speaker 1: a powerful noble in the French court, he was more
Speaker 1: commonly referred to by his title Sieur de Roberval. In
Speaker 1: fifteen forty two, Roberval captained of voyage to a colony
Speaker 1: in present day Quebec. Back then, Canada was still a
Speaker 1: French colony. Marguerite accompanied him, but her presence on board
Speaker 1: the ship ended in scandal. Roberval discovered Marguerite was having
Speaker 1: a secret affair with a young man aboard whose identity
Speaker 1: is not known. Roberval condemned his young relative's promiscuity and
Speaker 1: delivered a harsh punishment. He ordered his crew to row
Speaker 1: Marguerite and her handmaid Demienne out to an unsettled island
Speaker 1: on the Saint Lawrence River. It was called Eel de
Speaker 1: des Mondes, the Isle of Demons. Rumors swirled that the
Speaker 1: place was evil and haunted, and Robervl wha all was
Speaker 1: marooning Marguerite and Damienne there with no plan to ever return.
Speaker 1: As the crew prepared to leave the two women behind stranded,
Speaker 1: Marguerite's lover leaped off the boat to join her in exile.
Speaker 1: Other stories speculate that he forced his way off the
Speaker 1: ship against Reberval's wishes. Another theory is that he was
Speaker 1: forced at gunpoint to join his paramour and banishment. Those
Speaker 1: details have been lost to time. We do know that
Speaker 1: as Rubberval sailed away, he left three behind with only
Speaker 1: some food and a few firearms to aid them in survival.
Speaker 1: It was a desperate situation, even in the summer months.
Speaker 1: The island was cold by evening, Unfamiliar wild animals howled
Speaker 1: furiously at night, and the small party fought wirelessly to
Speaker 1: keep them at bay. Their days were spent scouting around
Speaker 1: rock pools for fresh water and foraging for food. Marguerite's
Speaker 1: lover built a signal fire to alert any passing ships
Speaker 1: to their presence, but months passed and no help came. Soon,
Speaker 1: Marguerite realized she was pregnant. At first, she held on
Speaker 1: to hope that they would be rescued and she and
Speaker 1: her lover could raise their newborn together back in France,
Speaker 1: But as their baby's birth approached, the young man fell ill.
Speaker 1: With no medical attention and so little food, he died.
Speaker 1: As winter approached, the two women continued to struggle against
Speaker 1: the harsh climate. Marguerite learned to hunt with the guns
Speaker 1: left behind by rubber val bringing down caribou and bears
Speaker 1: for sustenance. When the baby was born, an extra mouth
Speaker 1: to feed became an even greater strain. Desmienne grew weaker
Speaker 1: and more hopeless. She died too. Now just Marguerite was
Speaker 1: left to try and keep her baby alive, but it
Speaker 1: was no use. The conditions were too rough. Marguerite buried
Speaker 1: all three of the souls that had ended up on
Speaker 1: the Isle of Demons. With her alone and exhausted, Marguerite
Speaker 1: grew more desperate. She was sure she'd die on the
Speaker 1: island as well. With no one left to dig her grave,
Speaker 1: she continued to hunt wild game, dressing herself in fur
Speaker 1: and skins for warmth. At night, she fought off predators
Speaker 1: in the dark by herself. Then, more than two years
Speaker 1: into her exile on the Isle of Demons, a fishing
Speaker 1: ship appeared on the horizon. As the boat drew nearer,
Speaker 1: the crew on board must have thought she was one
Speaker 1: of the demons said to haunt the island. She looked
Speaker 1: the part, ragged and hungry and dressed in animal skins,
Speaker 1: But no, she was still just a frenchwoman, one who
Speaker 1: need to be rescued. The fishermen took her on board,
Speaker 1: and Marguerite sailed with them back to France. Against all odds,
Speaker 1: she had refused to disappear into the Canadian wilderness. Marguerite's
Speaker 1: story of survival was recorded by two contemporaries, Andrea Taveai,
Speaker 1: a Catholic clergyman, and Queen Marguerite de Navarre. Their versions
Speaker 1: remain the clearest pictures we have of what Marguerite experienced
Speaker 1: on the island, but both tales were likely influenced by
Speaker 1: her banisher Roberval's perspective and were not edited by Marguerite herself,
Speaker 1: so it's hard to know what details were changed, added
Speaker 1: or left out. The tale has been retold and fictionalized
Speaker 1: many times throughout history, but the full story of Marguerite's
Speaker 1: exile remains a mystery. Even the Isle of Demons has
Speaker 1: vanished today, we're not sure exactly which present day Canadian
Speaker 1: island it was. All month we're talking about disappearing acts.
Speaker 1: For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Wamanica Podcast special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister
Speaker 1: and co creator. Talk to you tomorrow.