Tourmentine

Tourmentine is the main antagonist of Madame d'Aulnoy's fairy tale The Bee and the Orange Tree.

Description
Tourmentine is a half-ogress, half-fairy. She is a savage creature, but she is also quite intelligent (in contrast to her brutish husband Ravagio). She is also a cannibal, and even eats one of her own children. She also reveres the fairy Trusio.

She initially takes care of Aimee, but later reveals her true colors when Aimee escapes.

Role in the story
When an infant princess named Aimee washes up on the shore, Tourmentine is taken in by her beauty. Instead of eating her, Tourmentine adopts Aimee and convinces her husband Ravagio to marry Aimee off to their son when she gets older. When Aimee gets older, she resents this arranged marriage. One day, Aimee's cousin, Prince Aime, washes up on the shore. Aimee protects Aime from Tourmentine and the other ogres. When Aimee tries to flee, she injures herself on a thorn, and Tourmentine comes to aid her. The ogres then capture Aime.

Once Aimee is feeling better, she devises another plan to escape. She steals two of the young ogres' crowns, which they must sleep with. Ravagio eats one of them, and Tourmentine eats another one. Aimee then steals Tourmentine's wand and teaches herself to speak Aime's language. Then she steals Tourmentine's camel. Tourmentine is enraged and sends her husband after the prince and princess to eat them. Aimee uses the wand to change herself, Aime, and the camel into various things. Ravagio is fooled twice. The third time, Tourmentine goes after the two herself. Aimee turns herself into a bee, Aime into an orange tree, and the camel into a box. When Tourmentine tries to attack, Aimee stings her, leading Tourmentine to flee.

Afterwards, Tourmentine and her husband disappear from the story. Their ultimate fate is unknown. Aimee and Aime are later restored to their original forms by the fairy Trusio and marry.