Evil Genius of the Forest

The Evil Genius of the Forest (also known as the Parrot) is an antagonist of the French fairy tale Blondine, Bonne-Biche, and Beau-Minon by the Comtesse de Segur.

He is an evil enchanter who takes the form of a parrot with green feathers and an orange throat and breast.

Role in the story
The Evil Genius of the Forest, in the guise of the parrot, meets Blondine while she is in the Forest of Lilacs. He claims to have taken pity on Blondine and converses with her. He tells Blondine that he can bring her back to her father.

The parrot convinces Blondine that her friends Bonne-Biche (a deer) and Beau-Minon (a cat) are keeping her as a hostage. Blondine disagrees, telling the parrot that they had treated her kindly. When the parrot is finally able to convince Blondine to trust him, he tells her to gather a rose from the garden. When Blondine tells Bonne-Biche about the rose, Bonne-Biche warns her about it and forbids her from talking about it.

The parrot continues to visit Blondine. Eventually, Blondine's attitude towards Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon changes, and she begins to ignore them. The parrot tells Blondine that the rose is an hour's walk from the palace. He convinces Blondine to find the rose, and as she draws closer, the parrot continues to agitate her.

When Blondine finds the rose, the parrot tells her to pick it. Blondine tears the rose off the bush. However, the rose falls from her hand and claims that Blondine is now in its possession. The parrot reveals that he is the Evil Genius of the Forest. The Evil Genius and the rose disappear, leaving Blondine all alone.

Blondine returns to the palace to find that Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon are gone. Blondine grieves for her friends and vows to repent her mistake. The queen of the fairies then deprives the Evil Genius of his power.

When Blondine arrives at the palace of the fairy Bienveillante, the fairy reveals that she and her son Parfait had been cursed by the Evil Genius, who changed them into animals.