In 1772, Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand was born into an ordinary family near Paris. She was born with long black hair and teeth, and was considered a “monster” by people, who demanded that Marie’s parents send her away. Helpless, her parents sent her to a convent.
When she was 7 years old and the abbess was about to resign, Marie accurately predicted the name of her successor, which made adults take notice of her. The reputation of the young seer spread and many famous people came to visit her. When she grew up, she opened a divination salon in Paris and welcomed customers.
It is said that before Josephine met Napoleon, she accompanied a friend to Marie to ask her about the friend’s marriage. Marie was not interested in the friend, but turned to Josephine and said: “Soon, the fate of France will be in your hands.” Josephine was dumbfounded. How could the fate of France be in her hands when she was newly widowed, with two children in tow, and had no idea where the future lay?
Marie predicted Josephine would become queen
Marie then brought out a bowl of an unknown liquid, grabbed Josephine’s hand, pricked her finger with a needle, and squeezed a drop of blood into the bowl. This drop of blood did not disperse. It kept changing shape in the bowl, and it finally condensed into the appearance of a crown. Marie said in an unquestionable tone: “You will be the queen.”
Josephine left in a daze, not noticing a stylishly dressed man at the door, who was none other than Napoleon.
When Napoleon came to Marie, she immediately said: “My king, you have arrived! You are about to be married, and soon you will meet your bride. You will become an emperor, famous throughout the world, living a luxurious life. But this will last only until you are 40 years old. At the age of 40, you will forget the love of your life that God has arranged for you, and this will be the beginning of the rest of your miserable life. You will die a painful death, and all your relatives and friends will declare that they never knew you!”
At that time, Napoleon Bonaparte, who was still an artillery officer, did not believe in the prophecy at all, and for a long time, he wondered: “How could I believe in the nonsense of a fortune teller? How could she be of any help to me?”
When Napoleon was 26 years old, he distinguished himself in the French Revolution and became the youngest general in French history. He was said to be of modest height, about 5 feet, 6 inches, and he fell in love with Josephine, six years his senior.
Josephine was a socialite and a renowned beauty at the time. She met Napoleon at a party. The two fell in love and married within three months. Josephine really became the Queen of France, fulfilling Marie’s prophecy.
The seer, who had hair and teeth at birth, accurately predicted the marriage of Josephine and Napoleon.
Translated by Audrey Wang
