The Power of a Woman's Courage

This is a 1762 drawing of a lady repelling the devil with her genitals.

The picture was there to serve alongside ''The Devil of Pope Fig Island,'' the poem of a French poet named Jean de la Fontaine from the 17th century.

The poem is quite long, so I'll just give you the essence of what happens in the story.

One day another devil shows up randomly to a small village on Pope Fig Island and begins the ruckus and terrorizing of the villagers. The devil then meets a farmer called Phil and orders him to give him half of his crops.

Phil obliges, and he hands over his crop to the devil half-heartedly, throwing him the leaves and stems, but not the actual vegetables. The devil is embarrassed and incensed to be outwitted by a lowly farmer and threatens to punish Phil and collect his share of the crops in a week's time.

Terrified, Phil races home and tells his wife, Perretta, what had transpired. ''Don't worry about it,'' she tells him. ''I'll handle the devil.

When the devil comes back, Phil leaps into a tub of holy water to protect himself. Perretta receives the devil weeping and bedraggled. She describes Phil as a scary man who beat her up mercilessly and even cut her with his claws.

This is the point when Perretta raises her skirt and exposes her genitals to the devil. The devil is terrified and flees, never to return.

Here is the section of the poem that describes the precise moment of the illustration.