Pod Insights Noble Blood The Noblewoman Marooned on the Isle of Demons About this episode While sailing from France to the New World, Marguerite de La Rocque and her lover were punished, marooned on an island where they would be tormented by natural forces and, according to some stories, demons.
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1:35 Dana Schwartz? Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Listener discretion advised. A speck appeared on the horizon. It hovered there, tantalizingly, tauntingly, as a young, emaciated woman stumbled out onto the frigid shoreline, staring at it. Was the speck a figment of her desperate imagination? Perhaps a trick of the pale light? Or just another cruel test from her harsh island purgatory?
2:14 Dana Schwartz? Since being marooned on an expedition to the "new world" in 1542, Marguerite de La Raque de Roberval had lost count of all the dots and flecks and specks that she had prayed would grow into the familiar shape of ships on the horizon. And yet, as she squinted intently, this speck grew. Details emerged. It was a ship. It had to be a ship. But this instantly brought up more tricky questions. What were the vessel's origins? Had the same vengeful captain who had condemned Marguerite to her tragic fate
2:59 Dana Schwartz? finally decided to return to rescue her? Or was it merely an unknowing craft? Of the rare few sailboats that had actually appeared in the distance, none had ventured close enough to instill any true hope of rescue before they had blended back into the dark sea and gray sky, disappearing forever. And why would they come close? Marguerite's small island had little to offer besides hardship and peril. And yet, this boat was as near as any she had seen in the months since she'd been stranded.
3:42 Dana Schwartz? Marguerite was now facing a very tough decision. Starting a huge fire was surely the best way to signal to the far-off sailors, but that would mean Marguerite would use essentially all of her painstakingly stored and gathered firewood. If her signaling attempt failed, it would be nearly impossible for her to make it through the next few chilly weeks, let alone the upcoming winter. In addition to possibly wasting her collected fuel, the effort of igniting a sizable enough bonfire on the windy rocky beach would be exhausting.
4:24 Dana Schwartz? With every last calorie counting as a precious commodity, such exertion could easily prove fatal if it were done in vain. And yet, what were Marguerite's alternatives? More grueling months spent gradually wasting away? Losing every shred of hope and sanity as the beasts and the elements finally broke her? It was morbidly absurd to consider how, in her past life, as a French noblewoman, she had so many servants and suitors and royal acquaintances. But if she died here on this island, no one would even know.
5:08 Dana Schwartz? Was the risk of fire worth the reward? To possibly see her homeland again? Or even to possibly just speak to another human? There was only one way to find out. Like countless times before, Marguerite got to work. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. King Francis I of France was eager to keep pace with his more nautically successful European rivals. And so he authorized a transatlantic, colonizing exploration to New France in 1542.
5:51 Dana Schwartz? According to reports and legends from European explorers, the regions he was eyeing—now parts of Canada—were supposed to be wonderfully fertile lands. Rumor had it there were even stashes of gold, silver, and gems to be found. Francis I chose Jean-François de La Roque de Roberval to lead an exploratory mission. Many sources point out that Roberval severely lacked seafaring experience, but the ambitious nobleman was a viceroy and a close friend of the king's. It's possible that the expedition—or at least its destination—was actually largely
6:36 Dana Schwartz? Roberval's idea, given that he had purportedly mismanaged his assets and hoped that the discovery of fresh resources would renew his fortunes.
6:49 Dana Schwartz? Finding willing participants for the mission was a challenge, though. The hazards and high mortality rates of such colonizing ventures, even the better organized ones, were no secret among the French working classes. And even if one didn't die at sea or at a bare-bones settlement, there was an extremely high chance of suffering through diseases like scurvy. Nevertheless, through some combination of persuasion and force, Roberval eventually gathered sailors, soldiers, and artisans, the latter group being mostly former inmates, and set sail.
7:31 Dana Schwartz? One other key passenger who joined the adventure was Marguerite de La Roke. Depending on the account, Marguerite was either Roberval's sister or niece. Regardless, the two were apparently close. But even a tight familial bond and a general thirst for adventure fail to entirely and convincingly explain the young noblewoman's decision to want to join such a fraught endeavor. Marguerite's motivation makes much more sense when considering another crucial factor: her romantic prospects.
8:13 Dana Schwartz? Practically all versions of the story agree that Marguerite was pursuing a passionate relationship with a man during the voyage. The identity of Marguerite's male lover remains a mystery, but all signs point to him being a sailor or skilled laborer. The timeline of the romance also appears hazy. It's possible that Marguerite was initially trying to escape and arrange a marriage at court, and then fell in love while at sea. Some scholars have suggested that Marguerite's mysterious lover was a distant admirer, and he volunteered for the expedition in order to woo her.
8:57 Dana Schwartz? Another highly plausible explanation is that the lovebirds already had some existing relationship before deciding to embark on the expedition, an expedition that they saw as an opportunity to enjoy greater romantic freedom regardless of their class differences.
9:18 Dana Schwartz? Whatever the case, Marguerite and her man supposedly had quite the secret intimate romance, which is truly impressive considering the cramped confines of a 16th-century ship. Fortunately for Marguerite, she supposedly had an older loyal maid named Damien with her. Sources vary when it comes to Damien's involvement and feelings on the ethics of the romance, but several sources assert that she helped the infatuated couple sneak around, and there was certainly plenty of time for plotting trysts, since the trip was long and the
10:00 Dana Schwartz? ship stopped for a while when first reaching Newfoundland. However, secrecy could only last so long. Word reached Captain Roberval, and he reportedly grew furious. He became dead-set on punishing Marguerite, and like so many legendary pirates and infamous captains, he chose to maroon his detainee on a desolate island. A natural question is why Roberval would dole out such a harsh punishment to a noble family member. Historians offer several reasons.
10:40 Dana Schwartz? One is that he worried that Marguerite's indiscretions with a commoner could damage their family's reputation. A second explanation is that Roberval was an exceedingly pious man. He may have feared that Marguerite's unmarried affair was an affront to God and that failing to penalize her would invite vengeful consequences on the entire mission and crew, many of whom were already highly superstitious about their ocean-bound fates. Several modern historians claim a third and more sinister reason: greed. Roberval supposedly had dire money problems when leaving France, but he shared certain
11:25 Dana Schwartz? lavish properties and other valuable assets with Marguerite. He stood to be the one to solely inherit those properties if she was removed from the equation. But as the logic goes, he didn't want to jeopardize his claims by directly killing her and inviting accusations of financially motivated foul play. So he may have played up his righteous need to punish Marguerite in order to obscure his more cynical, premeditated schemes. We may never know the extent of Roberval's rationale, but his final decision was clear.
12:09 Dana Schwartz? He selected an island on which to deposit Marguerite, as well as the woman he saw as complicit in Marguerite's indiscretions, Damien. However, Roberval apparently underestimated the power of love, because in some dramatic tellings, Marguerite's partner was to be marooned on another island, but he jumped overboard and swam to be with Marguerite, as she was being abandoned first. In other versions of the story, Marguerite realized what her fate would be and negotiated with Roberval to at least leave her and her partner together.
12:49 Dana Schwartz? A particularly stirring recap of the events even claim that Marguerite threatened Roberval at gunpoint, demanding that if she were to serve such a severe sentence, that she should be able to serve it with her beloved co-conspirator. Details on which virtually all reports seem to agree are that the stranded trio were left with four long guns, some ammunition, and a few other meager tools and supplies. But survival was still clearly a long shot. The conditions were harsh and the island was allegedly so infested with evil spirits
13:32 Dana Schwartz? that it was named "The Isle of Demons."
13:37 Dana Schwartz? Descriptions and sketches from explorers of that era depict the Isle of Demons as a beautiful but wild place. It had striking coastlines and alluring vistas, but was essentially uninhabited due to its fairly remote location and dangerous animal predators. One sailor who claimed to have spotted the relatively small island from afar put it simply, quote, "Wild beasts come to the shore, unafraid of the sight of men." Tribes native to the mainland of what is now Canada and other surrounding islands supposedly
14:19 Dana Schwartz? sent occasional hunting parties to the Isle of Demons and had vast knowledge of its ecosystem. But European settlers generally feared them. The entities that European travelers feared most, however, were those which inspired the island's sinister name, that is, the alleged demons. European colonists and cartographers of the time certainly had a habit of picking dramatic or unpleasant sounding names for islands in that region. Two neighboring islands were the Isle of Fire and the Isle of Rats.
15:00 Dana Schwartz? Terrible as both of those sound, unfortunately for Marguerite, she was stranded on the scariest island of them all. According to one account, the demons on her island, quote, "Visibly show themselves and make attempts to lead men astray, and principally appear as remembered figures which have been drowned in some violent adventure." Despite being trapped in a honeymoon of nightmares, Marguerite, her romantic partner, and her maid did their best to make do. They built a simple cabin shelter and gathered fruits and edible vegetation. They attempted to hunt wild game with their guns.
15:45 Dana Schwartz? Some historians claim Marguerite's partner taught her to shoot, while others suggest that she was probably already a proficient shooter, having trained with roberval during royal hunting expeditions in the forests of France. In case you haven't noticed, details about what exactly occurred in this story are difficult to establish definitively. The two main sources we have from the 16th century that tell Marguerite's story are both embellished for the sake of dramatization, and sometimes they're slightly contradictory. But in almost every version of the story, the castaways were supposedly tormented by
16:28 Dana Schwartz? the island's evil spirits. In the words of one 16th-century writer, "The spirits' cries were so loud at night that, 'It seemed that there were more than a hundred thousand men together.'" And to make it all exponentially more difficult, Marguerite was pregnant. Simply staying warm and finding enough food required tremendous effort. Marguerite's devoted partner seemingly did his best to provide for his beleaguered group, but apparently after roughly eight months on the island, he died.
17:09 Dana Schwartz? The exact cause remains unknown, but several modern historians suggest it was a combination of fatigue, poor nutrition, and water contamination. Marguerite had to bury her beloved while in the late stages of pregnancy. With Damien's help, she reportedly tried to dig a deep enough grave, but the cold, hard ground made this a grueling task. As if the strenuous labor and emotional toll wasn't enough, Marguerite allegedly still had to guard her partner's graveside to keep animals from unearthing and devouring his body.
17:50 Dana Schwartz? Supposedly, her faith in God fortified her, but all of this was a truly devastating blow.
17:57 Dana Schwartz? And yet, Marguerite could not simply give herself over to mourning. She soon gave birth to a son, possibly the first baby to have ever been born on the Isle of Demons. Rather than entering a world of luxury and being celebrated as a new noble heir, the baby was thrust into immediate and constant danger. Likewise, Marguerite must have had little time to "celebrate" or to "recover" from the baby's arrival. She had to simultaneously nourish her baby and protect him from wolves, wolverines, and bears.
18:37 Dana Schwartz? An early embellished account of Marguerite's marooning specified that she had such amazing aim that she shot three bears in a single day. One of them was supposedly "white as an egg," a claim that has prompted several scholars to analyze whether it's possible that she could have legitimately killed a polar bear. Again, by then, she ostensibly had ample shooting skill, and evidently, polar bears did sometimes float south to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Arctic ice floes. So while perhaps improbable, that daring feat is actually within the realm of possibility.
19:21 Dana Schwartz? While not attempting to slay apex predators, Marguerite and Damien watched for passing ships. They hardly saw any, however, as the weeks continued to pass. Similarly, no mention of any encounters with tribes native to the area pop up in any of the most studied sources. Then, not long after Marguerite gave birth, Damien died. Several writers have estimated that she was already well past 60, so her death was not necessarily surprising. If anything, it was amazing that she had made it so long, apparently assisting Marguerite as best she could. Once again, Marguerite had to dig a grave.
20:07 Dana Schwartz? And fashion a makeshift cross. But once again, Marguerite had no time to idly mourn. With no one left to share the workload nor help protect her infant son, every daily chore and survival decision fell to Marguerite. Soon, the burden became too great and, once again, Marguerite suffered a devastating loss. Tragically, her baby passed as well. Somewhere on the Isle of Demons, three makeshift crosses marked three graves of three different sizes. Even centuries later, Marguerite's grief over burying her loved ones
20:51 Dana Schwartz? comes across as nearly unfathomable, especially as she was then truly alone. Would the noblewoman-turned-survivalist be too heartbroken to continue? Was she destined to suffer the same dire fate? With no one to bury her, would she become a scant meal for the stalking carnivores? No. Marguerite kept fighting. Purse some sources, it was late autumn and winter was coming. She overcame sickness, cold, and the loss of her guns as protection once her gunpowder ran out. Possibly even worse than all of the physical threats was the mental torment.
21:36 Dana Schwartz? Marguerite was coping with terrible loneliness. With no one to talk to nor to find comfort from, she was reportedly besieged by anxiety, depression, and paranoia. She believed animals were demons in disguise and envisioned evil phantoms relentlessly trying to cast spells upon her. Although to be clear, the inner workings of Marguerite's head can't be known for sure. This information comes from a 16th-century historian named André Thibet, who claimed to have interviewed Marguerite. But we don't know for sure whether he actually did.
22:17 Dana Schwartz? A combination of resourcefulness, faith, and stubborn survival instinct, Marguerite kept working. She set traps, stored food for winter, and made clothing out of hides. It's tough to ascertain whether she held out any legitimate hope of a rescue. Contemporary 16th-century writers seem pretty certain that she had given up on the idea of Roberval returning. Clearly, he thought he had resigned her to her fate, and unbeknownst to Marguerite, he had actually headed back to France after a disastrous colonization attempt. But would any ship at all sail by and rescue her?
23:01 Dana Schwartz? Finally, after Marguerite had been living on the island for a little over a year, according to a particularly thorough study, a tantalizing speck appeared on the horizon. Marguerite decided to use all of her firewood to build a huge fire. She ignited the blaze. She ran along the shore, desperately shouting and flailing. As it turned out, the ship was a fishing vessel, and she certainly caught the fishermen's attention. But whether they would come to her rescue was a different matter, because by then, Marguerite herself
23:39 Dana Schwartz? came across like a demon. Emaciated, filthy, and covered in hides, she apparently made the cod fishermen extremely wary of going ashore and encountering her. They thought she could very well be an evil spirit intent on tricking them, especially since they were from Brittany and she was yelling in their native French. Again, Marguerite's life now hung in the balance. Would the former noblewoman be able to lure the fishermen to her aid? Or had she become too feral and unrecognizable, a deranged representation of her demonic island?
24:23 Dana Schwartz? Ultimately, the fishermen's curiosity won out. The fishing boat captain ordered a scouting party to shore, and Marguerite led the stunned fishermen back to her shelter to show them how she had survived. They were reportedly gobsmacked at her bravery and determination. Upon learning of her noble heritage, it's also fairly probable that they envisioned a reward if they rescued her and reunited her back with her wealthy family in France. But was that what Marguerite wanted after all? Even after hoping to be saved for so long, when the time came, she allegedly had second thoughts.
25:05 Dana Schwartz? She became reluctant to return to her extravagant lifestyle and noble obligations. In several tellings of the tale, while the fishermen rowed Marguerite back to their ship, she expressed a sudden desire to stay on the island so she could live out her solitary life until she died in the same place as her loved ones. Nevertheless, eventually Marguerite did decide to return to France with the fishermen. Records are a bit hazy after that. She seemingly opted for a quiet life, and it's unclear whether she ever saw Roberval again or sought any justice for the fact that he had stranded her.
25:47 Dana Schwartz? Roberval seemingly suffered plenty of self-inflicted punishment, however. He led another failed, miserable attempt to colonize and loot "New France." Then he ultimately died in a riot between Protestants and Catholics. A friend of his, who became one of the chief chroniclers of the whole story, at one point tried to rename the Isle of Demons for his friend Roberval. But fittingly, this idea didn't gain traction, and the group of islands that supposedly included Marguerite became known for a while as the Îles de la Demoiselle, or Isles of the Young Lady.
26:29 Dana Schwartz? Among modern scholars, Marguerite's story has sparked plenty of debates. Some have questioned whether the entire tale might have been a fabrication, especially considering how many of its heightened tragic elements fit neatly with French tastes in literature at that time. However, while various versions probably, almost certainly, contain exaggerations, analysis of reports made by several observers, including the pilot of Roverall's ship, do appear to corroborate the fundamental narrative of Marguerite being marooned, surviving her harsh isolation, and eventually returning to her homeland.
27:14 Dana Schwartz? In addition, there has been a fair amount of debate over which island the Isle of Demons actually was. Most historians agree that the island is one of the many in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, either close to the coast of Canada's Quebec province, off the northeast edge of Labrador, or near the northern tip of Newfoundland. Two such sparsely populated islands, Harrington Harbor Island and Quirpin Island, have even leaned into the story as a tourist attraction, offering accommodations and tours of locations where Marguerite purportedly stayed.
27:58 Dana Schwartz? Over the years, Marguerite's dramatic ordeal has captivated many artists and writers. The first published account was actually by another Marguerite, Queen Marguerite de Navarre, in her 1558 short story collection, The Heptameron. Since then, Marguerite's exploits have been adapted into many other forms: novels, like the 2025 novel Isola, poems, plays, songs, and a recent feature film called A Survivor's Tale. To fans of the reality television competition series Alone, Marguerite's unforgiving environment might also sound familiar.
28:41 Dana Schwartz? The show, which documents the struggles of solo survival experts attempting to make it as long as they can in the wilderness, has used several locations in Canada, including a northern area of Labrador. For comparisons sake, the record for the longest stay on the series stands at 100 days, a feat that came with a $1 million prize. Even by modest estimations, that stay was still less than a third of Marguerite's stretch. As for Marguerite herself, while many chronicles were hazy about the later portions of her life, a few were more specific.
29:24 Dana Schwartz? Several detailed explorations of Marguerite's journey conclude somewhat catharticly, with her settling into the town of Nontron, France, and living for many years while working as a schoolteacher. Noble ladies in the area were reportedly more than happy to send their daughters to learn from such an intrepid and worldly woman.
29:50 Dana Schwartz? That's the indomitable story of Marguerite Delarocque, but don't fly off after a brief sponsor break. There's one more very intriguing detail to share about the cacophonous demons populating the Isle of Demons.
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34:28 Dana Schwartz? You know all those pieces in your closet that you find yourself reaching for over and over again? You know, the sweater that works with every outfit you try on and the jeans that you know will always fit you just right? Or the bag you carry everywhere? Those are the exact pieces that earn a place in your wardrobe. And that's exactly what Quince does so well. Quince makes Elevated everyday essentials using premium materials like Mongolian cashmere, organic cotton, and premium stretch denim. The designs are timeless, thoughtfully crafted, made to be worn again and again. And as the weather gets colder, Quince has everything you need to round out your wardrobe,
35:08 Dana Schwartz? from warm, responsibly sourced down jackets and cozy cashmere scarves and gloves to beautiful 14 karat jewelry that adds the perfect finishing touch and might make an excellent holiday present. Quince also doesn't just do clothes. My work bag, my leather bag that I bring every day with me to work is from Quince, and I absolutely love it. It goes with everything I wear, and it's just like a classic that makes me feel sophisticated and grown up. And everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they work directly with ethical factories, cutting out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality and not brand markup.
35:50 Dana Schwartz? Find the fall pieces you will reach for most at quince.com. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada and the UK, too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Noble Blood. It is the best way to support this show, honestly, because I just want the Quince sponsorship to continue so I can keep buying Quince clothes and products over and over again. Cleopatra was one of the most famous rulers in history, and somehow, her tomb has never been found.
36:34 Dana Schwartz? Not the tomb, not the body. If you love the strange and unsolved moments from history, you need to meet Dr. Harini Bat. She's a clinical pharmacist turned history detective, and on her podcast, Hidden History, she treats the world's greatest mysteries like open case files. Not myths, not superstition, just incomplete
36:59 Dana Schwartz? ...explanations, waiting for a closer look. Every episode, she reopens the cases history never closed. The Mary Celeste, a ship found sailing the Atlantic with no one aboard. The Voynich Manuscript, a book no one on earth has been able to read. The Loch Ness Monster, the science, the hoax, and why the legend won't die. She digs into the evidence and tells you what she thinks really happened. Listen to Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhatt every Monday. Follow on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode.
37:40 Dana Schwartz? That's Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhatt. Many versions of Marguerite's story heavily lean into religious imagery and themes, particularly when it comes to descriptions of the island's demons and their habits. However, modern historians and biologists have suggested that Marguerite's recounting of the evil spirits' nightly shrieks could have a more earthly explanation. Massive flocks of migrating birds, specifically species that would have been vastly unfamiliar to European visitors.
38:20 Dana Schwartz? While perhaps not inherently as diabolical as the torment of demons, as the film The Birds spotlights, such avian interactions can, apparently, still be the stuff of nightmares.
38:43 Dana Schwartz? Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble Blood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Courtney Sender, Amy Height, and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk with supervising producer Reema Ilkayali and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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