Joan of Arc, a village girl from the Vosges, was born about 1412, burnt as a heretic in 1431 and made a saint in 1920. Why did it take the Roman Catholic Church nearly 500 years to change its mind about her? What were her voices? Why do some believe she was not burnt at all? Why did she fascinate de Gaulle? Because of the detailed records kept at her trials, we know a great deal about Joan's life and personality, the very words she spoke and what her friends thought about her. But subsequent generations have ignored this information, created new images of her and turned her into one of the most potent myths of the 20th century.