Une jeune pucelle is a French folk song from 1557, which has a melody that is based loosely on an older French song entitled Une jeune fillette.
The French words were set to an earlier Italian ballad from the sixteenth century titled "La Monica", which is also known as a dance, in German sources called Deutscher Tanz, and in Italian, French, Flemish, and English sources labeled Alemana, Almande, Almagne, Almande nonette, Balletto alta morona, Balletto celeste Giglio, Aria venetiana, Aria Venetia che cantava Scappino, Balo todesco, The Queen’s Almaine, or Oulde Almaine. It was also used for German texts such as "Ich ging einmal spazieren" and with sacred texts such as "Von Gott will ich nicht lassen" and "Helft mir Gott es Güte preisen" (Hudson, Gerbino, and Silbiger 2001).
The words of the Huron Carol ("Jesous Ahatonhia"), written probably in 1642 by the Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf for the Hurons at Ste. Marie, were set to an adaptation of this melody (McGee 1985, 13).