Hello One and All!
The werewolf is one of the most prominent creatures in modern pop culture and fantasy. Folk tales that grew around an historical event which may have had an especially important influence on the creation of werewolves, was the Beast of Gévaudan - the name for a beast that attacked people in France from 1764 till 1767. The perpetrator, the so-called "Beast", became shrouded in mystery and hyperbole, and tales of the attacks and the quest to kill it became increasingly associated with the supernatural.
The Beast of Gévaudan
The region associated with the Beast, a place in southern France called Gévaudan (nowadays called Lozère), was an isolated rural area, which was still deemed to be a wild and untamed. The area is dotted with hills that were carpeted with thick forests, and wild animals were a common sight during the 18th century CE. The first sighting of the creature in 1764 was described as follows; a young woman tended her cattle near the settlement of Langogne, when a large creature approached but the bulls in her herd drove it off.
On the last day of last day of June 1764, the body of 14-year old Jeanne Boulet was found, her throat ripped out by an apparent animal attack. A month after this incident, a 15-year old girl was mauled, and the frequency of attacks began to stir mass hysteria in the region. Rumours began to spread that it was a beast with supernatural strength or a shapeshifting witch. The news became a nationwide sensation, in part thanks to the growing newspaper industry. The Courrier d’Avignon, in particular, focused on these stories to drive subscription rates and thus helped word of the Beast of Gévaudan to spread.
Authorities were desperate, and resorted to starting a quest to slay the animal, and they turned to Captain Jean-Baptiste Duhamel to organize a hunt. In 1764, the Captain gathered group of 30 000 volunteers to kill the beast; a reward equal to a year's salary would be awarded to whomever was able to kill the animal. Thousands of men were organized along military lines, poisoned bait was left and some of the hunters dressed as peasant women to entice the animal. Accounts say it was spotted by a party on one occasion, slinking out of the forests, but it fled before it could be hit by gunfire. The Courrier d’Avignon wrote at the end of 1764:
"...hunters who are in pursuit have neither been able to stop it, because it is more agile than they, nor lure it into their traps, because it surpasses them in cunning, nor engage in combat when it presents itself to them, because its terrifying appearance weakens their courage, disturbs their vision, sets their hands shaking, and neutralizes their skill."
On 12 January 1765, a young boy, by the name of Jacques Portefaix, and a group friends were in a meadow with a herd of cattle, when the Beast attacked. The children drove off the animal with pikes and Portefaix was proclaimed a hero, and King Louis XV paid a reward to the group whilst also covering the expenses of Jacques Portefaix's education.
Despite the considerable manpower deployed to hunt it, the Beast remained at large and the attacks continued unabated, and the situation became so dire that it needed King Louis XV to intervene. The sovereign sent two professional hunters, Jean Charles Marc Antoine Vaumesle d’Enneval and his son Jean-François. The experienced hunter, Vaumesle d’Enneval, is reported to have said after a survey of the rugged terrain, "This beast will not be an easy catch." He seemed to be correct in this assessment, because he tracked the beast for four months but was unable to catch it, because of heavy rain and mist that shrouded the landscape during lengthy periods.
Another interaction with the Beast occurred on the 11th of August 1765, when Marie-Jeanne Vallet was attacked by the creature. She was not only able to defend herself, but in fact wounded it with a homemade spear, which earned the title of "Maiden of Gévaudan". A statue in the village of Auvers commemorates that special episode.
As the carnivore continued to evade hunters, the tales attached to it became more lurid and fantastical. Certain witnesses said that it had the ability to walk on its hind feet, its hide was able to repel bullets, it could leap great distances and that it could even return from the dead. The people tasked with killing the animal of course had an interest in spinning the tales, so as to cover up their own shortcomings with exaggerated accounts of their quarry's great abilities.
After Vaumesle d’Enneval and his son's failure to stop the Beast, the king appointed his own gun-bearer and bodyguard, François Antoine, as the hunter and sent him with a detachment of men to Gévaudan. In September 1765, the bodyguard shot and killed a large wolf on the grounds of the Abbaye des Chazes. This canine was reportedly measured 5 foot 7 inches in length and 31 inches tall. The wolf was stuffed and sent to Versailles, for the aristocracy to gawk at, and Antoine received a reward from Louis XV. The attacks ceased and relief was palpable.
But it wasn't to last. Two months later the attacks started again. The following 18 months there were approximately 35 fatalities, and with no help coming from the monarchy, the locals took it upon themselves to track down the Beast. A local farmer, Jean Chastel, was released from prison to partake in the hunt, and in June 19, 1767 he killed a large wolf in the forest of Teynazére. According to Chastel, the the fatal bullet had been made from silver and had been blessed by a priest. Silver may have been used because medieval alchemy stated that silver represented the moon and purity. In any case, the violence ceased - all in all about 116 individuals were killed during the Beast's three year reign of terror.
What was the Beast though? There may be no simple answer, because it could have been any number of factors that combined to create the circumstances. There may have been pronounced growth in the wolf population in Gévaudan, which may have led to increased contact between these animals and the isolated communities in the area. Wolves in Europe were more habituated to humans, and as such more likely to attack than their counterparts in North America. This fact, coupled with the sensationalism in the news, made the story become fantastical and overblown. There is also the possibility that a hyena, hyena-hybrid or sub-adult lion could have escaped from a menagerie in France and roamed the countryside.
Thank you for reading!
The werewolf is one of the most prominent creatures in modern pop culture and fantasy. Folk tales that grew around an historical event which may have had an especially important influence on the creation of werewolves, was the Beast of Gévaudan - the name for a beast that attacked people in France from 1764 till 1767. The perpetrator, the so-called "Beast", became shrouded in mystery and hyperbole, and tales of the attacks and the quest to kill it became increasingly associated with the supernatural.
The Beast of Gévaudan
The region associated with the Beast, a place in southern France called Gévaudan (nowadays called Lozère), was an isolated rural area, which was still deemed to be a wild and untamed. The area is dotted with hills that were carpeted with thick forests, and wild animals were a common sight during the 18th century CE. The first sighting of the creature in 1764 was described as follows; a young woman tended her cattle near the settlement of Langogne, when a large creature approached but the bulls in her herd drove it off.
 |
| One of the first depictions of the Beast, published in November 1764. |
On the last day of last day of June 1764, the body of 14-year old Jeanne Boulet was found, her throat ripped out by an apparent animal attack. A month after this incident, a 15-year old girl was mauled, and the frequency of attacks began to stir mass hysteria in the region. Rumours began to spread that it was a beast with supernatural strength or a shapeshifting witch. The news became a nationwide sensation, in part thanks to the growing newspaper industry. The Courrier d’Avignon, in particular, focused on these stories to drive subscription rates and thus helped word of the Beast of Gévaudan to spread.
Authorities were desperate, and resorted to starting a quest to slay the animal, and they turned to Captain Jean-Baptiste Duhamel to organize a hunt. In 1764, the Captain gathered group of 30 000 volunteers to kill the beast; a reward equal to a year's salary would be awarded to whomever was able to kill the animal. Thousands of men were organized along military lines, poisoned bait was left and some of the hunters dressed as peasant women to entice the animal. Accounts say it was spotted by a party on one occasion, slinking out of the forests, but it fled before it could be hit by gunfire. The Courrier d’Avignon wrote at the end of 1764:
"...hunters who are in pursuit have neither been able to stop it, because it is more agile than they, nor lure it into their traps, because it surpasses them in cunning, nor engage in combat when it presents itself to them, because its terrifying appearance weakens their courage, disturbs their vision, sets their hands shaking, and neutralizes their skill."
 |
| An illustration depicting the Beast and various incidents connected to it. |
On 12 January 1765, a young boy, by the name of Jacques Portefaix, and a group friends were in a meadow with a herd of cattle, when the Beast attacked. The children drove off the animal with pikes and Portefaix was proclaimed a hero, and King Louis XV paid a reward to the group whilst also covering the expenses of Jacques Portefaix's education.
Despite the considerable manpower deployed to hunt it, the Beast remained at large and the attacks continued unabated, and the situation became so dire that it needed King Louis XV to intervene. The sovereign sent two professional hunters, Jean Charles Marc Antoine Vaumesle d’Enneval and his son Jean-François. The experienced hunter, Vaumesle d’Enneval, is reported to have said after a survey of the rugged terrain, "This beast will not be an easy catch." He seemed to be correct in this assessment, because he tracked the beast for four months but was unable to catch it, because of heavy rain and mist that shrouded the landscape during lengthy periods.
Another interaction with the Beast occurred on the 11th of August 1765, when Marie-Jeanne Vallet was attacked by the creature. She was not only able to defend herself, but in fact wounded it with a homemade spear, which earned the title of "Maiden of Gévaudan". A statue in the village of Auvers commemorates that special episode.
 |
| This statue, created by artist Philippe Kaeppelin, depicts the bravery of young Marie-Jeanne. It was erected in Auvers in 1995. |
As the carnivore continued to evade hunters, the tales attached to it became more lurid and fantastical. Certain witnesses said that it had the ability to walk on its hind feet, its hide was able to repel bullets, it could leap great distances and that it could even return from the dead. The people tasked with killing the animal of course had an interest in spinning the tales, so as to cover up their own shortcomings with exaggerated accounts of their quarry's great abilities.
After Vaumesle d’Enneval and his son's failure to stop the Beast, the king appointed his own gun-bearer and bodyguard, François Antoine, as the hunter and sent him with a detachment of men to Gévaudan. In September 1765, the bodyguard shot and killed a large wolf on the grounds of the Abbaye des Chazes. This canine was reportedly measured 5 foot 7 inches in length and 31 inches tall. The wolf was stuffed and sent to Versailles, for the aristocracy to gawk at, and Antoine received a reward from Louis XV. The attacks ceased and relief was palpable.
 |
| An engraving of the wolf shot by François Antoine on 21 September 1765, displayed at the court of Louis XV. |
But it wasn't to last. Two months later the attacks started again. The following 18 months there were approximately 35 fatalities, and with no help coming from the monarchy, the locals took it upon themselves to track down the Beast. A local farmer, Jean Chastel, was released from prison to partake in the hunt, and in June 19, 1767 he killed a large wolf in the forest of Teynazére. According to Chastel, the the fatal bullet had been made from silver and had been blessed by a priest. Silver may have been used because medieval alchemy stated that silver represented the moon and purity. In any case, the violence ceased - all in all about 116 individuals were killed during the Beast's three year reign of terror.
 |
| Plaque in honour of Jean Chastel, located in the village of Beyssière-Sainte-Marie. |
What was the Beast though? There may be no simple answer, because it could have been any number of factors that combined to create the circumstances. There may have been pronounced growth in the wolf population in Gévaudan, which may have led to increased contact between these animals and the isolated communities in the area. Wolves in Europe were more habituated to humans, and as such more likely to attack than their counterparts in North America. This fact, coupled with the sensationalism in the news, made the story become fantastical and overblown. There is also the possibility that a hyena, hyena-hybrid or sub-adult lion could have escaped from a menagerie in France and roamed the countryside.
Thank you for reading!
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