Creepy Mythological Animals

Rougarou

Where Did They Originate?

The tale of a rougarou was originated in France. Of course, as you see the resemblance, it was first told of in the medieval times, when they still believed in werewolves. It was staeted so by Professor Barry Jean Ancelet, an expert in Cajun folklore at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Not only was it believed in in the medical times but also people decided to retell the story of 'rougarou'.

How Did Rougarous Become Them And What Did They Do After?

Fun fact, a rougarou is actually a human being that was (a) cursed by a witch (keep in mind, this was in the medieval times, they still believed in wizardry) or (b) they have possibly caught it from another rougarou. In the 16th century's retell, however, they believed it was a genetic disorder, that had to be triggered for the person to take form. After they transformed, their body would enlarge (therefore explaining the oversized proportions) and they would develop a rather big need for raw flesh. To complete the transformation, they would have to take a bite of human flesh, turning them into a full rougarou. They would be 7-8 feet tall, they would have tremendously large teeth, that are sharp and have awful glowing red eyes.

When Would They Transform?

Like any other werewolf, they would transform on a full moon, of course, it could be anyone from the neighbourhood. It could he a family member, teacher, librarian, neighbour, friend, you, anyone.

How did word spread?

'How do we know about this if it originated in France?' you may or may not be asking, well, there is a simple solution to that. As French set off to sail, they settled down in Quebec, Canada, like any other time, thay had to tell everyone. Word soon spread and the residents of New Orleans claimed to have heard terrifying growls at night.

Other Ingormation

Professor Ancelet indicated that the Rougarou is said to prowl the swamps and bayous of Louisiana as well as the areas around New Orleans itself.  He added that it has the body of a man and the head of a wolf/dog. Besides using the tales to keep children in line (to keep them from going in the woods), it was also used as a way to keep Catholics in line. There is a story that goes if you don’t observe the strict rules of Lent for seven years in a row, you’ll automatically turn into a Rougarou.

In one article, Professor Ancelet mentioned that sometimes a person became a Rougarou voluntarily, while at other times, the person was cursed.

Another source claims that the eyes must be avoided because if you look into them the curse is passed onto you, and you become a Rougarou.

Yet another version of the legend states that the person is under the spell of the Rougarou for 101 days.  If/when the Rougarou draws the blood of its next victim, the curse transfers to that victim and the current person is released from the curse.  They remain weakened and a bit sickly from the experience, and they never speak of it for shame as well as the fear of being killed.

Still other versions describe the Rougarou as a type of “headless horseman” resulting from the curse of a witch.  In this scenario, only a witch can make a Rougarou by either turning into a wolf herself or cursing others with lycanthropy (where one believes oneself to be a werewolf).

American screenwriter and film maker Glen Pitre has another version of how one becomes a Rougarou. In this scenario a person commits a transgression of some sort and then they become a Rougarou.  He also stated that outcasts in the community or somewhat eccentric people often became objects of suspicion, the idea being that they are probably Rougarou.

How do we get all these variations? Oral tradition. The problem with oral traditions is that they can be altered over time, and they seem to change from region to region. Hence we get 101 versions of the (more or less) same story.

The same is true when we consider the legends of the Native Americans.