The Beast of Gevaudan: Supernatural or real?
Have you had the chance to read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes? Well, if you have, you would be familiar with the following popular lines from the book’s first chapter:
For this was the land of the ever-memorable Beast, the Napoleon Bonaparte of wolves. What a career was his! He lived ten months at free quarters in Gévaudan; he ate women and children and "shepherdesses celebrated for their beauty"; he pursued armed horsemen; he has been seen at broad noonday chasing a post-chaise and outrider along the king's high-road, and chaise and outrider fleeing before him at the gallop.
You may have already identified what the author is talking about in this excerpt from his 1878 fiction. Yes, he is speaking of none other than the infamous Beast of Gevaudan. In case you are new to it, imagine this – a wolf-like gigantic man-eater that wreaked havoc in Gevaudan, an area in south-central France. Back in the 18th century, Gevaudan used to be a rural jungle where people mostly enjoyed a quiet life of farming. But that was until 1764 when the Beast emerged, more than a century before Stevenson reported accounts of it in his book. Gevaudan is now part of modern-day region comprising of places such as Lozere, Haute-Loire, Auverne and south Dordogne.
Are you hearing about the Beast of Gevaudan for the first time today? Well, no need to worry as today we are here to change that!
Beast of Gevaudan and the legend
Well, if legends are to be believed, Gevaudan started experiencing a series of terrifying animal attacks since the year 1764. It all began on one fine summer day when a shepherdess named Marie Jeanne Valet, who was tending cattle in a local forest near the eastern part of Gevaudan, reported accounts of a beast “like a wolf, yet not a wolf” chasing her. However, thanks to her cattle, she managed to escape. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the 14-year-old Jeanne Boulet who lost her life in the hands of the Beast, a few days later. Soon, the attacks became more frequent as well as terrifying. It was reported that the Beast mostly targeted lone individuals, and pawed only around the head or neck regions.
Within three more years, more than a hundred people lost their lives (their throats were ripped off!), to what came to be known as the notorious ‘Beast of Gevaudan.’ Those who managed to survive were always on guard, while the story of the Beast spread all across France.
Okay, but exactly what was this Beast how did it look?
Well, locals described it as a gigantic man-eater having red-coloured fur, tasselled tail, pointed ears, a dark line along its spine and spots around the sides. People also believed that the creature was exceptionally strong and vicious having elongated head like that of a greyhound, sharp claws, formidable teeth, flattened snout, wide mouth, ferocious howl and a capacity to jump to a height of 30 feet. Are you thinking what we are thinking? The Beast might have been a wolf or rather, an entire pack!
Was the Beast supernatural or real?
Well, no one knows for sure. While many still believe it was just one large wolf, others that the Beast was the last of an extinct species called dire wolf. Some even believe it was a hybrid of both.
Besides the wolf theory, there were also others. According to one school of thought, the Beast was either a striped hyena or a lion, particularly a young cub yet to reach maturity. It could have also been a pack of either of these animals. But the most popular explanation was that of a supernatural one. Certain locals were more than convinced that the it was none other than the werewolf. Well, what do you think it was? Do let us know!
Did anyone manage to get rid of the Beast?
Believe it or not, the legend of the Beast of Gevaudan became so popular that the then King of France Louis XV even sent out professional hunters to locate the dangerous animal and kill it, once and for all. In fact, he went on to offer 10 thousand francs for its head, much like a bounty is put on a criminal’s head.
You must be wondering whether the royal hunters succeeded or not. The answer is yes and no. Many believed that one of them managed to kill the Beast in 1765, but that didn’t stop the attacks. Nonetheless, the attacks went on, until a local farmer named Jean Chastel shot a wolf-like animal in 1767. He was given the credit for slaying the Beast as the attacks ended thereafter. However, there was no official report for the same. What’s interesting here is that, modern-day scholars believe that it was really the work of a giant pack of wolves. However, in 2001, French naturalist Michel Louis hypothesised that the Beast was Chastel’s own pet mastiff who was trained by his master, until the latter decided to take credit for its killing.