The Beast of Gevaudan - A killer monster from Gevaudan
The Beast of Gevaudan: A killer monster from Gevaudan
 |
The "official" reconstruction of the Beast of Gevaudan at the Maison de la Bete in Auvers |
This event took place in Gevaudan, France, in the mid-1700s. More than 100 residents died from the attack of a mysterious creature called the Beast of Gevaudan. The horror that befell the inhabitants is still an unsolved mystery to this day.
No one can confirm the exact number of victims of the Gevaudan attack. However, Dr. Beaufort, who has researched this case, found at least 210 attacks associated with this creature. Of the 210 attacks, 49 people were injured. While the death toll reached 113 people. 98 of them died with mutilated bodies as a result of being eaten.
It all started on June 1, 1764.
At that time, a girl who was only 14 years old went out to graze her cattle in a meadow near Gevaudan in southern France. He didn't expect that what happened to him would be the beginning of a mystery that would last hundreds of years later.
While watching his livestock, he looked at the bushes that were nearby. The movement in the bush was quite arousing his curiosity.
He didn't have to wait long.
A moment later, a large animal like a dog came out of the bushes and rushed towards him. Even though this animal looks like a dog, its body is very large, almost as big as a buffalo.
When this animal was about to pounce on her, the girl used her stick to hit it. But his strength could not be compared with that big monster. Fortunately, at that time, he brought several dogs for protection purposes. These dogs reacted when they saw the creature and immediately attacked it.
The creature was still trying to get close to the girl before finally backing off and disappearing into the distance.
 |
No one had ever seen this creature before. However, after the incident in the prairie, he began to appear frequently and spread terror, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people.
On June 30 of the same year, the monster made its first victim. Jeanne Boulet, also 14 years old, was found dead near the village of Les Hubacs, not far from Gevaudan. This poor girl was found with a torn chest and a splattered heart.
The Paris Gazette, published in June 1764, contained a description of eyewitnesses who had seen the creature:
"That creature is taller than a wolf in general. The soles of its feet are equipped with nails. The color of its fur is reddish, and its head is large, while its mouth is filled with sharp teeth very similar to those of a greyhound. Its ears are small and straight, its chest is wide gray, and its back has black thread."
The creature is also known for emitting an unpleasant odor.
This description is inconsistent with any animal known at the time.
On many occasions, these creatures appeared and attacked the residents. By September 1764, the death toll from his attacks had reached one per week. Each victim died in a horrible condition, generally with a torn neck and a mutilated body. In many victims, clearly visible signs of eating.
In October, the deaths continued as the bodies of mostly women and children were found in various parts of the village.
At that time, the news about this creature had spread throughout France. Villagers around Gevaudan experienced extreme fear. The doors of the houses are locked, and the residents reduce their activities outside the house. Those forced out of their homes will bring friends and weapons to protect themselves.
Actually, there is another reason why the villagers are gripped with fear, namely the circulation of rumors that say that the beast is actually a loup garou or werewolf. This rumor developed because, on several occasions, the creature appeared to be unaffected by the bullets fired. One of the farmers even managed to stab him with a knife. But the creature was not hurt at all.
This fact makes the residents believe that they are dealing with supernatural beings.
In January 1765, an event occurred that finally made the French king intervene.
At that time, Jacques Portefaix and six of his friends encountered the creature. But by staying in groups, they managed to fight and drive them away. The resistance put forward by Jacques and his friends immediately attracted the attention of King Louis XV, who then rewarded Jacques with 300 francs and another 300 francs for his friends.
That's not all, the king also decided to send a professional werewolf hunter named Jean Charles Marc Antoine Vaumesle d'Enneval and his son Jean Francois to find and kill the monster.
Apart from those two people, there are at least about 2,000 other people who are also hunting this creature.
On February 17, 1765, d'Enneval and Francois arrived at Clermont Ferrand. They brought eight experienced hunting dogs. However, the two hunters spent months hunting down and shooting the wolves because they believed that these animals were responsible for the bloody attacks.
As a result, the death toll continues to fall.
In June 1765, the king's patience was running out. He replaced the two hunters with Francois Antoine, who had previously served as the king's armorer.
On September 21, 1765, Antoine managed to kill a huge wolf that was 80 cm high and up to 1.7 meters long. This wolf was nicknamed Le Loup de Chazes.
 |
| Illustration: A wolf caught by Antoine |
Regarding this animal, Antoine said:
"We have never seen a wolf of this size before. We therefore conclude that this creature is the one that has been carrying out attacks on the villagers."
The wolf carcass was taken to Versailles. Antoine was hailed as a hero and received a lot of money as a reward.
But the bloody attack was not over. This indicated that Antoine had killed the wrong monster!
On December 2, 1765, the creature was seen in La Besseyre Saint Mary and attacked two children.
In the following months, the victims continued to fall.
In 1767, the attacks suddenly stopped, and many believed that the Beast of Gevaudan had died.
Unfortunately, this story ends in gray.
Historians have many different theories about how the raid ended. But the most popular legend says that the monster was killed by a local resident named Jean Chastel on June 19, 1767.
According to the story, one day, Chastel, who was hunting the creature along with other colleagues, sat down in a place and decided to pray to God about this whole matter. After that, he took out his Bible and began to read. Just when he read a few paragraphs, suddenly the Beast of Gevaudan appeared before him.
Chastel immediately aimed her gun and killed the creature.
The legend of Chastel was later picked up by many writers and modified so that it was more of a fairy tale than a fact. For example, one writer says that the Beast of Gevaudan is actually a werewolf and that Chastel himself is his father. That's why he managed to kill him and bury his carcass somewhere.
Another writer mentioned that Chastel was able to kill him because he used a silver bullet.
So we get a story that mixes fact with imagination.
Then the question is, what kind of creature is the Beast of Gevaudan?
Regarding his identity, there are various opinions put forward. The most popular theory is the werewolf theory. As I mentioned above, this assumption arose because of its ability to be impervious to bullets or stabs. In addition, the extraordinary size of his body did not match the characteristics of any animal.
But this theory does not have sufficient evidence to confirm it.
Richard H. Thompson, author of the book "Wolf Hunting in France in the Reign of Louis XV: The Beast of Gevaudan", believes that the creature is actually a type of large wolf.
Although wild wolves tend to avoid humans, some experts think that wolves in past centuries were more aggressive. Wolves that tend to be shy in modern times are actually the result of natural selection.
This view is also based on the fact that the victims who died from wolf attacks in modern times were generally children. If there are adults who become victims, it is generally women.
But this theory fails to explain the characteristics and appearance of this creature that looks nothing like a wolf.
Another theory says that the creature is the result of cross-breeding between a dog and a wild wolf. This is indicated by the body size and unusual coat color. This speculation is supported by a naturalist named Michel Louis, who wrote a book entitled "The Beast of Gevaudan: The Innocence of Wolves".
According to Louis, some of the villagers claimed to have seen Jean Chastel with a large red mastiff. He believes that the dog is the real Beast of Gevaudan. Louis also believes that the dog's ability to withstand bullets may be due to the fact that it was dressed in wild boar skin, which also explains the strange color of its fur.
In other words, Louis believed that the creature was Chastel's own pet.
In addition to these theories, some cryptozoologists believe that the creature may be a descendant of an ancient Mesonychid animal that somehow managed to survive in modern times.
 |
| Mesonychid |
However, just like any other theory, there are not enough strong supporting arguments to prove this theory.
Another theory surfaced in October 2009, when the History Channel aired a documentary called The Real Wolfman. In that broadcast, the Beast of Gevaudan is referred to as an extinct Asian hyena in Europe. However, not all share this view, as hyenas only have 34 teeth. Meanwhile, based on the results of the autopsy on the victim's corpse, the Beast of Gevaudan has 42 teeth.
So, there is no definite conclusion, and we are still guessing about the monster's identity. However, one thing is certain—no one can deny that in 1764 in France, more than 100 people died horribly as a result of an attack by a mysterious beast.
What do you think?
Hope you like this article, Thanks
wikipedia - The Beast of Gevaudan
Comments
Post a Comment