A large dark figure on two legs crossed the road. That festival is cool because it links folklore to current issues and things that people need to be aware of, Rabalais says. These canine-humanoid shapeshifters travel between worlds using magical doors. When they were choosing the new name, one of the trademarks filed for was the name the New Orleans Rougarou. 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The lady said, "The next day, a distinguished physician arrived in town with his right arm bandaged and cut. If you have lived in Louisiana, there is a significant chance you have heard the lore of the Rougarou (also spelled as Rouxgaroux). The brave friend stated that something in her mind told her to look ahead. Curious Louisiana answers. According to Breaux, as Hubert retold the story, he began clenching his teeth and breathing rapidly as if he were reliving a terrifying experience. Sam and Dean had a struggle with this one. A student attending St. Josephs seminary college had an experience that cannot be classified as a sighting, but rather and auditory experience. The neighbor then said he saw an 8 foot tall creature standing on two legs. This continued for 15 minutes until the sound started to travel away. Like other "monsters" Loch Ness, Bigfoot the Honey Island Swamp Monster has developed an enduring legend. But now, the story of the once-terrifying rougarou is changing, along with the coastal wetlands it has long called home. Tell your version of this mythical creature in Louisiana in the comments below! Back in the day of armor, swords and jousting, there was a lot more to fear than the plague and witches. It was late in the evening when Mr. Nameless flagged me down. The question nagged him into adulthood. The Bible tells us to test the spirit(s) to see if it (they) come from God. In the legend, this beast is often described as having the body of a man and the head of a wolf or a dog and prowls Louisiana swamps looking for misbehaving children. In one version, the beast hunts down and kills anyone who doesnt follow the rules of Lent. Loup is French for Wolf, and Garou refers to a man that transforms into an animal. Then my son started asking me about the rougarou legend and I was like a wha t? A story in The Nicholls Worth, a local college paper, titled "Rougarou Remains Strong Figure in Cajun Folklore," recounts a story from a woman about an experience in her youth. Its essentially a werewolf with a cajun spin on it. On the last Saturday in October in the city of Houma, Rougarou Fest is held. Folklore will have us believe that a Rougarou has the opportunity to change back to a human after 101 days, but only after finding another human who is willing to have the curse transferred to them. USA Today ranked the Rougarou Fest as one of the top 10 costume parties in the country, and you can join in the fun and compete in the contest. Like the childhood game of telephone, the story morphs over the years as it gets passed down from generation to generation. Your email address will not be published. I came across a LObservateur article that ran around Halloween 2002, titled: Let the haunting good times roll. Bears can stand up and run on their hind legs, whereas, wolves cannot. The New Orleans Pelicans had originally thought about changing their names from the Hornets to the Rougarous at one point! The creature is only vaguely seen in the film with a head resembling a bear. I had been riding my bike through the trails in the woods that were in the back of Laplace Park. Out hunting for deer, Hubert was perched atop an oak tree when he heard heavy sounds approaching from the woods behind him. Catholics are told it will hunt down and kill them if they don't obey Lent. The French actually have a similar story of the Loup-garou. An estimated 15,000 people now attend Rougarou Festival, which still manages to provide a very genuine peek into a culture and a land unlike any other in the world. They take up residence in your home and play harmless tricks on you, so you shouldnt be too alarmed. Louisiana Werewolf: Rougarou of the Bayou - Exemplore I hunt all over america and even in Africa a couple times ive run across crap that has made me avoid entire states and run across other things that i tried to stalk and kill one of these things i tried to kill is a loup garou i lived in deep louisiana until i was 11 i know about these things your gonna need some back story for this i subscribe to the idea that they are cursed humans and will have the curse till they die like wherewolves and the loup garou may even be a wherewolf because the only time ive ever found a claim of one that i couldnt easily blow off the description was the same as a where wolf like a humanoid grizzly bear on two legs with lots of steroids that aside i was doing some hunting one night for hog and saw a huge animal walk out stood 6 or 7 feet tall on two legs couldnt make out fine details due to light but i took a shot at it after i saw enough to realize it wasnt human i shot it in the head with a 45-70 those of you who dont get that its a rifle capable of taking large game like an elephant with one shot very strong round and for those of you who are gun people ill give some specs it was a 500 grain soft lead bullet hot loaded on 72 grains of powder (that doesnt sound like much but i shoot black powder in it not smokeless and no its not a muzzle loader it shoots brass cased bullets like a normal gun) anyway i hit it in the head and it got really pissed of and started to charge from about 200 yards away i shot it again in the chest and it ran off i spent the night tracking it mind you this all happemed at about 10 i only quit when i lost blood trail and foot print trail right around daylight i went home and that night there was a story of a man whos body had been found with two large holes that resembled bullet holes but it was ruled out because there was no trace of any lead or powder and he was drained of all his blood that chalked it up to a satanic ritual now to me it sounds like i killed a loup garou but hey maybe its still out there and just really pissed off. How safe are you from this magnificent monster? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have successfully subscribed to the PeachTown newsletter. The trickster figure really went from being the bad guy, the one to watch out for, to being a hero, says Rabalais, adding that the shift reflected the reality of the people who told and retold the stories. People claim he leaves behind webbed footprints (presumably to navigate the swamps effectively) and mutilates wild boars. A simple yet effective trick to protect oneself from the beast. Discover Louisiana's legendary werewolf: the Rougarou. But for decades, hes wondered about one of the swamp's fabled creatures the Honey Island Swamp Monster, a legendary 500-pound beast that some claim hides amid the cypress trees andmurky waters. Even the act of self-defense could be life-altering. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Is there really a Honey Island Swamp Monster, Louisiana's Bigfoot? Their curse usually comes from a local witch, sometimes a voodoo priestess. Years later the seminary student was watching a television program about Bigfoot and they played audio of a suspected Sasquatch. It is most often described as having a human body with the head of a wolf or dog, with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp teeth. I remember when the physician shot himself here in Lockport. When travelling down the interstate or the backroads in Louisiana, youll see lots of beautiful scenery. See. For the sake of anonymity this family friend will remain nameless, so I will refer to him as Mr. Nameless. mystery of Marie Laveau, Louisianas Voodoo Queen, Jacques St. Germain, The Infamous Louisiana Vampire, Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure, History of the Louisiana Snowball and Its Flavors. Since Cajun dialect is a mix of French and English and well-known for changing words completely to roll off the tongue easier, the name of the beast changed from loup-garou to Rougarou (also spelled roux-ga-roux, rugaroo, or rugaru). When this is done on the 101st after the curse was initially placed, the former Rougarou is freed from the curse and allowed to take human form permanently. It ended up passing within 15 yards of Mr. Klibert. These monsters are said to roam the cities, swamps, and scary places of Louisiana in search of their next victims, and its to your benefit to stay educated if you want any hope of survival. Loup is French for Wolf, and Garou refers to a man that transforms into an animal. And as the stomping grounds for the rougarou have disappeared, so have tales about the beastuntil Foret made it his mission to save both. The dark figure crossed the road from the passenger side to the driver side, so it was traveling due south when it crossed the road. The Rougarou life involves shapeshifting into its beast form every night, then being forced to transform back into a human at sunrise. Is there really a Honey Island Swamp Monster, Louisiana's Bigfoot A version from the 16th century paints it as being seen as something similar to a genetic disorder, rather than the curse most other versions of the myth portray the Rougarou as being. In 1974, Ford, a wildlife photographer and former air traffic controller, claimed to have witnessed the creature while exploring potential hunting grounds. On a moonless night those are the darkest woods Ive ever trekked through.that includes the Black Forest, Mark Twain National Forest Missouri, the hills of West Virginia, and the Pine Flats in New Jersey. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. Theres an annual Rougarou Festival in Houma every year, and the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans has a Rougarou exhibit, which includes a statue of the creature in all its swampy glory. Numerous ghost sightings have been reported over the years, making it one of the most haunted landmarks in the USA. The tales of the Rougarou have many variations, but it is mostly described as being a hulking beast, up to 10 feet tall, with the hair covered body of a human and the head of a wolf or in some cases a . Back in the thick, fog-covered swamplands is where youll find the true beauty of Louisiana and perhaps even a monster or twoincluding the legendary beast called the Rougarou. Audobon's website also has Rougarou t-shirts for sale. They appear as fluorescent balls of light which loom over the marshlands of Louisiana. There wasnt much to his story, but the seriousness of his delivery, and the apparent reluctance to tell me, gave his words credence. It's okay, because we're here to bust them! Talk of the monster, of course, is also a staple of some of the swamp tours operating in the area. Lougarou | Cryptid Wiki | Fandom Apparently, when a person changes into a Rougarou they forget how to count past 12 (probably since they only worry about midnight and the moon at this point). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Giants body appeared to be covered with reddish hair. The Legend of the Louisiana Swamp Werewolf Known as the Rougarou, or sometimes as the Loup-Garou This Legend is said that the creature has prowled for hundreds of years in the swamps Show more. This is similar to that of a traditional werewolf, however, unlike a werewolf, the Rougarou during the day appears weak, sickly, and vulnerable. I suppose anything is possible, and while the Bigfoot sighting phenomena originated in the Pacific Northwest, it seems more than plausible that such a creature could exist here. The commuter stated that the headlights of his car shined directly onto the creature so they got a pretty good look at it. Local stories say the Rougarou roams the streets at night, antagonizing people to attack it. Years later, as a middle school teacher, hed mention the beast to his students only to learn theyd never heard of it. The student claimed it was the exact same sounds they heard during their encounter. A 1926 article in the New Orleans States juxtaposes scenes of the wild honeysuckle and vibrant Southern foliage of the area against bushes used as hiding spots for murderers to ambush victims. At the annual October events rougarou costume contest, the fests mascot is reimagined hundreds of different ways, including as an eco-activist. During this time, however, the Rougarou was called Loup-garou. Where can you find a Rougarou? Was there really a monster in the swamps? Legendary Monsters of Louisiana: Rougarou | PeachTown There are documentaries about this you can easily find on YouTube. I got more specific with my search terms and soon stumbled upon something that reignited the idea of a creature like Bigfoot existing in our parts. The Rougarou has also been tied to the story of the Deridder Roadkill. The Rougarou, Beast of the Louisiana Bayou, Gets a Makeover Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He let his mind wander. According to reports, this Louisiana monster looks human, except for his sharp teeth, goat legs, and many abnormalities. The Rougarou will see the 13 objects, try to count them, and be unable to count them all. The short answer is oral tradition. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. The friend forgot her purse in the car. Also known as Cajun fairies, these creatures can be either good or bad depending on the circumstances. Their friendly, but often sinister, nature makes these Cajun fairies some of the most dangerous Louisiana monsters. The Same LObservateur article that mentioned the Laplace mans sighting near Ruddock in 1983, also makes mention of another Laplace man that had a strange encounter on top of the levee near Bayou Steel. Be careful, because Louisiana monsters are all over! According to some other accounts, the process of transferring the curse involves the willingly human drawing the blood of the Rougarou. The mud was too sloppy to retain any prints. I was thinking the same. The officer that submitted this report has over 40 years in military and law enforcement, a degree in Anthropology, and self educated in Darwinism, math and quantum physics. Despite the fact that it was originally a legend, there are still claimed sightings of the Rougarou to this day, though it has died off a bit in the past decade. And then I realized that is what I saw! However, many people also believe it's just a dog. Just hope this Louisiana monster doesnt get hold of you. The Rougarou roams the bayou in search for misbehaving children to frighten. In closing Ive always considered Yeti to be more of a possibility than a werewolf. During this time, however, the Rougarou was called Loup-garou. So this happened to me a few years ago, I was visiting a friend's house in the Houston River area, that section of the river is pretty swampy so we were frog hunting at night. Logic would dictate that any such creature living in southeast Louisiana would appear thinner in both frame and hair because of the climate and wet conditions. Case closed. This was one interesting problem that they had to deal with centuries ago. Curious Louisiana answers. Despite being a monster of legends, just like its cousin the werewolf, the Rougarou has its weakness. It was getting late so I was heading back to my dad's house for the evening. That is if we are to believe that these creatures are flesh and blood biological entities. But first, lets dive into some of its histories.