That's how I knew it wasnt a bear, another witness reported. It's okay, because we're here to bust them! Thats what we in Louisiana call the Rougarou, cher. The brave friend stated that something in her mind told her to look ahead. But as with all great monsters, certifiable proof has been elusive. Stories of cajun folklore monsters have been passed down for decadescenturies even. Near Avenue A around 9pm, He arrived at the scene and spoke to the lady that called it in. She described it also as being tall and hairy and went on to further say that it was almost so white it was glowing. She also described the creature to be staring in her direction. According to the deputies, the Honey Island Swamp was a hellhole where criminals and monsters thrived. Well, the rougarou of the Bayou country has a pretty strong link to the werewolf of ancient times in Europe and France. Some sources claim the myth originated in medieval France, when belief in werewolves would have been far more prevalent. Case closed. This was one interesting problem that they had to deal with centuries ago. In this article, were going to highlight the top 9 Louisiana monsters from folklore and legends. Wow, this is most definitely going to be my art project gonna be difficult but I'll get it done. Its true! Foret is now director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, a nonprofit that educates students, in the classroom and on field trips, about the challenges of sea level rise, climate change, and living in a coastal communityone still recovering from 2021s Hurricane Ida. The Rougarou life involves shapeshifting into its beast form every night, then being forced to transform back into a human at sunrise. Stories on its origin vary, but some say its a spirit while others claim its a child that was raised by alligators. If you decide to attend the festival or find yourself around the swamps, make sure to remember the tricks and tactics we covered in this article. Will Seals' home was set afire and he was shot down while trying to escape the flames. Ruston doesnt have a swamp, but if it did. A monster? The jury is still out on this one, because people cant seem to figure out exactly what the Lutin isand theres good reason! The line on the trees in this picture taken Nov. 16, 2017, shows the swamp's typical high-water mark, which generally arrives in the spring. 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. And speaking of scaring Catholics, one French Catholic myth claims that in order for someone to turn into a Rougarou, they must break Lent seven years in a row. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The source of storms and an (occasional) kidnapper, the massive ancient beast has inspired muscle cars and jet fighters. The story of the Letieche is Louisianas Jungle Book. The short answer is oral tradition. The New Orleans Pelicans, Louisiana's NBA team, were formerly known as the Hornets. 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. A lover of tasty meat, he lurks in swamps and hunts down unsuspecting humans. Since the migration, many of the legends began to change to match the times and the dialect. A cattle bridge that crossed the Yellow Water River was mentioned as a landmark in the report. There's more to this 19th-century crime than the dark side of fairy lore. The legend is believed to have originated from French Canadian immigrants in the late 1700's. There are hundreds of light . The seminary student continued to stand still to observe further when the creature started to pace back in fourth just out of sight, beyond the tree line, all why still producing the strange whimpers. 4. The history of the Rougarou is centuries-old and has many different origins, but the earliest mention of the infamous, mythical Louisiana werewolf comes from medieval France. The Rougarou, or as others may say, Loup garou, is a bayou-dwelling werewolf. This is why I always read terms and conditions. Sam and Dean had a struggle with this one. "I think that there's magic in the swamps that's celebrated at Rougarou," Foret says. The rougarou once served to scare adults into being good Catholics, and children into staying home after dark, Rabalais says, adding, Now there are other things to be scared of, like rising water levels and hurricanes.. According to Native American legends, theres a creature in Terrebonne Parish that is the spirit of a child reincarnated as a beast. Kliebert tried to communicate with the giant, asking who are you? I am a journalist from Louisiana who has always been fascinated by folk lore and its cultural impact. Did your house get ransacked during the night? This creature, also called Loup garou, is so popular it was depicted on the hit television series Supernatural. 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. A year later the boy killed himself and left a letter that the family turned over to the sheriff. 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. By the end, youll know the scariest rumors circulating in cajun land. Where can you find a Rougarou? 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). Not in the Pacific Northwest, but right there in Laplace! The question nagged him into adulthood. A long-simmering proposal to dam the Pearl River near Jackson, Miss., has prompted concerns in southeast Louisina and southwest Mississippi about how such a project would impact the lower Pearl River. The plantation's most popular (and yet to be debunked) encounter is the apparition of a young . People claim he leaves behind webbed footprints (presumably to navigate the swamps effectively) and mutilates wild boars. When they were choosing the new name, one of the trademarks filed for was the name the New Orleans Rougarou. Local stories say the Rougarou roams the streets at night, antagonizing people to attack it. The Rougarou has a varied history, though all variations seem to trace it back to the French. She says a local boy was being followed by a dog when he decided to cut it with his pocketknife. While the officers were talking to the lady, a K-9 unit arrived on scene and when they began their search the dog alerted to something. Some months prior to this her entire family told her they hear a woman screaming at the top of her lungs, followed by a gurgling noise coming from the woods. And above all else, remember thisdont go into the swamps alone! The Rougarou of the Bayou Louisiana is a fascinating place whose history is rich with legends from long ago. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Years later the seminary student was watching a television program about Bigfoot and they played audio of a suspected Sasquatch. A Police officer and his partner, responding to a neighborhood prowler call. Curious Louisianaconnects readers with our newsroom's reporting. In 2011, Foret launched Rougarou Fest in Houma, Terrebones parish seat and largest city, as both a fundraiser for the center and a way to revive the fading cryptid tradition. Curious Louisiana answers. Once the girl was halfway to the vehicle she noticed her friend was still standing at the front door of the house. Witches?Witch doctors! 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. There was thick wet swamp on both sides. Click the image below to read our free eBook "The Big Book of Credit Union MythsBUSTED! Once turned around, the cousin looked back and observed the creature now walking in the middle of the road and at a quicker pace toward the children. About half way back to the railroad crossing, 100 yards up the road. Another telling of the story says that the Rougarou is under a 101-day curse, unless the affected person can transfer the curse to another human being. Foret grew up in southern Louisiana, between the Atchafalaya Basin and New Orleans, where stories of the rougarou are most often heardand he wouldnt venture into wooded areas at night because of them. He sees it as an example of the way cryptids evolve alongside the cultures that created them. Some even suggest a mix of biological and fringe. Perhaps this giant was not a fan of small talk, and from the direction of travel I suspect the giant was heading home to Chackbay. When they reached the paved section of the driveway, PB noticed a dead 90 lb male Bobcat laying along the edge. The story of the Rougarou supposedly changed once French immigrantsor possibly also French-Canadian immigrantscame to live in the area that is now Louisiana. That festival is cool because it links folklore to current issues and things that people need to be aware of, Rabalais says. Southeast Louisiana Bigfoot Sightings. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. The Rougarou Supernatural Cameo Explained, Legend of the Rougarou: The Complete Loup-garou Guide, US Ghost Adventures New Orleans Ghosts Review. "The swamp is often seen as a dangerous place, with dangerous animals and everything . A quick browse and youll find many pictures of the Rougarou. It had a face like a man and the body of an animal, said Herman Broom. According to some other accounts, the process of transferring the curse involves the willingly human drawing the blood of the Rougarou. We cant make this stuff up. 22. It throws its head back, letting out a blood-curdling howl to the moon. Immense fear or indifference could be contributed to psychic phenomena that are sometimes reported with these types of sightings. It's got to be the Rougarou, the infamous werewolf of the bayou. A student attending St. Josephs seminary college had an experience that cannot be classified as a sighting, but rather and auditory experience. My Encounter With a Rougarou "aka Louisiana Werewolf". An illegal moonshine distilling business once drove much of the area's economy, but competition could be shot down without any repercussions, according to the article. We can only hope Ruston, LA never decides to build a Grunch Road. In 1989 this man was alone on top of the levee near Bayou Steel; He was waiting for his brother to meet him to go hunting behind the levee. It was near 2am and both parties were hesitant to walk to the car to retrieve the purse. Two dead squirrels and a dead rabbit were found under the house where the creature had been rummaging. Too afraid to move, he watched as a figure about 8 feet tall and hairy from head to toe passed slowly below him, eventually disappearing further into the woods. Its popularity has seen it placed on shirts, mugs, in Hollywood and even seen roller coasters named after it. There has been some dispute about whether or not this myth is actually related to the French Louisiana Rougarou legends. He checked out the deer kept driving and turned around at the lake headed back towards Hwy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have successfully subscribed to the PeachTown newsletter. He flagged me down to speak with me. The Bible tells us to test the spirit(s) to see if it (they) come from God. You have permission to edit this article. Required fields are marked *. A spell that as you will soon find out is not that easy to break. The rougarou is like our Smokey the Bear, says Foret. 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 . all proceeds from rougarou fest go to the south louisiana wetlands discovery center click here to learn more. The student waited 5 more minutes to see if the sounds would return but the encounter was over. Discover Louisiana's legendary werewolf: the Rougarou. Another telling of the story says that the Rougarou is under a 101-day curse, unless the affected person can transfer the curse to another human being. These stories were used to keep children in line and out of the woods. The woman also reported finding hair all over the yard front steps, and porch. They appear as fluorescent balls of light which loom over the marshlands of Louisiana. Loup-garou. Discover the secrets of Louisiana lifestyle and explore Ruston, home of the Peach Festival. 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. Their curse usually comes from a local witch, sometimes a voodoo priestess. . The article reported the murder of a man killed because his whiskey was too good and too profitable. This will perplex it, and it will keep recounting until the sun comes up and it must flee. The creature in question was described by the officer as being an eight foot talk, bipedal hominid, dark hair (not fur), and massively build. The Rougarou has even been made into an action figure, part of a series that also features Sasquatch and the Yeti. The lady said, "The next day, a distinguished physician arrived in town with his right arm bandaged and cut. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. I had relatives that lived in Covington," Brettel said. Out hunting for deer, Hubert was perched atop an oak tree when he heard heavy sounds approaching from the woods behind him. Crafty. Once the cousin jumped back on they yelled GO! They did not look back after that. I had been riding my bike through the trails in the woods that were in the back of Laplace Park. Talk of the monster, of course, is also a staple of some of the swamp tours operating in the area. This beast first sighted in 1963 is reminiscent of the popular DC character known as Swamp Thing. Before we get too far into an explanation let's first say it correctly, the proper pronunciation is, "Roo-Ga-Roo.". The report suggests that these two encounters took place in roughly the same area. The earliest report takes place in the swampy forest of Back Vacherie in 1891.An excerpt from Along The River Road, Past and Present on LouisianasHistoric Byway by Mary Ann Sternberg. Perrin's statement is quite obviously true due to the Rougarou's clear influence on local culture and beyond. 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. Childrens authors have started using alligators as characters. The Rougarou at Cedar Point is one example of many as to how popular the folklore surrounding the beast truly is. We all have a notion that this world is a lot stranger than it seems on a surface level. Aside from snakes and alligators, there are lots of predators and other scary things living there. Once the rougarou settled into southern Louisianas swampy shadows, it took on some aspects of local Native American cryptids, such as a legendary Choctaw shapeshifting owl-witch. The Loupe Garou has to be based on stories told by parents wanting there children to behave and make there beds clean the dishes ect ect. Personally, Id never hear about something terrible and say, Yep, thats definitely the work of a werewolf. The Rougarou is an important figure in Cajun legends. A 1981 report bywriter Jerry Breaux pulled from The Advocate archives recalls a conversation the writer had with his long-time friend, Hubert.

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