Also known as Cajun fairies, these creatures can be either good or bad depending on the circumstances. 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. Origins of the Rougarou lie in 16th Century medieval French Folklore. Cauchemar actually means nightmare in Louisiana French and Creole. 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. There was thick wet swamp on both sides. There are many people in Louisiana who practice magic and wish curses upon us. Be careful, because Louisiana monsters are all over! Get monthly email updates and the chance to win a prize. At the time of the encounter the officer had no working knowledge of Bigfoot or sasquatch, but having a degree in anthropology left no doubt in the officers mind what he saw was most defiantly not a large, naked, human being. The brave friend dismissed what she saw for a moment and continued to search for the purse in the dark. troy landrey talked about it on swamp people. It was late in the evening and getting dark, so they could not see into the bush. Despite being a monster of legends, just like its cousin the werewolf, the Rougarou has its weakness. "I think it's fascinating,'' said Brettel. Legend says that the Rougarou will hunt these individuals down and suck their blood, feeding on their energy for up to 101 days. Children can see and hear everything that happens, but they are unable to move. The Rougarou will see the 13 objects, try to count them, and be unable to count them all. Then my son started asking me about the rougarou legend and I was like a wha t? The anonyms Laplace man said he was out near Ruddock with a friend, they were clearing land with a bulldozer when they came across footprints in the mud that were at least 19 inches in length. Cauchemar is a monster that leaps out of childrens dreams and rides their backs. Bears can stand up and run on their hind legs, whereas, wolves cannot. The friend forgot her purse in the car. What I saw scared the life out of me. Loup is French for Wolf, and Garou refers to a man that transforms into an animal. The Rougarou has a varied history, though all variations seem to trace it back to the French. The full moon hangs high over the Louisiana swampland. In one version, the beast hunts down and kills anyone who doesnt follow the rules of Lent. The name changed to rougarou in Cajun Louisiana because l and r are linguistically liquid consonants and they change places a lot, says Barry Jean Ancelet, a Cajun folklorist and professor emeritus with the University of Lafayette. They are a defining characteristic of Louisiana culture and make the state a truly unique place to live. 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. In the official report the officer filed he was honest, but kept the details to a minimum, it was a very tall dark figure, with no description of clothing. This sighting took place just north of the Manchac Swamp region, about a quarter mile away from Hwy. About half way back to the railroad crossing, 100 yards up the road. She says a local boy was being followed by a dog when he decided to cut it with his pocketknife. A close friend of the family who was on his way to pick up his girlfriend, she lived down the street from my dad. This a great article!! I grew up that way and you would hear about strange things.. The Rougarou is often also associated with the Skunk Ape or the Honey Island Swamp Monster, likely due to another variation of the myth that states the creature is a shapeshifter that can change forms between human and animal at will, sometimes making it seem more like a swamp Sasquatch than a werewolf. Other variations say a Rougarou can turn their victims merely by making eye contact. Catholics are told it will hunt down and kill them if they don't obey Lent. Bog Monster of Louisiana T-Shirt (Impractical Jokers). Louisiana monsters have been the subject of controversy for years. A close friend of the family who was on . I remember he kept repeating something to the effect of look, Im not sure what I saw. At that time the only reference I had to Bigfoot was a few TV shows and a book I checked out a few times from my schools library. You can find information on the legend of Cauchemar in folklore from all around the world, and it even exists in the Deep South. A recent novel called The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. But as someone who lives in Louisiana and knows many Catholics who break Lent, I'm not so sure about this myth's validity. Growing up, my Mom always called it the Wigawoo, and I never knew any different til I was 30something. According to the deputies, the Honey Island Swamp was a hellhole where criminals and monsters thrived. Will Seals' home was set afire and he was shot down while trying to escape the flames. The article does not specify if this happened in the same area that he and his friend found the large footprints. Heed our warning and be on the look out for cajun folklore monsters when youre roaming the wildest parts of the bayou state. Crafty. 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 few folks that lay eyes on these creatures are simply catching an interloper just visiting. I came across a LObservateur article that ran around Halloween 2002, titled: Let the haunting good times roll. It was getting late so I was heading back to my dad's house for the evening. Wow, thank you for that insight! The monsters reputed locale, in the Honey Island Swamp, has an ominous and deadly history that precedes the legend. As it gets to 13, it becomes confused. 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 . 2023 Atlas Obscura. 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. Thanks for sharing it with us! I had been riding my bike through the trails in the woods that were in the back of Laplace Park. all proceeds from rougarou fest go to the south louisiana wetlands discovery center click here to learn more. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have successfully subscribed to the PeachTown newsletter. It ended up passing within 15 yards of Mr. Klibert. He slowed down when he saw it because he got the impression that this was not a man. Were not afraid. "Reporting a sighting of Bigfoot, Sasquatch and even the Honey Island Swamp Monster does not get you labeled a crazy person anymore, and therefore, those who believe eyewitnesses are not labeled crazy either," said Dana Holyfield, granddaughter of Harlan Ford a man often credited with having the first recorded encounter with the purported swamp monster. The Rougarou (Cedar Point) roller coaster is located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The creature is described as half-man, half-dog. I spent a couple summers in Sabine Parish out on North Fort Fort Polk on a tract of ground called Peason Ridge(Little Nam). The mud was too sloppy to retain any prints. The giant was walking westerly at a quick pace with a sorrowful but purposeful look. The student would take evening walks while saying the rosary. Glad the information was here. It was near 2am and both parties were hesitant to walk to the car to retrieve the purse. The legend is believed to have originated from French Canadian immigrants in the late 1700's. There are hundreds of light . People who didnt have a lot of physical or social power in society found a way to survive through being clever., Even Louisianas infamous and very real alligators have undergone a rebranding. In a 2008 Fox News special,people claimed they'd seen the beast. 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. After the officers spoke to the complainant they decided to do a search of the perimeter. Address: Rougarou Fest, 7910 W Park Ave, Houma, LA 70364, USA. However embracing legends, customs and tradition is the very foundation of culture. 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. 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. We got kicked out of Nova Scotia, and now were getting kicked out of Louisiana and it just feels like theres some generational trauma linked to being forced to move over and over again, he says. In these times, many crimes were blamed on the beast, ranging from theft to kidnapping of children. Did a child disappear from the village without a trace? The friend described a chilling encounter one warm morning. The Rougarou Supernatural Cameo Explained, Legend of the Rougarou: The Complete Loup-garou Guide, US Ghost Adventures New Orleans Ghosts Review. Official Blog of Pelican State Credit Union. It sounds like a wolf, but somethings a little off. At the annual October events rougarou costume contest, the fests mascot is reimagined hundreds of different ways, including as an eco-activist. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. We do have water spirits, such as Leviathan, a giant alligator spirit, who is actually mentioned in the Bible. This creature, also called Loup garou, is so popular it was depicted on the hit television series Supernatural. Tell your version of this mythical creature in Louisiana in the comments below! This will perplex it, and it will keep recounting until the sun comes up and it must flee. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The neighbor, who was unaware of the husbands sighting, stated that while walking with his dog in the woods, his dog got spooked and ran back toward their house. 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. 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. Definitely a loup-garou. Ruston doesnt have a swamp, but if it did. He flagged me down to speak with me. Years later, as a middle school teacher, hed mention the beast to his students only to learn theyd never heard of it. Stories of these cajun folklore spirits originated in French culture and made their way into Louisiana folklore over time. That gator is looking pretty good right now, huh? Frequently referred to as beast in the story, the part-man, part-animal with piercing yellow eyes has appeared in several anecdotes by self-styled witnesses since the 1960s. Click the image below to read our free eBook "The Big Book of Credit Union MythsBUSTED! Stories of cajun folklore monsters have been passed down for decadescenturies even. It is said that you can protect yourself against the Rougarou by laying 13 small objects by your doors. The creature stood upright on two legs. Aside from snakes and alligators, there are lots of predators and other scary things living there. The Rougarou, Beast of the Louisiana Bayou, Gets a Makeover One man hopes to turn the wolfish cryptid into a mascot for saving the state's imperiled wetlands. There are also stories of an enormous monster that also shares the bayou with the Rougarou and that is the Honey Island Swamp Monster, which is also known as Louisiana's "bigfoot of the swamp." 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 . It was eventually through the Cajun French that the name Rougarou came to be. The Rougarou is a legendary creature that is often depicted on shirts, cups, and other forms of merchandise. Like other "monsters" Loch Ness, Bigfoot the Honey Island Swamp Monster has developed an enduring legend. Feel free to email me at jsutherlin@onlyinyourstate.com. A woman named Barbara Mullins discovered a supposedly unidentifiable carcass on the side of the road in 1996. Only you can prevent forest fires, and so only you can save Louisianas wetlands.. With the head of a werewolf and the body of a man, the creature is said to prey on misbehaving children and dates back to medieval France. 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I want more! Their curse usually comes from a local witch, sometimes a voodoo priestess. Even the act of self-defense could be life-altering. The Husband also described the creature as being dark in color and large. Full report can be found on http://www.gcbro.com/LAassumption03-12-2016.html. Well, the rougarou of the Bayou country has a pretty strong link to the werewolf of ancient times in Europe and France. As outlandish as that sounds some of the very details in this essay support that. Variations also associate it with animals such as pigs, cows, and chickens, due to the fact that wolves are not often seen in the area. I am using it as research for a short story that I am wtiting. Can you really only eat oysters in 'r' months? Stumbling upon the LObservateur article reignited my borderline obsessive interest in these types of creature sightings. Deep in the rural wooded swamp of Livingston Parish and young girl was having a friend of hers spend the night. Their curse usually comes from a local witch, sometimes a Voodoo priestess. To my surprise I got text response saying Im outside in my backyard if you want to come over, its not much of a story. I remember it was a brief encounter and not many details but my objective was to write down what he remembered from his perspective, rather than a second-hand accounting from my childhood perspective. While most likely these stories are cautionary tales meant to keep kids from wandering into dangerous situations, it does make you think! Full report can be found on bfro.net Report # 56107. Im not making this up. 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. According to Native American legends, theres a creature in Terrebonne Parish that is the spirit of a child reincarnated as a beast. Despite the Rougarou legend seemingly beginning as a way to scare Catholics and children, many locals maintain its existence and have their own personal stories, especially among the older generation. [10] [11] Boxer Regis Prograis (of Creole descent) goes by the nickname Rougarou. 9 REAL Sightings of the Rougarou | Darkness Prevails Darkness Prevails 631K subscribers Subscribe 4.7K 136K views 3 years ago It's like a real life werewolf, but worse.

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