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Loup Garou
ROUGAROU
The Rougarou (alternately spelled as Roux-Ga-Roux, Rugaroo, or Rugaru),
is a legendary creature in Laurentian French communities linked to
European notions of the werewolf.
Versions of the Folklore
The folk tales of the creature known as a rougarou are as diverse as
the spelling of its name, though they are all connected to francophone
cultures through a common derived belief in the Loup Garou (pronounced
lu'gä-ru). Loup is French for wolf, and garou (from Frankish garulf, cognate with
English werewolf) is a man who transforms into an animal.
Louisiana Folklore
Rougarou represents a variant pronunciation and spelling of the original French
loup garou. Both words are used interchangeably in southern Louisiana. Some
people call the monster rougarou; others refer to it as the loup garou.
The rougarou legend has been spread for many generations, either directly from
French settlers to Louisiana (New France) or via the French Canadian immigrants
centuries ago.
In the Cajun legend, the creature is said to prowl the swamps around Acadiana
and Greater New Orleans, and possibly the fields or forests of the regions. The
rougarou most often is noted as a creature with a human body and the head of a
wolf or dog, similar to the werewolf legend.
Often the story-telling was used for fear. One example is stories were
told by elders to persuade Cajun children behave. Another example relates that
the wolf-like beast will hunt down and kill Catholics who do not follow the rules of
Lent. This coincides with the French Catholic loup garou stories, where the
method for turning into a werewolf was to break Lent seven years in a row.
A common blood sucking legend speculated that the rougarou was under
the spell for 101 days. After that time, the curse was transferred from
person to person when the rougarou drew another human’s blood. During
the day the creature returned to human form. Although acting sickly,
the human refrained to tell others of the situation for fear of being killed.
Other stories range from the rougarou as a headless horseman to the
rougarou derived from witchcraft. In the latter claim, only a witch could make a
rougarou - either by turning themselves into wolves or cursing others with
lycanthropy.
ROUGAROU
The Rougarou (alternately spelled as Roux-Ga-Roux, Rugaroo, or Rugaru),
is a legendary creature in Laurentian French communities linked to
European notions of the werewolf.
Versions of the Folklore
The folk tales of the creature known as a rougarou are as diverse as
the spelling of its name, though they are all connected to francophone
cultures through a common derived belief in the Loup Garou (pronounced
lu'gä-ru). Loup is French for wolf, and garou (from Frankish garulf, cognate with
English werewolf) is a man who transforms into an animal.
Louisiana Folklore
Rougarou represents a variant pronunciation and spelling of the original French
loup garou. Both words are used interchangeably in southern Louisiana. Some
people call the monster rougarou; others refer to it as the loup garou.
The rougarou legend has been spread for many generations, either directly from
French settlers to Louisiana (New France) or via the French Canadian immigrants
centuries ago.
In the Cajun legend, the creature is said to prowl the swamps around Acadiana
and Greater New Orleans, and possibly the fields or forests of the regions. The
rougarou most often is noted as a creature with a human body and the head of a
wolf or dog, similar to the werewolf legend.
Often the story-telling was used for fear. One example is stories were
told by elders to persuade Cajun children behave. Another example relates that
the wolf-like beast will hunt down and kill Catholics who do not follow the rules of
Lent. This coincides with the French Catholic loup garou stories, where the
method for turning into a werewolf was to break Lent seven years in a row.
A common blood sucking legend speculated that the rougarou was under
the spell for 101 days. After that time, the curse was transferred from
person to person when the rougarou drew another human’s blood. During
the day the creature returned to human form. Although acting sickly,
the human refrained to tell others of the situation for fear of being killed.
Other stories range from the rougarou as a headless horseman to the
rougarou derived from witchcraft. In the latter claim, only a witch could make a
rougarou - either by turning themselves into wolves or cursing others with
lycanthropy.