THE BEAST OF GÈVAUDAN: IDENTIFYING A MONSTER
June 30, 1764, had started out as a typical day for fourteen-year-old Jeanne Boulet. While France, her homeland, was mourning the recent loss of its Canadian colony and recovering from the bloodbath of the Seven Years War, Boulet went on with her quiet life in her family’s sheep pastures near Les Hubacs. Her mind was on the flock of sheep she cared for especially as there had been rumors of predation nearby. Boulet never returned home. Instead, she would be the first victim of the mysterious creature which would come to be known as the Beast of Gévaudan that would terrorize France for the next three years with over one hundred gruesome attacks.
Two-hundred and fifty years later there is no settled answer as to the identity of the creature that haunted the Mercoire Forest. The most common explanation is an unusually large wolf and, indeed, some accounts of its behavior reconcile with known wolf behavior. The European subspecies of Canis lupus, after all, has a far more volatile history with humans than its North American counterpart due in large part to centuries of conflict allowing the inherent fear of man to dissipate.
And yet, other accounts suggest something besides a wolf or any known species for that matter. The more grounded narratives tell of a long sleek tale, more feline than wolf-like in appearance and tawny striped fur. Other stories, perhaps influenced by false memory common in moments of terror, give the creature almost supernatural traits such as the ability to walk upright and take giant leaps.
Expectedly, it is easier to work with the former kind of recollections. From them alternate theories as to the identity of the beast have been formulated. Depending on the account some of the sightings suggest a hyena or one of the big cats such as a lion or tiger. None of those animals are native to France, accounting for the unfamiliarity and, consequently, the fantastical descriptions of witnesses, but the nobility was fond of keeping exotic pets and if one managed to escape the menagerie it is not hard to imagine deadly encounters ensuing with the populace. Modern zoology itself supports the escaped exotic animal theory as the savageness of the attacks, which often involved the severing of the head while leaving the rest of the body undisturbed, are more indicative of the kill methods of hyenas than wolves.
To understand the second type of testimony it is paramount not to underestimate mass hysteria. As the number of attacks increased throughout the summer and into the fall of 1764 terror took hold on the province of Gévaudan. Legends have always found a breeding ground among the peasantry. The gruesome nature of the attacks combined with the centuries-old role the forest has played in our collective folklore created an unusual string of animal attacks into a local fairy-tale. Indeed, true or enhanced, the attacks of the beast had the making of a story by the brothers Grimm, most of the victims being lone travelers along lonesome paths.
But the provincial folks do not account for the whole rise of the Beast of Gévaudan into mythic proportions. No, the nobility seized on the panic to elevate a dejected nation that was still recovering from defeat and losses in war. The attacks eventually came to the attention of Louis XV in January of 1765 when he heard of Jacques Portefaix, a boy from Villart and his seven companions who encountered the beast and frightened it off with sticks and shouting. Making them an example of French courage and resistance, the King awarded Portefaix 300 livres, his companions another 350 to divide amongst themselves and Portefaix a full education of the state’s money. Using the press he controlled, the King played no small part in embellishing the tales of terror and heroism in the face of the Beast of Gévaudan. This, however, backfired as the stories now caught the attention of France’s old rivals of empire across the Channel. Soon, Louis XV became the source of mockery in England for his inability to take down an animal.
This motivated the King to send his royal dragoons to Gévaudan to hunt down the beast. Led by Captain Duhamel, the Clermont Prince dragoons encountered the infamous creature several times while stationed in Le Malzieu but failed to get a shot due to the rugged terrain. They were joined in their efforts ultimately by professional hunter François Antoine. Nearly two months after his arrival Antoine heard the story of twenty-year-old Marie-Jeanne Vallet who had encountered the beast while on a footbridge with some other young women. The other women retreated at the sight of the beast, but Vallet threw a spear she was carrying into its chest and the animal ran off. Antoine reported the story back to Louis XV and Vallet became a national hero.
For a while it seemed like the terror was indeed over. But by December attacks began sprouting again in the region. In January of 1766 Monsieur de Montluc wrote to Louis XV informing him that the beast had not been killed after all. But having celebrated a national triumph and regained the respect of the English crown as well as the moral of France, the King refused to admit that the monster was still out there and prevented the press from printing stories suggesting such. The local took matters into their own hands, leaving poisoned animal carcasses in the haunts of the animal as well as organizing small hunting parties. But it was not until June 19, 1767 that the creature was finally killed by local hunter Jean Chastel on Mount Mouchet.
The attacks stopped after this, but mysteries still surround the story. Although the remains of the wolves shot by both Jean Chastel and François Antoine have been lost there is little doubt that they were indeed wolves, albeit abnormally large ones. Both men were professional hunters well acquainted with the game of southern France. The chances of either of them misidentifying an animal are slim and postmortem reports align well with the description of grey wolves.
It is highly possible, however, that both of the wolves were responsible for attacks attributed to the Beast of Gévaudan. At the time attacks were being reported simultaneously from various locations throughout the region. There is no evidence to corroborate but it is not impossible that an exotic pet escaped a menagerie and added to the predation and fear. There may have been several animals responsible for the attacks attributed to the monster but the collective fear makes up the one true Beast of Gévaudan.
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