Interesting Events: The Beast Of Gévaudan
Wikimedia CommonsThe Beast of Gévaudan.
Between 1764 and 1767, the residents of Gévaudan, France were tormented by a wolf-like beast. According to legend, the beast mauled 300 people to death.
The beast was described as wolf-like, but much larger. It was said to have russet and black fur, a wide chest, a huge mouth, and giant sharp teeth.
Most of the victims were women and children, though not everyone who came in contact with the beast died. The first victim of an attack was a young cattle farmer. She was able to fend off the beast several times in order to protect her herd, though she was shaken by the experience.
Wikimedia CommonsThe team hunting the beast.
The next person to see the beast wasn’t so lucky. Shortly after the cattle farmer fended off the beast, it attacked and killed a teenager. From there, its rage spiraled. Over the next several years people kept turning up dead, their throats ripped out by something with sharp teeth and claws.
At one point, a group of 30,000 volunteers was organized to hunt and kill the beast, even offering a reward to whoever killed it. However, their attempts were unsuccessful. Eventually, a local prisoner named Jean Chaste stepped up to the plate. After being granted early release to go hunt the beast, he took off on an epic chase.
According to legend, he ended up shooting a giant wolf and bringing it back to the village to cut it open. When they looked inside, some accounts claim there were human remains. Though the attacks allegedly stopped, some stories claim the beast is still out there, roaming the French mountainsides.
