Day 3: Beast of Gevaudan
Bit of a history lesson today...
Today we're talking about the infamous "Beast of Gevaudan" held responsible for the deaths of at least 113 people, 98 of whom were partially eaten and another 49 injuries in 1760s France.
It would easy to pass the creature off as an escaped bear or wolf, but descriptions from eyewitnesses probably indicate that if the creature was real there was likely more than one. Wild variations in the size, fur colour; sometimes the beast was described as red, sometimes black, sometimes with grey splotches... The craziest probably being one description of the beast with cloven hooves.
The beast first came to King Louis XV's attention after the attack of Jacques Portefaix and company, after which he took a personal interest in the attacks and sent wolfhunters Jean Charles Marc Antoine Vaumesle d'Enneval and his son Jean-François after the creature. They were later replaced by hunter François Antoine who finally brought the creature's reign of terror to an end after killing a huge wolf which he claimed could be responsible for the deaths and sure enough they stopped. Until a second beast emerged, which was slain in 1767, by Jean Chastel, supposedly with a silver bullet, the creatures stomach reputable contained human remains.
The people of France took the threat the beast posed very seriously, hell they even sent the army in to kill this thing. That's right the army.
And royal huntsmen.
And some nobles.
And just threw some conscripted peasants in there too. Basically they went all out to kill this thing.
Contemporary explanations ranged from exaggerated accounts of wolf attacks to a werewolf, or rather a sorcerer who had used magic to become a terrifying beast.
Basically if you're a peasant in Medieval France don't go out on the moors.
-Dan