#the peluda

[dragon-discourse]

Draconym: Velue

Term: Velue

English Spellings: Velue

Language of Origin: French

Related Words: Peluda

Meaning: Hairy One

Facts:

La Velue was a Dragon from French Mythology, noteworthy for its quilled and/or hairy back. La Velue was translated into The Peluda, and this term has become more common, despite being Spanish while the dragon was French.

[notaconspiracytheorist]

Cryptid ABCs: The Peluda

The Peluda is a dragon-like beast from France. While it has the typical dragon characteristics, it also has some very...strange attributes, to say the least. It is also called Shaggy Beast, or also La Velue (which means Hairy One in French). The Peluda has a very odd appearance. It had the body of a porcupine, but was the size of a large cow. It had the head, neck, and tail of a snake with the feet of a tortoise. It had bushy outcroppings of green hair, and poisonous stingers that according to some tales, could be used as projectile missiles. It is difficult to actually picture what this beast looks like, and it's odd appearance has caused great difficulty in identifying what people may have actually been seeing. Like the standard dragon, the Peluda could breathe fire. However, it could also breathe out acid or steam in the same manner. It's breath could wither crops. It also could create floods, kill men with a single blow, and was invincible except for its tail. Remember those quills that it could shoot off its body? Those quills were also highly toxic. So toxic in fact, that a single prick could kill a man. Legend has it that the creature was denied entry onto Noah's Ark, yet survived the flood by taking shelter in a cave near the Huisine River. Many years after the flood, it emerged to wreak havoc. Why it waited so long, no one knew. Legend also states it was finally killed by a man who was avenging his fiancée. The man furiously cut off his tail, and the beast's death was celebrated. While this is technically more folklore than an actual cryptid, this is such a fun and fantastic beast that I couldn't pass it up!

[tattoonicorn]

The Peluda (sometimes called the "Shaggy Beast" or La Velue which is French for "Hairy One") is a supposed dragon or mythical beast that terrorized La Ferté-Bernard, France, in medieval times. It is said to have come from and lived near the Huisne river near the town. Despite the French origins, its more recognized name is Occitan —or any latine origin— for "hairy". Depending on the account, it had either an ox-sized porcupine-like body or a mess of green hair-like projections hanging from its body that were actually stinger-tipped tentacles which could erect into quills. Its name is derived from this shaggy appearance. Consistently, it was said to have these poisonous stingers that it could also shoot off its body, a snake's scaly neck, head, and tail, large, tortoise-like feet, and a green color.

The lore proposed that the beast was denied access to Noah's Ark, yet survived the biblical flood by seeking refuge in a cave near the Huisne River. After many years, it returned to rampage across the countryside, wilting crops with its breath and devouring both livestock and humans. It was finally defeated after it killed a man's fiancée. He tracked it down and cut off its tail. This was the only vulnerable point on the beast, and it died immediately.