Beyond the Beyond: Werewolves in the Cévennes — Revisiting the Gévaudan Panic

Beyond the Beyond: Werewolves in the Cévennes — Revisiting the Gévaudan Panic

In the dark of night in the summer of 1764, as the hills of Gévaudan were shrouded in a cold fog, a young shepherdess walked her flock silently across a dark green field. A strange shadow crossed her path, and her senses heightened as she peered into the darkness, unable to make out any shape in the murky gray and black. The creature moved silently and low to the ground, and before the sheep could even start to scatter, it was upon her.

Over the next few months, more attacks occurred, the victims being mostly women and children. The victims were found with their throats and stomachs torn out, and though hunters tried to find the ravenous beast with multiple search parties, they were unable to locate it. Witnesses, those who lived, described it as wolf-like, with a long snout and razor-sharp teeth. Its body was long, with striped reddish-brown hair.

By later that year, reports of the creature were circulating in various newspapers. King Louis XV dispatched hunters and troops, most notably an army captain named Jean-Baptise Duhamel, who organized thousands more volunteers to find the beast. In 1765, the king’s gunbearer, François Antoine, killed a large wolf over five feet long and declared success, sending the body to Versailles.

Attacks became less frequent, and man believed the beast to be dead, but the killings increased in 1767 leaving some to believe there was a second creature on the loose. On June 19th, 1767, a local hunter and farmer named Jean Chastel, determined to kill what seemingly could not be killed, rode into the dark woods near Mont Mouchet. He carried a gun allegedly filled with silver bullets, and stalked the creature patiently for a period of days. He eventually found it, and killed it. When he carried the abnormally large wolf back to the village, and autopsy was performed and human remains were found inside. This was believed to be the true Beast of Gévaudan.

What was this creature that killed so many over the course of a few years in the region of south-central France? Some believe it was an oversized or mutated wolf, or maybe some dog-wolf hybrid. It could be a trained animal, taught to kill by some twisted individual. Maybe it was a lion, or a hyena. These are all good guesses. Or maybe a serial killer, stalking the countryside and working alone or with accomplices.

It could be that this was a case of mass hysteria. The first attacks could have been wolves or another predator, which are common in rural France. In a time steeped in superstition, many may have come to believe the creature was no ordinary wolf, but something far more sinister with possible supernatural origins. The beast became a symbol of society’s deeps fears overwhelming dread, transformed by media and myth to become a form of mass psychosis.

Had you had a sighting? Message @beyondthebeyond1 on Instagram.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Eastern Sierra Now. Readers are encouraged to conduct further research and consult with relevant experts or professionals before making any decisions or taking any actions based on the information provided in this article.

—

Catch up on more “Beyond the Beyond” here.

TM Rush