Beware the full moon! Tales of strange creatures in the night have always haunted our imaginations, and in the province of Quebec, the loup garou is one of the most famous legends of all.
Werewolf sightings may date back to the age of New France, but in July 1767 an article in the Gazette de Québec cautioned the public to be on the look out for a loup garou in the guise of a beggar.
Either the creature or its legend was brought to these shores by settlers from France, where, several decades before, a werewolf had resulted in witch trials and executions. And a few years prior to Quebec's famous loup garou sighting, hundreds of deaths in southern France were attributed to the Beast of Gévaudan prompting King Louis XV to place a bounty on the werewolf's head.
Is this shape shifting creature cursed? The story changes depending on the raconteur But the loup garou isn't limited to the province of Quebec Acadians brought the legend with them when they re settled in Louisiana, where the Rougarou is said to prowl the bayous and frighten misbehaving kids