What is the mythical ‘Rougarou’ of Cajun folklore?
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Over the generations, many young children in Louisiana have heard of the mythical Rougarou. But as with all things, with time, the creature’s name has become less and less well known. So then, what exactly is it?
According to Alisha Renfro with the National Wildlife Federation, the Rougarou is a creature of Cajun folklore that’s described as having the head of a wolf and the body of a man. It reportedly prowls the Louisiana swamps looking for misbehaving children.
The 10/31 Consortium offered a more detailed description, saying that the Rougarou was typically said to be, “a large, muscular creature with fur the color of charcoal or black. Its eyes are said to glow in the dark, and it has long, sharp teeth and claws. Some stories describe the Rougarou as having a human-like face with a snout, while others depict it with the head of a wolf.”
Information from the Louisiana Rougarou Fest adds that the word “Rougarou” is actually an alternate pronunciation and spelling of the French “loup-garou,” which, as one might have suspected, is merely the French term for “werewolf.”
Renfro says that the legend was probably inspired from European stories that Acadians brought with them in the migration to Louisiana, where the people became known as Cajuns.
Details of the Rougarou’s nature seem to vary from place to place without universal agreement on how the mythical creature transforms, such as whether it’s during a full moon, like a normal werewolf, or under different circumstances. The only thing that seems certain, Renfro says, is that the creature prefers to roam the swamps of central and eastern Louisiana.
Although belief in the Rougarou may not be very prevalent nowadays, its legend lives on among the residents of Southern Louisiana and it remains a noteworthy aspect of our unique culture.
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