T.J. Laverne
author of supernatural historical fiction
The Rougarou
There are variations of werewolf legends all around the world, but in Louisiana, the werewolf who is said to inhabit the swamplands of the south is known by a special name, commonly referred to as the rougarou, or loup-garou.
For the most part, legends of the rougarou have been told for centuries by parents to scare their children into behaving. ("You better be in bed by 8 o'clock or the rougarou will get you!") Sometimes children are not even told what, exactly, the rougarou is, only that they should be very afraid of it. But there are many variations of the myth which were invented not to scare just children, but to scare adults into behaving, as well - specifically during Lent.
Largely Catholic, it seems fitting that the Cajun and Creole communities of Louisiana would imagine, or invent, that the rougarou would specifically target those who do not follow the rules of Lent. Or that they would claim that those who don't follow Lent for 7 years in a row will turn into the rougarou, themselves. It is thought that the affliction is the physical manifestation of their sins, which takes the form of a wolf-like beast. Such tales, surely, might make one think twice about eating that ribeye steak on Friday. Thankfully, however, some say the change is not permanent, but will only last for 101 days, when the individual then passes on the affliction to another.
Werewolf legends of other communities in the Louisiana region have melded together with the rougarou legend, creating an array of different beliefs regarding how the rougarou is created. In Haitian myth, for example, the loup-garou affliction is said to occur when a witch, mainly female, is possessed by an evil spirit which compels her to turn into a wolf - or sometimes another animal - and suck the blood of children. Many Native American legends, as well, tell of shapeshifters who possess the ability to turn into animals, including the wolf.
Though the legend of the rougarou originated mainly from the folklore of Cajun and Creole communities among French Louisiana, it is likely to have arisen from the more widespread belief in the "loup-garou" among Francophone communities in France and Canada, from which the name "rougarou" derived. It is theorized that the legend of the rougarou was brought to Louisiana by those who migrated from French Canadian territories in the late 1700s, evolving into the Cajun communities of Louisiana.
I can personally attest to the likelihood of this latter theory, as a resident of the North Country region of New York State, about 20 miles from the French-speaking province of Quebec. After posting the plot description of The Legend of Bayou Rouge on Facebook, a co-worker of mine confessed that her grandfather had told her stories of the "loup-garou" as a child, as a way to scare her into behaving. Needless to say, living so close to the Canadian border, our cultures have mingled to such an extent that we often aren't aware whether certain commonplace words or customs in our community are "American" or "Canadian."
But such is the case with the rougarou legend, as well. With such a blend of cultures and beliefs, the Louisiana rougarou is distinctly unique - as unique as Louisiana, herself.