The Rougarou is a mythical creature associated with areas of French influence in the New World, most notably Louisiana and the southern Mississippi River region, but also Quebec. Originally tied to French versions of the werewolf, the Rougarou has increasingly been perceived as a type of wendigo, indicating the manner in which it successfully transcended its European origins to establish its own Cajun identity. The degree to which the early French settlers of North America drew from indigenous tales in formulating stories about this creature is debatable, although some influence is undeniable. The Rougarou thus stands as one of the most complex and interesting mythical creatures from the North American continent.
Due to the vast range of geographical reporting for this creature (Canada and the Deep South), as well as stories passed down in French, English, and multiple indigenous languages, there are numerous spellings for the creature’s name that appear in historical literature. The most common, and most recent, spelling is Rougarou, although Roux-Ga-Roux, Rugaroo, Rugarou, and Rugaru can all be found in different locations. It is generally conceded that all of these names originally derived from the term “Loup Garou,” which essentially translates from the French as “wolf and man who transforms.” This creature has become such a cultural institution in the Deep South that the term has been used for terminologies above and beyond the proper name. For instance, “rougarouing” is a present participle version of a verb akin to “partying all night long.”
The earliest references to the Rougarou come from a large area of both Canada and the United States, stretching from Quebec west through the Great Lakes region to Manitoba and North Dakota. Although only speculation, it is thought that the Ojibwe and Chippewa groups picked up on the European concept of the werewolf from French trappers and settlers, grafting it onto their own tales of mythical creatures known as wendigos. These indigenous creatures were mythological monsters that could either inhabit animals or transform back and forth between human and animal form. Generally, they were malevolent in nature. These indigenous tales were passed down orally until written down in French, at which point all of the numerous and highly localized wendigo myths were most likely bundled together as Rougarou stories. In what might be a Gallic embellishment, some versions of the creature involved an origin story in which an ancient indigenous chief was once transformed into a Rougarou, now enacting punishment upon those with whom he comes in contact.
At that point, the Rougarou was alternately depicted as a demonic and violent wendigo or a more pacifistic and shy werewolf. Tales depicting the creature as a wendigo often involve cannibalism and the transformation of a human eyewitness into a wendigo. As author Peter Matthiessen notes, however, these tales are likely older ones that at some point acquired the name Rougarou when the French merged their tales with those they heard from the tribes with whom they traded. As Matthiessen notes, the tales that are more likely unique to the Rougarou tend to depict a creature less malevolent in design and more in tune with nature. It is for this reason, and others, that those who write about the history of the indigenous peoples of this region do not consider the Rougarou of the Ojibwe to relate at all to the creature depicted in Louisiana.
In southern Louisiana, the creature is referred to as the Rougarou, and occasionally by the French term Loup Garou. The creature is described variably, but often as having the body of a hairy hominid but the head of a wolf: in essence, as a werewolf. The creature is usually depicted as menacing in nature, often over seven feet tall and with red, glowing eyes and large, canine teeth. Generally, Cajun legend depicts the Rougarou as swamp-dwelling, particularly in the areas around Acadiana and New Orleans. Most sightings in the swamps of southern Louisiana probably pertain to humans, dogs, or red wolves, although the latter would eventually become extirpated from the region.
In addition to eyewitness accounts, mythical stories about human interactions with Rougarous are almost as numerous and varied as physical descriptions. In some accounts, the creatures kill and devour humans; in others, they turn other humans into Rougarous by looking into their eyes. Still other accounts involved humans being transformed into the creature after making a pact with the devil. Monster tales coming out of European mythology often highlighted the fear of the unknown and were violent in nature. Although many tales of the creature do involve violent attacks, a common variant of creature mythology involves a Rougarou turning to a human for help.
Most versions of the myth involve transformation, but the latter is unique in that the Rougarou represents a tortured soul, trapped in an animal body until assaulted by a human. A variation on this tale has humans compelled to commit suicide, instead of transforming into the creature, lest they tell anyone of their experience before the end of a mandated time period. It is no surprise that, in a culture with such a strong focus on Carnival, this version of the Rougarou would be attractive in its focus on transformative ritual, appeasement, and discretion.
Other rumors surround the Rougarou, particularly the versions that focus on the more malevolent aspects of the creature. According to legend, those who carry a certain type of leaf are safe from the creature, as are those who paint a hexagon on the floor. The Rougarou is more purely mythical than many creatures that have worked their way into North American folklore. Unlike creatures such as Bigfoot and the Ogopogo, there have been very few famous and widely publicized sightings from the twentieth century. This might be due to the fact that unlike these other creatures, the Rougarou transformed into a cultural bogeyman to be feared by children or young adults, particularly in an attempt to get the former to follow a set of rules or to keep the latter from going outside at night. A more specific application has children transforming if they break the rules of Lent.
Much as children tend to outgrow and stop believing in Santa Claus and the Sandman, so too would Cajun children outgrow their belief in the Rougarou. Despite this fact, the creature has managed to leave its mark on popular culture, albeit in a much more limited fashion than more famous mythical creatures. A Rougarou appears in the television series Supernatural, as well as in the book series The Dresden Files. As a largely mythical monster without the numerous sightings that typify other cryptids, the Rougarou has not inspired a lot of contemporary investigative journalism seeking to explore the topic. An exception is Cajun Justice, a Deep South version of Cops airing on A&E that contains an episode in which both police officers and citizens briefly discuss their sightings and/or beliefs about the creature.
In other forms of media, the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, maintains an online literary journal called Rougarou; moreover, although they ended up selecting a different name, the professional basketball team, the New Orleans Pelicans, considered the name Rougarous when deciding to change their name from the Hornets. Products made locally in southern Louisiana often reference the Rougarou, such as the Rougarou Imperial Black Ale produced by the Baton Rouge brewery Tin Roof. The Audubon Zoo in New Orleans contains an educational yet somewhat sensationalistic exhibit on the Rougarou, and the annual Rougarou Fest in Houma celebrates the folklore of Cajun and bayou culture.
The Rougarou as a hairy hominid with a wolf’s head is most often encountered on the night of a full moon and involves transformation. Thus, the myth owes much to the French concept of the Loup Garou, or werewolf. However, other features of the mythical creature are distinct from its French origins, most notably the redemptive dimension that appears in the stories that feature transformation back from creature to human. Thus, the Rougarou is a hybrid between the Old and New World, but a distinctly Cajun hybrid that represents one of the most complex and rich mythical creatures in North American cryptozoology.
Andrew Howe
See also Bigfoot or Sasquatch; Chupacabra; Dwayyo; Jersey Devil; Mogollon Monster; Mothman; Pope Lick Monster; Wendigo; Yehasuri; Yokai
Further Reading
Budd, Deena West. 2010. The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology: Werewolves, Dragons, Skyfish, Lizard Men, and Other Fascinating Creatures Real and Mysterious. San Francisco: Red Wheel/Weiser.
Clark, Jerome. 2000. Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Regal, Brian. 2013. Searching for Sasquatch: Crackpots, Eggheads and Cryptozoology. New York: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Reneaux, J. J. 1994. Haunted Bayou and Other Cajun Ghost Stories. Atlanta, GA: August House.
Word, Christine. 1988. Ghosts along the Bayou: Tales of Haunted Places in Southwestern Louisiana. Lafayette, LA: Acadiana Press.