So folks, the genre glossary is complete, and I'd like to introduce a new regular feature to the blog: The Creature Compendium!
Whyfore, you may ask, am I creating just another bestiary? WELL thank you for asking! Every culture has it's mythical creatures, and I'd like highlight the lesser known. This will be a starting point for research into world folklore.
So without further ado, here's our first visitor to the blog:
Le Loup-Garou
Garou by Mir-Black-Magic
Le loup-garou (le loup = the wolf) is a lycanthrope with a Canadian spin. The stories of le loup originate from the French settlers of Quebec in the 17th century. Le loup-garou is said to be able to change into a wolf at will, and also with the full moon.
There are various stories for how one becomes a loup-garou. One legend says that if you meet a loup-garou, and speak of the encounter, you will be cursed to turn into a wolf for a hundred and one days. In another story, le loup were men cursed for refusing to go to church, and to break the spell, the men had to confess their sins to a priest. In other stories, le loup-garou were men who made a bargain with the devil.
To force a loup-garou to reveal himself, a you must shed a little blood. A pinprick to a finger is enough.
Folktales:
- The Devil and the Werewolves
- Le lopu-garou (in French)
- Beware the 'loup-garou' (audio)
Related Creatures: werewolf, rougarou
Region of Origin: North America, Canada, Quebec
Oh, this should be a fun project. :D
I'd never heard of le loup-garou before! Not in French anyway, heh.
I'm looking forward to it! I find it interesting how some stories take on regional flavors, over time ;)
I'd picked up "loup garou" from French class in High School, and tried to incorporate them into the background of my ever-gestating "Project SOA".
In keeping with proper French, then, referencing them would work this way:
A single, unknown or non-specific French/Canadian werewolf: un loup-garou.
A single, specific, known French/Canadian werewolf: le loup-garou.
Multiple known or unknown, specific or non-specific French/Canadian werewolves: les loups-garoux.
Although, in all three cases, the word is pronounced the same, roughly: "loo garoo"
P.S.: I'm looking forward to this ongoing project.
Reminds me... I have an "ongoing" project of my own that has been sorely neglected for a long time...
hehe yes that is correct. un = one. le = the (masculine). les = multiples.
Did you try the folktale I listed in French? My pronunciation is horrible, but I remember enough from school to read it.
Unfortunately I haven't used my French in years, so without a lot of French -> English dictionary lookups, I'm having a bit of trouble with it. I can get the gist of some bits of it, but a lot of the verbs, especially, escape me - and verbs tend to be a tad important for comprehension... ;)
I'd never heard of the curse that talking about such a garou would contaminate you. What is the source on that bit of lore? Especially since you're booting this compendium up, I'd love a paper trail that pointed folks to the origins of your information, double-especially when sources conflict with each other.
There's limited information in English, so I tried to aggregate what seemed to be most common on the web. I saw the contamination thing on several websites, that I did not track. here is one: Mythical Creatures Guide
However, I think it would take more research to confirm a proper source. I'll try to save my references next time ;)
I'm loving where this is going, considering that there are so many cultures available for exploration. I hope you step into Bulgarian territory as well. :)
Maybe you could help me with that! I'd love to, though I imagine there would be a lot more info in Bulgarian.
I always wondered what a Loup-Garou was!
And now you know!