The rougarou (also spelled similarly as roux-ga-roux, rugaroo, and rugaru) is a mythical creature in Laurentian French communities related to popular concepts of the werewolf.
The legends of the creature known as a rougarou are as different as the spelling of its name. However, they are all linked to francophone cultures through a commonly derived belief in the loup-garou. From the French word for wolf and garou from the Frankish word of garulf (related to English werewolf), Loup is a man who transforms into a beast.
In the Cajun legends, the creature is reported to roam the swamps around Acadiana and Greater New Orleans and the provinces’ sugar cane fields and woodlands. The rougarou is generally depicted as a creature with a human body. The head of a wolf or dog, akin to the werewolf lore.
Often, story-telling has been employed to inspire fear and obedience. One such case is stories that have been mentioned by elders and ancestors to influence Cajun youngsters to be good. According to another alternative, the wolf-like beast will track down and kill Catholics who do not adhere to the rules of Lent. This corresponds with the French Catholic loup-garou stories. The process for turning into a werewolf is to break Lent seven years in a row. Although this is unlikely as a definite source of information.
A standard blood-sucking legend says that the rougarou is under a spell for 101 days. After that point, the curse is passed on from person to person when the rougarou takes another human’s blood. During that day, the creature changes to a human form. Although acting in poor health, the human avoids informing others of the circumstances for the concern of being killed.
Other accounts include the rougarou as a giant rabbit and the rougarou being originated from witchcraft. In the last claim, only a witch can make a rougarou—either by turning into a wolf herself or by cursing others with lycanthropy.
An excellent protector for a witch… I’d say…
