The Beast of Gévaudan (French: La Bête du Gévaudan) or Gévaudan Beast is one of France's most famous cryptid(s) and historical mysteries. Between 1764 and 1767, in the province of Gévaudan (now part of Lozère and Haute-Loire in southern France), a mysterious creature reportedly terrorized the countryside. The "Beast" was said to have killed over 100 people, mostly women and children, often in brutal fashion—throats torn out, bodies mutilated, and sometimes partially eaten.
A legendary creature that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (now part of Lozère and Haute-Loire) in south-central France between 1764 and 1767. It is a historical mystery wrapped in myth, with elements of folklore, fear, and sensationalism. In the remote and rugged countryside of 18th-century Gévaudan, a land of misty forests, craggy hills, and isolated hamlets, something begins to stalk the people. It is said to be no ordinary wolf—it is larger than a calf, with reddish fur, black streaks along its back, a huge head like a mastiff, and a long, whip-like tail. Its eyes glow in the dark. Its movements are swift and unnatural. The first known victim is a young shepherdess named Jeanne Boulet, attacked and killed in June 1764. Soon, more children and women are slain, many decapitated or mutilated, and often in broad daylight. The creature becomes infamous not just for its killings—allegedly over 100 deaths—but for its eerie intelligence. It avoids traps, evades experienced hunters, and even seems to choose women and children deliberately, heightening its demonic reputation. Some claim it walks on two legs, or that bullets bounce off its hide. Survivors describe it as part-wolf, part-monster. Priests declare it divine punishment, a harbinger of the Apocalypse, or perhaps a werewolf sent by Satan himself.
Superstition thrives: villagers refuse to venture out at night, bells are rung to ward off evil, and legends grow faster than the body count.
Word of the terror reaches King Louis XV. Humiliated that the French army cannot stop a single beast, he dispatches professional wolf hunters, including Jean-Charles Marc Antoine Vaumesle d'Enneval and his son, but they fail. Then comes François Antoine, the King's gun-bearer. In 1765, he kills a massive wolf said to be the Beast. It is stuffed and sent to Versailles. But the killings resume within months.
In June 1767, a local farmer and reputed recluse, Jean Chastel, joins a final hunt. A pious man, he is said to have loaded his musket with silver bullets blessed by a priest—a nod to werewolf lore. In the forest of Mont Mouchet, Chastel comes face-to-face with the creature.
He kneels, prays, and fires. He falls and after its death, the killings stop—for good.
