The Werewolf of Quebec

The Fortifications of Québec have borne witness to so many of Quebec and Canada's most pivotal moments, but this story is...unique. In 1766, the Gazette de Quebec reports that there was a werewolf stalking the countryside outside the city's stone walls...

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FRENCH VERSION: https://youtu.be/Rjxc8i4fS34

Place names:

For storytelling purposes, we occasionally refer to locations from a contemporary perspective. We will always side with simplicity, flow, and clarity in order to make the episodes as engaging as possible.

French Canadian:

We are phasing this terminology out of our scripts, but sometimes it slips through due to word-repetition and simplicity. Where possible, we endeavour to say “Canadiens,” or “Quebecois,” or “francophones” depending on the context. We’d actually forgotten it was in this script until the editing phase unfortunately.

The Gazette de Quebec:

The source of the article that first caught our interest years ago when we posted a blog/Twitter thread on the subject. Interestingly, the newspaper was relatively new at the time that the infamous werewolf story was published. The paper started in June 1764. In fact, there were no newspapers in New France between 1608 and 1763 because the French officials opposed the establishment of a printing press. In our episode about Rouge Park, we mention one of the most pivotal consequences of having a free press: the French Revolution.

Wolf Blood (1925):

One of the coolest things we came across with this episode is the silent-era film Wolf Blood. It’s said to be the oldest surviving werewolf movie. It’s an American film, but it’s actually set in Canada (shocking!). In a Canadian forest, two rival logging companies become so hostile with each other that a lumberjack is beaten and left for dead. Only a blood transfusion from a wolf can save him! You can find the flick all over YouTube as it’s in the public domain.

The Beast of Gévaudan:

There are other Canadien werewolf tales, but we found it incredible that this story lined up so closely with one of the most famous stories in the world. The first report of the beast came from a young woman who'd been herding cattle. She described the beast as "like a wolf, yet not a wolf." Not long after, a girl named Jeanne Boulet was killed by an animal while watching livestock. And the attacks continued, targeting mostly women and children, until they could no longer be dismissed as regular animal activity.

At one point up to 30,000 volunteers were recruited to help hunt the beast. Some even dressed like women in hopes of luring the animal. It helped that the reward money was close to one year's salary for a working man at the time.

One particular story stands out of a young woman named Marie-Jenne Valet who was walking home alone from a neighbouring farm, armed with a homemade spear, when she turned around to see the Beast of Gévaudan, which she described as a terrifyingly large dog. She immediately drove her spear into the animal's chest, which sent it running away, injured. A monument stands in Auvers, France, in honour of her bravery. Some theories have suggested the animal was a wolf-dog hybrid trained to attack people.

A favourite film of one of the creators of Canadiana, The Brotherhood of the Wolf is loosely based on the animal killings in Gévaudan—though in this film, (spoilers) the beast is a lion in disguise.

General Loups Garous lore:

In Quebecois culture, a loup-garou is strongly connected to Catholic morality. It could be a curse given to someone guilty of not being a good Christian—like failing to confess sins.

In Canadien folklore, the spell over a werewolf could be broken only if someone recognizes the werewolf while transformed, and is able to draw blood from the animal. However, if successful, neither may speak of the incident again, lest they meet an even worse fate.

#canadianhistory #quebeccity #werewolf

00:00 Introduction
01:05 Origins
01:58 Canadien Werewolves
02:52 An Uneasy Decade
03:40 Beast of Gevaudan
04:20 Hunting Werewolves
05:37 Conclusion
06:27 Unicorn Bonus Story

Видео The Werewolf of Quebec канала Canadiana