![]() The story goes that a priest prayed for five days and managed to slip a rosary around the bear’s neck. ![]() Spooky France: 13 of the most haunted places to visitĥ creepy locations to visit in Paris on HalloweenĪlso known as la malebête, this giant bear would eat young sherpherdesses and their flock of cows in the Vendée area. Les Fêtes de la Tarasque are still celebrated today in this small town in Bouches-du-Rhône. It terrorised the town of Tarascon, devouring many inhabitants until a young woman, Marthe defeated the beast. This reptilian monster is often described as part dragon, snake or crocodile with a lion’s head and a tortoise shell. This legendary beast haunted the marshes and riverbeds of the Rhône in Provence, especially between Arles and Avignon and on the banks of Tarascon. If you hear the wheels or see this sinister cart, it means you or a loved one will die soon. Legends say he rides a wagon with creaking wheels at night to collect the souls of dead people. He is depicted as a skeleton, sometimes draped in a black cloak and holding a scythe, an arrow or a spear. Hailing from Celtic mythology, this figure is said to be the servant of Death and was feared in Brittany. Fatal attacks ceased thereafter but the killings captured the country’s imagination, even to this day as the story inspired several modern films. Several large dogs and wolves were killed but attacks on humans continued until a peasant called Jean Castel finally shot a large wolf in 1767. Its fame crossed borders until the royal army intervened. Horrific fatal attacks in the county of Gévaudan (roughly equivalent to today’s Lozère department) in the 18th century were blamed on an enormous beast which rumours claimed was a werewolf or an exotic monster. ![]() In the run-up to Halloween, we take a look at some of the more frightening legendary beasts and monsters of French folklore. ![]() Legends, myths and stories abound in French culture and not all of them are pleasant. ![]()
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