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Thread: The Beast of Gévaudan

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    The Beast of Gévaudan

    I couldn't find a thread about this one so I hope it's not posted before.

    Apparently the movie Brotherhood of the Wolf is based on this story.

    The Beast of Gévaudan (French: La Bête du Gévaudan, Occitan: La Bèstia de Gavaudan) is the historical name associated with a man-eating animal or animals which terrorised the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day département of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride Mountains of south-central France between 1764 and 1767. The attacks, which covered an area spanning 90 by 80 kilometres (56 by 50 mi), were said to have been committed by one or more beasts with formidable teeth and immense tails, according to contemporary eyewitnesses. Most descriptions from the period identify the beast as a wolf, dog, or wolf-dog hybrid.

    Victims were often killed by having their throats torn out. The Kingdom of France used a considerable amount of money and manpower to hunt the animals responsible, including the resources of several nobles, soldiers, royal huntsmen, and civilians. The number of victims differs according to the source. A 1987 study estimated there had been 610 attacks, resulting in 500 deaths and 49 injuries; 98 of the victims killed were partly eaten. Other sources claim the animal or animals killed between 60 and 100 adults and children and injured more than 30. The beast was reported killed several times before the attacks finally stopped.

    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXfL43qW1PU

    Last edited by Wind, 17th May 2021 at 04:09.

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    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    I couldn't find a thread about this one so I hope it's not posted before.

    Apparently the movie Brotherhood of the Wolf is based on this story.
    I've seen that movie ─ twice, I think. It's very good, although the beast is not at the center of the story. In the movie, the beast is also never seen in its natural form, because it has been fitted with a kind of harness with metal spikes, and it is explained at the end of the movie that it was an animal ─ the last of its kind, although it is never stated what animal it must have been ─ that was imported from Africa and tortured to such a degree that it became insane and murderous.

    As shown on screen in the movie, the silhouette of the beast resembles that of a hyena, but it's much bigger than that ─ about the size of a lion.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

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    I need to see that movie. Do you think there actually was some supernatural, malevolent force behind the animal?

    Could even a huge hyena actually cause that much damage and be so... Intelligent?

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    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    I need to see that movie. Do you think there actually was some supernatural, malevolent force behind the animal?
    No, I don't. It was probably just a pack of wolves.

    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    Could even a huge hyena actually cause that much damage and be so... Intelligent?
    Hyenas are fairly intelligent, and they are definitely pack hunters, but they don't live in France, and they're also not that big. A wolf is much bigger than that.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

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    Quote Originally posted by Aragorn View Post
    No, I don't. It was probably just a pack of wolves.
    Abnormally big wolf-dogs which had acquired the taste only for human flesh and were aware of the tactics which were used against them. Also normal bullets hardly worked, the guy that finally killed the (last) beast even used a silver bullet to kill it, of course it might have just been his magical thinking and that's why he used the silver on the bullet.

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    Awesome,

    The The Ghost and The Darkness comes to mind:
    https://www.livescience.com/58735-ma...nt%20accounts.

    In a separate note, i have personally seen very unexplainable behavior like that, through a dog that used to be part of our family, here's how

    When i was around 7, we got gifted a puppy, which was very wild and had a hard time becoming part of our family, he was just not able to fit with humans at all, until around one year or so later, when he softened with us, but only us, "the pack". He was still extremely violent and reacted badly to most anyone that came close

    Around when he was 3 years old, he started doing very odd things, like he was learning human behavior, he had already started before but it became very obvious at that time. He would not eat anything that touched the ground, or anything that did not came directly from our hands and he had watched us put it on his plate ourselves, like if you would put something like a chicken breast on his plate, but he did not see any one of us put it there, he would not eat it, instead he would flip the plate and throw it away. Another thing, he would always ask for water by carrying his bowl to whoever was near, and then place it on the ground, then touch your leg and with his nose touch the bowl, so we knew he wanted water, he would never, ever drink water for anywhere else unless he saw us drinking it first, like from a river, for example

    He would not sleep on the floor, if his mat wasn't around, he would sit on his legs and attempt to remain awake for as long as possible, or jump or someone's legs and sleep there, but he never/ever allowed his head to touch the ground

    But when we realized he was a crazy monster was after that, this is the real WTF moment

    He started going out for hours and sometimes a full day, he was a free range dog, no education and he could go anywhere at anytime, so he just started walking around and returning several hours later, or next day

    then we found out that he had started killing small animals from around the city, like rodents, rabbits, cats and birds and such, problem is, he would not eat them or anything, he would kill them, then bring the body back home and open a shallow grave on our backyard and bury the bodies there. We didn't even notice first, but one day we noticed there were several places at the same corner where it seem the dirt had been removed. He tried to prevent us from opening the graves to see what was there, barking and running around and threatening to bite back when we approached. But once we found out, he still continued to do it, so eventually more graves were found every other week or so, and new animals kept being buried on our backyard non stop

    Talk about a psycho murderer who collects the bodies on his own backyard lol, he wasn't kill in for food, or defense, he was killing for sport, simple as that, and he collected the bodies

    I've never seen anything like that again. He died around 10 years ago or so, he tried to kill a rat that a neighbor had poisoned and died along with the rat

    That's what i've seen, so yeah i think there are animals that somehow have this kind of awaraness and also carry some kind of monsterous evilness inside, just like those lions or those animals in France, killing "just for sport"

    Last edited by Malisa, 17th May 2021 at 05:57.

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    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    Abnormally big wolf-dogs which had acquired the taste only for human flesh and were aware of the tactics which were used against them. Also normal bullets hardly worked, the guy that finally killed the (last) beast even used a silver bullet to kill it, of course it might have just been his magical thinking and that's why he used the silver on the bullet.
    Well, there is one obvious thing that is being overlooked here, which is that wolves normally avoid humans. That is not to say that a pack of wolves would never attack a human, but a solitary wolf normally wouldn't go near a human, let alone attack one, unless the wolf feels that the human poses a threat, either to itself or to its offspring.

    But even in packs, wolves tend to avoid going anywhere near humans. Yet, just as what the movie Jaws did with regard to sharks, the fairy tales we tell our children about evil wolves ─ e.g. Little Red Riding Hood ─ have imparted a subconscious fear and hatred for these animals, turning them into villains.

    Another aspect is that back in those days, rabies was a very common illness among both humans and animals, and it is quite possible that a wolf infected with rabies would have infected the other animals in its pack, and that as such, that particular pack had become extraordinarily aggressive. And as for being aware of the tactics used against them, wolves are very intelligent.

    Lastly, on account of that silver bullet, first of all, that's the mythological way to kill a werewolf, and werewolves themselves were probably also only humans who had been infected with rabies. Secondly, in those days, it was easier to claim that you shot the animal and that it didn't exhibit any wounds than to admit that you completely missed the target because you were shaking with fear.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

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    Quote Originally posted by Malisa View Post
    Talk about a psycho murderer who collects the bodies on his own backyard lol, he wasn't kill in for food, or defense, he was killing for sport, simple as that, and he collected the bodies

    I've never seen anything like that again. He died around 10 years ago or so, he tried to kill a rat that a neighbor had poisoned and died along with the rat

    That's what i've seen, so yeah i think there are animals that somehow have this kind of awaraness and also carry some kind of monsterous evilness inside, just like those lions or those animals in France, killing "just for sport".
    That's interesting and kinda crazy, I've only heard that cats like to play with their prey like that. That's almost a human-like (demonic) quality. It's interesting that some animals would develop such features, not sure what's going on there on the metaphysical level. For me as a metaphysician there's always some kind of metaphysical origin behind all physical manifestations. Matter is just the grossest form of energy, everything is a manifestation of the spirit.

    To be honest I used to find even some cats kinda scary when I was younger due to their sharp fangs and claws. I think cats have more human-like personalities. It's funny to think that my small dog would have a wolf as it's genetic ancestor, it's like the furthest thing away from that.

    https://www.history.com/news/beast-g...rance-theories

    "The Beast was consistently described by eyewitnesses as something other than a typical wolf. It was as large as a calf or sometimes a horse. Its coat was reddish gray with a long, strong panther-like tail. The head and legs were short-haired and the color of a deer. It had a black stripe on its back and “talons” on its feet. Many drawings of the Beast at the time endow it with lupine characteristics.

    Witnesses described the Beast as an ambush hunter which stalked its prey and seized it by the throat. The wounds found on the bodies were typically to the head and limbs with the remains of 16 victims reportedly decapitated. The creature prowled in the evenings and in the mornings."


    The description kinda fits this creature, except that this species has been extinct only for 26 million years.


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    One theory i had about my dog's behavior was this, it was gifted to us when he was around 1 and half months old, he was not able to grow along his mother, i think the mother died soon after giving birth, so he was being feed with milk bottles or something like that and his only interaction was with humans most of his life, so maybe, he picked up all kinds of things from humans right from the beginning, since he did not had any other being around that would be a "parent" figure? And also we are hunters, that dog was around us right from the beginning, and it was like a pet dog, we would constantly take him along when camping and going to hunt and such, i think he may have picked a lot of our stuff from there, and he followed through on his own way

    What made me think this is also the following, he would like to take baths with us, and he selected a towel no one else was allowed to touch, so after every bath, he would go roll on the towel until he was dry, he would never lie on the ground or shake like other dogs, he acted in such ways. that's why i called him "he" because when i think about it, i could not think of him like "it" as in other animals, he had a particular personality but i think it's mostly because he thought of himself as another human.. "that's all he knew"

    I think dogs and cats can pick up very odd things from humans, and even possible weird illnesses or behaviors, like we were hunters, my dog started also hunting for sport, would the same had happened if he was part of a more regular family? I'm not really sure, but i tend to think it would not

    Maybe this beast from France was raised in a similar way as my dog, then lost their family and somehow ended doing this, after spending a lot of time alone and becoming more wild?

    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    That's interesting and kinda crazy, I've only heard that cats like to play with their prey like that. That's almost a human-like (demonic) quality. It's interesting that some animals would develop such features, not sure what's going on there on the metaphysical level. For me as a metaphysician there's always some kind of metaphysical origin behind all physical manifestations. Matter is just the grossest form of energy, everything is a manifestation of the spirit.

    To be honest I used to find even some cats kinda scary when I was younger due to their sharp fangs and claws. I think cats have more human-like personalities. It's funny to think that my small dog would have a wolf as it's genetic ancestor, it's like the furthest thing away from that.

    https://www.history.com/news/beast-g...rance-theories

    "The Beast was consistently described by eyewitnesses as something other than a typical wolf. It was as large as a calf or sometimes a horse. Its coat was reddish gray with a long, strong panther-like tail. The head and legs were short-haired and the color of a deer. It had a black stripe on its back and “talons” on its feet. Many drawings of the Beast at the time endow it with lupine characteristics.

    Witnesses described the Beast as an ambush hunter which stalked its prey and seized it by the throat. The wounds found on the bodies were typically to the head and limbs with the remains of 16 victims reportedly decapitated. The creature prowled in the evenings and in the mornings."


    The description kinda fits this creature, except that this species has been extinct only for 26 million years.


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    There are theories that someone could have been "training" the beast as their pet and then unleashed it for whatever reason. One suspect was the hunter who killed it, not sure if that makes any sense though. All that for some glory? Man is the worst beast to roam the Earth though, no mistake about that.


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    Maybe the guy realized he had created a monster and had to put a stop on it

    When i was a kid, around 9 years old or so, i made friends with a Lynx, she would come and sit close to me and i would give her food and stuff, sometimes play a bit around her, but one day and mistakenly thought she was like a normal cat and teased her too much, she felt danger and acted like a wild animal would, by ripping pieces of my leg of in an incredible speed lol, i yelled and tried to run but she took me down so easily, then my family came running and shot her dead right there on the stop, i still have the smell of blood on the air and can hear the sounds of her crying. It's the worst thing i have ever done, out of ignorance and such. I live with the weight in my soul of her death, it's a very heavy weight

    If this guy somehow created that beast, then realized it would/was acting like that, maybe he had to make a choice between the beast's life and a human life, just like my family did back then, even knowing well the beast is only acting out of instinct and doesn't know better and someone else is to blame for what's going on


    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    There are theories that someone could have been "training" the beast as their pet and then unleashed it for whatever reason. One suspect was the hunter who killed it, not sure if that makes any sense though. All that for some glory? Man is the worst beast to roam the Earth though, no mistake about that.


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    That certainly is possible.

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    Wow, Malisa. I've heard some interesting dog stories but never one like that. That was truly a unique canine.

    Growing up we always used the gender pronoun with dogs. But my friend Kelly would refer to her dogs as 'it'. And she spoiled them rotten. They'd beg and beg and she'd give them treats and they were so fat!

    The largest wild animals I've been close to near my home would be coyotes. A couple of my brother-in-laws see bears by their homes.

    I've known folks from rural parts of the south where there are packs of feral dogs. That is something I would not want to run into.

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    Quote Originally posted by Aragorn View Post
    I've seen that movie ─ twice, I think. It's very good, although the beast is not at the center of the story. In the movie, the beast is also never seen in its natural form, because it has been fitted with a kind of harness with metal spikes, and it is explained at the end of the movie that it was an animal ─ the last of its kind, although it is never stated what animal it must have been ─ that was imported from Africa and tortured to such a degree that it became insane and murderous.

    As shown on screen in the movie, the silhouette of the beast resembles that of a hyena, but it's much bigger than that ─ about the size of a lion.
    I was convinced by people that I loaned the movie or I read it somewhere that it was a Lion ... But that really wasn't my conclusion. I felt that it was a 'supernatural' creature. Something just ab normal.
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

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    Quote Originally posted by Dreamtimer View Post
    The largest wild animals I've been close to near my home would be coyotes.
    The largest wild animals I've ever met were humans, but I've already come across a couple of tame ones too.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

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