Wikimedia CommonsA 1764 rendering of the Beast of Gvaudan called Picture of the Monster that is devastating Gvaudan.Between 1764 and 1767, something evil stalked the quiet hills of Gvaudan, France. The so-called Bte du Gvaudan, or Beast of Gvaudan, attacked hundreds of people in this period, often tearing out their throats. No one knew what it was or how to stop it. For three years, the beast terrified villagers of this southern French region. And for three years, hunters came from far and wide to try and track it down. Even King Louis XV got involved. But although something was killed by the end of the 1760s that put an end to the attacks attacks that killed more than 100 people the mystery of the Bte du Gvaudan endures. Was it a mythical beast? A lion on the loose? Or simply a product of mass hysteria? History Uncovered Podcast Episode 32: The Beast Of Gvaudans Reign Of Terror In 18th-Century France Between 1764 and 1767, something evil stalked the hills of Gvaudan, France. The so-calledBte du Gvaudan, or Beast of Gvaudan, attacked hundreds of people, often tearing out their throats. No one knew what it was or how to stop it.The First Attacks By The Beast Of GvaudanUntil 1764, Gvaudan was a quiet region, safely secluded in the mountains of Margeride in the south of France and largely cut off from the outside world. Life there was peaceful until a spring day that year. Public DomainA depiction of the beast published in November 1764. It reads, A picture of the fierce and extraordinary beast that eats girls.As Jay Smith wrote in Monsters of the Gvaudan, a young woman watching a herd of cattle on a spring day in 1764 claimed that something had tried to attack her. She described the beast as like a wolf, yet not a wolf and said she had only escaped with her life because her herd had defended her.Two months later, a young shepherdess was not as lucky. On June 30, something attacked and killed 14-year-old Jeanne Boulet while she was watching over her familys livestock. The villagers might have uneasily dismissed these incidents as par for the course sheepherding could be dangerous work and attract predators. But on Aug. 8, another girl was killed. With her last breath, she described the animal that had killed her as a horrible beast.Public DomainA 1764 artists interpretation of the monsters attacks.From there, the attacks kept coming. At the end of August, a young boy watching sheep disappeared, only to be found partially eaten. Come September, four more people would fall victim to the beast.One of these attacks claimed the life of the first adult victim as well, a 36-year-old woman in Arzenc parish who met her grisly end just a few steps from the safety of her door. Now, the residents of Gvaudan were convinced that an evil creature lurked in their midst. The Beast of Gvaudan was picking off locals one by one. They knew they had to do something. Hunting The Mysterious MonsterThreatened by a terrifying monster, the people of Gvaudan prepared a massive response. Jean-Baptiste Duhamel, the captain of the local infantry, and tienne Lafont, a regional government delegate, were joined by 30,000 volunteers to hunt the Beast of Gvaudan down.Public DomainAn illustration of Jeanne Jouve, whose attempt to save her child from the Beast of Gvaudan made her a national hero, 1839.Everyone is on guard, Lafont wrote. As fear continued to grip Gvaudan, Lafont was tasked with coordinating the official response to the crisis. He had hoped to establish in each parish a permanent hunt with anywhere between eight and 10 people on constant patrol but unfortunately, he found that many of the villagers were too timid for this task. Those willing to help with the hunt, however, would be paid up to 20 sous per day. Lafont also convinced his superiors that professional soldiers were needed to hunt the beast. And before October came to an end, all officers of the local police were ordered to provide aid to Captain Duhamel. They scoured the countryside, laid traps with poisoned bait, and even had some volunteers dress like women in hopes of attracting the Bte du Gvaudan. The men were highly motivated. In addition to wanting to stop the beast, they also hungered after the reward money. According to Smithsonian Magazine, it was equal to a years salary. Public DomainAn 18th-century depiction of the monster attacking a woman. But although a group of these hunters purportedly stumbled upon the beast, they failed to shoot it. They reported that the beast was too cunning and too powerful to be subdued. Hunters who are in pursuit have neither been able to stop it, because it is more agile than they, a local French paper wrote at the end of 1764. Nor lure it into their traps, because it surpasses them in cunning, nor engage in combat when it presents itself to them, because its terrifying appearance weakens their courage, disturbs their vision, sets their hands shaking, and neutralizes their skill.Public DomainAn illustration by Thomas Borup of the hunt for the Beast of Gvaudan.Duhamel described the beast as having a chest as wide as a horse, a body as long as a leopards, and red fur with a black stripe. Another witness claimed that it could walk on its hind legs. Perhaps hoping to excuse the hunters failure, the witness also said that the beasts skin could withstand and even repel bullets. Even hunters who came from afar had no luck. A father-son team from Normandy who claimed to have killed more than 1,000 wolves came to Gvaudan to help. But even they couldnt manage to kill the beast. The People Of Gvaudan Fight BackAs awareness of the Beast of Gvaudan spread, locals fought back. In January 1675, a group of children led by 10-year-old Jacques Portefaix were said to have driven off the beast with sticks, earning a reward from the king. In addition, Portefaix was given an education paid by the crown. Later that year, a young woman named Marie-Jeanne Valet was crossing the River Desges with her sister when the beast attacked. During the encounter, Valet struck the beast with a bayonet, impaling it in the chest. Though the beast fled, Valet became known as the Amazon and the Maid of Gvaudan.Public Domain18th-century print of Jacques Portefaix and his companions fighting the beast.But as the attacks continued, the French king, Louis XV, became personally involved. Convinced that the Beast of Gvaudan was too much for the locals to handle, he sent his personal bodyguard, the 71-year-old gunbearer Franois Antoine, to the region in September 1765.At first, Antoine seemed to be the right call. He and his men shot and killed a giant wolf, stuffed it, and collected their reward. But a few months later, the attacks started up again. This time, the beast seemed fiercer and more fearless. It attacked and killed scores of people, stirring up panic. The Beast of Gvaudans reign of terror didnt end until June 19, 1767, when a local farmer whom Antoine had earlier thrown in prison for leading him into a bog shot and killed another huge wolf. Wikimedia CommonsAn 18th-century print of Franois Antoine shooting a wolf. When residents cut the wolf open, they found human remains inside. Thus, the Beast of Gvaudan seemed to have been killed at last. The attacks stopped. But the mystery surrounding this eerie story has endured. Was the Beast of Gvaudan a wolf or something else entirely? What Was The Beast Of Gvaudan?To this day, no one is entirely sure what terrorized the people of Gvaudan in the 1760s. But several theories have emerged. The most prominent theory is that the beast was merely a wolf. Or, more likely, the Beast of Gvaudan was a particularly aggressive pack of wolves. The animals are native to the region, and thousands of wolf attacks were recorded in France between the 17th and 19th centuries. But those who saw the Beast of Gvaudan often claimed that it only resembled a wolf. Public DomainA 1765 engraving showing the many attacks of the Beast of Gvaudan, with Marie-Jeanne Valets piercing attack in the center.Other theories have suggested that the beast was an escaped exotic animal, like a hyena or a lion. Most people in France would have never seen animals like this, so they would appear like mythical monsters. Duhamel even mused that the Beast of Gvaudan was some kind of new, hybrid animal, writing: You will undoubtedly think, like I do, that this is a monster, the father of which is a lion. What its mother was remains to be seen.Then again, another theory suggests that the beast was actually the most terrifying creature on the planet a human. Is it possible that a serial killer terrorized Gvaudan? Could a human have stalked through the region, searching for unaccompanied young children or women? Well never know for sure. Maybe the the hunters of Gvaudan killed the aggressive wolves who were behind the attacks. But perhaps the Beast of Gvaudan simply slipped back into the mountains.After reading about the Beast of Gvaudan, learn about the Mothman, who terrorized West Virginia in the 60s. Then, discover the story of the Jersey Devil, which purportedly stalks the northeastern United States.The post The Beast Of Gvaudan, The Mysterious Monster That Stalked And Killed Villagers In 18th-Century France appeared first on All That's Interesting.