The Zhevodan beast: photos, legends, versions, scientific explanation, the first victim

Legends of forest monsters and werewolves occupy a special place in the history of France. In part, this is due to the fact that the myths had very real grounds. Of course, it was not without hyperbole and exaggeration, especially given the enormous time intervals during which such stories were retold. Among the closest to real events, one can mention the legends about the Jezwodan beast, which shocked the imagination several centuries ago. They still cause interest among researchers.

What made the beast of Jévodana famous?

Despite the huge resonance in the society, which was caused by the monster, the period of its activity was short. The beast wielded in the Tenazeir forest and its surroundings in 1764-1767 - by the way, during the reign of Louis XV. This place is located near the town of Bresseir in the province of Jevodan, from which the beast received its nickname. The very fact of the existence of an unusual creature could have gone unnoticed, but his fame has come to this day thanks to numerous victims. According to the calculations of the time, the Zheludvan beast, whose photo is shown below, claimed the lives of more than 100 people, while the number of attacks reached 250. But it is not only the number of murders that is shocking, but also the form in which they were committed.

The image of the beast and the tactics of attacks

Almost all the testimonies of people who saw the monster, mark its similarity to the wolf. However, there were a number of differences that prevented more accurate identification of the beast. Among them are the following:

• Large size and wide chest.
• The presence of a kind of brush on the end of a long tail.
• Elongated muzzle and maw with protruding fangs.
• Red color. Sometimes there were dark spots and streaks.
• Pointed ears.

Quite a vivid image, on the one hand, pushed the researchers of the legend to opinions about one animal, but the presence of conflicting characteristics again and again made identification difficult. It was clear that the Zheludvan beast was a deadly predator, reminiscent of a large wolf. But, except for appearance, the style in which the animal dealt with its victims caused no less questions.

Attacks were uncharacteristic for ordinary predators. The fact is that usually the beast tries to knock the victim off his feet, immobilizing it. In turn, the Jevdon monster immediately attacked the face, tearing it apart and, as a rule, depriving the person of the head. But another thing is remarkable in the behavior of the wolf-like beast. He preferred people to sheep, cows and goats, despite the difficulties in punishing them. However, the beast almost did not attack men who were armed with agricultural implements or other implements. His main prey were children and women.

First victims

The first information about the monster arose on June 1 in 1764, when a peasant woman was grazing in the forest of Merkuur, grazing cows. True, the cattle, behind which the woman hid, frightened off the predator. At that time everything worked out, and for the first time the features that the Zhevodan beast possessed were fixed. The first victim was officially registered in a month. The young girl Jeanne Boule was less fortunate. The attack ended in ruin, and by the onset of the autumn the beast took the lives of two more children. In September, 5 children were killed, and in October - 3. After that, the authorities made their first attempts to find and destroy the beast, but this could not be done. The beast was wounded and forgot about it for a month. However, already in November, his fanatical activities were continued.

Attempts to destroy the beast

The local governor of the Count of Monkan sent the dragoon detachment in search of the beast in the fall after the first attacks. As a result, several raids in the forest were conducted, not one hundred wolves were killed, but the monster-cannibal among them was not. In the future such raids were undertaken repeatedly, but it was not possible to cope with the Zhevodan beast. The creature was injured several times, but as a rule, after 1 or 2 months, new rumors of victims appeared.

The next stage of the struggle was attended by the most skillful hunters of France, sent by the king himself. They were the son and father of d'Ennevali, who also conducted several raids involving hundreds of people. In general, more than a thousand wolves were killed, but the attempt to end the attacks on people again failed. In view of the fact that the activities of d'Ennevalei had not yielded results, they were succeeded by François-Antoine de Bottern, who had a vast experience of hunting wolves behind him . In the autumn of 1765, François and his group discovered near the abbey Shaz an unusually large wolf. They manage to kill him and, to everyone's delight, to find in the stomach pieces of clothing. But, later it turned out that the Zhevodan beast did not have this wolf, since the attacks were resumed. However, the trophy de Bothern itself was worthy of attention - he received the nickname "wolf from the Shaz". In the people, rumors of a resurrected monster, which brought new victims, despite the raids in the forests, which have become regular, have gone.

The murder of the Jevdon monster

The monster was destroyed in the process of one of the raids, which continued in 1767. The hero was Jean Shastel. He received for his feat 72 levors. Ironically, the dead predator was smaller in size than the wolf killed by François de Bothern. And yet there was plenty of evidence to prove that the dead beast belonged to the monster attacking people. First of all, the Zhevodan beast was identified by eyewitnesses who collided with him. As a rule, these were hunters who also found traces of left wounds on the body of the beast. In addition, the monster did have a lot of distinctive features, among them a very large head, long legs and a third eyelid. After this mention of new victims did not appear, but another part of this story began. The naturalists did not answer the question of the origin of the beast, leaving this mystery to our days and allowing it to draw the most fantastic myths and conjectures.

Legends of the Jebusander Beast

Such impressive events could not be left without national attention and detailed coverage by the press of that time. Thanks to the increased interest in the beast, its history has acquired many legends. In one of the most popular notes, the monster was actually a werewolf. This opinion of people was prompted by inexplicable behavior for the wolf and its elusiveness. Another legend relates to the circumstances under which the Zhevodan beast was killed from the rifle of Jean Shastel. The fact is that the hunter was a devout man and treated the monster as a manifestation of evil spirit. Therefore, as they say in the legend, he loaded the gun with a silver bullet. During the search for the beast, Shastel made a halt, during which he began to read the prayer. At this point, and appeared a cannibal, who was later killed by two silver bullets.

Versions

An unequivocal answer to the question of who the Jevdon monster was, is not present until now. However, over the past centuries, many versions have appeared, with some degree of reliability explaining the nature of the wolf-like creature. To date, the search for answers to these questions is actively engaged in cryptozoology, which studies hidden, mythical and little-known animals. Representatives of this direction express rather bold assumptions about who the Zheludvan beast was. Andrewsarch, extinct about 40 million years ago - one of these versions. This is an ancient predator, which is known to modern researchers on the giant skull. There are also opinions about the belonging of the beast to phantom cats, snow man and Chupacabra. Nevertheless, the versions of academic science are still the most plausible, which should be considered in more detail.

Large wolf or flock

Perhaps this is the most persistent and most truthful explanation of who the monster was. Several facts speak in his favor. Firstly, at that time wolves had larger sizes. Secondly, conditions are possible under which wolves start hunting for uncharacteristic prey - in this case people. It is also possible that there were several attacking animals, who subsequently received the nickname of the Zhevodonsky beast. The scientific explanation in this case fits into the events associated with attempts to kill the monster. Between the end of June 1764 to July 1767 several large wolves were caught or killed. One of the most noteworthy was the wolf de Bottern, killed in the stomach of which particles of clothing were found. It is likely that this and other animals also attacked people. But this version has some weaknesses. It is not known for what reason several individuals at once could change the characteristic behavior of the wolf. In addition, there is reason to doubt that it was possible to exterminate all cannibal predators in such a short period.

Hyena

If it were not for a whole series of distinctive external features that the Zhevodonsky beast possessed, there might not have been a version about the hyena. First of all, this is the red color, spots and stripes that are really inherent in this species. In addition, hyenas often attack people, and they just hit the face. Another thing is that they are not so fit to make jumps, like wolves. On this similarity of the description of the Jevdon monster with the hyena ends. There are several circumstances against this version. Hyena, to put it mildly, is an uncharacteristic animal for European forests. In addition, representatives of this species are not able to move the light jog that was observed in the beast in Zhevodane after the attacks.

A cross between a dog and a wolf

Dogs rarely are bloodthirsty - among them there are almost no specimens that purposefully lead the hunt for people. And yet it was proximity to man that became the basis for the version that the pet was crossed with a wolf. But this assumption has other variations on the subject of who the Zheludvan beast was and why it so easily avoided the pursuit of hunters. There are many hypotheses, united by one condition - direct human participation. For example, one of these versions is associated with the identity of Antoine, the son of Jean Shastel, who managed to kill the beast. Historians of the time note that the breaks in the activity of the monster just fell on the periods of absence of Antoine Shastel, who loved to visit exotic countries and, probably, brought a hyena or a leopard from there.

The animal from the family of felines

In addition to the leopard, many experts also consider the version of the panther. The habits of the beast, including his graceful race after the attacks, confirm this assumption. In addition, according to eyewitness accounts, the monster actively used claws, tearing their flesh on the neck and face. It is known that hyenas and as a whole representatives of wolves rarely use their front paws in cutting the victim. On the contrary, the cat's claws are used during the attack.

Conclusion

Stories when wild animals attack people, especially in ancient times, happened quite often. However, the Zheleznovsky beast became a unique phenomenon not only because of the mass character of its massacres of victims and unprecedented cruelty. His cunning, elusiveness and ability to bypass any human traps quite logically led to thoughts about the connection of the monster with the man. There were rumors that he was specially trained and directed against the peasants of Zhevodana. And this is not to mention the legend about the werewolf and demonic essence of this beast. Anyway, the point in the terrible events was forever set by Jean Shastel, and the stories about the predator and its victims the French noted several monuments.