The creature known as a rougarou are as diverse as the spelling of its name, though they are all connected to
francophone cultures through a common derived belief in the
loup-garou (, ).
Loup is
French for wolf, and
garou (from
Frankish warulf, cognate with English werewolf) is a
man who transforms into an animal.
Cajun and Creole folklore costume based on a Rougarou (figure on the left) ,
New Orleans, Louisiana "Rougarou" represents a variant pronunciation and spelling of the original French
loup-garou. According to
Barry Jean Ancelet, an academic expert on
Cajun folklore and professor at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette in America, the tale of the rougarou is a common legend across
French Louisiana. Both words are used interchangeably in southern
Louisiana. The rougarou legend has been spread for many generations, either directly from French settlers to
Louisiana (New France) or via the
French Canadian immigrants centuries ago. In the Creole and
Cajun legends, the creature is said to prowl the swamps around
Acadiana and
Greater New Orleans, and the sugar cane fields and woodlands of the regions. The rougarou most often is described as a creature with a human body and the head of a wolf or dog, similar to the werewolf legend. Often the story-telling has been used to inspire fear and obedience. One such example is stories that have been told by elders to persuade Creole and Cajun children to behave. According to another variation, the wolf-like beast will hunt down and kill
Catholics who do not follow the rules of
Lent. This coincides with the French Catholic loup-garou stories, according to which the method for turning into a werewolf is to break Lent seven years in a row. A common
blood sucking legend says that the rougarou is under the spell for 101 days. After that time, the curse is transferred from person to person when the rougarou draws another human's blood. During that day the creature returns to human form. Although acting sickly, the human refrains from telling others of the situation for fear of being killed. Other stories range from the rougarou as a rabbit to the rougarou being derived from
witchcraft. In the latter claim, only a witch can make a rougarou—either by turning into a wolf herself, or by cursing others with
lycanthropy.
Native American/First Nation folklore Rugaru is the
Ojibwe name for "the hairy man who appears in symptom of danger or psychic disruption in the community." Author
Peter Matthiessen notes in
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse that "
Rugaru is not an
Ojibwa word; possibly it is a corruption of
loup-garou, or 'werewolf,' which French Canadian trappers may have called this spirit-being." In the same book, Native American activist
Leonard Peltier relates: "'Up there in Canada, you know, That One we used to call rugaru comes up often in the conversation. You know, the people up there just take ‘
Bigfoot’ for granted.'" ==In popular culture==