In the late 1760s, rural France was terrorized by a beast. Appearing suddenly out of the rocky, forested hills of Gévaudan province, it would seize a victim and disappear, leaving only blood and mangled bodies behind. With an estimated victim count of at least 60, mostly small children, the Beast of Gévaudan was certainly real; but what exactly was it?  

On this episode, we're talking wolves, dogs, and wolf-dogs, along with hyenas, lions, politics, hunting, King Louis XV, and religious fervor in pre-Revolution France.

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Sources:

"When the Beast of Gévaudan Terrorized France" by L. Boissoneault for Smithsonian, 2017

"How The Beast Of Gévaudan Turned The Idyllic French Countryside Into A Place Of Unprecedented Slaughter", by K.Fraga for All That's Interesting, 2021

"The Real Story of the Beast of Gévaudan", by A. Johnson for Museum Hack, 2019

"The Beast of Gevaudan: Hunting the Monster of 18th Century France", by M-M. Renauld for The Collector, 2022

"Solving the Mystery of the 18th-Century Killer “Beast of Gévaudan”" by K-H. Taake for National Geographic Newsroom, 2016

"The Marin Report - Minutes written by Master Etienne Marin, Royal Notary of Langeac", by E. Marin, 1767 (in French)

"Marie-Jeanne Valet vs. the Beast of Gevaudan" by A. Black for Complete France, 2013

"Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of Gevaudan" by C. Andrews for History, 2013

"How An Ancient Volcano Helped A Man-Eating Wolf Terrorize 18th Century France" by D. Bresson for Forbes, 2017