MrBallen: Cryptid, Werewolf, or Thylacine? • Was this monster finally stopped by a chicken?!?
The Beast of Gévaudan (The Story of Jacques Portefaix)
In the harsh winter of 1765, in the southern French province of Gévaudan, a 12-year-old boy named Jacques Portefaix lived a life of fear and ridicule. Known as "the wet chicken" by his siblings and peers for his gentle nature and tendency to cry, Jacques dreamed of escaping his brutal village life to become a priest like his uncle. However, the reality of his existence was dictated by survival. For months, a mysterious entity known as the "Beast of Gévaudan" had been terrorizing the region, savagely killing and mutilating children who tended livestock in the fields.
One cold January morning, Jacques and his 8-year-old brother Jean, along with five other children, took their sheep out to graze near a dense forest. To distract the group from their palpable fear of the beast, Jacques began weaving a tale about a magical kingdom hidden beneath a nearby bog. As the children became engrossed in his story, the horror they feared suddenly materialized. A massive, wolf-like creature—standing on two legs with jagged, oversized bones—burst from the treeline and snatched little Jean in its jaws.
While most of the children scattered in panic, Jacques, the "coward," found a sudden reserve of courage. He rallied the other children, organizing a counter-attack. Using their shepherd staffs, the group chased the beast, cornering it near the treacherous bog Jacques had incorporated into his story. Jacques knew the terrain; he knew the bog acted like quicksand. With a final, desperate strike, he forced the creature into the mire. As the beast sank, it released Jean but lashed out one last time, slashing Jacques’ stomach. Miraculously, the children rescued Jean and escaped while the beast roared in the trapping mud.
Though the beast eventually escaped the bog before armed villagers arrived—and went on to kill for two more years until a hunter finally ended its reign—Jacques’ heroism became legendary. News of his bravery traveled all the way to King Louis XV, who was so moved that he paid for Jacques’ education, allowing the boy to finally leave the village and live the life of study and peace he had always dreamed of.