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MORE THAN 1500 WRITINGS ON THE BEAST
After much blood had been spilled, the Beast of the Gevaudan has and will certainly spill a lot of ink. More than 1500 writings have been listed on the issue since 1767.
The documents at this time
One can find most of them in public records and libraries. All of them are not known, especially those, if they exist, belonging to private records. Maybe they will, one day, increase our understanding of this news item out of the common. They can be seen under two formats:
Manuscripts:
- Letters – parish registers – minutes – memoirs – Expense invoices
Printed matters :
- Orders – Circular letters - posters – press coverage (gazette de France and courrier d'Avignon in particular)
- Gravures - Poems, laments – Summoning of the bishop of Mende)
- Bounties given to hunters.
The wrintings since the death of the Beast
We cannot quote them all because the Beast has aroused a lot of passion and therefore lots of books and articles have been published after its death. Some are historic studies, others scientific studies, novels, plays, comic books…
These numerous works, with broaden content, often discomfit people who discover this story. To make sure we are clear and concise, we will only mention the main books (by chronological order) and not the press coverage :
Main reference
The first comprehensive and historical study – still authoritative – is the one of abbot Pierre Pourcher “Histoire de la bête du Gévaudan, veritable fléau de Dieu”. The author has searched and copied all the documents he could find in the public records, he has collected the oral tradition that was still vivacious at the time because his book was published for the first time in 1889 (and printed by the author himself). Pierre POURCHER is born in Mazet de Jullianges, northern Lozère and he thought the Beast was a monster sent by God to punish mankind. This book was re-printed several times since then.
Those who blame the Wolf
A lot of documents about the Beast mention the wolf and their authors put the blame on this animal, knowing it was the only wild animal in the region able to kill people.
- 1901 - the abbot François FABRE de SAUGUES publishes “la bête du Gévaudan en Auvergne" and mentions new documents discovered mainly in Clermont-Ferrand.
- 1930 - The same author releases another book called “la bête du Gévaudan”. It is a very beautiful piece of work, more complete than the first, illustrated in colours.
- 1968 - One shall have to wait this year and the book of the abbot Xavier PIC "La bête qui mangeait le monde en pays de Gévaudan et d'Auvergne" to read another major book on the subject, combining the books of Pourcher and Fabre.
- 1970 - Jacques DELPERRIE de BAYAC with "Du sang dans la montagne" introduces the opinion of a wolf breeder within a romantic history.
- 1985 - Guy CROUZET publishes "Quand sonnait le glas au pays de la bête", a very serious study, strongly documented. The author has analyzed the source of the historical documents and and discovered new ones. He has notably performed the genealogy of the Chastel.
- 1987 - Félix BUFFIERES "La bête du Gévaudan" with lots of illustrations.
- 1990 - Serge COLIN "Autour de la bête du Gévaudan". The author replaces the history of the beast in its local, national and historical context. Very serious historical analysis.
- 1992 - Guy CROUZET writes "Requiem en Gévaudan" that goes back to his work of 1985 with some additional discoveries.
- 1999 - Republishing of the book of François FABRE completed by Jean RICHARD: one of the bestseller on the subject !
- 2001 - Guy CROUZET His new book, "la grande peur du Gévaudan" in which he uncovers the result of his last research : guilty wolves and maybe an hyena that would have prowled in the Gevaudan, stirring up troubles in people’s minds. Disconcerting.
- 2005 - Jean Louis PESCH, the well-known comic books author (Sylvain et Sylvette) produces a superb work. Very realistic drawings can be found along with a sound description of the history. Not to be missed !
Those who exonerate the wolf and blame other animals
In 1975, the popularization of the works on ethology will cast doubt on wolves’ guilt as scientific declared wolves never attack and have never attacked a man, a woman or a child. For them, the Beast could not be a wolf. Another culprit was needed. The debate was reopen and it is still going on. The books mentioning these theories are:
- 1976 - Gérard MENATORY "La bête du Gévaudan": It is a hyena, conducted by Antoine Chastel.
- 1983 - René de CHANTAL "La bête du Gévaudan la fin d'une énigme" he believes the Beast was a tigron (hybrid of a tiger and a lion).
- 1988 - Raymond Francis DUBOIS "La bête du Gévaudan": it is an armoured war dog working for a local lord.
- 1992 - Michel LOUIS "La bête du Gévaudan l'innocence des loups": it is an armoured hybrid wolf/dog working for a local lord and the Chastel are accomplices.
- 1993 - Alex MARQUES For him, "La bête qui mangeait le monde" becomes a wolverine.
- 2004 - Hervé BOYAC publishe a huge and richly illustrated book. For him, the culprits are local noblemen acting with trained hybrids.
- 2004 - Pascal CAZOTTES sees the Beast as an Hemicyon, a survivor of the cretaceous, half dog, half bear.
- 2006 - Roger OULION "La bête du Gévaudan, Nouvelles révélations sur un crime organisé au XVII siècle en gévaudan" sees a mssive plot of nobles assisted by the Chastel launching trained hybrids on the local shepherdesses.
Those who blame men
One or several men covered with beast skins would have commit those crimes. They forget rapidly the numerous testimonies of the survivors. All the witnesses talk about a four-legged animal, never about a man even if disguised. The people of that time had the same observation skills than us!
- 1962 - Mme ARIBAUD-FARRERE writes a small manual "La bête du Gévaudan identifiée" published in Béziers. To her, it was a sadist.
- 1978 - Alain DECAUX tells "La bête du Gévaudan" and also evokes a sadist.
- 1985 - Jean-Jacques BARLOY writes "Les survivants de l'ombre" where the Gevaudan « case » is submitted to a computer.
- 1995 - Pierre CUBIZOLLES writes "Loups garous en Gévaudan", a very questionable book as he believes the Chastel are the only culprits.
- 2003 - Roger LAGRAVE writes "Les dits de la bête", to him, the culprit is Pierre Chastel, the brother of Jean who supposedly killed the Beast.
- 2004 - André AUBAZAC, model of Pierre CUBIZOLLES, also thinks to sadists disguised in beasts.
- 2005 - Roger LAGRAVE resumes his theory "Autres dits de la bête".
- 2009 - André AUBAZAC publie "La Bête du Gévaudan ", For him they are soldiers cannibals followed by a vast conspiracy led by the family Chastel.
- 2010 - André AUBAZAC publie "La Bête du Gévaudan 2", men are the only ones to blame.
Those who wrote novels
Novels are welcome but must be reported as such. History cannot be distorted! In our opinion, the reader must be informed upfront that what he is about to read is a fiction. The novels on the Beast have contributed to create a legend, fuzziness on this case. In particular, the two following books:
- 1936 - Abel CHEVALLEY "La bête du Gévaudan". First book to allocate to Antoine Chastel the title of zoo keeper.
One finds well portrayed characters : Antoine Chastel , the son of Jean, has gone to Africa and was captured by the "barbaresques". He would have been trained into a zookeeper, would have been emasculated to make him a harem keeper (Guy Crouzet has shown in his book he had had 6 children). This legend is not supported by any historical fact but has been taken up by a lot of authors! Other novels on the Beast are regularly written, proving the commercial interest of some people. Some of the most recent:
- 2004 - Jean-Paul MALAVAL writes "Le carnaval des loups".
- 2005 - Jean-Christophe MACQUET writes "Werewolf".
- 2006 - Philippe MIGNAVAL writes "Gévaudan".
- 2008 - Patrick BARD writes "Le chien de Dieu", un roman qui mêle le Gévaudan et le Vatican
Books you can find
A lot of the above-mentioned books are not available anymore. Some have been republished. One can find some of them on the second-hand market. Below you will find a list, certainly incomplete, still available to their publisher:
- 1995 - Pierre CUBIZOLLES "Loups garous en Gévaudan le martyre des innocents" - Watel Brioude
- 2001 - Laurent FOURNIER "La petite histoire des grands ravages d'une méchante bête" - PSR éditions
- 2004 - Hervé BOYAC "La bête du Gévaudan plaidoyer pour le loup" - Compte d'auteur
- 2004 - André AUBAZAC "Drôles de bêtes en Gévaudan" - Chaumeil repro Clermont Ferrand
- 2005 - Jean-Louis PESCH "La bête du Gévaudan" (BD) De Borée
- 2005 - POUCHALSAC et TUREK "La bestia" Bois sans feuille
- 2005 - Roger LAGRAVE "Autres dits de la bête" - Éditions Gévaudan Cévennes
- 2006 - Abbé Pierre POURCHER "Histoire de la bête du Gévaudan" - Jeanne Laffite Marseille
- 2006 - François FABRE et Jean RICHARD "La bête du Gévaudan" - Edition De Borée Clermont-Ferrand
- 2010 - André AUBAZAC "La bête du Gévaudan 2"
- 2010 - Jean-Claude BOURRET & Julien GRYCAN "Le secret de la bête du Gévaudan"
- 2011 - Bernard SOULIER "Sur les traces de la bête du Gevaudan et de ses victimes" - Edition du Cygne
- 2011 - Jay M. SMITH "Monsters of the Gevaudan. The Making of a Beast" - Harvard University Press.
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