Written by Jasmine Grace,
High School Intern
As promised, this is the second addition of this monsters and legends mini-series, featuring Al-Ruhban of eastern Algeria, and a werewolf creature said to live in Québec and Louisiana.
Al-Ruhban
Al-Ruhban
The jinn, or djinn, are invisible to humans and dwell in inanimate objects. A sorcerer with enough power can exploit them magically, and punish humans for wrongs.
Legends claim Al-Ruhban is the product of a jinn-human marriage. He lived with the jinn in his youth, but when he grew old enough to look after himself, he moved to live among the humans. Unlike the jinn, who usually take animal forms to visit the human world, Al-Ruhban is part human, and is able to blend in.
He is a peaceful member of our world, but they say there are sorcerers that wish to take advantage of him. If his true identity is discovered, he runs away to begin a new life in a different part of the human world.
Loup-Garou and the Rougarou
le Loup-Garou
Stories of a loup-garou have been around since medieval France. Legends claim a person turned into one of these hideous beasts for being an unfaithful Catholic. When bad things happened, people blamed these werewolves. People who were unpopular, or just a bit different, could be accused of being a loup-garou. Trials were held, much the same style as the infamous witch trials of medieval Europe. In almost every case, people found the accused loup-garou guilty.
When French settlers arrived in the Americas, they brought with them these tales. In Québec, people still called the beast the loup-garou. He was believed to curse those who were unfaithful to turn into a beast in the night. Most often, this beast was a dog or a wolf, but it could take the form of any animal, such as an ox, pig, cat, or owl.
le Rougarou
In Louisiana, these tales became the legend of the Rougarou. He lives in the swamps, and he hunts Catholics who don’t adhere to the rules of Lent. But this werewolf beast isn’t quite like the werewolves of pop culture. He prefers to destroy property, or pass off his curse to another rather than hunt his victims outright.
the Louisiana Bayous
Legends claim the best way to protect yourself from a Rougarou is to place 13 small objects around the door of your house. When a person becomes a Rougarou, they forget how to count past the number 12. Upon entering your house, the Rougarou will try to count the objects. They will never be able to reach 13. They will keep trying to count the objects until the sun rises and they run back to the swamp.
And there you have it, another couple of legends from the Francophone world. There are so many more stories out there. Keep on the lookout for future editions of this mini-series with more tales!