The Judge’s Lore? The Politico-Religious Concept of Metamorphosis in the Peripheries of Western Europe

Abstract

Under the reign of Louis XV, the southeastern part of France, especially the Périgord and the Auvergne, was driven by several wolf panics. The mysterious case of The Beast of Gévaudan attracted the greatest public interest, mediated by numerous pamphlets and newspapers.¹ Even in the dawn of the enlightenment, some people were convinced that The Beast was a devilish man-slaughtering werewolf of immense strength. Between 1764 and 1767, the killing of more than 100 people was attributed to The Beast. Very soon, the French King took an active interest in the affair. At the beginning of the century, the region had been involved in the rebellion of the Camisards, which had been crushed by Louis XIV. The peasants still were thought to be secret Huguenots, who could start disturbances again. Thus, the Jansenist bishop of Mende interpreted the attacks of The Beast as signs of God’s wrath against the heathen peasants of the Gévaudan. At the same time, the King stationed a regiment of dragoons in the area. Allegedly, the soldiers should hunt The Beast, but the hidden purpose of this dragonard was to control and discipline the restless populace. With the final killing of the wolves, which were thought to constitute ‘The Beast’, the king’s Catholic authority was re-established.