Rugaru
The Rugaru, (alternately spelled as Roux-Ga-Roux, Rugaroo, or Rougarou), is a legendary creature that seems to be most closely linked to the Ojibway Native American tribe in South Dakota. The Rugaru legend has, however, also been associated with the swamplands of the southeastern United States, especially in the vicinity of New Orleans.
The Rugaru is most commonly regarded as an alternate name for bigfoot. The Rugaru has also been linked to the wendigo and the French loup garou, which translates into English as werewolf.
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Other versions of the Rugaru legend
The tales of a creature known as Roux-Ga-Roux are, most probably, an adaptation of the Rugaru legend. The Roux-Ga-Roux is a fanciful creature that is said to prowl the swamps around New Orleans and other parts of the southeastern United States. According to stories told of the creature, if a person sees a Roux-Ga-Roux, that person will become one also. Thereafter, the unfortunate victim will be doomed to wander the swamps in the form of this monster.
The Roux-Ga-Roux story bears some resemblance to a version of the wendigo legend related in a short story by Algernon Blackwood. In Blackwood's fictional adaptation of the legend, seeing a wendigo causes one to turn into a wendigo, a concept not in the original stories. Wendigo stories vary by tribe and region, but the cause of the change is typically related to cannibalism.
As the story of the Roux-Ga-Roux is not widely known or reported, there is the possibility that the tale was simply created by tour guides for the purposes of entertaining tourists.
Rugaru is phonetically similar to the French loup garou, or werewolf. Both the Rugaru and werewolves are commonly regarded as hairy, man-like creatures. It is possible that, at some point in the past, the creature was referred to as a loup garou by French speaking settlers. The Ojibway term may simply be a corruption of the French term.
Another version of the legend, wherein the name of the creature is commonly spelled Rugaroo, relates that the beast is similar to a wolf and will hunt down and kill Catholics that do not follow the rules of Lent.
The Rougarou spelling of the creature's name is associated with a Cajun legend of a blood sucking werewolf that is created by witches.
Other notes
The legend of the Roux-Ga-Roux is an example of the motif of harmful sensation.
The Louisiana State University Cajun-French Glossary defines Rougarou as a variant of loup garou.
Cultural Influences
The Rugaru has been portrayed in Marvel Comics as a legendary creature of the New Orleans swamp, being "half-man, half-alligator, half-Cajun werewolf".
Rugaroo, Savage Spirit is a novel by John S. Myerchin.
Rugaru is a song written and performed by the band Oneida.
External links
- Pre-Columbian and Early American Legends of Bigfoot-like Beings
- Halloween article mentioning Rugaru
- Brief mention of Rugaru as swamp monster legend
- New Orleans – City with Dark Secrets
- Swamp Tales
- Rugaru listed in a guide to Marvel comics entities
- Review of band Oneida that mentions Rugaru
- Homepage for book Rugaroo, Savage Spirit
- Lent related Rugaroo legend
- LSU Cajun-French Glossary
- Blood sucking Rougarou legend