What is a lougawou?
A lougawou is a human being who can transform into a beast. It's a myth in Haiti voodoo similar to the European werewolf, but in this case, the human is possessed by a spirit. They can also turn into other creatures besides a wolf, like a dog, cat, snake, or chicken, and they suck people's blood like vampires. Other variations of the lougawou include the rougarou in Louisiana and the loupgarou in France. Each variation comes with unique myths and folklore. "Lougawou" and "loupgarou" are pronounced "loo-gah-roo." "Rougarou" is pronounced "roo-gah-roo."
Lougawou in Folklore
In Haiti voodoo, the lougawou is a sorcerer who steals children. The lougawou can transform into a beast at will and doesn't need a voodoo priest's help to do magic. Some Haitians fear lougawou in modern times. In the aftermath of a terrible earthquake in 2010, men caught kidnapping children were accused of being lougawous and lynched.
In French-Canadian lore, a loupgarou is a man cursed for being a bad Catholic. Men and women who don't sufficiently observe the Catholic religion can be "cursed" to assume an animal form every evening for up to 101 days. The only way to lift the curse is by someone recognizing the loupgarou (French for "wolf man") and drawing blood from them while they're still an animal.
The Lousiana rougarou is a wild creature who terrorizes misbehaving children. In some local legends, it's a type of werewolf, while in others it's simply a wild being. Researchers state that this myth has no specific origin, but was cobbled together from the various cultures that settled in Louisiana and told to children to scare them into behaving properly.
Lougawou in Modern Pop Culture
Videos of animals that might be lougawous are popular on TikTok. One creator in particular, @thatzoejames, popularized the lougawou topic by posting videos of animals and sharing whether he thinks they're secretly skinchangers. These TikToks generate millions of views each!
"Lougawou" is the name of a music single by Florida rapper Jackboy. In the chorus of the song, Jackboy prays to God to protect him from the "snakes" in his life that are trying to bring him down and hoping he loses in life. He says that he's "posted up with the Lougawous," implying that he hangs out with the outcasts of society.
Similar Creatures to Lougawou
The European werewolf is a human that turns into a wolf at night. After their transformation, the werewolf – also known as a "lycanthrope" meaning "wolf-man" – ravages the land using enhanced physical abilities. A person becomes a werewolf by getting bitten by one, getting cursed, drinking water from a wolf's paw print, being conceived under a new moon, or making a deal with Satan (depending on which myth or legend you prefer). The werewolf became a pop culture icon in the United States with the release of The Werewolf of London in 1935 and The Wolfman in 1941. In the former, actor Henry Hull's character is bitten by a werewolf and turns into one himself, while in the latter, the main character (played by Lon Chaney, Jr.) accidentally kills a werewolf and becomes one in the process.
The African werehyena is a hyena that takes human shape during the day. Much like hyenas are considered "outsiders" in the animal kingdom and revolted, the werehyenas are associated with outsider groups of magic users who possess the evil eye. Similar to werehyenas are the Buda: spirits who can shapeshift in hyenas and are allegedly responsible for evil deeds like poisoning people's food and causing people to fall ill.
The lobizón of Argentina is a werewolf appearing as a mix of a pig and a dog. It transmits its curse to other people by walking between their legs. As legend has it, the seventh son of the seventh son in a family is the most susceptible to a lobizón attack and therefore must be adopted by the Argentinian president to protect themselves. In reality, the seventh son of the seventh son portion of the lobizón myth originated from Russian emigrés to Argentina. In Russia, it was customary for the Tsar to "adopt" seventh sons of seventh sons as their godchildren. Gauchos in Argentina built the legend of the werewolf on top of this tradition.
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