The Rougarou

The shapeshifter came with the Acadians when they were forced out of Nova Scotia — the French loup-garou, transplanted to swampland where the threat felt less like folklore and more like a working hazard. In bayou country the Rougarou prowls the marsh at night, enforcing the old codes: Catholics who break Lent, children who disobey. The marsh after dark is genuinely disorienting, genuinely dangerous, and the legend grew into the landscape accordingly. Houma throws an annual Rougarou Fest now, drawing thousands, but the creature predates the celebration by centuries. Every culture builds a monster to enforce what matters. Terrebonne Parish built this one.