“The Rougarou is this story of you say his name he can hear you and comes and murders you. He’s kinda like a Werewolf but swampy. Everyone in Louisiana knows about it.”

Context: I collected this story from Reed at the University of Southern California. Reed is an American Jew with roots in Louisiana. He heard the story from his late grandfather. Everyone in the state apparently knows this story. If one is out alone at night, they are said to hear his cries.

Analysis: The swamp is a large, uninhabited place where a lot of strange noises are heard. It makes sense for there to be stories of monsters that lurk what is unknown. This is probably peoples’ way of coping with the unknown dangers that reside vert near to them.