Louisiana Urban Legends, Myths & Folklore: Not Your Average Bucket List Season 2
Marisa Roman
Author
While we covered Louisiana last season in our Small Town Getaways podcast journey, we didn’t quite look at the state through the type of lens we did for this recent episode. For this Local Lore & Legends episode, we dig into the best Louisiana urban legends to ever be told. Louisiana already has a level of mystery to it, whether it’s the voodoo culture or the swamplands. And with both the culture and land type, certain stories have swirled for years, creating a spectacular set of Louisiana folklore that must be heard.
Louisiana Urban Legends We’ll Cover In The Episode
- Where Did The Grunch Come From?
- What Exactly Is A Rougarou?
- Is The Honey Island Swamp Monster Real?
- Should You Follow A Louisiana Ghost Light?
The Grunch
Grunch Road is an old dirt road that leads deep into the woods and eventually to a dead end. It was a favorite place for teenagers to go and do whatever teenagers do…until they learned about what lurked in the shadows.
The Grunch are rumored to be a group of deformed, half-human, half-monsters that resulted from years of isolation in the Louisiana Bayous.
In the present day, it’s said that if you find yourself on Grunch Road, don’t get out of your car if you see a goat who looks injured. The stories say that the Grunch use goats to lure people out of their cars so they can eat them and drain their blood.
The Rougarou
The legend of the Rougarou has been haunting the forests, bayous, and swamps of Southeast Louisiana for ages. This werewolf-like creature roams the swamp at night with the body of a human and the head of a wolf. Picture blazing red eyes and sharp fangs, but a body like your next-door neighbor. Some versions of this tale say the spell of the Rougarou lasts for 101 days, after which the spell ensnares its next human victim! Similar to the boohag from our episode involving South Carolina, this swamp cryptid is not for the faint of heart.
The Honey Island Swamp Monster
Tucked away between the East Pearl and West Pearl Rivers in southeast Louisiana, the Honey Island Swamp is a beautiful place with a sordid history. As the legend goes, a traveling circus train crashed, releasing chimpanzees into the wild. After breeding with the local alligator population, the legend of the Honey Island Swamp Monster began. This monster is said to be about seven feet tall with three-toed, webbed feet and a weight close to 400 pounds. Its yellow reptilian eyes pierce anyone who looks its way, and its matted grey hair allows it to blend with its surrounding atmosphere perfectly. The first spotting of the monster was in 1963 by Harlan Ford, who later returned to the area with a friend to get a cement casting of the creature’s webbed claw foot.
Not Your Average Bucket List Podcast Timestamps:
(06:30:00) Louisiana Ghost Light
(18:55:00) The Grunch
(22:45:00) The Honey Island Swamp Monster
(24:27:00) The Most Haunted Places In Louisiana
Thanks for taking this Local Lore & Legends journey with us! As mentioned, here are a few of our OnlyInYourState articles for you to keep reading!
The Best Folktales & Legends In Louisiana
The Greatest Urban Legends To Come From Louisiana
Are you ready to tune into the episode? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Get In Touch!
If you have personal experiences with any of the local lore and legends mentioned above, call or text 805-298-1420! We’d love to hear your thoughts on these creepy, potentially haunted places and maybe even share your clip on the show! You can also reach out to us via email at podcast@onlyinyourstate.com.
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