The monstrous men of the woods
1. Hommes blancs
Among the many legendary characters of French forests, there exists an enigmatic category, neither spirits nor ghosts: the white men. These mysterious figures are few in number, and their characteristics are rather vague, yet they have left a mark on the popular imagination.
The folklorist Paul Sébillot reports that as a child, he had heard peasants living near the Forest of Hunaudaye (Côtes-d’Armor) speak with fear of these white men. “Not only in their clothing, but in their faces,” they appeared at the edge of the woods, mostly to women, during the summer and in broad daylight.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1901, nighttime travelers on the road crossing the forest reported having seen these mysterious figures moving through the undergrowth. In reality, they were the pale trunks of large birch trees, whose shapes and movements deceived the eye and gave rise to imaginary phantoms.
2. Men of Fire
In several regions of France, the white men and other legendary figures are used to explain mysterious phenomena in the forests. In Berry, for example, the reflections of the setting sun through the tall trees gave rise to the legend of the Fire Man, sometimes called Casseu’ de bois, Coupeu’, or Batteu’. This legendary being runs from trunk to trunk, breaking or setting fire to the wood, and is said to be responsible for the nighttime fires that consume entire forests. But according to tradition, he is not limited to spreading destruction: he takes on various appearances and plays different roles depending on the locality. On misty nights, it is said that he strikes the trees repeatedly with his powerful axe. The guards, believing they have caught wood thieves, approach and sometimes catch a glimpse of the pale flash of his axe. Yet the trees remain intact, as if protected by this mysterious spirit.
According to George Sand in Rustic Legends (pp. 82–85), this phantom can be the protective spirit of a forest that he favors. The locals then refrain from touching the trees he has struck, considering these blows a sign of his preference. Thus, the legend blends danger and protection, illuminating the imagination of the countryside while highlighting the mystery of the woods.
3. The Iron Man
In Auvergne, the Couasse Wood was reputed to be the domain of the Iron Man. It is said that when he moved through the forest, he would break oaks and firs like mere matchsticks, spreading fear and respect among the villagers.
Tales, whether literary or drawn from popular folklore, often place the lair of the ogre in these forests, the terrifying figure said to devour children… and sometimes even adults. In certain local legends, other mysterious figures, related to this ogre, help complete the bestiary of the woods of Auvergne.
4. The Red Cannibal Man
In the Ardennes Forest, tales tell of a terrifying ogre, nicknamed the Red Man, who haunted the woods. One legend recounts that a young girl, on a pilgrimage to Attigny with a companion, got lost in the forest. They encountered a man entirely dressed in red, reading from a book without letters, who said to them: “You are lost, my fair girls, follow me.” After two hours of walking, they arrived at a house hidden by large rocks and thick trees. Inside, they saw the Red Man cooking human limbs in a huge cauldron. They tried to flee, but the door was already locked. The ogre ordered them to go to bed, and, trembling, they obeyed. The night was long, punctuated by the frightening sounds of the meal and sharp knives. Fortunately, the young girls were able to escape through the skylight just as the Red Man entered the room to slaughter them.
In other legends, the king of the Brocéliande Forest is a black giant, with only one eye and one foot, capable of commanding all the beasts of the forest and sending them against his enemies. In some woods around Dôle, tales speak of threatening figures: sometimes a meditative hermit, sometimes a stern man who would try to abduct women and take them into the Fau Woods. A small forest in the Bernese Jura is haunted by Jean des Côtes, a sorcerer whose farm was burned by the locals, but who reappears to terrorize the unwary.
5. The Whipper
In the Lyons Forest, in Normandy, popular tradition speaks of the existence of a mysterious and feared being: the Whipper. This strange phantom targeted women in particular and manifested itself through terrifying cries in the undergrowth. A traveler from the early 17th century describes it as follows:
« L’on contoit que du temps de Charles IX, roi de France, il y avoit en cette forest un fantosme que l’on appeloit « Foitteur » par tant que les femmes qui passoient par cette forest, se trouvoient si bien foittées que les marques demeuroient au corps, sans que pourtant elles veissent personne. Et tout incontinent se faisoit par la forest ce cri : Ha ! ha ! ha ! Charles IX, qui aimoit à chasser dans ceste forest, s’estant fait sérieusement enquester de cela, trouva que c’estoit chose véritable. »
“It was said that in the time of Charles IX, King of France, there was in this forest a phantom called the ‘Whipper,’ for so many women passing through this forest were so thoroughly whipped that the marks remained on their bodies, even though they saw no one. And immediately throughout the forest, this cry would be heard: Ha! ha! ha! Charles IX, who loved to hunt in this forest, having inquired seriously into the matter, found that it was indeed true.”
References :
Croyances, mythes et légendes des pays de France, Paul Sébillot
Légendes rustiques, George Sand
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