Cultural legends often convey some very strange and wonderful things.
Central and South America has the Chupacabras - horrific, blood-sucking, leathery reptile
dogs.
Traditional Japanese folklore has the Kappa - water dwelling, turtle demons that pull
unsuspecting people to their murky dooms.
Chinese culture has the Mogwai.
Slavic culture has the legend of the Ala.
And what does France have?
Well - Southern France to be specific.
The Tarasque.
This guy.
Kinda cute, right?
Well - err.
Kinda.
There may be a little bit more too it though, so let’s not jump the gun and judge a bear-lion-turtle
hybrid by it’s shell too quickly.
Hello internet - and welcome back to the most inquisitive channel on YouTube - Life’s
Biggest Questions.
As per usual, I’ll be your disembodied floating voice Jack Finch - as today, we once again
tumble through the perilous realm of mythological beasts - and curiously ask the question, What
If The Tarasque Was Real?
Wait, what do you mean there’s no clip?
Alright, just show the Tarasque again with some jarring, orchestral music.
Some Bach maybe.
That’ll do.
Spooky, right?
Now, the legend of the Tarasque is tied specifically to Provence, a highly significant cultural
area in the South East of France, rife with vibrant tales of valiant hedge knights, princesses
and fierce creatures with vile intentions.
But - the tale of the Tarasque is a little bit different, to say the least - so let’s
set the scene, shall we - and let me explain just exactly why the Tarasque is very much
real, and always has been.
The Tarasque first emerged in the story of St. Martha - remember her, because she’s
important.
In the Golden Legend, a collection of hagiographies - which is essentially the oral religious
biography of a Saint - first thought to be compiled some time around 1260 - although
the text had been added to throughout the following centuries in Medieval Europe.
The Golden Legend is considered by UNESCO to be one of the Masterpieces of the Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Which is - quite the title.
As the legend goes - the Tarasque was a sort of dragon with a lion’s head - which, when
you think about it, is a great way to describe something.
It had six short legs like a bears - an ox-like body covered with a turtle shell, and a scaly
tail the ended in a scorpions sting.
Much like the Chimera of Greek mythology - the Tarasque was an amalgamation of beastial design,
and was considered by it’s Medieval humanoid foes to be a walking, impenetrable ravenous
fortress that roamed the countryside looking for small children to feast on.
Some versions of the legend claim that the Tarasque inhabited the area of Nerluc - and
was responsible for devastating the surrounding landscape.
Other’s said that it made the Rhone river it’s home, in a marsh between Arles and
Avignon - where it hid in the water and took the life of all passers-by and submerged vessels.
One thing is for certain though - the Tarasque was said to have come from Galatia - which
is now central Anatolia in modern Turkey, and the ancestral settlement of the Gauls
of Thrace.
Which coincidentally - is the home of other mythological beasts that opposed Christian
analogues - such as the Onachus, and the Leviathan of biblical account.
Those Gauls eh?
The Christian’s didn’t like them too much.
And the French King of Nerluc didn’t like the Tarasque - not one bit, and he’d spent
years sending knights and catapults at it in a fit of rage at all the townspeople it
had eaten.
Enter Saint Martha - who just so happened to be the sister of Lazarus, you know that
guy who was dead and then not dead?
And also best friends forever with Mary Magdalene.
Although, they may have been the same person - or sisters - or neither of the two according
to some theologians.
Either way - conveniently enough, around 43 AD - the three of them had been roaming the
French countryside near the city of Nerluc, and Martha was more than willing to demonstrate
what everyone had been waiting for.
A miracle.
A direct route to her Sainthood - and an end to the tyrannical reign of the Tarasque - and
it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Although, Martha’s plan wasn’t to defeat the Tarasque with swords and flaming pitchforks.
No, Martha’s weapons were her words.
You see where I’m going with this one?
Eventually, Saint Martha found the beast and charmed it with her hymns and prayers, and
symbol of the cross - but when she brought it back to the village of Nerluc in it’s
subdued form, the villagers were enraged at the site of it.
They couldn’t believe their eyes - and tried to destroy the creature with stones and spears.
They were so angry that it had killed their neighbors and their children, even their cows
and goats - that they couldn’t seen that the Tarasque had been cleansed by Saint Martha
- and the great creature fell down and died of shame for it’s past deeds.
You see - sometimes - throughout the ancient world - when faced with a burning village
or a dead neighbor, it was easier to envision that the damage had been wrought by a mythological
creature - a dragon, or an Onachus - or The Tarasque.
When in all reality - the ancient world was a barbaric place - because of one thing.
Humanity.
For the most part, in many regions of France and Spain - the Tarasque is very much still
real, playing an important part in cultural ceremony and Christian practices, many of
which are ceremoniously upheld to this day.
But historically speaking, ancient Europe was shaped by an eternal battle of culture
and religion, the spread of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism - butting heads against the
old ways, the pagan ways - the beastial legends of the Celts and the Gauls, and later the
Norsemen and the Vikings - who would either succumb to the hymns and the prayers - or
die of shame at the sight of angry villagers.
Well, either that or the terrifying Tarrasque from Dungeons and Dragons would be real - and
we’d all be living in nightmarish hellfire for the remainder of our short lives.
Good job that one’s spelt with two R’s - right?
Unfortunately folks, that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video - but before
we depart, let’s take a look at some of your more creative comments from over the
past few days.
Lord Petar says - What if jack finch grew very long hair.
And well Lord Petar, that’s a very pointless question, because as we all know, disembodied
floating voices don’t have hair.
Never mind very long hair.
Shidyk says - What if LBQ reads comments that tell them they are awesome?
Well Shidyk, I have a simply answer for that one - we’d say thank you, and you’re pretty
awesome too.
And finally - Jocelyn Cunningham says - What if Jack Finch was real?
--- Well, Jocelyn, if I wasn’t real - then I wouldn’t have to answer this question
- and you wouldn’t have been able to ask it.
So I guess we’ll just leave that paradox there, shall we?
Cheers for sticking around all the way to the end guys.
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As always, I’ve been your disembodied floating voice Jack Finch - you’ve been watching
Life’s Biggest Questions - and until next time, you take it easy.