Loups et loups-garous autour des verreries en Bas-Dauphiné sous l'Ancien Régime

Abstract

Wolves and werewolves around glass factories in Bas-Dauphiné during the Ancien Régime. During researches about glassworks in Bas-Dauphiné, the problem of wolves and werewolves has been unearthed and orally evoked by people living in the vicinity of old factories. The oral tradition could then be confronted with texts reporting the phenomenon ; these accounts were in a way supporting the written testimonies. It seems now, after twenty years of investigations, that the fear of predatory flesh-eating wolves and legendary werewolves, has been used by glassmakers to move away undesirables from their workshops, in order to protect industrial secrets. One of the texts is written by the priest of Primarette, a small village with several glass factories. This priest, questioned by his parishioners about werewolves, confides his feelings in the parish register, and calls attention by illustrating with wolf heads the death of children attacked by wolves. Another important text cornes from ten communities around the powerfiil Saint-Antoine abbey. When gathered in response to the call of the syndic of the abbey to ratify the project of building a new factory on the territory of the Dionay parish, three of them were opposed to this building, on grounds, among other reasons, of the fear to be caused by the werewolf. Though in ail of these cases, the grievances of the populations were not taken into account, they allowed to create favourable social relations in the communities, since the people would organise themselves and unité when a child was carried away by a wolf. Finally, the différent testimonies underline the hard and sometimes difRcult life of country people around glass factories.