In the early 1600s, Micmac Aboriginal people told explorer Samuel de Champlain about a gigantic female monster who lived in Chaleur Bay between the coasts of what are now New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula. This grotesque creature was called the Gougou. The Micmac said she was so tall that the masts of Champlain's ship would not even reach her waist.
The Gougou's favourite food was people, according to the Micmac. She would often haul handfuls of canoe-men out of their canoes and stuff them into the pocket of a huge apron that she wore. Then she would retreat to an island where she would devour her prey with snorts and hisses and other noises too horrible to mention.
You'll be happy to know there's no creature as disgusting as the Gougou in Elma Schemenauer's book YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure. However, YesterCanada does include "The Ten-Armed Monster of Newfoundland" and "A Moody Manitoba Monster," along with many other legendary and real characters from Canada's storied past. If you're interested, you could ask for the book in a store or library. Or order online from Chapters Indigo http://tinyurl.com/jkuuje3 , Amazon.ca http://tinyurl.com/jjq5uy3 , or the publisher, Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/hwn3m6x .
[Image by Walt Woodward, Flickr Creative Commons.]
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