Jean Chastel

Who was Jean Chastel?

Jean Chastel was a farmer and inn-keeper from the province of Gévaudan in France, noted for killing the Beast of Gévaudan on June 19, 1767 at Mont Mouchet.

According to tradition and several subsequent novels, he positioned himself on a prime spot to get first bids on the beast and opened the Bible. Then he fired one shot with silver bullets, obtained from a medal representing Virgin Mary, blessed by a priest. The last shot hit the creature in the heart. However, he stated that beast was staring at him for a while. This would have been aberrant behavior for the beast, as it would usually attack on sight. Some believe this is proof Chastel participated with the beast, or that even he had trained it.

Chastel appeared as a character in the Brotherhood of the Wolf film.

Chastel is also a werewolf in Patricia Briggs' novel, Hunting Ground. In this he is both the Beast of Gévaudan and Jean Chastel, having been made to fake his own werewolf persona's death by a more powerful werewolf who objected to the Beast's bloody rampage through the area.

Chastel's son, Antoine, was said to have possessed hyenas, animals matching the description of the beast, in his menagerie.