La légende du lac de l'Abbaye

It is told that in the 15th century, on the Grandvaux's plateau surrounding this mysterious lake, there was a diabolical beast that decimated the herds, ravaged the crops and frightened the women and children. Although no one had seen it, the inhabitants of the plateau could hear it howling during the cold and dark nights of December.

The Abbot of Fauquier, who then governed the abbey on the lake, thought of a way to put an end to this vile plague. He summoned all the peasants to come and take refuge within the walls of the building in order to carry out a veritable crusade of prayers, hoping that this would be enough to push back the vile beast.
As the doors of the abbey were about to close, the lord of the land, accompanied by his pack of mastiffs and hounds, ran to the holy place and asked the prior why such a gathering of villains was taking place. The abbot replied that they had all responded to his call to beg Heaven to deliver them from the "Infernal Beast". The Sire-de-la-Ferté, haughty and proud, mocking the faith of his subjects and blaspheming their god, swore to hunt the creature to hell and bring back its mortal remains.
He then galloped off followed by his pack, leaving the offended priest behind. As the horseman dressed in black rode away, the abbot cursed him for his blasphemy.

Across the mountains and plains, the hunter tracking down the beast, more obstinate and transformed by this hunt than ever before, cared neither for the villagers he frightened nor for the crops he ravaged. He did not stop to drink, eat or even sleep.

As the Christmas celebrations arrived, the Grandvalliers, called by the abbey bell, crowded in with fervour. As Christmas mass began, the snow began to fall more and more heavily, and a stormy wind was reinforced.
Then a familiar howl was heard: it was the Beast, followed by the barking of the pack and the horn of the cursed hunter. The abbot, listening only to his courage, stepped forward to meet the danger and interpose himself. He raised his abbot's crosier in the direction of the infernal hunt. The Beast avoided the portal and continued its race towards the black and frozen lake. The pack and the hunter, not letting go of their prey, ran after the horrible Beast. Then a sinister cracking sound was heard, and the Grandvalliers, terrified by the infernal clamour of the demon and the hunt, heard the end of this demonic cavalcade. The Beast and the hunter were no more, swallowed up by the frozen waters of the lake.

However, since then, on winter evenings, one can sometimes hear strange howls rising from the frozen lake... It is believed to be the scream of the Beast of Grandvaux, the barking of the pack and the horn of the damned hunter.

Cartesians will tell you that this is a phenomenon caused by temperature fluctuations, which have the effect of contracting or relaxing the ice. These changes generate a range of sound frequencies, high and low.
But as the Grandvalliers know, these strange noises are not like any known complaint... These are echoes of the " Infernal Hunt "... which once disappeared in the lake... with the " Beast of Grandvaux ".

Discover the legend of the Beast of Grandvaux and the infernal hunt!