Guivre
Encyclopedia
A guivre is a mythical creature similar to a dragon
. In legend they were portrayed as serpentine creatures who possessed venomous breath and prowled the countryside of Medieval France. The words "guivre" (wurm, wyvern
(which is derived from it), or serpent) and "givre" are spelling variations of the more common word "vouivre". Vouivre, in Franc-Comtois, is the equivalent of the old French word "guivre." All these forms are derived ultimately from Latin vīpera, as is English viper.
was present at an encounter between a small dragon-like creature (known as "La Guivre") and a priest. Samson had come to visit Saint Suliao with an entourage of followers. Suliao was impoverished but sought to provide a meal as best as possible for the group. One priest, uneasy with the low quality of food, took a bread roll and hid it under his robe. Almost instantaneously he started convulsing and Suliao pulled apart his bosom, seeing what the man had done. He admonished the priest and removed a hideous serpentine creature from the robe. There he exorcised
it and then compelled another man to throw it from the roof of a building in Garot.
's The Loch
the Loch Ness Monster is originally thought to be a guivre which got into Loch Ness
through Moray Firth
. In the 1989 film La Vouivre, the vouivre was a wood nymph.
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
. In legend they were portrayed as serpentine creatures who possessed venomous breath and prowled the countryside of Medieval France. The words "guivre" (wurm, wyvern
Wyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
(which is derived from it), or serpent) and "givre" are spelling variations of the more common word "vouivre". Vouivre, in Franc-Comtois, is the equivalent of the old French word "guivre." All these forms are derived ultimately from Latin vīpera, as is English viper.
Description and habits
Guivres were said to possess a long, serpentine body and a dragon's head. The guivre had horns in its forehead in some accounts, as well. Locally in France it was known as an extremely aggressive creature that would sometimes attack without being provoked. They were afraid of naked humans, and when saw them, blushed and looked away. Documentation points to their residence as being in small bodies of water like pools and lakes, forests, and any damp place.La Guivre
Samson of DolSamson of Dol
Saint Samson of Dol was a Christian religious figure who is counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany. Born in southern Wales, he died in Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town in north Brittany.-Life:...
was present at an encounter between a small dragon-like creature (known as "La Guivre") and a priest. Samson had come to visit Saint Suliao with an entourage of followers. Suliao was impoverished but sought to provide a meal as best as possible for the group. One priest, uneasy with the low quality of food, took a bread roll and hid it under his robe. Almost instantaneously he started convulsing and Suliao pulled apart his bosom, seeing what the man had done. He admonished the priest and removed a hideous serpentine creature from the robe. There he exorcised
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
it and then compelled another man to throw it from the roof of a building in Garot.
Vouivre
Guivres are also well known as vouivres, and the terms have become synonymous. For example, in The Drac: French Tales of Dragons and Demons, the vouivre is depicted as a female creature with dazzling, green scales which emanate sound as the vouivre flies. The vouivre is depicted as greedy, her head crowned with pearls and a golden ring about her tail. The beast in this story stayed in a cave for most of her time, then left to bathe only for a few minutes.Literary use
In Steve AltenSteve Alten
Steven Robert "Steve" Alten is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his Meg series, a set of novels around the fictitious survival of the megalodon, a giant prehistoric shark...
's The Loch
The Loch
The Loch is a science fiction novel and Legal thriller by Steve Alten, and was first published in 2005. The novel is the story of marine biologist Zachary Wallace.-Plot summary:...
the Loch Ness Monster is originally thought to be a guivre which got into Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
through Moray Firth
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. In the 1989 film La Vouivre, the vouivre was a wood nymph.