Tarask

In Russian, there are variants of "Tarask" and "Taraska" (the French name La Tarasque is feminine). In some sources, he is found under the names "Leviathan's son" or "Son of Leviathan" (the Bible describes Satan, among other things, also in the form of Leviathan, as a huge sea creature or a flying dragon), because in religious art and legends, dragons always stand for Satan or demons in general. Because of what this creature is sometimes called a "Demon Tarask".

This is a dragon that, according to medieval legends, lived in the south-east of France in the Provence region and terrorized the small village of Nerluk on the banks of the Rhone River.

The Legend of the Dragon that was Tamed Saint Martha (Martha), began to spread in Provence in the XII century and was associated with the appearance here in 1187 of sacred relics associated with St. Martha and the consecration in Tarascon in 1197 of a church dedicated to the saint.

It was a massive, broad-chested, high-withered half-beast, half-fish, standing on six powerful paws, a mountain of muscles covered with a scaly shell. Another version of the life of Saint Martha contains a more detailed description of the monster: it had two pairs of horns; a mane like a horse; a hunchbacked back covered with hard diamond-shaped scales; thick legs like a pig with claws like a bear, and a snake tail with two spikes.

This monster set fire to houses and crops with the fire it exhaled, and also arranged a flood, stirring up the waters of the Rhone River with its tail. Hiding in the water, he killed all passers-by and drowned ships.

Once in the harbor A ship entered Saint-Marie-de-la-Mer, from which a maiden in white clothes came ashore. It was Saint Martha. The peasants turned to her, and the saint agreed to help. Arriving on the banks of the Rhone, Martha sat on a rock and sang (in another version, she pacified him with holy water and the sign of the cross). Hearing the beautiful melody, the dragon, who loved music, swam ashore, lay down at the girl's feet and fell asleep. Then Martha put a collar on Tarask and brought the tamed dragon to the village.

‌​‌‌ ​​‌‌‌‌This legend gave rise to celebrations created by the king Rene the Good in 1469, and on April 14, 1474, the knightly Order of Tarasca was established, one of the duties of which was the custom that has survived to this day, to drag an effigy of Tarasca on a chain around the city every year.

Interestingly, according to legend, the locals found out that if Tarask eats eight people in one sitting, then during the next six months he is completely safe, so it is customary to dress up eight people at the same time in the costume of a huge monster to this day.