Tradition: French Mythology
Alternative Names: Bécuts, Bécude, Becuda, The Son of the Bécut, Tartare, Tartaro, Torto, Anxo, Ulhart, Ullard
Category: Giant
The Myth
The Bécut is a monstrous giant from the folklore of Gascony and the Pyrenees in southwestern France. It is a cyclops with a single eye and a terrifying appetite for human flesh. Tales of the creature are particularly common in Bigorre and Béarn, where its stories often follow the pattern of the ancient Greek myth of Polyphemus: a monstrous ogre captures people, but one of his prisoners eventually finds a way to outwit him and escape. Similar creatures appear in neighboring regions under different names, including Tartare, Tartaro, Torto, and Anxo in Basque folklore, and Ulhart in Ariège.
The Bécut is described as an enormous, solitary, and deformed being. In one account, it stands seven toises tall, equivalent to approximately twelve or thirteen metres, although this measurement is symbolic rather than a fixed description. The creature may appear alone or as part of a group. Gascon traditions also include female counterparts, known as the Bécude or Becuda, as well as tales about the son of the Bécut. In one story, the Bécude is portrayed as the monstrous daughter of a wicked stepmother. Some descriptions give the Bécut a snout resembling that of a pig, although its defining feature remains its single eye. One legend claims that an evil spirit granted it supernatural power by squeezing its calves on the day of its birth.
Like the cyclopes of classical mythology, the Bécut is often a herdsman. It raises cattle or, more commonly, sheep whose horns are made of gold. These unusual animals attract the envy of local inhabitants, but the giant itself is a terrifying threat. It hunts Christians, cooks its captives alive on a grill, and devours them, sometimes swallowing a person in a single bite.
The Bécut’s stories frequently end with the creature being defeated through cunning rather than strength. In a recurring motif resembling the tale of Polyphemus, one of its prisoners blinds it by driving a roasting spit into its single eye. Unable to see, the giant can no longer effectively pursue its victims. It eventually falls into a deep ravine and dies. These tales portray the Bécut as a powerful but vulnerable monster whose enormous size and appetite cannot protect it from human ingenuity.
Sources
“Bécut.” Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9cut