The legend of the Tarasque comes conveniently from a french town named, you guessed it: Tarascon.
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Long ago a huge monster emerged from the sea and chose the river Rhone as its new home. It was a dragoness, half land mammal, half fish. She outsized twelve elephants, had teeth like swords and a skin like iron. Her father was the water dragon Leviathan, her mother the giant snake Onachus, and her name was Tarasque.
Wherever the beast appeared, she brought terror and destruction. All animals fled her. She destroyed houses, and her breath was flames. Many heroes tried to kill her, and perished.
After seven years of ravage a farmer found the skin of the dragoness and considered her dead. But every seven years the Tarasque hat to slough, and the farmer had only found her cast-off skin.
Seven more years went by. The Tarasque had destroyed all bridges and devoured everyone who wanted to cross the river. At last the inhabitants of the troubled area tried to lure the dragonness into a trap. Near the town Avignon there was a deep swamp. Whoever got there was lost. So they bound animals to trees near the trail leading to the swamp. The beast followed this line of prey. But when she approached the trap, she turened around and fled back to the river: The swamp belonged to the realm of the devil, and being a creature of the devil herself, the Tarasque was warned.
Again seven years passed. Then one day Saint Martha happened to visit the area. When she heard of the beast, she went out to catch it - barefooted, in her white dress, with no other weapon than a jar of holy water. The dragonnes came out to devour her, but was banned solely by the power of the cross and the holy water. St. Martha led the beast to the town, where it was killed. The citizens errected a new church in honor of St. Martha, and the town changed its name to Tarascon.
The Tarasque cannot be destroyed by mere human strength or weapons. The people in Nerluc have suffered many years until Martha, the girl with a quiet disposition and a Christian, comes to spread the words of God to the pagan people. She listens to the stories of the Tarasque and sets out, bear-footed, to search the dragon. When she finds the dragon, she uses two sticks as a cross and that stops the dragon as if it is pierced by a sword. She sprinkles holy water on the dragon and that quenches all the fire in him. She uses his sharp tooth to cut off her braids and using the braids as a bridle, leads him back in town, tame as a lamb. The townspeople kills the Tarasque with a shower of stones and Martha weeps for the creature but forgives the people's action because she understands their long-time suffering.
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This male dragon is enormous. His body is most like an ox but with six short bear-like legs with enormous claws. On his body he has two shields like those of a turtle but covered with curved spikes, and the rest of his body is covered with closely overlapping scales that formed his armor. His tail is long and curved like a scorpion. His head is that of a lion, yet with a horse's ears, but his face, with eyebrows and mustache, is that of a sad and bitter old man. The Tarasque is described as an evil fire-breathing beast. The other monster similarly tamed, also originates from France, is The Gargouille, even though the later is an aquatic dragon.
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The second account seems like an ankleosaurus
A.
