This Frenchman Was Renowned For His Epic Beard And His Ability to Nest Cats In It
As they say, everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame. This man's fifteen minutes came from having black kittens living in his massive beard.
Born in France in 1826, Louis Coulon reportedly began developing facial hair at the age of 14. However, Coulon's beard hair stretched as far as 11 feet by the time he was 78 years old in 1904—possibly longer!
He was a metallurgist in a factory by trade, dealing with cast iron, which begs a number of issues because it's unclear how he managed to maintain such a thick beard in his line of work. Posing for postcards with his family and kitties was another pastime of his.
Coulon maintained his modesty despite becoming relatively well-known; he turned down Lord William's offer of 10,000 francs to travel. Numerous postcards depicted him; one said that, as of May 10, 1904, his beard measured 3.3 meters (11 feet) in length.
Occasionally, the intriguing postcards showed black cats with twisted gray hair poking out. Within this secure haven, they appear to be extremely pleased and safe.
However, it's unclear if this was merely a clever ploy to generate interest in the postcards, which are rumored to have achieved "relative fame." Or did these kitties actually adore hiding out at home in this way?
Louis Coulon's beard hair reached as long as 11 feet
Wikimedia Commons“Come on everyone, gather round Grandad’s beard!”
Wikimedia CommonsIn any event, he resembles a wise old wizard from one of Tolkien's novels, Radagast the Brown. Could Tolkien have gotten inspiration for his wizardly "lover of birds" and nature from postcards featuring Louis Coulon?
Postcards of Cats and Birds in a Cozy Beard Nest
Wikimedia CommonsYou may remember from the movies that the characters' beards were home to birds. There are postcards with what appear to be taxidermy birds in Coulon's whiskers, as you can see.
A close look of the cat in its beard nest
Wikimedia CommonsThey look quite content and safe inside their protective nest
Wikimedia CommonsConsidering that Tolkien was writing his works in 1930, it's plausible that he saw some of these widely circulated postcards. Nevertheless, Coulon appeared to be a character who could readily emerge from a Middle Earth forest.
He looks a lot like a grizzled wizard out of a Tolkien book, Radagast the Brown
Wikimedia CommonsHere is Louis Coulon's Wonder World Tube video:
There are postcards featuring what looks like taxidermy birds in Coulon’s whiskers
Wikimedia Commons
Coulon's mane was said to be at least three meters, or almost eleven feet, long by some reports. He did not, however, set a world record because he lived before the Guinness Book of World Records.
Look at all those beards
Wikimedia Commons
Coulon looked like a character who could easily step out of a mystical forest
Wikimedia Commons
The current record holder, Canadian Sarwan Singh, has a beard measuring eight feet and three inches. For fifteen years, he has maintained the record for the longest-bearded male.
Here's the video of the current record holder of the longest beard, Sarwan Singh
Singh is a devout Sikh who has never cut his sacred hair but it doesn't appear like he frequently builds nests for cats or other animals in his facial hair. Nothing, however, suggests that he won't eventually.
However, Louis Coulon's claim to fame—a fabled beard that occasionally held cats—will never fade. Share this article with your loved ones to enlighten them as well.
