Home to the Caves d’Aubière, a sprawling network of centuries-old wine cellars, Aubière was once one of the most prosperous viticultural towns in Auvergne. Grape growing is still popular in Aubière today, but in the early twentieth century, it provided many locals with a real livelihood. Naturally, this meant that winemakers had to take practical steps to protect their vineyards from thieves and other ne’er–do–wells. Rationally-minded vignerons as they were, they never accounted for the capriciousness of the spirit world. No one, least of all the Taillandier family, ever expected to fall into the malevolent clutches of a series of wine-loving ghosts. But this is exactly what happened in March 1908.
According to reports that initially circulated in Clermont-Ferrand-area newspapers, these mysterious spirits established themselves on the Taillandier estate and carried out what can only be described as a campaign of terror. They tore clothes, committed arson, threw stones at passersby, and stole various items, including wine. By April, journalists had begun to speculate that one of the Taillandier scions — sixteen-year-old Stéphane — was connected to the phenomena in some way. Stéphane, they revealed, had previously been a “subject” of hypnotic experiments. And it didn’t go unnoticed that the teenager was always present whenever the spirits manifested themselves.
Although I’ve yet to find any articles detailing the findings of the police investigation into the Aubière ghosts, all signs suggest that the mischievous spirits were actually a hoax created by amateur thieves. For one reason or another, they may have set their sights on the Taillandiers and decided to exploit either Stéphane’s suggestibility — or his greed — to stir up a ghost craze. Enough people in the village apparently fell for the crafty misdirection, and the press went with the story, taking special care to emphasise its supernaturalistic angle. The ensuing hullabaloo provided a perfect cover for the wine-loving ghosts, all of whom couldn’t resist playing a few practical jokes on an already excitable community. That’s my theory, anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if other sleuths of the time ended up arriving at the same conclusion.
In the words of the American folklorist Charles G. Leland: “Minor local legends sink more deeply into the soul than greater histories.” To learn more about Auvergne’s seemingly endless secrets and ghostlore, sign up for our newsletter below.
