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If the legends are to be believed, lycanthropy has been with us since King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf, in retribution for serving human flesh to Zeus during a dinner party in ancient Greece. Ever since, the werewolf has followed the human race through whispered tales and popular myth, stalking towns and villages from the Caucasus to Colorado.
The popularity and seeming irrationality of these stories has been a traditional target for debunkers of the supernatural. Rationalisations of the werewolf myth have stretched from theories of rabies infection to ergot poisoning. More difficult to dispel has been the delusional convictions of people with clinical lycanthropy. Often submerged in intense psychosis, affected individuals report the feeling of transformation into various forms of animal, some experienced as so unusual, the animal has yet to be identified.
The shift is the term generically employed to qualify the transformation of man into a wolf and vice-versa. This gives ground to a lot of different states. The transformation may be temporary or permanent; the were-animal may be the man himself metamorphosed; may be his double whose activity leaves the real man to all appearance … Read more
Many European countries and cultures have stories of werewolves. Most of the terms used have the similar proto-aryen roots. Scotland : werewolf, wulver England :werwolf Ireland :faoladh or conriocht Germany : Werwolf Denmark/Sweden : Varulv Galicia, Portugal : lobisón, lobisomem Lithuania : vilkolakis and vilkatlakis Latvia : vilkatis and vilkacis Estonia : libahunt Finland : … Read more
Damarchus (Greek: Δάμαρχος) or Demaenetus was a victorious Olympic boxer from Parrhasia (Arcadia) who is said to have changed his shape into that of a wolf at the festival of Lycaea, only to become a man again after nine years. The festival of Lycaea involved human sacrifice to Zeus. A young boy was killed and … Read more
A priest was journeying from Ulster to Meath accompanied only by a single youth when they were benighted in a wood. They had kindled a fire when a huge wolf approached them and spoke, telling the travellers to fear nothing. The priest adjured him by all that was sacred not to do them harm and … Read more
One of the strangest incidences involving werewolves was that of Benandanti (a term roughly translated into good walkers, those who go well or good-doers) in northern Italy. In this case the werewolves were men who left their bodies and assumed the shape of wolves. After becoming wolves they descended to the underworld to battle witches. … Read more
From THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVESby SABINE BARING-GOULDSmith, Elder & Co., London1865 Towards the close of the autumn of 1573, the peasants of the neighbourhood of Dole, in Franche Comte, were authorized by the Court of Parliament at Dole, to hunt down the were-wolves which infested the country. The authorization was as follows:– “According to the … Read more
From THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVESby SABINE BARING-GOULDSmith, Elder & Co., London1865 IN December, 1521, the Inquisitor-General for the diocese of Besancon, Boin by name, heard a case of a sufficiently terrible nature to produce a profound sensation of alarm in the neighbourhood. Two men were under accusation of witchcraft and cannibalism. Their names were Pierre … Read more
From THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVESby SABINE BARING-GOULDSmith, Elder & Co., London1865 Another case was that of Peter Stubb near Cologne, in 1573. His confession came after he was tortured on the rack. He started the “wicked art”, as he called it, at the age of 12. He claimed the Devil had given him a magic … Read more