The History of the Werewolf Legend
Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are legendary shape-shifting
humans. As the name suggests, the shape these creatures take on is that
of a wolf. The history of the werewolf legend has sprung up
independently or spread to virtually every area of the Earth. It is also
one of the oldest legends of human monsters in recorded history. Where
the legend originated can only be guessed by what humans have taken care
to record. Their other name, lycanthrope, may also be a hint at the
origin of this myth.
Throughout history there are records of the trials of confessed or accused werewolves. In fact, they were hunted,
questioned and executed in much the same way witches were, because
often witches were accused of also being werewolves. These so-called
“werewolf trials” give us a historical glimpse at rampant human belief
in werewolves. Some of the accused were arrested because villagers
needed someone to blame for dead livestock or some other explainable
occurrence, but others were accused because of actions far more sinister
and less likely to be contrived.
In 1521, a Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun were executed as
werewolves. Historical records indicate that they were a serial killer
team. In 1573, again in France, another “werewolf” was executed. His
name was Gilles Garnier, otherwise known as the “Werewolf of Dole.” He
was a confessed serial killer. There are numerous accounts such as
these, mostly in Europe. Interestingly, real wolves were plentiful in
Europe at this time. Could people have simply been associating the
carnivorous animal with people who behaved like animals?
A more infamous case of werewolf execution is that of a German man
named Peter Stumpp (or Stubbe). Peter was supposedly caught by his
neighbors in his wolf form. They witnessed him taking off his “wolf
girdle” (more on that later) when they closed in on him. At which time,
he re-assumed his human form. Peter confessed to murder, rape and
cannibalism. His mistress and daughter were tortuously executed
immediately after he was. The reason they were executed? For having
knowledge of his crimes and sex with him. Yes, his daughter was executed
for being raped by her father. What is worse? Her father had killed her
brother and eaten his brains before he was captured.
While all of these instances are proof of a long-standing belief in
werewolves, they are not the first descriptions of werewolves in
history. What appears to be the oldest story of a werewolf is not a
gruesome group of serial killings followed by an execution, but an
Ancient Roman myth. Ovid wrote the Metamorphoses in 1 A.D. In it, he
told the tale of King Lycaon (the origin of the word Lycanthrope) who
offended the gods by serving human meat to them at dinner. Jupiter
punished this transgression by transforming Lycaon into a werewolf. In
his werewolf form, he could continue his abomination of eating human
flesh with less offense.
We know from Ovid that legends of werewolves go back to at least 1
A.D. We also know that since that time, the legend of the werewolf has
evolved. There are werewolf legends that are obviously separate from one
another and others that seem to build off the original concept. For
example, the full moon had nothing to do with Ovid’s werewolf and other
early werewolf legends. Werewolves changed shape at whim. Other legends
associate werewolves with a sort of belt or “wolf girdle” that, upon
donning, would transform them.
Religion has had an obvious impact on the werewolf myth. In areas
where Christianity was prevalent, being a werewolf was associated with
witchcraft and the devil. Even the wolf girdle found a place in this
Christian belief in werewolves. They believed that the belt was
furnished by the devil for use by his minions. Even Ovid’s tale was
based on religion in the sense that his form was a punishment from the
gods. Does this mean that religion is the source of the werewolf myth?
It probably is not. It is more likely that religion has simply
influenced a belief that manifested in human history for one of two
reasons. Either werewolves were thought up to explain something horrible
or they are real.
Several reasons for the appearance of the werewolf myth have been
postulated. It is possible that real wolf attacks were the cause and
superstition led people to fear the worst. Suspects were subsequently
tortured into confession and voila, you have “proof” cementing the
belief in werewolves. There is also the possibility that the werewolf
myth was created to explain rabies. Humans do get rabies from being
bitten by rabid animals, after all.
One possible cause for the werewolf myth aligns very well with
historical werewolf hunts and that is that people were trying to explain
serial killers. The vampire myth can be traced back to royals who had a
particular taste for bloodshed, like Vlad the Impaler. However, the
vampire myth only explains a lust for blood, not human flesh. History
tells us that cannibalism is a trait that not all serial killers
possess, but some do. Therefore, another explanation may have been
needed – enter the werewolf myth. Wolves eat humans (not so much
nowadays, but if they could get to us, they would more often). There is
no denying that serial killers like Albert Fish and Jeffrey Dahmer do
behave like animals.
How the werewolf myth came to be will never be known. Ovid could very
well be the originator, but it may also have existed in oral history
before Ovid. Any of the above causes is plausible. However, we cannot
possibly know unless we find conclusive evidence that werewolves have or
have never existed. If we find one, that answers the question. We are
much less likely to find an answer if there were no werewolves. It is
doubtful that we will find a little postscript from Ovid reading, “I
made it all up.” However, one might say that could be assumed.
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