The History of Werewolves

Welcome to the eleventh day of my daily October posts AND Werewolf Weekend!! Throughout these next 21-days, I will be posting different spooky fun facts, tricks and treats. Today, I will be talking about the history of werewolves—focusing mainly on media, legends and folklore. Enjoy!

• The Epics - The history of werewolves is a bit all over the place, so I’ll start with the oldest recorded werewolf encounter in literary form. This would be from the Epic of Gilgamesh (2100 BC)—when the Mesopotamian goddess of love, sex and fertility, Ishtar, upon being rejected, turned an unnamed shepherd into a wolf—a tale of her previous cruelty. 

• Mythology - The next piece of history surrounding werewolves is from around 720 BC. This is the myth of King Lycaon. King Lycaon was a king of Arcadia who wanted to test if Zeus was truly a god. Therefore, he tested Zeus by attempting to feed him human flesh—some sources say it was of a captured Molossian prisoner while others say it was from a child. Enraged by this gruesome act, Zeus punished King Lycaon by turning him into a wolf and killing his sons. Zeus chose to turn him into a wolf to showcase the irony of his beastly act. 

• The Neuri - Another piece of mythology comes from a Thracian tribe called the Neuri. The Neuri were a tribe that once lived in the North-East of Scythia who were believed to have been shapeshifters that could transform into wolves for a few days every year—according to Herodotus in 430 BC. 

• Pagan Rituals - By the medieval period, werewolves were thought to be shapeshifters transformed through (usually) pagan warrior initiation rituals. The belief was that they were turned into shapeshifters from the rituals and then acted as pawns of evil for the devil as the result.

• Sorcery - In the 12th-century, werewolves became tied closely to sorcery once again when the lais, or short narrative poem Bisclavret by Marie de France told the story of a knight named Bisclavret’s curse. His curse would turn him into a wolf three days a week—he later discovers that the sorcery was done by his own wife.

• Hydrophobia & Hypertrichosis - Some men were believed to be werewolves throughout the Renaissance period due to either hypertrichosis—causes excessive hair growth all over the body, or hydrophobia—the fear of water. Hydrophobia victims were generally sickened by being bitten by an animal with rabies. This would cause them to become sick, animal-like and rabid. Some Renaissance plays even included such people suffering from rabies, or what they called “lycanthropia”. This included Duke Ferdinand in John Webster’s tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi (1614 AD). Lycanthropia was an actual psychological term of the time relating to an excess of black bile, or melancholy—anyone remember the humours? It was a medical condition given to those who were suffering from the mental illness such as having animal-like symptoms—temporary insanity, hydrophobia and exhibiting a wolf-like state during the full moon.

• The Wolf-Charmers - “Wolf-charmers” were a 16th — 18th-century belief in certain countries throughout Europe, such as Bavaria, Austria and Livonia. The “Wolfssegan”, or charm-giver from folklore, was a wolf-charmer. A Wolfssegan was simply someone who gave out charms to ward off werewolves, but during these centuries throughout Europe, they would persecute (mainly) men who they believed to be werewolves or witches. Occasionally, even Wolfssegan were persecuted that were believed to have practiced “Wolfbann”—a spell that causes wolf attacks. These men would usually admit to being werewolves through means of excruciating torture methods. 

• Current-Day Media - Today, we have accepted the term “werewolf” as pure monster mythology. It is no longer a mental illness, medical condition, curse, or warrior spirit within us. Now, werewolves are either monsters of their own destruction (and stronger than ever before with all of their newly added powers) or humorous lover-boys. Although the term “werewolf” still frightens some to this day, they have ultimately lost their fear-factor. However, they are still one of the oldest and most iconic monsters ever recorded—whether in myth or legend, in all of history!

Thank you for reading and make sure to come back for tomorrow's post!

Sincerely, 

        your 21st century poet <3