[Note: Greek text is in curly braces, i.e., {}.]

THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVES

Being an Account of Terrible Superstition

by SABINE BARING-GOULD

Smith, Elder & Co., London

1865

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY

CHAPTER II. LYCANTHROPY AMONG THE ANCIENTS

Definition of Lycanthropy—Marcellus Sidetes—Virgil—Herodotus—Ovid—Pliny—Agriopas—Story from Petronius—Arcadian Legends—Explanation offered

CHAPTER III. THE WERE-WOLF IN THE NORTH

Norse Traditions—Manner in which the Change was effected—Vœlundar Kvœda—Instances from the Völsung Saga—Hrolf’s Saga—Kraka—Faroëse Poem—Helga Kvida—Vatnsdæla Saga—Eyrbyggja Saga

CHAPTER IV. THE ORIGIN OF THE SCANDINAVIAN WERE-WOLF

Advantage of the Study of Norse Literature—Bear and Wolf-skin Dresses—The Berserkir—Their Rage—The Story of Thorir—Passages from the Aigla—The Evening Wolf—Skallagrim and his Son-Derivation of the Word “Hamr:” of “Vargr”—Laws affecting Outlaws—“To become a Boar”—Recapitulation

CHAPTER V. THE WERE-WOLF IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Stories from Olaus Magnus of Livonian Were-wolves—Story from Bishop Majolus—Story of Albertus Pericofcius—Similar occurrence at Prague—Saint Patrick—Strange incident related by John of Nüremberg—Bisclaveret—Courland Were-wolves—Pierre Vidal—Pavian Lycanthropist—Bodin’s Stories—Forestus’ Account of a Lycanthropist—Neapolitan Were-wolf

CHAPTER VI. A CHAPTER OF HORRORS

Pierre Bourgot and Michel Verdung—’Me Hermit of S. Bonnot—The Gandillon Family—Thievenne Paget—The Tailor of Châlons—Roulet

Chapter VII. JEAN GRENIER

On the Sand-dunes—A Wolf attacks Marguerite Poirier—Jean Grenier brought to Trial—His Confessions—Charges of Cannibalism proved—His Sentence—Behaviour in the Monastery—Visit of Del’ancre

CHAPTER VIII. FOLK-LORE RELATING TO WERE-WOLVES

Barrenness of English Folk-lore—Devonshire Traditions—Derivation of Were-wolf—Cannibalism in Scotland—The Angus Robber—The Carle of Perth—French Superstitions—Norwegian Traditions—Danish Tales of Were-wolves—Holstein Stories—The Werewolf in the Netherlands—Among the Greeks; the Serbs; the White Russians; the Poles; the Russians—A Russian Receipt for becoming a Were-wolf—The Bohemian Vlkodlak—Armenian Story—Indian Tales—Abyssinian Budas—American Transformation Tales—A Slovakian Household Tale—Similar Greek, Béarnais, and Icelandic Tales

CHAPTER IX. NATURAL CAUSES OF LYCANTHROPY

Innate Cruelty—Its Three Forms—Dumollard—Andreas Bichel—A Dutch Priest—Other instances of Inherent Cruelty—Cruelty united to Refinement—A Hungarian Bather in Blood—Suddenness with which the Passion is developed—Cannibalism; in pregnant Women; in Maniacs—Hallucination; how Produced—Salves—The Story of Lucius—Self-deception

CHAPTER X. MYTHOLOGICAL ORIGIN OF THE WERE-WOLF MYTH

Metempsychosis—Sympathy between Men and Beasts—Finnbog and the Bear—Osage and the Beaver—The Connexion of Soul and Body—Buddism—Case of Mr. Holloway—Popular ideas concerning the Body—The derivation of the German Leichnam—Feather Dresses—Transmigration of Souls—A Basque Story—Story from the Pantschatantra—Savage ideas regarding Natural Phenomena—Thunder, Lightning, and Cloud—The origin of the Dragon—John of Bromton’s Dragon a Waterspout—The Legend of Typhoeus—Allegorizing of the Effects of a Hurricane—Anthropomorphosis—The Cirrus Cloud, a Heavenly Swan—Urvaci—The Storm-cloud a Daemon—Vritra and Rakschasas—Story of a Brahmin and a Rakschasas

CHAPTER XI. THE MARÉCHAL DE REZT I: THE INVESTIGATION OF CHARGES

Introduction—History of Gilles de Laval—The Castle of Machecoul—Surrender of the Marshal—Examination of Witnesses—Letter of De Retz—The Duke of Brittany reluctant to move—The Bishop of Nantes

CHAPTER XII. THE MARÉCHAL DE REZT II: THE TRIAL

The Appearance of the Marshal—Pierre de l’Hospital—The Requisition—The Trial adjourned—Meeting of the Marshal and his Servants—The Confession of Henriet—Pontou persuaded to confess all—The adjourned Trial not hurried on—The hesitation of the Duke of Brittany

CHAPTER XIII. MARÉCHAL DE RETZ III: THE SENTENCE AND EXECUTION

The adjourned Trial—The Marshal Confesses—The Case handed over to the Ecclesiastical Tribunal—Prompt steps taken by the Bishop—The Sentence—Ratified by the Secular Court—The Execution

CHAPTER XIV. A GALICIAN WERE-WOLF

The Inhabitants of Austrian Galicia—The Hamlet of Polomyja—Summer Evening in the Forest—The Beggar Swiatek—A Girl disappears—A School-boy vanishes—A Servant-girl lost—Another Boy carried of—The Discovery made by the Publican of Polomyja—Swiatek locked up—Brought to Dabkow—Commits suicide

Chapter XV. ANOMALOUS CASE—THE HUMAN HYENA

Ghouls—Story from Fornari—Quotation from Apuleius—Incident mentioned by Marcassus—Cemeteries of Paris violated—Discovery of Violator—Confession of M. Bertrand

CHAPTER XVI. A SERMON ON WERE-WOLVES

The Discourses of Dr. Johann—The Sermon—Remarks