By Tim Lambert
What was a werewolf? It was a man who was transformed into a wolf or changed themselves into a wolf. The idea that humans can be transformed into animals occurs in many different cultures. In Europe in the 16th and 17th century it was believed that witches could transform themselves into many different animals, including hares, ravens, cats, bears, or toads. And, of course, witches (usually men) were accused of transforming themselves into wolves.
The word werewolf comes from the Anglo-Saxon word were, meaning man, and wulf, meaning wolf. The earliest recorded use of the word werewolf was about 1020, when it was used by King Cnut in his laws. (Cnut used the word werewolf to mean outlaws rather than literal men turned into wolves. Today, werewolves are just characters in horror movies, but once being accused of being a werewolf was deadly serious.
The earliest mention of a werewolf is from the Ancient Sumerian story, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written sometime between 2,000 BC and 1,500 BC.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans also wrote about werewolves. In Greek mythology, King Lycaon was turned into a wolf by Zeus as a punishment for trying to trick the god into eating human flesh. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about a race called the Neuri who lived in what is now Russia. They were supposed to turn themselves into wolves for several days a year.
In the first century AD the Roman writer Petronius mentioned a man transforming himself into a wolf in his work Satyricon. People in the Middle Ages sometimes believed in werewolves.
During the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, being a werewolf was punishable by death, as it was a form of witchcraft. In France, Germany, and other parts of Europe, several men were convicted of being werewolves and executed. The first known case was two Frenchmen, Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun, in 1521.
In 1573, a man named Gilles Garnier confessed to being a werewolf and killing children. He used a magic ointment to transform himself into a wolf. Garnier was burned to death.
One horrific execution was of a man named Peter Stumpp in Germany in 1589. After being tortured on the rack, he ‘confessed’ that the Devil gave him a belt, which, when he put it on, turned him into a wolf. Stumpp also ‘confessed’ to killing and eating children. He was tied to a cart wheel. Red-hot pincers were used to pull off bits of his flesh. His arms and legs were then broken, and finally, he was beheaded.
In 1603, a 13-year-old French boy named Jean Grenier confessed to having a wolf skin and a magic ointment that turned him into a wolf. He also confessed to killing people. Fortunately, he was found to be insane, and he was confined to a monastery.
However, during the 17th century, belief in werewolves declined. One of the last cases was in 1691 when a Latvian named Theiss confessed to being a werewolf. Theiss confessed to being a werewolf. But he claimed he was a ‘good’ werewolf. He said witches stole grain and domestic animals and dragged them off to Hell. Theiss made his way to Hell, then returned with the stolen goods. Theiss was lucky. He was only sentenced to 20 lashes.
In the 20th century, werewolves became fictional characters in films and novels. In 1933, a famous novel about a werewolf, The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore, was published.
The first film about a werewolf was made in 1913. It was just called ‘The Werewolf’. Many other films about werewolves followed. A film called Werewolf of London was made in 1935. Another famous film, The Wolf Man, was made in 1941. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was made in 1943.
In 1961, Hammer Films made a film called The Curse of the Werewolf. An American Werewolf in London was made in 1981. The comedy Teen Wolf was made in 1985.
In the 20th century, werewolves took on their ‘modern’ form. Werewolves became halfmen-half wolf rather than men who transformed themselves completely into wolves. The idea that a man could be transformed into a werewolf by a full moon was popularised by the film Werewolf of London.
The idea that a werewolf could be killed by silver bullets appeared in the 1941 film The Wolf Man. It also popularised the idea that a werewolf transmits its condition by biting people.
Lastly, there is a form of mental illness called lycanthropy, which causes people to believe they are, or can be transformed into, an animal. That may be partly responsible for the werewolf myth. Some mentally ill people may have believed they were werewolves.
