werewolf history | Werewolves

Deadly Silver and Full Moons

You ask and I deliver! Over on our Facebook page I asked you, my fantastic werewolf fans, what you wanted me to write about and you replied that you want silver. More specifically, you want to know what’s up with werewolves and silver. We all know the story about silver bullets being the only way…

The Tale of Deucalion

In Season 3 of MTV’s Teen Wolf there is a character named Deucalion, a blind and cryptic alpha wolf with a very twisted past. Seeing this character’s name – Deucalion – got me thinking. Why did the show choose this name for the character, the self-proclaimed “Alpha of alphas?” The myth of Deucalion doesn’t seem…

The Eerie Nagual

Werewolves and other werecreatures can be found all over the world and all throughout time. Countless cultures have their own unique werewolf tales and legends. Today we shall explore the ancient lore of South America, to a time when the nagual reigned, a being with many different manifestations. In ancient Aztec lore, the nagual were…

The Deadly Anspach Werewolf

Today, Dear Readers, we are traveling back in time. We are going hundreds of years into the past, back when the belief in werewolves was very real. A time when villagers hid in their homes, fearing that a ferocious and horrific werewolf would rip them to shreds. Today I am telling the tale of the…

The Werewolf Capitol of South America

The vast majority of werewolf sightings took place over a hundred years ago, back in a time when people were much more superstitious than they are now. There just aren’t many reported these days. However, in Tauá, Ceará, Brazil there have been quite a few werewolf sightings reported in the past few years, so many…

The True Bloody Wolf-Filled History of Valentine’s Day

When most think of Valentine’s Day they imagine sappy romantic comedies, cheesy Hallmark cards, chalky candy hearts and all of that other rubbish. But here at Werewolves.com, when we think of Valentine’s Day we picture wolves and bloodshed – we’re romantic like that. Well actually, according to an article written by werewolf expert Brad Steiger,…

Little Red Cape

In light of the recent film Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried, I would like to take another look at the history of the werewolf in the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. I know we’ve already discussed the hidden meaning behind the story’s elementary components, but what of the history behind this well-known werewolf…

Enkidu: Original Werewolf or Historical Wild Man?

The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest historical works of literature, is an epic about a king and his beast-man companion, Enkidu. Although various sections of the work exist, the most complete version of the story was found in the library of a 7th Century BC Mesopotamian King named Ahurbanipal. Written on 12 clay…

Beware the Wrath of Le Maître de Forêt

While reading one of my favorite werewolf books, I came across a wonderfully wicked tale involving not only wolves, but werewolves too. In certain parts of the world it was believed that werewolves, as well as natural wolves and other forest animals, were under the control by a powerful and inhuman being – a being…

Werewolves of Ossory

We have written about the werewolves of Ossory before, but after discovering some new information we couldn’t resist writing about them again. There are several stories in particular that frame the majority of Irish folklore regarding werewolves. In Northern Ireland it is said that there were tribes of wolf-men living in the wild that ancient…

Damarchus’ Nine Year Werewolf Curse

400~ B C, it is said that in ancient Greece, a boxer named Damarchus was transformed into a wolf for nine years before once again re-donning human form. There is little to be found regarding this part of werewolf history, yet what we do know about Damarchus can be found in Pausanias’ Description of Greece,…

Legendary Irish Wolf Warriors

All throughout history you can find stories in nearly every country of men that transform into beasts, and ancient Ireland is no different. Ireland is home to stories of ancient warriors known as the Laignach Faelad, warriors that could change their form into that of a savage beast, such as a wolf. Just imagine it,…

Did Darwinian Theory Kill Off the Werewolf?

While science has never been an area of interest for me, living with two roommates that both study biology, chemistry, biotechnology and a wide assortment of other scientific fields has triggered my curiosity and lust for knowledge. That said, I have been spending a lot of time reading scientific journals, researching everything from evolution to…

The Good Dr. Johann Weyer

In the 16th century when witch and werewolf trials were still going very strong and countless individuals were wrongly killed due to mass hysteria, most people supported it; they felt that these evil beings needed to be destroyed. However, there were in fact some brave men spoke against it. The Dutch physician Dr. Johann Weyer…

The Tailor of Chalons

In the 1500s and 1600s the people of France were plagued by the fear of werewolves. There were werewolf sightings, stories, trials and even executions of those who were believed to be a werewolf. It was mass hysteria and many innocents were burned to death all because someone claimed that they were a werewolf. But…

Bete de Gevaudon

Back in the 1500s and for centuries after, Europe was plagued by the fear of werewolves. Nearly every country reported werewolf sightings, werewolf deaths and so on. But no country has as many werewolf stories as France, which is where today’s tale hales from. The story is that of the Bete de Gevaudon, a creature…

Black Magic and Corpse Breeches

I’ve got quite the treat for you dear readers, an old tale of black magic and wolves. The story hales from Iceland, where items known as “corpse breeches” could help a warlock change his shape into that of a wolf. Corpse breeches (also known as nabrock trousers) were said to be used by ancient Icelandic…

The Werewolf’s Cousin: The Werebear

Many months ago I switched things up a bit and wrote about werefoxes, the werewolf’s “cousin,” and I hadn’t thought about until recently when a reader asked me why I hadn’t covered werebears as well. So thanks to that reader I am adding some more variety to the mix by giving you werewolf fans another…

Is Werewolf Culture Dangerous?

From Team Jacob Fans, to the San Antonio “teen Werewolf” culture (claims of teen werewolves also apparently occurred in the media in 2003 from Brisbane Australia), a fascinating side of werewolves is their interpretations by modern culture. But what does it really mean when claiming to be a werewolf or having a deep fascination for…

The Tale of Melion

I’ve got a treat for you today Dear Readers, a werewolf tale that dates back to the 12th century. The author of the story is unknown, but it originated in Picardy some time between 1190 and 1204 and was told across England by traveling bards. The story tells the tale of Melion, a knight at…

Is the Wodewose a Werewolf?

I have quite a few books on the history of werewolves (yaaaay books!) and some of these books mention a creature known as the wodewose (also known as the woodwose). The name refers to either a group of men or outlaws living in the forest, or to a mythical being that has existed deep in…

Moon Myths: Part 2

More moon myths! You guys loved the first edition of Moon Myths, so I am giving you a second post to enjoy. Here are more of the old superstitions surrounding the moon. It was believed that a waning moon was bad luck and that it was a horrible time for births and weddings. It was…

The Werewolf of Allariz

Manuel Blanco Romasanta was Spain’s first documented criminal psychopath and serial killer – he was also believed to be a werewolf. Romasanta confessed to thirteen murders in the mid-nineteenth century and he told the court which tried him that he was afflicted with a terrible curse that turned him into a ravenous wolf. But was…

Moon Myths: Part 1

What is the best known myth about the full moon? That it triggers a werewolf’s transformation of course. But that’s not the only moon myth out there, back in day people believed all sorts of strange things about the moon. So today we’re going to take a little break from the werewolf lore and explore…

The Dog-Headed St. Christopher

That’s right boys and girls, today we’re taking a peek at the world of Christianity! I’ll be covering St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, due to the fact that in medieval depictions of him, he usually has the head of a dog. According to the ancient legends, Christopher was one of a dog-headed race…