The Book of Were-Wolves

The Book of Were-Wolves

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Title: The Book of Were-Wolves
Author: Sabine Baring-Gould
Release Date: March, 2004 [EBook #5324] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on July 1, 2002]
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THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVES
by SABINE BARING-GOULD
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--Vlundar
Kvda--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 69

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
85
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 130
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