Werewolf; Blood and Lore
The fear of the werewolf was born with early man and his interactions with nature. Specifically, his loathsome hatred towards the wolf. When considering myths and lore, in regard to werewolves, one must understand the wolves’ involvement with the everyday living of early humans. Stories of human cannibalism and wolf like actions through mental illnesses have created werewolf legends. The werewolf is also said to be closely related to other entities such as witches, vampires, shape-shifters and the devil himself. It is the werewolves thirst for blood and taste for flesh that has instilled fear into mankind since the beginning of time and advanced the myths and lore surrounding werewolf activity.
In order to comprehend the lore of werewolves one must first have a simple understanding of the initial source of that lore. Most scientists that have studied the wolf will say that it is one of the most misunderstood animals on earth and that very little is actually known of the wolf and its habits. Since the dawn of creation people had to live off of the land and that meant living with wolves. The wolf was considered a deadly nuisance. They commonly killed livestock that people raised for their own means of survival. A pack of wolves would sometimes kill more than they needed. In his book ‘Of Wolves and Men’ Barry Holstun Lopez writes “…they sometimes kill in excess” (Lopez). It is not uncommon for wolves to decimate a heard of sheep, ravaging and killing several, often a dozen, some of it for feed, but then mutilate its victims and strew their parts about. In Lopez’s book he also describes an incident in Alaska in which wolves killed over 42 dogs in a year. Biologists would explain to residents that due to an unusually hard winter the wolves had turned to dogs for prey. The Athabascan Indians would not accept this explanation. They believed that this occurred because wolves just hated dogs. Lopez writes of a sled dog team’s owner who “…argued that the wolf was a born killer … Some creatures God put on earth to help man…and others to hinder him, and the wolf was a hinderer”. (Lopez). These are some of the misunderstandings that humans have of the wolf that have helped lead to werewolf legends. There have also been understandings of the wolf that helped aid the creation of werewolf mysteries.
One of the things that have aided in the development of werewolf legends is the wolves feeding habits. Wolves have an adaptive digestive system and feeding habits. They have a feast or famine style of feeding. They are capable of digesting large amounts of food in 2 or 3 hours, leaving a wolf always hungry. They tend to gorge after going for multiple days without food. They will often eat up to 18 pounds of meat at a time, then after digestion, eat again. It is not uncommon for a wolf to go up to 3 weeks without food then start to eat up to one- fifth of their body weight at a time. This would explain why a pack of wolves would kill a dozen sheep at one time, only to kill another dozen a day later if not hours later. Wolves, like most predators, usually kill the weak, old, young or lame out of a heard. In some instances though, they have been known to kill an entire heard of deer without eating any of their quarry. Lopez states that “In cases where wolf populations are small, or where the prey population is outstripping its food supply, wolves may kill indiscriminately across all age classes” (Lopez). It has been peoples witness to this type of destructive killings that have enhanced wolf lore. Rarely have wolves attacked humans, but it has occurred. When wolf populations were large and the most common means of human survival was raising livestock and living off of the land there was reason to fear the wolf. People feared for their safety and they feared for their livelihood. People fear the wolves thirst for blood and taste for meat. Out of this fear myths and lore of werewolves were born.
Cannibalism has always been viewed as one of the most atrocious sins. It is no wonder that the werewolf has always been associated with the devil due to cannibalism. Many people that have professed to be a werewolf throughout history have claimed that they became werewolves as an opportunity to eat human flesh. In Rosemary Ellen Guilley’s ‘ Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters’ the author gives many examples of cannibalism in association with werewolves.
In Pyrenees, 200 men, women and children were burned to death after being accused of being werewolves and cannibalizing. (Guilley). Guilley also claims that there are two types of werewolves; voluntary and involuntary. The voluntary werewolf is one that likes to eat human flesh and therefore transformation is acquired by some sort of magical means. A person may transform into a werewolf voluntarily be obtaining potions, wearing a girdle made of wolf pelts or human skins, drinking rain water out of a wolf’s paw prints, magical prayers, or with the aid of the devil and his demons.(Guilley). By chance it has been individuals who may have had awkward, wolf like appearances that have spurred the werewolf legends forward. Such is the case of Gilles Garnier.
Garnier was an awkward looking man living in Amanges, France. He was considered to be a recluse and according to ‘ The Book of Werewolves’ by author Sabine Baring- Gould, Garnier was known as “the hermit of St. Bonnet” (Baring-Gould). Gilles Garnier had bushy eyebrows that met in the middle, another myth that indicates a person is a werewolf, had pale skin and angry complexion. He wore a long grey beard and had an odd stooping gait, all signs of being a werewolf. In 1873 several small children had become missing from their village in Dole and later were found mutilated and half eaten. Then, in the fall of that same year a wolf attacked a girl. The commotion attracted peasants in the area who came rushing to the girls’ aid. Several of the peasants thought the wolf in question resembled the hermit Garnier. Then a few days later a little boy came up missing. During the trial of Garnier, he and his wife confessed to him being a werewolf. The hermit confessed that he liked the taste of human flesh so much that he brought meat home to his wife to enjoy. While explaining his deeds at trial he spoke of an incident in which he killed a young boy with the intent of eating him but the commotion of the murder attracted people and Garnier ran off. Peasants at the trial that responded to that incident identified Garnier as the murderer, but stated he was in human form and not that of a wolf. Garnier was found guilty and hastily dragged to the site where he would be burned to death. (Guilley ) Werewolf literature is full of lore about were-animals, particularly wolves eating human flesh to satisfy their taste for blood. It is also full of examples of people eating humans then either claiming to be werewolves or being made out to be werewolves by their accusers or society. People’s imaginations may play a part in helping them to understand these horrific crimes.
Mental illness is also a very complex explanation in regard to werewolves and explanation for cannibalism. For many, it is reasonable to think that a person that believes themselves a werewolf is crazy. The same could be said for someone that eats human flesh. When you combine both there is little doubt to a person’s sanity that pursues the opportunity to become a werewolf in order to eat their fellow humans. One mental condition that has been linked to werewolves, or people that believe they are, is Lycanthropy. Deriving from two Greek words lykoi, meaning wolf and anthropos, or man it has been a clinical diagnosis since the second century. The word itself, Lycanthropy, was not seen in the English language until 1584 when Reginald Scott used it in his book ‘ The Discoverie of Witchcraft’. (Scott) At one point Lycanthropy and werewolfism was used interchangeably during the Inquisition. This disease is closely linked to schizophrenia, personality disorders, mental retardation, necrophilia, drug abuse and bipolar disorders. Some common behaviors of Lycanthropy mimic many of the previously mentioned mental disorders. According to the WebMD.com these behaviors are all signs of schizophrenia and include; an alienation from society, demonic obsession, the belief that one can grow wolf like features, a blood lust, wolf like behavior, bestiality, hyper-sexuality, and an impaired mental function.(Chakraburtty) Since the invention of modern psychology the diagnosis of Lycanthropy has died out in favor of more reputable and scientific diagnosis of various mental disorders. One example given by Louisiana State University students in a study on Lycanthropy is that of French Peasants Pierre Burgot and Michael Verdum in 1521. Burgot was a sheep herder who made a deal with a dark stranger for protection of his sheep. All Burgot had to do was renounce God and obey this stranger as his Lord. The unknown demon stranger gave Burgot money in exchange and guaranteed protection to Burgot’s flock. In due time, as the years passed, Burgot became reluctant to maintain his pact. That is when a man named Michael Verdum demanded him to rub a special ointment on his body. When Burgot obeyed he found that he grew hair all over his body among other wolf like features. The two, Burgot and Verdum, then ran amuck in the country side committing crimes. They dismembered a 7 year old boy and murdered a woman. They also ate a 4 year old girl before finally being caught. (LSU)
A more modern example of Lycanthropy that was reported in a 1975 issue of ‘The Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal’ is that of a 20 year old patient referred to as Mr. H. This young man was in Europe serving in the U.S. Army when he took a dose of LSD and strychnine. Pharmacologically these drugs are what shape shifters used in the past to transform into were-animals, witches, vampires and the like. The drugs had an immediate effect on Mr. H causing, as he claims, fur to grow out of his face and hands. He then spent a few days in the forest chasing and eating raw rabbits. Mr. H returned to his post eventually where he was treated with anti- psychotic medicines and therapy for nearly a year. During this time he continued to have delusional thoughts and heard disembodied voices and experienced satanic visions. Testing indicated that he had acute schizophrenia and toxic psychosis. With continued treatment and medication Mr. H showed considerable improvement and was referred to outpatient care. After a few outpatient appointments Mr. H stopped taking his medicines and stopped going to his therapy appointments. Efforts to contact him failed. (lsu.edu).
American society today has romanticized the werewolf as well as other monsters like Vampires, Zombies and Witches. These once were entities that were only associated with the cult, Satan and demonology. Through the years they became associated with mental disorders, the same of which were and are often associated with evil activities. The monsters were often a person’s only way of understanding and accepting horrible deeds done by their fellow human beings. People need to understand and need an explanation to comprehend horrific atrocities such as dismembering an innocent child and feeding on human flesh. Modern medicine was, at one point, not available to treat the psychologically ill so society had to turn to myths and lore to be able to cope with heinous crimes. I feel that our modern affixation with the surreal is a common progression in society. For most it will continue to be a harmless form of entertainment. For the unknowing, the young and the impressionable it could be a dangerous game that could threaten their sanity and salvation.
Works Cited
Baring-Gould, Sabine. "The Book of Werewolves." Baring-Gould, Sabine. The Book of Werewolves. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1865. 37.
Chakraburtty, Amal MD. Web MD. 2005-2011. 4 October 2011 <http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/mental-health-schizophrenia>.
Guilley, Rosemary Ellen. "The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters." Guilley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters. New York: Checkmark Books, 2005. 317.
Guilley, Rosemary Ellen. "The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters." Guilley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters. New York: Checkmark Books, 2005. 134.
Lopez, Barry Holstun. "Of Wolves and Men." Lopez, Barry Holstun. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Charles Scriner's Sons, 1978. 4.
Lopez, Barry Holstun. "Of Wolves and Men." Lopez, Barry Holstun. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Charles Scriner's Sons, 1978. 2.
Lopez, Barry Holstun. "Of Wolves and Men." Lopez, Barry Holstun. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Charles Scriner's Sons, 1978. 55.
LSU. lsu.edu. 2003. 4 October 2011 <http://www.lsu.edu/faculty/jpullia/lycanthrophy.htm>.
—. lsu.edu. 2003. 4 October 2011 <http://www.lsu.edu/faculty/jpullia/lycanthrophy.htm>.
Scott, Reginald. "The Discoverie of Witchcraft." Scott, Reginald. The Discoverie of Witchcraft. Yorshire, England: E.P. Publishing, 1973.
