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Legends of werewolves have been shared for centuries. The term 'lycanthropy' refers to the transformation of a human into a wolf, originating from the story of King Lycaon in ancient Greek mythology. In numerous tales, becoming a werewolf is considered a curse or punishment, as seen in the myth of King Lycaon himself.
Between the 1400s and 1700s in Europe, for various reasons, people relentlessly hunted down accused werewolves, put them on trial, and carried out brutal executions. The trials and the beliefs surrounding werewolves from this era are both intriguing and unsettling, with a mix of fear, superstition, and gruesome justice. Here are ten eerie and shocking facts about the werewolf trials.
10. These Trials Occurred Only in Areas Where Wolves Lurked
No other creature in European folklore has had such a profound impact on the tales of humans transforming into animals as the wolf. Some scholars speculate that this is because, for millennia, wolves were the most common and fearsome land predators capable of threatening humans across the continent. This theory is supported by a comparison of werewolf trials in England and forested European regions like France and Germany.
By the close of the 15th century, wolves had been completely driven out of England due to extensive hunting, leading to a complete absence of werewolf trials there. Similarly, there were no trials in Mediterranean regions of Europe where wolves did not reside. Germany, however, recorded over 300 cases, which might seem significant in comparison to none. Nevertheless, this number pales in comparison to the 30,000-45,000 witchcraft convictions during the same period.
9. The Charges Were Virtually Impossible to Defend Against
Without the benefit of modern science, early societies relied on their imagination to explain mysterious conditions. For example, conditions like catalepsy and trances were believed to be the result of a person's soul leaving their body. This posed a problem in court, as any alibi could be dismissed with the argument that the accused's soul could have simply left their body to carry out its nefarious actions.
This argument was used against both accused werewolves and witches. A defense based on mental illness was often ineffective, as even medical experts believed that the Devil could have caused the affliction. Perhaps it was fortunate that more were not executed due to such irrational reasoning.
8. They Ended Up Capturing Some Real Serial Killers
In fact, the origins of the werewolf myth might trace back to attempts to explain serial killings or the unsolved crimes committed by mercenaries and marauders. Scandinavian Berserkers, fierce warriors who reveled in massacring and plundering across Europe, were sometimes reported to struggle with their uncontrollable desire to kill while back home between raids. Known as 'Berserker rage,' this phenomenon saw them don bear and wolf skins to embark on nights of unrestrained violence and chaos.
While not as widely known, serial killers certainly existed during the time of the werewolf trials. A French tailor, executed by burning in 1598 for being a werewolf, was found with children's bones in his home. Jean Grenier, a teenage cannibal, was captured after an unsuccessful attempt to murder a young girl. Even today, such monstrous behavior remains difficult to explain, and in early modern societies, lycanthropy appeared to offer a reasonable explanation. Grenier confessed to making a pact with the Devil to become a werewolf, a belief he seemed to genuinely hold.
7. Christianity Transformed Werewolves into Villains
A challenging question in the history of the werewolf trials is when exactly lycanthropy became associated with evil. In earlier Nordic myths, wolf-like qualities were considered positive, often benefiting heroic warriors on their quests. At times, being transformed into a wolf was viewed as a curse, but one that invoked sympathy. Ancient cultures did not necessarily view beastly transformations as inherently evil. So, what caused this shift in the 15th century?
One theory suggests that Christianity had a tendency to absorb pagan beliefs and twist them into something malevolent. For example, the devil’s faun-like appearance is rooted in the Greek god Pan. When werewolf legends merged with Christian theology, it was believed that the power to turn into a wolf was granted by the Devil and, therefore, deserved punishment. However, other scholars argue that this interpretation conflicts with Christian doctrine, which asserts that only God possesses the power to alter matter, and would never transform something made in His image into a soulless beast.
6. Most People Did Not Believe in Actual Werewolves
Due to the theological arguments presented above and the immense influence of the church, most people did not believe that humans could physically transform into wolves. Prosecutors claimed the werewolf phenomenon was a deception created by the Devil or demons, while critics of the trials blamed it on delusions.
The belief that one could be or had been a wolf has been acknowledged since ancient Greek times and could explain some of the confessions given by accused werewolves, as well as the wolf-like behaviors observed by witnesses. Unfortunately, these same behaviors strengthened the prosecution's case, and a pact with the Devil seemed equally plausible at the time. In some cases, a middle-ground explanation was found, one that was neither fully demonic nor purely medical.
5. Medical Experts Were Involved
Physicians were frequently called as expert witnesses during witchcraft and werewolf trials. One of their primary duties was to determine whether the accused was genuinely insane. In certain cases, such as that of the teenage child-murderer and self-proclaimed werewolf Jean Grenier, medical evaluations successfully prevented the accused from being sentenced to death.
Medical professionals were also tasked with confirming that accused women were not pregnant. If they were found to be, they were typically spared from torture or execution. In other cases, doctors may have contributed to securing convictions by examining the accused for signs of contact with the Devil or identifying 'witch's marks.'
4. Drugs May Have Contributed
Some critics of the werewolf trials speculated that witches' ointments could have induced hallucinations in people. Unfortunately for the accused, this theory gained little support until the 1960s when chemical tests showed that ingredients in witches' ointments and the toxic fungus ergot were similar to LSD. Exposure to the ointment and ergot poisoning might explain some of the werewolf sightings. However, some modern scholars have criticized this explanation for oversimplifying the complex situation.
The sad truth is that even today, the exact causes behind the actions of the accused and the observations made by witnesses remain unknown. Other contemporary researchers have suggested that conditions such as rabies, neurological disorders, and even epilepsy could provide alternative explanations.
3. The Executions Were Utterly Brutal
One of the most notorious executions of an alleged werewolf involved a German man by the name of Peter Stumpp. Some sources also refer to him as Stubbe or Stumpf. He was accused of committing 16 murders, including the killing of his own son and 12 other children. He confessed to these crimes, his lycanthropy, and even to having incestuous relations with his daughter and an encounter with a demon who took the form of a beautiful woman.
The confessions, obtained under torture, did nothing to reduce the severity of his punishment. On October 31, 1589, a large crowd gathered as Stumpp was strapped to a wheel, his bones shattered, and his skin removed. Only after being skinned alive was his head severed. His decapitated head was then displayed in the center of the village as a warning to other supposed werewolves. To ensure he wouldn't return from the dead, his body was burned.
2. The Full Moon Was Not a Requirement
In early modern werewolf legends, transformations did not necessarily occur during a full moon. Instead, they were thought to be triggered by a magical object given by the Devil, which could cause a transformation at any time. Common items included wolf pelts or belts. Since the Church distanced itself from the notion of humans literally changing into wolves, some believed that magical ointments or salves, capable of inducing sleep or unconsciousness, were used for the transformation.
These magical substances were believed to enable the Devil to possess the person’s body, allowing them to carry out terrible acts while disguised as a wolf. Henri Boguet, a 16th-century proponent of this theory, argued that the individual was still responsible for their actions, as they had already renounced God, and any crimes committed were considered to be deliberate.
1. They Targeted the Poor and Marginalized
Historians today have noted striking patterns among those accused during werewolf trials. The majority of those accused were men, though this wasn't always the case as lycanthropy was also associated with witchcraft. Nevertheless, the traits linked with werewolves—such as strength and aggression—were typically considered masculine. Some researchers have even described their image as exaggeratedly masculine, with a wild and hair-covered appearance.
Those accused were frequently individuals on the fringes of society, such as peasants, beggars, shepherds, and farmers. Beggars, already labeled as criminals, were often singled out for additional crimes. The unkempt and unpleasant nature of shepherds' and farmers' occupations led to them being stigmatized, with their work seen as animal-like, thus making them more vulnerable to accusations.
