Are there werewolves

The werewolf is a mythological animal and the subject of many stories throughout the world—and more than a few nightmares. Werewolves are, according to some legends, people who morph into vicious, powerful wolves. Others are a mutant combination of human and wolf. But all are bloodthirsty beasts who cannot control their lust for killing people and animals. Some scholars believe the werewolf made its debut in The Epic of Gilgamesh , the oldest known Western prose, when Gilgamesh jilted a potential lover because she had turned her previous mate into a wolf.

Werewolves made another early appearance in Greek mythology with the Legend of Lycaon. According to the legend, Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, angered the god Zeus when he served him a meal made from the remains of a sacrificed boy. As punishment, the enraged Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves. Werewolves also emerged in early Nordic folklore. The Saga of the Volsungs tells the story of a father and son who discovered wolf pelts that had the power to turn people into wolves for ten days.

The father-son duo donned the pelts, transformed into wolves and went on a killing rampage in the forest. Their rampage ended when the father attacked his son, causing a lethal wound. The son only survived because a kind raven gave the father a leaf with healing powers. Many so-called werewolves from centuries ago were in fact serial killers, and France had its fair share. In , Frenchmen Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun allegedly swore allegiance to the devil and claimed to have an ointment that turned them into wolves.

After confessing to brutally murdering several children, they were both burned to death at the stake. Burning was thought to be one of the few ways to kill a werewolf. According to legend, as a wolf he viciously killed children and ate them. He too was burned to death at the stake for his monstrous crimes.

Whether Burgot, Verdun or Garnier were mentally ill, acted under the influence of a hallucinogenic substance or were simply cold-blooded killers is up for debate. So where did the myth of werewolves come from? One common werewolf myth centers around people changing into werewolves during the night of a full moon.

An unnatural human-animal mutant unnerves us, but many people fear werewolves because of their relation to the actual wolf, Canis lupus. Wolves have been persecuted for centuries, killed by people out of fear or because they hunt and eat livestock and game animals. The most damning piece of evidence was that Stumpp's left hand had been lopped off. The wolf had had its left forepaw cut off.

Since wolf and man had the same injury, wolf and man must be one and the same. Stumpp confessed, but it's a questionable confession at best. He had been subjected to torture, including the rack. He said he'd made a pact with the devil when he was He had been given a magic belt which allowed him to turn into a wolf. He confessed to killing 14 children and 2 pregnant women. He ate of their flesh and ravished their bodies.

He killed his own son, and had a sexual relationship with his own daughter. He was sentenced to die in the most awful manner. He was fixed to a breaking wheel , and had flesh torn from his body with red-hot pincers. His limbs were broken with the blunt side of an axe so he might not rise from the grave. Finally, he was beheaded. His head was placed on a pole with the figures of a breaking wheel and a wolf on it, as a warning to others. It is not known whether the crimes were truly committed by Stumpp.

At the time, the region was deeply affected by the Cologne War. Stumpp was a Protestant convert, and the region had been seized by the Catholics in His death was to the Catholics' advantage, as his considerable wealth would fall to them. In addition, Stumpp's death could have served as a strong warning to other Protestants. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic.

We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Wolves among us: Five real-life werewolves from history These days werewolves can be fun, exciting and even a little sexy, but in early modern period Europe, they were deemed a very real and dangerous threat.

Michelle Starr. Recent archaeological evidence suggests that human sacrifice may have been practised at this site. Read more: Friday essay: the female werewolf and her shaggy suffragette sisters. They served the corpse as a pseudo-feast and attempting to trick the god into eating it. A furious Zeus slayed the sons with a lightning bolt and transformed their father into a wolf.

His ravening soul infected his jaws; his murderous longings were turned on the cattle; he still was possessed by bloodlust. His garments were changed to a shaggy coat and his arms into legs. He was now transformed into a wolf.