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Historical context -

Werewolves are popular mythological creatures that have been around for centuries. Reports of lycanthropy can be traced back to Mesopotamia in 2100 BCE.

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Origins of the name -

The concept of a human turning into a wolf is present in Greek mythology, where King Lycaon of Arcadia was turned into a werewolf by Zeus as punishment (hence the name lycanthropy).

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Pagan folklore -

Werewolves were part of European folklore during the Middle Ages, but then the Christian church took over and started blaming all sorts of bad things on witches. A popular belief at the time was that these witches had the capacity to turn into wolves and prey on livestock and people.

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The hunting season opens -

Around the early 1400s, officials in the Valais region of Switzerland started hunting for witches and werewolves and by 1428 the first trials took place.

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Hunting spreads across Europe -

Werewolf prosecutions then spread from Switzerland to the French region of Franche-Comté, and then across Europe, to Germany, the Netherlands, and Livonia (in the Baltic Sea region, which includes present-day Estonia and Latvia).

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Turning into werewolves -

There are several accounts of how this happened. These usually include a pact with the devil, who would hand them an ointment, a wolf skin, or another object such as a belt, which would transform the person into a wolf.

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Famous werewolves -

Now, let's take a look at some of the most famous werewolves throughout history. Most of them have been tried and convicted.

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The Werewolf of Bedburg -

Peter Stumpp, aka the Werewolf of Bedburg was a German serial killer accused of werewolfery. Stump confessed to having killed (and eaten!) 13 children and two pregnant women. In 1589, the Werewolf of Bedburg was skinned alive while strapped to a Catherine wheel, and then beheaded and burned to the ground.

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The Werewolves of Poligny -

Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun were two serial killers who confessed to the murders and cannibalism of numerous young children. They were both executed for lycanthropy in 1521.

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The Werewolf of Chalons -

Legend has it that the werewolf of Chalons, also known as the Demon Tailor. was a tailor from Paris, France. He is said to have tortured and killed numerous children in 1598.

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The Werewolf of Chalons -

Chalons's crimes were so horrific that the court ordered for all records to be destroyed, so that he could be erased from history.

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Gilles Garnier -

Gilles Garnier, also known as the Werewolf of Dole and the Hermit of St. Bonnot, terrorized the town of Dole, France, until January 1573, when he was burned at the stake. The serial killer accused of lycanthropy admitted to having tortured, killed, and eaten several children.

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Thiess of Kaltenbrun -

Thiess of Kaltenbrun, also known as the Livonian werewolf, was an octogenarian who around 1691 confessed to being a werewolf. According to him, werewolves were the "hounds of God," and they actually fought witches and the devil himself.

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Thiess of Kaltenbrun -

Playing the “good werewolf” got the man from Jürgensburg, Swedish Livonia (modern-day Latvia) a ban from church and a few lashes as punishment, instead of death.

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The Werewolf of Caud -

Jacques Roulet, aka the Werewolf of Caud and the Werewolf of Angers, was arrested in 1598 and accused of murdering, mutilating, and cannibalizing a teenager. The Frenchman confessed to being a werewolf and was sentenced to death for murder, lycanthropy, and cannibalism. But following an appeal, Roulet managed to get locked away in a sanatorium.

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Greifswald werewolves -

Legend has it that circa 1640, the German city of Greifswald was ruled by werewolves. A group of students got together and melted all the silver they could find. They made silver bullets for their muskets and pistols and regained control of the city.

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The Wolf of Ansbach -

The Wolf of Ansbach was said to be a man-eating reincarnation of the deceased mayor of the Bavarian town of Ansbach. He was eventually killed in 1685, and his carcass put on display in the town square.

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Claudia Gaillard -

Infamous witch-finder Henry Boguet (1550-1619) brought Claudia Gaillard to justice. She was one of the witches accused of being a werewolf in the region of Burgundy, France. Gaillard was tortured and burned at the stake.

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The Werewolf of Allariz -

Manuel Blanco Romasanta, aka the Werewolf of Allariz, is known as Spain’s first serial killer. He was arrested in 1853 and admitted to 13 murders, but claimed to have done so as a werewolf.

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The Werewolf of Allariz -

After a medical examination, Romasanta's defense held no grounds and he was sentenced to prison, where he died in 1863.

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Hans the Werewolf -

Hans the Werewolf was active in the region of Estonia. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1651. Hans was just 18 years old.

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Jean Grenier -

In 1603, 13-year-old Jean Grenier, from La Roche-Chalais in the Dordogne region of France, confessed to being a werewolf. Grenier may have been the youngest person ever to be convicted as a werewolf.

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Swiatek the Beggar -

This case dates back to 1849 in Połomia, modern-day Poland. A beggar named Swiatek was accused of killing and eating ate least six people. He was eventually arrested but took his own life before standing trial.

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The Werewolf of Pavia -

The Werewolf of Pavia was an Italian farmer accused of killing a number of men in 1541.

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The Werewolf of Pavia -

The man told his accusers that unlike a real wolf whose hair grows outwards, his grew inwards. The magistrates proceeded to mutilate him in order to find out if it was true, and the Werewolf of Pavia died as a result.

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Klein-Krams Werewolf -

A werewolf terrorized the vicinity of Klein-Krams, near Ludwigslust, Germany. Legend has it that the wolf was the grandmother of a man named Feeg.

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The most ruthless judge -

In 1582, judge Pierre De Lancre and polymath Jean d’Espagnet were appointed by King Henry IV to “clean up” the Labourd region of France of witches and werewolves. In just three years, Pierre De Lancre executed around 600 people. He was so violent that he was removed from his position as a judge.

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How many people were tried and convicted of being werewolves? -

Numbers vary, depending on the source. Some point to 30,000 people being convicted in France alone between 1520 and 1630, while other sources point to just a few hundreds.

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Clinical lycanthropy -

Some of these cases concerned people who likely suffered from mental illness. Clinical lycanthropy, for instance, is an actual psychiatric syndrome where sufferers believe they can turn into a wolf.

Sources: (History) (History Collection) (Ranker) (Listverse) (Mental Floss) (Not Even Past)

See also: The most famous Salem witch trial descendants and relatives

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