The Werewolf Debate: How Pre-Modern Thinkers Debated the belief in Werewolves

Keywords: metamorphoses, werewolves, witchcraft, Malleus Maleficarum, Johann Weyer, Jean Bodin Scepticism existed in the ability of man to transform into wolves in antiquity as stated in Pliny’s Historia naturalis in c.77A.D (Pliny, 1962, p. 95). However, it did not become the subject of wide debate until early Christian saints such as Saint Ambrose (339-397), Saint… Continue reading The Werewolf Debate: How Pre-Modern Thinkers Debated the belief in Werewolves

The Execution of Werewolf, Petter Stump: An analysis

Keywords: Petter Stump (Peter Stump, Peter Stumpf, Peter Stumpp), werewolves, witchcraft, broadsheets, demonology Germany was at the centre of the witch persecutions in early modern Europe. At least a third of the estimated individuals accused of witchcraft in Europe were derived from German-speaking lands. This equated to between 30,000 and 45,000 executions within the Germanic… Continue reading The Execution of Werewolf, Petter Stump: An analysis

Truthful and Frightening Description of the many Sorcerers or Witches: An English Translation

Keywords: Petter Stump, Peter Stump, Peter Stumpf, Peter Stumpp, witches, werewolves, Devil Anonymous, Warhafftige und erschreckliche beschreibung von einem zauberer (Stupe Peter genandt) der sich zu einem wehrwolff hat können machen welcher zu Bedbur vier meilen von Cölln gelegen ist gerichtet worden den 31. October dieses 1589. jahrs was böser thaten er begangen hat. Auch wei… Continue reading Truthful and Frightening Description of the many Sorcerers or Witches: An English Translation

Representations of Monsters in German Renaissance Prints

Keywords: Human-animal hybrids, Monstrous Races, Monstrous Births, Wild Man, Werewolves Representations of human-animal hybrids and the concept of shape-shifting in both literary sources and the visual arts captured the early modern European imagination. This is particularly evident in the prevalence of pictorial prints featuring these creatures dated in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that… Continue reading Representations of Monsters in German Renaissance Prints

Werewolves, Wolves, and the Intersections between Human and Animal

Keywords: Werewolves, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Cannibalism, Petter Stump, Peter Stump, Peter Stumpf, Peter Stumpp, Wolves One of the earliest werewolf fables originated from the ancient festival of Zeus in Arcadia, Greece. Participants would choose a piece of meat from a mixture of both animal and human sacrifices. Those who unwittingly chose and ate the entrails of… Continue reading Werewolves, Wolves, and the Intersections between Human and Animal