
THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVES - Being an Account of Terrible Superstition - by SABINE BARING-GOULD - Smith, Elder & Co., London - 1865
CONTENTS
THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVES.
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.
CHAPTER II. LYCANTHROPY AMONG THE ANCIENTS.
CHAPTER III. THE WERE-WOLF IN THE NORTH.
CHAPTER IV. THE ORIGIN OF THE SCANDINAVIAN WERE-WOLF.
CHAPTER V. THE WERE-WOLF IN THE MIDDLE-AGES.
CHAPTER VI. A CHAMBER OF HORRORS.
CHAPTER VII. JEAN GRENIER
Delve into a sweeping survey of the were‑wolf myth, where ancient scholars, medieval chroniclers and 19th‑century investigators converge. The work opens with a personal encounter at a stone circle in France, setting the tone for a meticulous examination of how societies have defined and feared the shape‑shifting creature. From Virgil and Ovid to Norse sagas and Balkan folklore, each chapter gathers legends, legal testimonies and medical musings, revealing a tapestry of belief that stretches across continents and centuries.
Beyond storytelling, the author probes the psychological and natural explanations once offered for lycanthropy, weighing cruelty, hallucination and cultural symbolism. Detailed accounts of court trials, curious customs and even exotic transformation tales from India to Abyssinia illustrate how deeply the were‑wolf has haunted human imagination. Readers will come away with a richer understanding of why this beast continues to rove through myth, law and the human mind.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (310K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
Mar 1, 2004
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1834–1924
A Victorian clergyman with a restless curiosity, he wrote hymns, novels, folklore studies, travel books, and lives of the saints. He is still widely remembered for the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and for helping preserve traditional songs from Devon and Cornwall.
View all books
by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould