Few things are as chilling as a wolf's howl by moonlight. Perhaps that's why the idea of werewolves has so much traction on the human imagination... and why savage killings have been blamed on them. Cast your eyes on the tales of...
- Manuel Blanco Romasanta, a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
- The Beast of Gévaudan, a "Wolf" That Terrorized France
- The Gandillon Family, a Werewolf Pack
- Peter Stubbe, the Werewolf Farmer
- The Wolf of Ansbach, a Werewolf Mayor
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| Werewolves show up a lot in European folklore... (alsen) |
Manuel Blanco Romasanta, a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Manuel Blanco Romasanta holds a dubious title - he was Spain's first recorded serial killer. In 1853 Romasanta admitted to thirteen murders, but claimed he was not guilty by means of diminished responsibility... because the killings were due to a curse that turned him into a werewolf.Romasanta certainly seemed to make the most of his "curse." His murderous modus operandi was to pose as a harmless handyman, making friends with local woman and children. When they needed a guide to get them between towns, he would offer his services... but his charges tended not to make it to their destination. He'd allay suspicion by writing letters on his victim's behalf, giving friends and family the impression that they'd arrived safely.
The ruse fell apart when Romasanta was found selling clothing belonging to missing travelers. A darker rumor suggested that he was making soap out of the fat of his victims (similar to the Spanish legend of a Sacamantecas or fat-extracting bogeyman) and selling it to the public.
The diminished responsibility claim didn't hold much water with the court. When challenged to transform and prove his claim, Romasante explained that he was now free of the curse since it only lasted thirteen years. The local medical community suggested that Romasante had instead invented his affliction - though it is interesting that four of the killings that he confessed to were actually the work of wolves.
The courts sentenced him to death by garrote, but a royal decree commuted this to imprisonment - apparently a hypnotist with some royal influence wanted to study the "wolfman."
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| The Beast of Gévaudan may have been a large wolf... or something far stranger! (Alexas_Fotos) |
The Beast of Gévaudan, a "Wolf" That Terrorized France
The Gévaudan region of France was not a good place to be between 1764 and 1767 - as many as 210 wolf attacks were tallied in the region during this time, with 113 outright human fatalities. It remains one of the best documented examples of wolf predation in human history.One particular animal (or possibly a small pack) nicknamed the "Beast of Gévaudan" stands out amongst the attacks. Described as a large and powerful wolf-like creature, the beast favored human flesh and seemed able to shrug off injury like something not entirely of the natural world. On one occasion it was felled by a volley of musket fire... only to spring back up and run off. On another, a woman was able to impale the animal mid leap with a makeshift spear, only for it dive into a river and escape.
Reports of an unkillable wolf-like creature terrorizing the area eventually reached the court of King Louis XV, who dispatched professional hunters to slay the beast. Their efforts eventually brought down a creature matching descriptions given by witnesses, but it seems to not have been the real (or perhaps only) culprit. The attacks only ceased when local hunter Jean Chastel brought down a second beast - one which had a belly filled with human remains.
Curiously, the beast may not have been a pure wolf... or a wolf at all. The strange behavior and coloring of the animal has fueled speculation that it may have been a crossbreed, or perhaps an imported hyena (some nobles kept menageries of exotic creatures in that era.) One other rather sinister suggestion is that a human was behind the attacks - either a serial killer masquerading as a wolf, or a psychotic keeper unleashing a trained and armored war-beast on human prey!
The Gandillon Family, a Werewolf Pack
The Gandillon family of 1598 France believed themselves to be a mixture of witches and werewolves - and they certainly acted like it!Suspicion also fell on her family. Antoinette Gandillon admitted to being a werewolf, conjuring foul weather and having slept with the devil in the form of a goat. Her brother Pierre admitted to hunting people as a wolf, while his son Georges claimed to have turned into a wolf using a magical salve.
Interestingly, the psychological condition "clinical lycanthropy" could help explain the beliefs of the Gandillon family - especially if it was paired with folie à deux, a condition where tight-knit people can share delusions. Both conditions are rare, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility!
The three surviving Gandillons were convicted and burned by Henri Boguet, a witch and werewolf hunter who would go on to write Discours des Sorciers - a witch-hunter's handbook.
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| Breaking on the wheel was as bad as it sounds. (jackmac34) |
Peter Stubbe, the Werewolf Farmer
Peter Stubbe (the spelling of the surname changes from source to source) was a farmer living in Bedburg during a time of religious upheaval. The wealthy protestant Stubbe was a perfect scapegoat when peasants and livestock in the catholic-held Bedburg started turning up dead.The countryside had been ravaged by war and wanderers risked death by banditry, but the locals blamed the danger on a huge, hungry wolf instead. A group of hunters were able to track and encircle the beast... only to find Stubbe where the "wolf" had been.
The farmer confessed to being a werewolf under threat of torture, supposedly admitting to being a serial killer that preyed on children and pregnant women. It was claimed that he raided livestock, taken a she-devil for a mistress, had an incestuous relationship with his daughter, cannibalized a son produced by his daughter and made a deal with the devil for a belt that gave him the shape of a wolf.
If Stubbe thought confessing would avoid further pain, he was badly mistaken. He was fixed to a cart wheel, tortured, beheaded and burned. His daughter and mistress were burned at the stake alongside his body, having been found guilty of abetting his crimes.
If Stubbe thought confessing would avoid further pain, he was badly mistaken. He was fixed to a cart wheel, tortured, beheaded and burned. His daughter and mistress were burned at the stake alongside his body, having been found guilty of abetting his crimes.
The Wolf of Ansbach, a Werewolf Mayor
In 1685 Germany, the city of Ansbach found itself menaced by a ravenous wolf. The beast started by raiding livestock, but then attacked several adults and tore apart several children.The bold malice of the creature fueled rumors that the creature was actually a werewolf. Michael Leicht (the recently deceased burgermeister of the area) had possessed a reputation as a cruel and evil man (his dark spirit was even said to have watched his own funeral) and the townsfolk suspected he had returned as the wolf preying on the peasantry.
The beast was eventually foiled when it attempted to attack a pair of farm boys. They were able to raise the hue and cry, resulting in a mob trying to corner the beast before it could escape. Fortune favored the hunters when the wolf was distracted by a rooster and fell through the brushwood covering an old well - the locals swiftly dispatched the trapped animal.
The wolf carcass was dressed in waxed red linen, adorned with a wig and mask and hung on the gallows. Presumably the people of Ansbach wanted to make an example of the supposed wolf in burgermeister's clothing!
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