Whether it is a king or a tailor, the figure of the werewolf has managed to instil fear in different ways in every period.
Throughout human history, cultures around the world have shared a common story: Humans turning into animals. These myths hold the belief that men, women and children can be transformed into wild creatures in an instant. For our ancestors, these legends reflect their fear of facing the unknown. Especially in Europe, the dense and dark forests magnified people’s fears. For this reason, superstitions about werewolves were widespread on the continent. In medieval Europe, the idea that humans could turn into wolves was a reflection of deep fears and imagination. Even the term ‘werewolf’ was born from this belief; it derives from the Old English word “wer”, which means ‘man’. Over time, werewolves have become popular figures of horror in both literature and cinema. From the werewolf story of the first-century Roman writer Gaius Petronius to modern films such as ‘An American Werewolf in London’, these creatures have both frightened and fascinated people in every era. Legends aside, throughout history there have been recorded stories of people accused of being werewolves. Here are the real werewolves in history and their terrifying stories…
King John (1166-1216)
A 13th century writer named Gervase of Tilbury states that werewolves were frequently mentioned in England at that time. He even writes in one of his works, ‘It is certain that some men turn into wolves at certain times of the month’. These beliefs date back to one of the most powerful figures of the period, King John of England. According to legend, King John himself was a werewolf.
In 1185, John travelled to Ossory in Ireland. According to medieval accounts, Ossory was known as the land of werewolves. John’s historian, Gerald of Wales, wrote that he met and talked with werewolves in Ossory. These stories gave rise to the idea that John was in close contact with werewolves, and even after his death he was rumoured to have wandered as a werewolf. In 1863, Walter Keating Kelly recorded this legend as follows: ‘King John of England is said to have travelled as a werewolf after his death.’
Dole Werewolf: Gilles Garnier (1574)
In the town of Dole, France, in 1574, a terrible event took place. A man named Gilles Garnier was burned alive on charges of werewolfism and witchcraft. Garnier was an isolated man living in his town in eastern France. As the mysterious deaths and disappearances of children increased, people began to suspect Garnier. One day, he was caught red-handed and arrested.
In court, Garnier confessed that a ghost in the forest had given him a potion that turned him into a wolf. He admitted that as a werewolf he hunted small children and killed and ate at least four of them. During the trial, more than 50 people from the town of Dole testified that Garnier, as a werewolf, attacked people and was sometimes seen as a human and sometimes as a wolf.
The Beast of Bedburg Peter Stumpp (1535-1589)
Peter Stumpp, the most famous of the real werewolves in history, was born around 1535 in Bedburg, Germany. The stories about him are so horrific that they will send shivers down your spine. One of the oldest documents bearing Stumpp’s name is a book dated 1846. This book describes accusations that Stumpp practised witchcraft and turned into a werewolf. In 1589, he was tortured and executed ‘broken on the wheel’, that is, his bones were crushed. But Stumpp’s story did not end with this horrible death. He left behind offences that challenge the human mind.
It is said that Peter Stumpp dabbled in black magic throughout his life, made a deal with the Devil, and as a result of this deal, he acquired a werewolf belt. Stumpp, who transformed into a gigantic wolf when he put on this belt, hunted and killed farm animals and people, brutally murdering at least 16 people. He only needed to remove the belt to return to his human form.
Legends tell that he tore not only humans but also animals such as sheep and goats, and that his teeth were razor sharp. One of Stumpp’s most horrific crimes was incest with his sister and having a child with her. The Beast of Bedburg continues to be remembered as one of the darkest examples of black magic, murder and brutality in history.
The Devil Tailor of Châlons: Nicholas Damont (1598)
About 10 years after the horror of the Bedburg Monster, another werewolf scare spread in the French town of Châlons. Nicholas Damont was known as ‘The Devil Tailor’. Damont’s methods involved luring his young victims into his tailor’s shop, slitting their throats and then dismembering the bodies. But these horrific crimes didn’t stop at the shop. People claimed they were also being hunted by a wild werewolf in the forest.
When authorities raided Damont’s shop, they found human remains in his cellar. These findings sent shockwaves through the community. After confessing his horrific crimes in court, Damont was burned alive at the stake. His story went down in history books as one of the most striking examples of werewolf trials in Europe.
Welsh Werewolf (1790s)
A terrifying creature that appeared in the wild Welsh countryside in the 1790s caused a werewolf panic among the people. The first encounter was when a huge black beast attacked a carriage travelling between Denbigh and Wrexham. According to accounts, the creature was almost the size of a horse and attacked with ferocity.
In another incident, a farmer found his flock of sheep mutilated. Huge paw prints on the bodies of the sheep brought the farmer to the brink of fear. The farmer claimed that this horrible creature ripped the throat of a sheep in front of his eyes and then started chasing him. He said that the creature walked on its hind legs like a human and looked at him through the windows of the farmhouse. The most frightening detail was that the werewolf had human-like eyes.
By 1798, the bodies of two men were found brutally mutilated in the same area. After that, the creature was never seen again, but the people could not forget this terrifying moment for many years.
The post From the Beast of Bedburg to King John: The ‘Real’ Werewolves of History and Their Spooky Stories appeared first on NSF News and Magazine.