Public Domain Texts

The Book of Werewolves By Sabine Baring Gould

The Book of Werewolves is a work of non-fiction by Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould. It was first published in 1865 and is arguably the most in-depth investigation in the history of werewolves ever undertaken.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Introductory

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Chapter 2 – Lycanthropy Among The Ancients

  • Definition of Lycanthropy
  • Marcellus Sidetes
  • Virgil
  • Herodotus
  • Ovid
  • Pliny
  • Agriopas
  • Story from Petronius
  • Arcadian Legends
  • Explanation offered

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Chapter 3 – The Were-Wolf in the North

  • Norse Traditions
  • Manner in which the Change was effected
  • Vœlundar Kvœda
  • Instances from the Völsung Saga
  • Hrolf’s Saga
  • Kraka
  • Faroëse Poem
  • Helga Kvida
  • Vatnsdæla Saga
  • Eyrbyggja Saga

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Chapter 4 – The Origin of the Scandinavian Were-Wolf

  • Advantage of the Study of Norse Literature
  • Bear and Wolf-skin Dresses
  • The Berserkir
  • Their Rage
  • The Story of Thorir
  • Passages from the Aigla
  • The Evening Wolf
  • Skallagrim and his Son
  • Derivation of the Words Hamr and Vargr
  • Laws affecting Outlaws
  • “To become a Boar”
  • Recapitulation

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Chapter 5 – The Were-Wolf in the Middle-Ages

  • Stories from Olaus Magnus of Livonian Were-wolves
  • Story from Bishop Majolus
  • Story of Albertus Pericofcius
  • Similar occurrence at Prague
  • Saint Patrick
  • Strange incident related by John of Nüremberg
  • Bisclaveret
  • Courland Were-wolves
  • Pierre Vidal
  • Pavian Lycanthropist
  • Bodin’s Stories
  • Forestus’ Account of a Lycanthropist
  • Neapolitan Were-wolf

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Chapter 6 – A Chamber of Horrors

  • Pierre Bourgot and Michel Verdung
  • ‘Me Hermit of S. Bonnot
  • The Gandillon Family
  • Thievenne Paget
  • The Tailor of Châlons
  • Roulet

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Chapter 7 – Jean Grenier

  • On the Sand-dunes
  • A Wolf attacks Marguerite Poirier
  • Jean Grenier brought to Trial
  • His Confessions
  • Charges of Cannibalism proved
  • His Sentence
  • Behaviour in the Monastery
  • Visit of Del’ancre

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Chapter 8 – Folk-Lore Relating to Were-Wolves

  • Barrenness of English Folk-Lore
  • Devonshire Traditions
  • Derivation of Were-wolf
  • Cannibalism in Scotland
  • The Angus Robber
  • The Carle of Perth
  • French Superstitions
  • Norwegian Traditions
  • Danish Tales of Were-wolves
  • Holstein Stories
  • The Werewolf in the Netherlands
  • Among the Greeks; the Serbs; the White Russians; the Poles; the Russians
  • A Russian Receipt for becoming a Were-wolf
  • The Bohemian Vlkodlak
  • Armenian Story
  • Indian Tales
  • Abyssinian Budas
  • American Transformation Tales
  • A Slovakian Household Tale
  • Similar Greek, Béarnais, and Icelandic Tales

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Chapter 9 – Natural Causes of Lycanthropy

  • Innate Cruelty
  • Its Three Forms
  • Dumollard
  • Andreas Bichel
  • A Dutch Priest
  • Other instances of Inherent Cruelty
  • Cruelty united to Refinement
  • A Hungarian Bather in Blood
  • Suddenness with which the Passion is developed
  • Cannibalism; in pregnant Women; in Maniacs
  • Hallucination; how Produced
  • Salves
  • The Story of Lucius
  • Self-deception

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Chapter 10 – Mythological Origin of the Were-Wolf Myth

  • Metempsychosis
  • Sympathy between Men and Beasts
  • Finnbog and the Bear
  • Osage and the Beaver
  • The Connexion of Soul and Body
  • Buddism
  • Case of Mr. Holloway
  • Popular ideas concerning the Body
  • The derivation of the German Leichnam
  • Feather Dresses
  • Transmigration of Souls
  • A Basque Story
  • Story from the Pantschatantra
  • Savage ideas regarding Natural Phenomena
  • Thunder, Lightning, and Cloud
  • The origin of the Dragon
  • John of Bromton’s Dragon a Waterspout
  • The Legend of Typhoeus
  • Allegorizing of the Effects of a Hurricane
  • Anthropomorphosis
  • The Cirrus Cloud, a Heavenly Swan
  • Urvaci
  • The Storm-cloud a Daemon
  • Vritra and Rakschasas
  • Story of a Brahmin and a Rakschasas

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Chapter 11 – The Maréchal de Retz—1: The Investigation of Charges

  • Introduction
  • History of Gilles de Laval
  • The Castle of Machecoul
  • Surrender of the Marshal
  • Examination of Witnesses
  • Letter of De Retz
  • The Duke of Brittany reluctant to move
  • The Bishop of Nantes

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Chapter 12 – The Maréchal de Retz—2: The Trial

  • The Appearance of the Marshal
  • Pierre de l’Hospital
  • The Requisition
  • The Trial adjourned
  • Meeting of the Marshal and his Servants
  • The Confession of Henriet
  • Pontou persuaded to confess all
  • The adjourned Trial not hurried on
  • The hesitation of the Duke of Brittany

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Chapter 13 – The Maréchal de Retz—3: The Sentence and Execution

  • The Adjourned Trial
  • The Marshal Confesses
  • The Case Handed Over to the Ecclesiastical Tribunal
  • Prompt Steps Taken by the Bishop
  • The Sentence
  • Ratified by the Secular Court
  • The Execution

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Chapter 14 – A Galician Were-Wolf

  • The Inhabitants of Austrian Galicia
  • The Hamlet of Polomyja
  • Summer Evening in the Forest
  • The Beggar Swiatek
  • A Girl disappears
  • A School-boy vanishes
  • A Servant-girl lost
  • Another Boy carried off
  • The Discovery made by the Publican of Polomyja
  • Swiatek locked up
  • Brought to Dabkow
  • Commits suicide

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Chapter 15 – Anomalous Case—The Human Hyaena

  • Ghouls
  • Story from Fornari
  • Quotation from Apuleius
  • Incident mentioned by Marcassus
  • Cemeteries of Paris violated
  • Discovery of Violator
  • Confession of M. Bertrand

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Chapter 16 – A Sermon on Were-Wolves

  • The discourses of Dr. Johann Geiler
  • The Sermon—Remarks

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