The Complete Idiot's Guide to Werewolves

by Brown Robert

  Despite this, Sigmund decided to make sport of the situation. He tells Sinfjötli that they will separate and seek to kill seven men each. When one of them came upon a group, he was to howl so that the other could join him. Sigmund was the first to come upon a group of men, and he howled out so Sinfjötli could join in the bloodshed. However, the overzealous young warrior pounced from the trees and killed the entire group before Sigmund had a chance to share in the fun.

  The two separated once more. This time, it was Sinfjötli who came upon a group of 11 men. However, he did not keep to the rules of the game and failed to howl so that Sigmund might join him. He killed all 11 men on his own, then rejoined Sigmund and told him what he’d done. Sigmund was angry and asked Sinfjötli why he had not howled out. Sinfjötli arrogantly claimed that 11 men posed no challenge to him and that he didn’t need Sigmund’s help for such a trivial matter. Enraged, Sigmund pounced upon Sinfjötli and tore out his throat.

  For the entire day, unfortunately, Sigmund could not figure out how to remove the magical garments, not from himself or the dead Sinfjötli. He dragged Sinfjötli back to the mead-hall and sat down next to him. Both men were still in wolf form. The story ends without really explaining how he returned to human form but with a somewhat comical quote from Sigmund—“Damn these wolf-forms!”

  Bark vs. Bite

  This particular tale of Sigmund’s encounter with what appear to be princes of the ulfheðnar can tell us something about how these men were viewed. Considering the magical nature attributed to the stolen garments, this story likely illustrates that the Norse held early beliefs in the divine and/or magical powers of the ulfheðnar.

  Wolf Beggars (Romanian)

  In rural parts of Romania, it is customary to leave out food for wolves. It is also considered smart to give food to beggars whenever one can. This custom stems from folklore, which states that beggars are often werewolves, and for obvious reasons of self-preservation it is in one’s best interest to be well thought of by both wolves and werewolves.

  The reasoning behind this piece of werewolf lore is that, since a wolf is believed not to eat on a full stomach, a werewolf will probably be the same. Therefore, if one keeps full the bellies of the wolves and the beggar-werewolves, then they will not attack people or livestock. The practice seems to be effective since no one in rural Romania has been attacked by werewolves for centuries.

  The Wolf-King (Arthurian)

  In the tales of King Arthur, there is a little-known story about one king’s experience with lycanthropy. The story is told to King Arthur by King Gorlagon, whom Arthur has sought out for wisdom. Arthur had been challenged by Queen Guinevere to discover the truth regarding the hearts, desires, and motivations of women. The king set out immediately on a quest to uncover this, vowing not to eat until he had succeeded.

  The Savage Truth

  Despite the fact that Arthur vows not to eat until he has found the solution to Guinevere’s challenge, he lacked the resolve to follow through. On at least two occasions, Arthur is convinced to rest and eat by his hosts and attendants. Some theorize that this is why Arthur does not receive an answer from the first two men he consults.

  King Gorlagon’s Tale

  According to Gorlagon’s tale, a sapling had once sprouted on the day of a certain king’s birth. By some unknown means, it came to be known that if this sapling were ever cut, and one were to be struck upon the head with it while the words “Shape of a wolf, mind of a wolf” were recited, then the person struck would transform into a wolf, both in body and mind. For unknown reasons, perhaps just intuition, the king felt that the survival of the sapling was linked directly with his own. As a result, he had a tall stone wall constructed around the garden and put its security in the charge of his closest companion, a man he had trusted his entire life. The king would visit the sapling every evening upon returning from his daily hunt, inspecting it in order to ensure that it remained alive and unharmed.

  The king’s wife, unfortunately, was a beautiful but rather hateful woman. She was in love with an attractive, youthful gentleman (not her husband). She wished more than anything to see her current husband dead so that she could legally marry the younger man for whom she lusted. After a time, she became suspicious of her husband’s evening visits to the enclosed garden. She constantly inquired what the purpose of such visits could be. He always replied that it was none of her concern. As time passed, she began accusing him of having extramarital affairs in the garden. He simply denied her accusations and once again told her that the garden was none of her concern. Finally, the king’s wife insisted that she would not eat until he had told her the truth about his visits to the garden. At first, the king stuck to his guns. After three days, however, becoming increasingly worried about his wife’s health (she often feigned illness and fainting spells during her three-day fast), the king gave in. He told her about the enchanted sapling and why it had to be protected. The king’s conniving wife now saw the perfect opportunity to be rid of him.

  A Wife’s Betrayal

  The next day, when the king left on his hunt, his wife snuck into the garden, cut up the sapling, and concealed it within her sleeve. That afternoon, when her husband returned, she was waiting at the door for him. She held out her arms for him to embrace her, speaking loving and seductive words so that he would come closer. When he reached her, she flung her arms around his neck, as if hugging him. She then removed the cut sapling from her sleeve and struck him on the head. Unfortunately, she made a bit of a mistake. Instead of saying, as she’d intended, “Shape of a wolf, mind of a wolf,” she accidentally said, “Shape of a wolf, mind of a man.”

  Immediately, the king transformed into a wolf and went running out of the castle. His wife released their pack of hunting hounds, which chased the transformed king into the woods. He narrowly managed to escape them. The king, who had the shape of a wolf but the same human mind, wandered the woods for two years. Eventually, he took a she-wolf as a mate, and she bore him two cubs. In these two years, the king never forgot what his deceitful wife had done to him. He soon decided that he would have his revenge.

  The Wolf-King’s Revenge

  The king’s former wife had now married the handsome youth she desired. In an interesting twist, she and her new husband had birthed two sons. That night, the wolf-king snuck into the village with the she-wolf and his cubs. There was an area around the castle gates where the queen would often leave her little boys unattended while she and her new husband had some “alone time.” Finding the young ones unguarded, the wolf-king and his new family fell upon them with their fangs and claws. The wolves tore the two toddlers to shreds. The scene was discovered too late. The deed was already done. However, the townspeople screamed at the wolves, threw stones, and gave chase. The wolves ran into the woods and disappeared from sight.

  The queen was overcome with grief at the loss of her children. Knowing that the wolf responsible was likely her vengeful ex-husband, she issued a general order to all of her serfs and knights that they were to be on the lookout for wolves. Any wolf was to be captured or killed on sight.

  Though he had killed her sons, this act was not enough to satisfy the wolf-king’s need for vengeance. He soon returned to the castle gates with his wolf companions. This time he found two noblemen, whom he recognized as his ex-wife’s brothers, conversing there. The wolves attacked the pair, tearing out their stomachs. The men had soon been mauled to death. Once again, the ruckus caught the attention of the townspeople and the castle servants, but they all arrived too late to save the two men. They ordered the gates to be shut, and the wolf-king’s two cubs were too slow to escape. The queen had the cubs hanged from a tree branch, just in view of the gate.

  The wolf-king went mad with grief. First, she had betrayed him. Now she had killed his cubs. His fury became insatiable. Every night, he would prey upon the pheasants and livestock of the area. He was so successful that soon everyone feared he would bring a famine upon them. Soon, the wolf-king began to f
ind it more and more difficult to escape the ambushes and hounds of the queen’s vassals. He decided to travel to a neighboring country for a time.

  Help from a Wise King

  The neighboring country was ruled by a kind and wise king. That night, as the wolf arrived, he overheard a conversation that this king planned to hunt and catch the wolf-king immediately. The wolf-king was greatly troubled, as he did not wish to bring harm to so honorable and kind a man as this king was said to be. Still having the sound mind of a man, he soon came up with a plan.

  The next day, the wolf-king hid as the king’s hunting party passed by. Once the king was in view, he calmly walked up to him and began to circle his legs and lick him gently, as would a tamed, domesticated dog. The king was so impressed that he told his hunters and bodyguards to hold their weapons. When a large stag came into view, the king commanded the wolf-king to fetch it. The wolf-king killed the stag and returned it to the king’s feet. The king, being a wise and honorable man, knew that this was no ordinary wolf and decided to bring the wolf-king to stay with him in his castle. When the king had to go away on a long journey, he left the wolf-king behind to guard his queen. The queen refused to have the wolf near her unless it was chained. Therefore, the king had a gold chain constructed and fastened to the bed-ladder. Against the king’s order that the wolf only be chained at night, the queen left the wolf chained up at all times.

  More Woman Trouble

  Unfortunately, it would appear that both kings had the same issues with women. The king’s wife was having an affair with one of the king’s serfs. She brought him into their bedchamber, barely paying any attention to the wolf-king. Seeing what was happening and realizing how this woman was so much like his hated ex-wife, the wolf-king went mad, broke free, and mauled the serf, almost killing him. However, out of loyalty to the king, he did not harm the queen. Soon the ruckus brought the castle’s servants to the room. The queen, not wanting to be exposed as an adulteress, claimed that the wolf had eaten her infant son and that, while trying to save the boy, the serf had been terribly hurt by the wolf. The servants took the serf to a guest room. While they were gone, the queen locked her young son away so that no one would ever know that she had lied about the infant’s death.

  When the king returned, the wife told him her concocted story. Being a wise man, the king refused to believe it immediately and pondered the matter for days. The whole time, the wolf-king remained calmly by his side. Soon, the king realized the wolf was nudging him a certain way, and he decided to follow. The wolf-king led him to the catacombs of the castle, where the queen had their son locked up. The king found the baby alive and well. He now knew that the queen was lying about their son’s death and, therefore, likely was lying about the wolf’s actions as well. The queen refused to speak, but after a bit of “coaxing,” the serf was more than happy to admit the truth of their affair and of the wolf’s actions.

  A King Restored

  One day, just by chance, the king brought the wolf with him to the neighboring country where the wolf-king had once ruled. The people now lived a wretched existence under the tyrannical rule of the foolish young man who had been made king when he’d married the wolf-king’s deceitful ex-wife. There the honorable king learned the truth of what had happened to the wolf and discovered the method of his transformation. He then located the sapling and returned the wolf-king to normal by striking him on the head with it and saying, “Shape of a man, mind of a man.” The wolf-king returned to his human form.

  The Savage Truth

  You may be wondering what Arthur’s final revelation was regarding the nature of women. In true chauvinistic fashion, Arthur concluded from this story that women are evil by nature. Though the story does not confirm it, one can only imagine that King Arthur’s wife, Queen Guinevere, must have been none too happy with the rather misogynistic answer he brought back from this quest.

  The newly restored king divorced his wife, had her lover executed on the grounds that he was a pagan, and bestowed many gifts upon his new friend, the king of the neighboring country, before returning him to his home.

  The Cursed Mothers of Armenia

  There is an Armenian belief that any woman who commits a cardinal sin risks being the target of a lycanthropic curse. According to most versions of this belief, this especially applies to women who commit cardinal sins such as adultery or murder. A dark spirit will visit the woman in the night and demand that she put on a garment of wolf skin. For unspecified reasons, the woman is unable to refuse the spirit’s commands. Once she has put on the garment, the curse turns the woman into a wolf for exactly seven years.

  The Curse

  A cardinal sin does not specifically refer to the generic sins that violate the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. The term cardinal sin actually refers to one of the so-called “Seven Deadly Sins” in Roman Catholicism. These are considered the most ruinous of all sins, and include lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, and pride. Also, believe it or not, there was a historical cardinal whose name was actually Sin. So try not to get the two confused.

  Upon this transformation, the woman is overcome by the desires of the wolf. These animal urges take over, and her human nature is consumed by them. Desire overtakes reason, and she will first turn on her own children if she is a mother. After eating her own children, night after night she will turn on the children of her relatives. Once they have been eaten, she will make all of the other children in the village her nightly prey. Locking doors is useless, since it is said that any lock or door will magically open at her arrival.

  Bark vs. Bite

  The Armenian tale of the wolf’s curse was likely not based on any true cases of lycanthropy. In truth, it was probably designed to ensure that women remained chaste and faithful in their marriages. The thought that one might involuntarily murder and eat one’s own children, or children in general, would be horrifying to any mother. Metaphorically, it illustrates the dangers of allowing one’s desires to overcome one’s humanity.

  On the morning of her seventh year in this state, the woman will return to her human form and is allowed to take off the wolf skin.

  The Least You Need to Know

  • King Lycoan of Arcadia is considered by many to have been the first werewolf.

  • The descendents of Lycoan, the Lycaeans, are said to have participated in a sacrificial lycanthropy ritual called Lykaian Zeus.

  • The Anthus clan is said to have performed its own unique lycanthropic rites.

  • In their time, the ulfheðnar were considered lycanthropes.

  • The Germanic hero Sigmund of the Volsung Saga once had an experience with lycanthropy.

  • The Arthurian legend of the wolf-king is a metaphor that warns of the destructive potential of women.

  • In Armenia, women who commit cardinal sins are believed to risk receiving a seven-year-long lycanthropic curse.

  Chapter 4

  Therianthropes of the East

  In This Chapter

  • The mystery of the lost people of Lou Lan

  • The “fake beasts”—the therianthropes of the Filipino Aswang

  • An examination of the werewolf of Banirpur

  • The Layak shapeshifters of Indonesia

  • The sudden extinction of the O-kami, the apocalyptic Wolf Lords of Japan

  You may notice that this chapter is not entitled “Werewolves of the East.” This is because true lycanthropes, as they are generally understood, are not a common part of the mythical lore of the world’s Eastern regions. Wolves are not indigenous to many parts of Asia, which may at least partially explain the absence of werewolf lore in this part of the world. However, there are at least a handful of ancient legends, recent news stories, and mythical creatures from the East that bear some similarities to parts of known werewolf lore and are worth mentioning.

  The Lost Wolves of Lou Lan

  The fate of the people of Lou Lan is a mystery that has baffled scientists for a great many years. T
he ruins of this once vast and prosperous ancient city offer little to no explanation as to why the inhabitants eventually abandoned it. The city of Lou Lan is thought to have been founded sometime around 175 B.C.E., and the civilization is known to have prospered for close to eight centuries.

  No one knows for certain what happened, but most evidence seems to support the fact that, sometime around 625 C.E., the entire city of Lou Lan was afflicted by some terrible, yet still unidentified, cataclysmic natural event. After well over 800 years of prosperity, the people of Lou Lan seem to have vanished overnight. The once-fertile landscape became an unforgiving desert wasteland that now bears the frightening title “Sea of Death.”

  Some of the artifacts uncovered in the ruins of Lou Lan have given rise to some interesting lore regarding what became of the city’s inhabitants. For example, one artifact is a frightening wooden mask. It is red with a large snoutlike nose and long fanglike teeth. Such finds have led to fantastic urban legends about Lou Lan.