In the fall of 1589, the town of Bedburg, Germany,
held a highly publicized trial.
Peter Stubbe was accused of several gruesome crimes,
including murder, assault, and cannibalism.
But perhaps the most sinister accusation of them all,
was of being a werewolf.
In his confession, Peter claimed that the devil had given him a magic girdle,
which allowed him to transform into a wolf and perform his horrific acts.
Stories of werewolves existed well before this trial and continue to live on today.
They’re especially prominent in European literature and folklore,
and often found in cultures where the wolf is the largest natural predator.
Over the years, the image of the werewolf has continuously evolved,
often reflecting the fears and prejudices of that time.
In early literature, werewolves were sometimes painted as sympathetic figures:
victims of curses who longed to return to their human form.
In the story of Gilgamesh,
one of the earliest written accounts of werewolves from over 4.000 years ago,
a shepherd falls in love with the goddess of love, Ishtar,
who transforms him into a wolf when she grows tired of his affection.
In this and several other stories that followed,
werewolves were often men who had fallen prey to deceitful, alluring women.
In the medieval story of “Bisclavret,”
a knight is trapped in wolf form by the cunning of his wife,
who leaves him to elope with another man.
Other early stories explored fears about the darker side of human nature,
including taboos such as cannibalism and murder.
In ancient Greek mythology,
King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf by Zeus,
after he attempted to trick the god into eating human flesh.
As Catholicism spread throughout Europe,
werewolves became increasingly linked to magic, sorcery, and pagan belief.
By the 16th century, many people struggled separating werewolf fiction from fact.
Political, economic, and religious upheavals
gave rise to the infamous European witch trials.
And while witches were the main targets, in some areas,
alleged werewolves like Peter Stubbe were also tried and executed.
Today, some historians view the trials as driven by a fear of outsiders,
as well as society's early attempts to understand brutal crimes.
While public belief in werewolves died down by the 17th century
as medicine and psychology advanced,
the myth would re-emerge in literature.
By the Victorian period, werewolves had transformed again,
often embodying fears of moral and psychological decay.
In George Reynolds’s “Wagner the Wehrwolf,”
the protagonist makes a pact with the devil to achieve eternal youth.
But in return, he transforms into a violent howling wolf
at the end of every month.
By the mid-20th century,
werewolves found a new home to haunt— the silver screen.
Here, the werewolf began to take its modern form.
For example, the idea that the curse could be transmitted through bites
and triggered by a full moon
was first popularized with the 1935 film “Werewolf of London.”
Produced in the United States,
the film identifies the werewolf infection as originating from the east—
specifically Tibet.
This mirrored xenophobic fears of the time—
that East Asian immigrants into North America and Europe
threatened the stability and power of the west.
Werewolf hunters adopted silver as their weapon of choice
after its use in 1941′s “The Wolf Man.”
Written by Jewish writer Curt Siodmak,
the film is viewed by many scholars as an allegory for Nazi brutality.
In the film, a pentagram appears on the palm of the werewolf’s next victim,
which is thought to allude to the compulsory Star of David badges
found in Europe during the 1930 and 40s.
Since the 1950s, cinematic werewolves have frequently infected
a new group of victims:
the teenager.
Here, werewolves are often symbols of male aggression
and the uncertainty of adolescence.
By the end of the century,
some films began to use the beastly transformation
to explore themes of puberty,
occasionally with a distinctly feminist perspective.
Yet, like all great monsters, the werewolf lives on,
and will continue changing to fit its future audience’s needs.
But, for the time being, it may be best to stock up on silver,
keep to the road, and beware the moon.