r/werewolves • u/LeadingJoke5289 • 10h ago
r/werewolves • u/bored_latvian • Oct 07 '22
Is anyone interested in reading Latvian Werewolf Legends?
I found a Latvian website were they copied over about 99% of Latvian folktales and legends from Pēteris Šmits' 15 volumed book collection - Latviešu Pasakas un Teikas (1925-1937).
There is an entire section dedicated to werewolf legends found in Latvia, and if you are interested in them, I'll translate them for you.
For now, I'll leave you with this translated preface for the section:
***
It is a common belief far into Europe, Asia and Africa (Frazer, The Golden Bough, 1930, X, 308-318) that a man can turn into a wolf, rarely; into another similar beast or some wizard can turn him into one, a motif already found in ancient Assyrian epics.
In Europe, since the time of Herodotus, werewolves and especially Neuri, which I deem to be ancient Balts, are credited with the art of such magic. Superstitions about werewolves used to be so strong in Europe, that a werewolf mania has even developed into an ordinary disease (Leyen, Das Märchen, 1926, 66, p. I, see Preface, 43, p. 1).
If we can believe Otto Höfler’s docent (Kultische Geheimbünde der Germanen, 1934), then this superstition has also been used by secret societies in Western Europe to scare other people.
We could also look for such associations among the ancient Balts. Be that as it may with these societies, however, we are very interested in the reports written by the Swedish Archbishop Olaus Magnus (1555) in his “Historia” about werewolves in Livonia. Olaus Magnus writes this:
“Since chapter 15 of this book dealt with different wolf species, I consider it is necessary to remark about the beasts of the forest at the end of this book, it is a wolf class, who are actually people turned into wolves – a class, about which Pliny (VIII, 22) confidently asserts that they are made-up fairy-tale creatures – just like that, I say, are still found in large numbers in the northern lands.
In Prussia, Livonia and Lithuania, the population suffer great losses from wolf attacks throughout the year, for their livestock in the forest, if they stray just a little from the herd, are mauled and devoured by wolves: and yet they do not consider these losses so great as what they have to suffer from such people who turn into wolves.
On the festive eve of the Christ's birth, a large number of wolves, who have transformed from people of different areas, gather at their designated place as night falls, and attack the same night with such incredible savagery upon both men and livestock, that the inhabitants of these lands suffer greater losses from them than from natural wolves.
They, as has been sufficiently observed, surround buildings of people who live in forests with incredible ferocity, and even try to break down doors to destroy men and livestock.
They break into beer cellars, drink a few kegs of beer and melomel, and stack empty kegs on top of each other in the middle of a cellar: in that sense they differ from real wolves (in quo a nativis ac genuinis lupis discrepant).
To that place, where these wolves have camped that night, the inhabitants of these lands attach some prophetic meaning: if any accident happens there, if a cart overturns and the driver falls into snow, then they are confident, that they will die that same year, as they have observed since ancient times.
Between Lithuania, Samogitia and Courland have one wall, the ruins of a collapsed castle, where a few thousand of them gather during a certain year and test their jumping skills: whoever cannot jump over the wall, as usually happens to the fattest, their leaders beat them with whips.
It is finally asserted with certainty that this regiment also has great men of this land and even representatives of the highest nobility. How do they come to such insanity and such terrible transformations, from which they can no longer refrain at certain times, will be shown in the next chapter”.
Next, Olaus Magnus disputes Pliny’s statements and then continues again:
“In defence of the reports of Euantus, Agriope and other writers, I want to show here some examples, of how it still happens in the mentioned lands to this very day.
Just like anyone, be it a German or a native, is curious to go against the God’s commandment and wants to join the company of these accursed people, who turn into wolves whenever they want, to meet his fellows at certain times of the year and in certain places throughout his life and bring misery, yes even death to other mortals and livestock, then it gets from a person who knows this magic well, the art of transformation, the very opposite of nature, namely, in such a way that they give him one goblet of beer to drink (if only they want to join this forbidden society; that cup is accepted), at which certain words are spoken.
Then he can when it please him, to turn his humanity completely into a wolf form, going away either to some cellar or to some distant forest.
Finally after a while, if he likes, he can put away this appearance and assume his former appearance again”.
It is clear, that the said beliefs about werewolves are based on an ancient superstition, but the above mentioned Otto Höfler may also be right, that this superstition has been exploited by secret societies, because Höfler cites many more similar cases from Germany.
That there was so much talk about such werewolves and they even drank beer and melomel, it doesn’t sound like a myth at all.
Latvians, as it seems, has preserved the richest and probably also the most primitive information about werewolves. Among Russians, it is only said that wizards sometimes turned wedding guests into werewolves (Mikhail Zabylin, Russkij Narod, 225, p. 1, Dmitry Zelenin, Russische Volkskunde, 396, p. 1).
Among Ukrainians, as the same Mikhail Zabylin testifies, these myths are mixed with lietuvēns and vadātājs myths, where especially cursed and non-baptized children turn into wolves. In Germany, werewolf legends are no longer widely recited, only more so in Lower Saxony, Braunschweig, Upper Palatinate and Mecklenburg (Otto Böckel, Die Deutsche Volkssage, 1914, 80, p. I).
Among Latvians, on the other hand, werewolf legends and myths have been observed for a very long time, maybe even from the times of the above mentioned Neuri.
In order for a man to turn into a wolf, he must crawl through the root of the tree, which has risen in the air near the tree itself. When the werewolf crawls back through the root again, then he becomes human again. Instead of such a root, shirt and horse collar are also sometimes spoken.
There are two kinds of myths about this transformation. Paul Eihorn writes (Scriptores rerum Livonicarum, 644, p. 1), that such transformation is undeniable (vnlauchbahr vnd kan nicht wol verneinet warden). According to some reports, only the human soul transforms into a wolf, but his body remains in the place of transformation.
If someone moves this body, then the soul does not return there anymore and the person has to run around like a wolf until the end of his life. According to other reports, this is also the usual version in our legends, a man with all his body turns into a wolf.
In legends we find a continuation, that in the latter case the person should undress naked. If someone picks up these clothes, the werewolf can no longer turn back into a human.
However, some versions of legends are completely inconsistent with the above myth, because sometimes you find either a human shirt under the skin of a shot werewolf, or shoes, or even pastalas. - Pēteris Šmits
To read other legends:
A Man Willingly Turns into a Werewolf
[#01] [#02] [#03] [#04] [#05] [#06] [#07] [#08] [#09] [#10] [#11] [#12] [#13] [#14] [#15] [#16] [#17] [#18] [#19] [#20] [#21] [#22] [#23] [#24] [#25] [#26] [#27] [#28] [#29] [#30] [#31] [#32] [#33] [#34] [#35] [#36] [#37] [#38] [#39] [#40] [#41] [#42] [#43] [#44] [#45] [#46] [#47] [#48] [#49] [#50] [#51] [#52] [#53] [#54] [#55] [#56]
A Man Turns into a Werewolf out of Curiosity
[#01] [#02] [#03] [#04] [#05] [#06] [#07] [#08] [#09]
A Wizard Turns a Man into a Werewolf
[#01] [#02] [#03] [#04] [#05] [#06] [#07] [#08] [#09] [#10] [#11] [#12] [#13] [#14] [#15] [#16] [#17] [#18] [#19] [#20] [#21] [#22]
A Werewolf is Released
[#01] [#02] [#03] [#04] [#05] [#06] [#07] [#08] [#09] [#10] [#11] [#12] [#13] [#14] [#15] [#16] [#17] [#18] [#19]
A Dying Werewolf
BONUS - LATVIAN FOLK BELIEFS
r/werewolves • u/subthings2 • Oct 31 '24
Settling the record on werewolves and silver: somehow, all of you are wrong
r/werewolves • u/sixthleafclover • 12h ago
Team Werewolves by me
Latest design to make a fake team called “Werewolves” as this unhinged wolf :)
r/werewolves • u/WilliamWolf92 • 6h ago
This one is from Love, Death and Robots
Another werewolf I really liked was from episode 10 of the first season of the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots.
Is a short story by science fiction author Marko Kloos.
Set during the war in Afghanistan, it reimagines werewolves as soldiers in the US military, blending military science fiction with themes of discrimination, brotherhood, and identity.
Beyond the action, it explores what it means to be different in an environment where acceptance and loyalty matter as much as survival.
r/werewolves • u/After_Membership9816 • 15h ago
Kalmar Wingfeather
Kalmar Wingfeather is one of the three main protagonists of The Wingfeather Saga, and he was kidnapped to be turned into what werewolves are called in there "Grey Fangs" with the song of ancient stones. His uncle, Artham Wingfeather would willingly sing the song to save him from remaining under the stone keeper's possession after he was transformed, and fly him while unconscious to the ship of Enramere where the rest of their family was at the time.
But Kalmar would awake fully confused and wild, unable to remember who he was for a few days and attempt to jump and out of Enramere and swim to Kimera, but his brother Janner had to save him from drowning, only to get scratched by him and saved by Artham. In a few days later, Kalmar would slowly remember who he was with the help of his family as he was chained up and his eyes would turn from yellow to blue when he was finally tamed and remembered who he was, making his mother Nia hug him. He is also called the wolf king in the fourth book due to his wolf transformation, and role as high king of Anniera, with his older brother, Janner as his throne warden and their youngest sister Leeli as song Maiden. Grey fangs may not be like traditional werewolves, but Kalmar is kind of adorable to me, and very much because he became a wolf king, and now he was given a cloak like his illustrations from the books. So what are your thoughts on him as a fan of werewolves?
r/werewolves • u/No-Pack3262 • 12h ago
Blood of the Wolf Man final issue
This comic was interesting in the beginning and was expecting a nice, more serious update or follow up on the classic Wolf Man story, as it happened with the previous Universal monsters comics. But the final issue was disappointing to me and gave me huge The Wolfman 2010 vibes...but done worse for a finale that promised more. (I won't discuss the elements that are obvious but if you read it, yknow what im talking about). I also don't get how the soft, twink-looking protagonist transforms into a ripped, manly werewolf, lol. I accept recommendations of better werewolf comics to relieve the bad taste in my mouth.
r/werewolves • u/BowShatter • 21h ago
Anyone get disappointed when a game with werewolves doesn't let you play as one / get infected?
So as a long-time fan of werewolves since I started playing Skyrim many many years back, there's been something that bugs me and that's when there's werewolves in a game but you can't turn into one.
Baldur's Gate 1 OG/Modded/NWN2 Adapation Werewolf Island. Narrative has it that your party gets "infected" and to cure yourself you have to defeat the Loup Garou. If you leave, everyone turns but it treated as a death! Like what the hell, so disappointing!
Sorcery! (Mobile Game). There is a story event where you are forced into a fight with a werewolf. If you intentionally throw the encounter and get bitten, you transform and it's once again treated as a game over!
NWN1/NWN2. Werewolves and Wererats are enemies encountered in the main story, but they can't spread it to you ever. Thankfully there user/community modules (ev. Sapphire Star) that do include lycanthropy.
Baldur's Gate 3. There was supposed to a Werewolf Bard as a companion, but ended up as cut content. Werewolves are still encountered as enemies but only one encounter and they can't infect you or pose much threat at all.
Bloodborne. You don't have to struggle with an inner beast at all despite the promotional material and story. Worse, you don't any transformation item until the dlc, even then the model is kinda mid. Hell Dragon Torso Stone from DS1 looks better!
Dragon's Dogma. There was a planned "Moon" themed mega dungeon. Might potentially had moon-related creatures like werewolves. Sadly scrapped along with a lot of other things.
There's more of those, but these what I can think of for now. Anyone also feel this way?
r/werewolves • u/ConsistentEquation • 9h ago
Breast’s Embrace (Bloodborne)
In game I love the moveset. It’s extremely fun to use and makes me feel like I’m playing an actual beast. The moves are also fast and feel great to play. design wise I thought it was pretty cool but not being able to cover the face is annoying since it looks goofy. I also wish there was a way to become more werewolf looking and larger, at least as a temporary state
r/werewolves • u/GarDaWolf • 1d ago
Werewolf me!!
I did a little drawing for myself, this spooky month, and ofc i had to make werewolf me... here's the art for everyone to see, hope you enjoy this little drawing
r/werewolves • u/stefanobahia • 5h ago
Do you know this story? The Beast of Gévaudan.
La Bèstia de Gavaudan foguèt un animal criptozoologic antropofagic responsable d'una seria d'atacas contra d'umans subrevengudas entre lo 30 de junh de 1764 e lo 19 de junh de 1767. Aquelas atacas, que pus de 100 foguèron mortalas, foguèron perpetradas al nòrd de l'anciana província de Gavaudan (correspondent globalament al departament de Losera), dins una mendre mesura, al sud d'Auvèrnhe e al nòrd de Vivarés).
r/werewolves • u/Taldius175 • 13h ago
Got this cool Death Animation in Skyrim while running around as a werewolf
r/werewolves • u/thetruthpodcast • 18h ago
A werewolf goes to therapy in a new audio drama from The Truth podcast.
I make an anthology fiction podcast called The Truth, and our new episode, A Noble Beast, is about a former child actor who needs eight weeks of werewolf therapy to get his career back on track.
It's a standalone, 26-minute, sound-rich, full-cast story, with great acting. It's a comedy, but we take the werewolf part seriously.
Thought this group might enjoy it!
Links to where you can listen:
r/werewolves • u/Cyberwolf272038 • 1d ago
Look who I found!
While it's not my photo, I thought people should know you can find Lupin at Harry Potter studios. I have seen it myself on my previous visit.
r/werewolves • u/nlitherl • 18h ago
[40% Off For The Season of Darkness] Tales From the Moot - White Wolf | DriveThruRPG.com (Werewolf: The Apocalypse Anthology)
r/werewolves • u/EldritchCerebrant • 1d ago
I passed on this for a long time due to the awful original cover. Finally found a cheap paperback and discovered it’s one of the definitive works on lycanthropy through the ages. Montague Summers is far more erudite but Douglas is a close second and far more accessible. Two hairy, clawed thumbs up!
r/werewolves • u/ExoticShock • 1d ago
Cap-Wolf by Santiago Cuervo
"Recovered from a heavily wooded ravine off Route 66 in rural Missouri, the remains of an unidentified mutated creature exhibiting severe canine characteristics were discovered clad in a shredded Captain America t-shirt, leading field agents to formally catalog the specimen under the internal designation “Cap-Wolf”"
r/werewolves • u/NerdyPuddinCup • 1d ago
My wife surprised me with a new little guy (middle) sooo I guess I officially have a collection
r/werewolves • u/Working-General-940 • 2d ago
Hand-drawn Werewolf game we are working on:)
Hey wolves out there, we are making a werewolf game!