Landseer's Accounts of Werewolf Tales
Landseer recounted three remarkable tales to illustrate the existence of such phenomena.
The first tale concerns a gentleman who, while traveling, spotted a large gray wolf attacking a flock of sheep. Acting swiftly, he fired his gun, wounding the wolf, which then fled into the forest. Upon returning home, however, the gentleman was astonished to learn that many believed he had, on a particular day and at a specific time, shot at one of his tenants, Michel. Seeking clarity, he approached Michel’s wife, Leba, who confirmed the strange truth. She recounted how one day, as Michel sowed barley in their field, he suddenly suggested stealing meat to satisfy their hunger. Leba urged him against such folly, warning of the danger. Undeterred, Michel ventured off. Shortly after, he returned on horseback, bleeding profusely, cursing under his breath. Weak and unsteady, he fell from his horse, fatally impaled in the throat. This incident occurred in 1684.
That same year, another bizarre event unfolded. A young man preparing to shoot a pack of wolves was startled to hear a voice from among them shout, "Do not shoot, or you will suffer the consequences!"
The third story recounts a shapeshifter brought before a judge, accused of witchcraft. Lacking evidence to convict, the judge devised a plan. He instructed a farmer to befriend the accused in prison, gaining his trust and coaxing a confession. The farmer pretended to seek vengeance, asking the shapeshifter to kill his neighbor’s cow, which had caused his wrongful imprisonment. The farmer suggested that the shapeshifter disguise himself as a wolf. The shapeshifter agreed. The next morning, the neighbor’s cow was found with its neck bitten through, yet the accused never left his cell. The guards attested he had slept soundly all night, stirring only to change position.
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Job Fenris told of a farmer named Pavia, who, after transforming into a werewolf, brutally attacked his neighbors in broad daylight, tearing them to pieces. His savagery was unparalleled. After a fierce struggle, Pavia was captured and brought to trial. He claimed the only difference between himself and a true wolf was that a wolf's fur grew outward, while his grew inward. To test his claim, the cruel judge ordered Pavia’s hands and feet severed, only to confirm the direction of his fur’s growth. Pavia died from blood loss, his ordeal taking place in 1541.
Fenris also documented an event in 1542 when, faced with rampant wolf attacks in Constantinople, the king personally led a campaign to exterminate the predators, killing 150 wolves in a single expedition.
Sprenger described witnessing three young women, disguised as cats, attacking a farmer. The farmer retaliated, injuring them. The next day, the women were found in their beds, bloodied and wounded.
Bodin recorded stories of werewolves, claiming to have shot a gray wolf with an arrow. Hours later, he learned the arrow had been found embedded in a man’s body. In Vermon around 1566, a witches’ gathering saw participants dressed as cats attacking travelers. The travelers fiercely defended themselves, leaving the witches gravely injured.
Nilaud asserted he once encountered a werewolf in rural Switzerland. A farmer chopping wood was attacked by the beast but managed to sever one of its forelegs. As the first drop of blood hit the ground, the wolf transformed into a woman. The villagers, horrified, buried her alive.
Freystein recounted a peculiar occurrence in Holland, where a farmer exhibited bouts of madness each spring. During these episodes, he would storm into churches, leaping onto pews, shouting incoherently. Armed with a long stick, he would engage in mock battles with attacking dogs, emerging battered and bloodied. Pale and sunken-eyed, he was a chilling sight. Freystein concluded the man was a shapeshifter, unaware of his transformations.
Donatus recounted a chilling scene in Naples: a crowd encircled a deranged man in the street, carrying a corpse over his shoulder and gnawing on its thigh. This macabre event took place in the mid-16th century.