Mythologis
Werewolves: The Complete Guide to Shapeshifters and Lycanthropy in World Folklore

Mythical Creatures Mythology

Werewolves: The Complete Guide to Shapeshifters and Lycanthropy in World Folklore

The Wolf-Men, Skin-Changers and the History of Lycanthropy

The complete guide to the werewolf: the wolf-men of Greek and Norse legend, the werewolf trials of early modern Europe, the folklore of the skin-changer, and the truth behind lycanthropy.

170 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

$14.99

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Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • The werewolf trials told from the records
  • Designed for print quality
See all chapters  +
  1. 01The Beast Within
  2. 02Lycaon and the Wolf-Men of Greece
  3. 03The Berserker and the Wolf-Warriors of the North
  4. 04The Skin-Changer in European Folklore
  5. 05How One Became a Wolf: Belts, Salves and Pacts
  6. 06The Werewolf Trials: Folklore on Trial
  7. 07Peter Stubbe, Gilles Garnier and the Famous Cases
  8. 08Werewolf and Witch: The Two Panics
  9. 09Lycanthropy as Madness: The Medical Story
  10. 10Were-Beasts of the Wider World
  11. 11The Werewolf in the Modern Imagination

About this book

About this Mythical Creatures mythology guide

To become a wolf is one of the oldest temptations in myth. This is the complete guide to the werewolf, from the wolf-men of Greece to the werewolf trials of early modern Europe.

To become a wolf is one of the oldest temptations in mythology. The Greeks told of a king turned wolf for serving human flesh to the gods; the Norse remembered warriors who pulled on wolf-skins and lost themselves to the battle-fury; and across early modern Europe, in the same decades as the witch trials, men were burned at the stake for the crime of turning into wolves and killing under the moon.

This is the complete guide to the werewolf and the shapeshifter. The wolf-men of antiquity, Lycaon and the warriors of Arcadia; the berserkers and ulfhednar of the Norse sagas, who wore the beast to wear its strength; the werewolf trials of France and Germany, where folklore, fear and confession under torture produced real executions; and the wider world of skin-changers, from the were-tigers of Asia to the witch-animals of the Americas.

The book traces the wolf-man from Greek myth to the courtroom to the cinema, drawing on the classical sources, the trial records and the folklore collections, with every chapter citing where it comes from.

Delivered as a print-quality PDF within 24 hours of purchase.

What you will discover inside

  • Lycaon, the king the gods turned into a wolf, and the wolf-cults of Arcadia
  • The Norse berserkers and ulfhednar who wore the beast into battle
  • The werewolf trials that ran alongside the witch hunts
  • The famous cases: Peter Stubbe, Gilles Garnier and the wolves of France
  • How a man was supposed to become a wolf, and how to change him back
  • Were-tigers, were-jaguars and the skin-changers beyond Europe

Mythical Creatures mythology book at a glance

TraditionMythical Creatures mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length170 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Questions about the Mythical Creatures mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Is the werewolf connected to the witch trials?

Closely. The great age of werewolf trials was the same age as the witch hunts, often in the same courts and with the same logic. The book treats them together and shows how a piece of folklore became a capital crime.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. It draws on Ovid and Pausanias, the Norse sagas, the surviving werewolf trial records of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the classic folklore studies, with references to the standard editions.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 170 pages depending on the final layout.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows once the book has been validated by readers.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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