Have a Howling Good Time...

"The Book of Werewolves" by S. Baring Gould (1865)

~ Being an Account of a Terrible Superstition ~

S. Baring Gould was a prolific 19^th century author, writing as many as 500 works of fiction and non-fiction. As well as being a Reverend, he was also a scholar of history, architecture, folklore and legends. He lived in Devon, England. He is also noteworthy for writing a classic Christian hymn entitled "Onward Christian Soldiers". His study of werewolves has stood the test of time and it is still acknowledged as a seminal and classic work on the subject of Lycanthropy. These werewolves are not from a fantastical Native tribe in Washington State that occasionally make truces with Edward and the local vampires, nor are they of the Hollywood variety. The werewolves described by Gould are blood thirsty, or apparently poor folk that just want a taste of meat a la Homo sapiens, or, of the historically documented, true crime, mass murdering variety. They might even have been the true Viking Berserkers!

The author traveled around to the locales he wrote about in this book and asked the people about local lore about the subject, then he recorded them. Part of the narrative is folklore and some of it is a retelling of true crime with bone chilling accounts perpetrated by some of humanities worst specimens ever. The book begins with an historical account of the Lycanthropy phenomenon and then delves into one of the best accounts of Scandinavian werewolf folklore ever put together, it moves on throughout history. This is one fascinating, eye popping, cringe-worthy book. It's rather like the fascination one gets from staring at a particularly awful automobile accident on the expressway as you drive slowly by.

Do you want to know how to transform yourself into a werewolf, get this book, interesting in protecting your family from werewolves?...ditto. The author also discussed possible causes for the werewolf condition which range from psychosis and insanity, to a byproduct of a witches salve, natural phenomenon, and just plain old evil blood lust.

Typical 19^th century language and sentence structure is used throughout the work, Victorian drama included free of charge, and a bit of good and evil thrown into the mix. Makes for interesting reading, a good reference for those interested in the subject or for budding authors wanting background knowledge to write about the fantastical. This work has stood the test of time, and is still considered one of the best works of Werewolf folklore ever written. I got it free on my kindle. Also available from booksellers as a paperback. Online text posted at sacred-texts.com, also available at various other places on the net. Not for the faint hearted.

A sampling from Chapter VIII, Folklore:

"The Russians call the were-wolf oborot, which signifies "one transformed." The following receipt is given by them for becoming one:
"He who desires to become an oborot, let him seek in the forest a hewn-down tree; let him stab it with a small copper knife, and walk round the tree, repeating the following incantation:--

On the sea, on the ocean, on the island, on Bujan,
On the empty pasture gleams the moon, on an ashstock lying
In a green wood, in a gloomy vale.
Toward the stock wandereth a shaggy wolf.
Horned cattle seeking for his sharp white fangs;
But the wolf enters not the forest,
But the wolf dives not into the shadowy vale,
Moon, moon, gold-horned moon,
Cheek the flight of bullets, blunt the hunters' knives,
Break the shepherds' cudgels,
Cast wild fear upon all cattle,
On men, on all creeping things,
That they may not catch the grey wolf,
That they may not rend his warm skin
My word is binding, more binding than sleep,
More binding than the promise of a hero!

"Then he springs thrice over the tree and runs into the forest, transformed into a wolf."

 Here is a link to a once popular song about Werewolves: 

Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon (1978)

Contents of the Book of Werewolves:
Chapter I. Introductory
Chapter II. Lycanthropy Among the Ancients
Chapter III. The Were-Wolf in the North
Chapter IV. The Origin of the Scaninavian Were-Wolf
Chapter V. The Were-Wolf in the Middle Ages
Chapter VI. A Chamber of Horrors
Chapter VII. Jean Grenier
Chapter VIII. Folk-Lore Relating to Were-Wolves
Chapter IX. Natural Causes of Lycanthropy
Chapter X. Mythological Origin of the Were-Wolf Myth
Chapter XI. The Maréchal de Retz.-I. The Investigation of Charges.
Chapter XII. The Maréchal de Retz.--II. The Trial
Chapter XIII. Maréchal de Retz.--III. The Sentence and Execution.
Chapter XIV. A Galician Were-Wolf
Chapter XV. Anomalous Case.--The Human Hyæna.
Chapter XVI. A Sermon on Were-Wolves

 

Lewtrenchard Mansion where S. Baring Gould lived.

The Mummies of Ferentillo

Ferentillo- Provincia di Terni, Umbria, Italia

Entrance to the museum

Ferentillo is a town in the Umbria region of Italy. In the town you will find ancient castle ruins in the hills and Santo Stefano, an old church built on top of an even older church. The area is known for good hiking and is near one of the largest waterfalls in Europe. It's not a hot tourist spot but Ferentillo offers a unique museum- one that was never intended to be such, but through unusual circumstances, is.

A road sign points the way.

In the lower level of the Church of St. Stephen (Chiesa di Santo Stefano) is a crypt. Through unique climatic conditions and a distinct microorganism, the people that were buried in the crypt were naturally mummified, they still have eyelashes, hair, teeth, nails and remnants of their original clothes on. It is a snapshot in time.

In 1804-1806, Napoleon issued the edict of Saint-Cloud forbidding the burial of bodies within the confines of a town, (for health/sanitation reasons). Thus the bodies interred beneath the church were unearthed to be buried elsewhere. Excavators were expecting to find a pile of bones, instead they found whole bodies complete with skin and clothes, which had been naturally mummified. Santo Stefano church was built in the 16^th century over the ruins of an even older church. The older ruins were used as a catacombs but the bodies were not unearthed until after the Napoleonic edict. Scientific studies of the remains determined that a fungus had populated the remains and halted decay, preserving the bodies and leading to natural mummification. The bodies have been conserved and encased in glass, and the place has been made into a museum.

Oggi a me, domani a te.
Io fui quel che tu sei
tu sarai quel che io sono.
Pensa mortal che il tuo fine è questo,
e pensa pur che ciò sarà ben presto.
Today me, tomorrow you.
I was what you are
and you will be what I am.
Consider, mortal, that your end is this
and consider also that it will be quite soon

What makes these remains unique is that they are not all special citizens or religious figures who have been purposely preserved, they are regular people. You can see a mother, who died in childbirth, and her infant, art frescoes from the earlier 13^th century church, and along with the mummies are the stories of the people that used to be. There are the Chinese tourists, supposedly on their honeymoon...the husband died of the plague. The wife brought his body to the church and prayed for him, she also wound up dying and they were both interred in the crypt, where you can see them today.

One of the Ferentillo mummies

You can also see the man who was struck by the church bell and killed, with bell damage plainly visible on his remains. There is the lawyer who was murdered and buried in the crypt, and right beside him the lies the body of his murderer (the hunchback Severino), possibly put there to help his soul transition into the afterlife. The Capuchin monks were the caretakers of the church and the crypt and what is known about the persons buried there has been found in the church archives and from oral tradition.

Inside the museum

Ferentillo is an interesting find in the hills of Umbria, if you ever have the pleasure of visiting make sure you take a few hikes in this scenic place, check out the remains of the castles, Rocca di Precetto (Pentagonal Tower) and Mattarella (the Bell Tower), and the Church of Santa Maria along with it's Renaissance art.

You tube video: Le mummie di ferentillo by wunderk (5:19 min):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-HdfayJuQg

Matterella, ruins of the Bell Tower