The Book of Werewolves: Being a Historic Account of a Terrible Superstition; the Myth and Legends of Lycanthropy (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780359013289)

Baring-Gould's eye-opening history of lycanthropy - the werewolf curse - delves deep into the lore, unearthing various historical cases, several of which date back to Ancient or Medieval times. The concept of a human transforming into a wolf has ancient origins, with several Greek and Roman authors such as Virgil, Ovid, Herodotus and Pliny raising the concept in their poetry and other writings. Rumors of sorcery that could induce a human to change was attributed to magicians in far off places such as Scythia, and such beliefs were widely held. Later, the Norse civilization's mythology introduced lycanthropy and other kinds of transformation. Humans as wolves, bears, birds and other beasts were said to appear in the northern wilds; the Norse God Odin took the form of a bird on regular occasions. Berserker warriors would clad themselves in wolf skins; Bj rn, son of Ulfheoin, was famed for his ability to shift between human and wolf forms.

Author: Sabine Baring-Gould
ISBN-10: 0359013287
ISBN-13: 9780359013289
Publisher: Lulu.com
Language: English
Published: 08/09/2018
Pages: 102
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.24d