r/werewolves Oct 07 '22

Is anyone interested in reading Latvian Werewolf Legends?

169 Upvotes

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:

Preface

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

[#01] [#02]

BONUS - LATVIAN FOLK BELIEFS


r/werewolves Oct 31 '24

Settling the record on werewolves and silver: somehow, all of you are wrong

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52 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1h ago

Just my good boy transforming

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Upvotes

That is all! I just wanted to share.
Been working on his comic the last few months. The first written draft is done, and I've been working on the 2nd one, and storyboarding whatever chapters are set to not be dramatically changed :D
Been so busy with work and the comic itself, but I managed to scrape some time to doodle him! If you wanna see more drawings of this dork, I made an imgur album:
https://imgur.com/a/OdLOJkC

And also you can find my other works under Lordburqan, though I'm a nsfw artist so discretion is advised, eksdee (I will publish this comic under a sfw penname, dont worry ;D )


r/werewolves 14h ago

Made a werewolf movie database

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211 Upvotes

r/werewolves 4h ago

Cover art by Bob Eggleton for Hair of the Dog, by Brett Davis (1997).

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20 Upvotes

r/werewolves 7h ago

Werewolf drawing

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25 Upvotes

r/werewolves 16h ago

How menacing do you like your wolves?

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79 Upvotes

r/werewolves 5h ago

Decent enough blood effects and werewolf costume

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10 Upvotes

r/werewolves 10h ago

A centipede werewolf I made during class

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17 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

Werewolf struggles 😔[OG by punkeydoodles]

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379 Upvotes

r/werewolves 17h ago

Digitigrade or plantigrade werewolves?

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43 Upvotes

r/werewolves 13h ago

Werewolf fighter ready[OC] art by me

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16 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

The Hound of Caisteal Dubhar - (Scottish Terrier Werehound)

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59 Upvotes

r/werewolves 16h ago

Favorite Werewolves

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11 Upvotes

r/werewolves 18h ago

You know what? Screw the angsty melodrama

15 Upvotes

Does anyone got any good werewolf stories and/or fanfics with lady wolves just wholeheartedly embracing their inner beasts?


r/werewolves 7h ago

(Skyrim Mod) Player Only Werewolf (Werebeast) Framework

2 Upvotes

I was suggested that folks might like to see it here, apologies if not!

I have done it! I have made a new framework for making Player Only werewolf models! So that players can be unique from random werewolves and the companions.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/190295

It includes just a simple ESL flagged ESP, and a single script that plays when your race changes to WerewolfBeastRace and provides the custom skin.

Permissions are open (within reason, no paid mods) to set up your models to work with the framework!


r/werewolves 1d ago

Fan theory about the Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki ending.

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47 Upvotes

Although it abruptly ends when Ame and Yuki separated from Hana, I personally theorize that their decisions and separations from their only family loved one took a great consequence in their lives. Ame remained trapped in his wolf form never able to change back into his human form ever again, and Hana lost her powers only to remain human like Hana and never to become a wolf ever again. So what are your thoughts on my fan theory? Basically it’s likely it happened in Spider-Man 2.


r/werewolves 1d ago

Ugly doodle

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16 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

I hope it’s a good read!

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191 Upvotes

Someone here recommended The Devils by Joe Abercrombie as having a werewolf character. Based on that and the blurb I went and bought it. To my delight the very first thing I saw opening the cover was this cool illustration by Joel Daniel Phillips.

Now very much looking forward to reading this, so thank you kind internet book recommender!


r/werewolves 1d ago

Wolves seem great with body horror aspects

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58 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

Call of the Wolves (Toy Photography)

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69 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

Movie Werelion Spoiler

12 Upvotes

I want to watch a movie where someone actually transforms into a 'were-lion' (from human to lion-man). The full transformation scene would be awesome! There hasn’t been any movies of a person transforming into a lion.


r/werewolves 2d ago

Historical Books About the Werewolf Legend?!

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200 Upvotes

I've seen a couple of recommendations on the subreddit before, including Montague Summers' "The Werewolf in Lore and Legend". Wondering if there are any other recommendations! I saw "The Book of Werewolves" by Sabine Baring-Gould online but was interested in hearing if anyone here recommends it! Thanks :)


r/werewolves 2d ago

Werwulf fan painting by me

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120 Upvotes

r/werewolves 2d ago

Differences in blood between humans and werewolves?

22 Upvotes

So I'm writing a thing where werewolves are behind the murder of an FBI agents brother, so what kind of anomalies would you find if there were samples of werewolf blood/ DNA in general?