Cultural History (Folklore)

When did they first became a thing?

Although the tales of men turning into wolves dates back in the B.C. era, such as in Greek Mythology, it wasn't until the 14th century when it became a widespread belief. Depending on the country, the stories of werewolves may start hundreds of years apart. Although there is no way of exactly knowing, many experts believe that the very first telling of lycanthropy dated back to the ancient Phoenician cult around 1000 B.C. and reemerged in Greek mythology around 500 B.C..

Folklore history

Werewolves in folklore are an international historic mystery as their tales have existed in various countries throughout history dating all the way back to about 1000 B.C.. The most notorious werewolf was a man named Pete Stubbe, who lived in Germany in the 16th century. His story is well known because he is accused of shape-shifting from a man into a wolf and vice versa and killing, later eating, the people of the town of Bedburg. Although the story had been told for many generations, some are skeptical that Pete was actually a werewolf, but rather just a victim of early witch-hunting, or better put, werewolf-hunting.

In the southern hemisphere of the world, particularly in South America, "El Lobizon" is the werewolf tale that was told in Guarani mythology. The legend that was told was that the 7th son in a family would likely turn into a "El Lobizon" on the night of the full moon and turn insane, attacking the family along with others of the town. The story was so widely feared that at one point, the Argentina president required all 7th sons to be baptized.

In 16th century France, more than 30,000 people were killed for being accused of becoming a loup garou, or werewolf. During this time period, France was swarmed with lycanthropic terrors and, similar to the witch-hunt era, executed those who were suspected of being a werewolf. There is no one legend that stands out from the rest, because the entire country was in fear of werewolves coming to kill them, so everyone was performing the accusations and executions.

To read more on these stories, along with other folklore stories from around the world, click here.