The Werewolf in the Ancient World

The Werewolf in the Ancient World PDF Author: Daniel Ogden
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192596284
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
In a moonlit graveyard somewhere in southern Italy, a soldier removes his clothes in readiness to transform himself into a wolf. He depends upon the clothes to recover his human shape, and so he magically turns them to stone, but his secret is revealed when, back in human form, he is seen to carry a wound identical to that recently dealt to a marauding wolf. In Arcadia a man named Damarchus accidentally tastes the flesh of a human sacrifice and is transformed into a wolf for nine years. At Temesa Polites is stoned to death for raping a local girl, only to return to terrorize the people of the city in the form of a demon in a wolfskin. Tales of the werewolf are by now well established as a rich sub-strand of the popular horror genre; less widely known is just how far back in time their provenance lies. These are just some of the werewolf tales that survive from the Graeco-Roman world, and this is the first book in any language to be devoted to their study. It shows how in antiquity werewolves thrived in a story-world shared by witches, ghosts, demons, and soul-flyers, and argues for the primary role of story-telling-as opposed to rites of passage-in the ancient world's general conceptualization of the werewolf. It also seeks to demonstrate how the comparison of equally intriguing medieval tales can be used to fill in gaps in our knowledge of werewolf stories in the ancient world, thereby shedding new light on the origins of the modern phenomenon. All ancient texts bearing upon the subject have been integrated into the discussion in new English translations, so that the book provides not only an accessible overview for a broad readership of all levels of familiarity with ancient languages, but also a comprehensive sourcebook for the ancient werewolf for the purposes of research and study.

The Werewolf in the Ancient World

The Werewolf in the Ancient World PDF Author: Daniel Ogden
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192596284
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
In a moonlit graveyard somewhere in southern Italy, a soldier removes his clothes in readiness to transform himself into a wolf. He depends upon the clothes to recover his human shape, and so he magically turns them to stone, but his secret is revealed when, back in human form, he is seen to carry a wound identical to that recently dealt to a marauding wolf. In Arcadia a man named Damarchus accidentally tastes the flesh of a human sacrifice and is transformed into a wolf for nine years. At Temesa Polites is stoned to death for raping a local girl, only to return to terrorize the people of the city in the form of a demon in a wolfskin. Tales of the werewolf are by now well established as a rich sub-strand of the popular horror genre; less widely known is just how far back in time their provenance lies. These are just some of the werewolf tales that survive from the Graeco-Roman world, and this is the first book in any language to be devoted to their study. It shows how in antiquity werewolves thrived in a story-world shared by witches, ghosts, demons, and soul-flyers, and argues for the primary role of story-telling-as opposed to rites of passage-in the ancient world's general conceptualization of the werewolf. It also seeks to demonstrate how the comparison of equally intriguing medieval tales can be used to fill in gaps in our knowledge of werewolf stories in the ancient world, thereby shedding new light on the origins of the modern phenomenon. All ancient texts bearing upon the subject have been integrated into the discussion in new English translations, so that the book provides not only an accessible overview for a broad readership of all levels of familiarity with ancient languages, but also a comprehensive sourcebook for the ancient werewolf for the purposes of research and study.

The Werewolf in Lore and Legend

The Werewolf in Lore and Legend PDF Author: Montague Summers
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 9780486430904
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Originally published: The werewolf. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1933.

The Essential Guide to Werewolf Literature

The Essential Guide to Werewolf Literature PDF Author: Brian J. Frost
Publisher: Popular Press
ISBN: 9780879728601
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
In this fascinating book, Brian J. Frost presents the first full-scale survey of werewolf literature covering both fiction and nonfiction works. He identifies principal elements in the werewolf myth, considers various theories of the phenomenon of shapeshifting, surveys nonfiction books, and traces the myth from its origins in ancient superstitions to its modern representations in fantasy and horror fiction. Frost's analysis encompasses fanciful medieval beliefs, popular works by Victorian authors, scholarly treatises and medical papers, and short stories from pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. Revealing the complex nature of the werewolf phenomenon and its tremendous and continuing influence, The Essential Guide to Werewolf Literature is destined to become a standard reference on the subject.

Werewolf Histories

Werewolf Histories PDF Author: Willem de Blécourt
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137526343
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Werewolf Histories is the first academic book in English to address European werewolf history and folklore from antiquity to the twentieth century. It covers the most important werewolf territories, ranging from Scandinavia to Germany, France and Italy, and from Croatia to Estonia.

Werewolves

Werewolves PDF Author: Bob Curran
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
ISBN: 1601637632
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Most of us are familiar with the idea of a werewolf—that someone can change, either deliberately or unwillingly, into a ravenous creature—but is there some justification for such a belief? And if so, how is it achieved—through magical potions or ointments or simply by the light of the full moon? Or is the whole thing simply a form of delusion, the product of a disturbed mind? In Werewolves, author Dr. Bob Curran examines the deep psychological perceptions about the linkage of man with the natural, bestial world. Do the roots of such a belief lie in the supernatural world, or are there other explanations? How has the discovery of feral children, living in the wild, shaped our ideas of human-beasts? And what is the future of such beliefs? The book considers genetically-based speculations regarding the possible fusion of human and animal genes in order to alleviate some human diseases and suffering. Is the idea of man into beast really so far fetched? Werewolves is an essential reference book which looks, in depth, at a fascinating subject. One word of warning though: it must never be read under the baleful rays of a full moon. You have been warned!

The Sacred Book of the Werewolf

The Sacred Book of the Werewolf PDF Author: Viktor Pelevin
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780670019885
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
A novel about a fifteen-year-old prostitute who is actually a 2,000-year old werefox who seduces men with her tail and drains them of their sexual power. She falls in love with a KGB officer who is actually a werewolf.

True Werewolves of History

True Werewolves of History PDF Author: Donald F. Glut
Publisher: Sense of Wonder Press
ISBN: 9780918736697
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This is Donald F. Glut's brand new companion to his classic volume, True Vampires of History. As in his first book, True Werewolves of History, uses contemporary chronicles and new research to bring to life the stories of over 100 werewolves from the pages of history. This new 21st Century tour-de-force brings together real tales of werewolves (not to mention "were" bears and "were" jaguars) from throughout the world and across the centuries. You'll find them all in this volume for your historical delectation and gruesome enlightenment. Even if you are pure of heart you may find that these tales awaken the ancient fears when the moon is full and the wolfbane blooms.

Werewolves

Werewolves PDF Author: Daniel Cohen
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 9780525652076
Category : Werewolves
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Surveys the world of werewolves, from ancient times to the Internet.

The Werewolf: Past and Future: Lycanthropy's Lost History and Modern Devolution

The Werewolf: Past and Future: Lycanthropy's Lost History and Modern Devolution PDF Author: Maegan A. Stebbins
Publisher: Justin R Stebbins
ISBN: 9781949227024
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Since before recorded history, werewolves have captivated human imagination. Simultaneously, they represent our deepest fears as well as our desire to connect with our primal ancestry. Today, werewolves are portrayed negatively, associated with violence, cruelty, cannibalism, and general malevolence. However, in ages past, legends depicted them not as monsters, but as a range of neutral to benevolent individuals, such as traveling companions, guardians, and knights. The robust legacy of the werewolf spans from prehistory, through ancient Greece and Rome, to the Middle Ages, into the Early Modern period, and finally into present-day popular culture. Over the ages, the view of the werewolf has become distorted. Media treatment of werewolves is associated with inferior writing, lacking in thought, depth, and meaning. Werewolves as characters or creatures are now generally seen as single-minded and one-dimensional, and they want nothing more than to kill, devour, and possibly violate humans. Hollywood depictions have resulted in the destruction of the true meanings behind werewolf legends that fascinated and terrified humans for so many ages. If these negative trends were reversed, perhaps entertainment might not only discover again some of the true meanings behind the werewolf myth, but also take the first steps toward reversing negative portrayals of wolves themselves, which humans have, for eons, wrongfully stigmatized and portrayed as evil, resulting in wolves receiving crueler treatment than virtually any other animal. To revive the many questions posed by lycanthropy, entertainment must show respect to the rich history of so many cultures all around the world - and rediscover the legend of the werewolf.

Werewolves

Werewolves PDF Author: Sean McCollum
Publisher: Capstone
ISBN: 1491442514
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 33

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Book Description
"Describes ancient history, medieval lore, and modern portrayals of werewolves in today's popular culture"--