Who invented the wolfman

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Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when it was believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred.

It has since evolved into a holiday when spooky legends, myths and folklore take center stage. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States , is remembered for his vital role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War and beginning the process that led to the end of slavery in the United States. He's remembered for his Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon.

They may be the best-known classic monsters of all. The Devil, also referred to as Satan, is best known as the personification of evil and the nemesis of good people everywhere. His image and story have evolved over the years, and the Devil has been called many different names in various cultures: Beelzebub, Lucifer, Satan and Over the course of years, the outlaw from Nottinghamshire who robs from the rich to give to the poor has emerged as one of the most enduring folk heroes A mummy is a person or animal whose body has been dried or otherwise preserved after death.

The next appearance of this mythical creature occurs in Nordic folklore with the tale of a father and son who stumble upon some unusual wolf pellets. According to legend, these pellets had the ability to turn people into wolves for a total of ten days. However, upon finding these magic pellets, both the father and son wore them which led them on a rampage, wreaking havoc through the forest for ten days straight.

In a bizarre turn of fate, the father then attacked his son, who was only saved by the grace of a raven lending him a leaf with healing powers. This legend from the Saga of the Volsungs is likely the closest thing to a modern-day telling of a werewolf. While there's obviously no evidence of an actual human-to-wolf transformation, there are stories of brutal encounters with humans claiming to have a wolf prowess. These 'werewolves' were actually infamous serial killers who claimed to be otherwise.

Two of the most infamous cases were Michel Verdun and Pierre Burgot, who both claimed to be able to transform into wolves back in Upon their heinous confessions, they were burned at the stake as was customary with any alleged mythical creature during that time, when people simply didn't know any better.

Another well-known case is that of the 'Werewolf of Dole,' who made his mark during the 16th century, known by his real name of Giles Garnier. His targets were children and he, too, was burned at the stake after confessing to such horrible crimes. And with that, many thousands of years ago the werewolf legend was born. Back at camp, the wolf-man would participate in ceremonies, dancing and crying and further assuming the demeanor of the wolf. And among the Native Americans at least, that getup came in handy when you wanted to mess with another tribe.

In Africa, the supposed transformations were rather more complete. One legend went that a man was able to transform himself into a lion, living for months at a time in a sacred hut in the forest. His wife would bring him food and beer lions are not known for the brewing skills, after all , in addition to the medicine required for him to turn back into a man.

Other shape-shiftings were far more sinister. In what is now Ethiopia, the lowest caste of laborers was said to transform into hyenas and other creatures to plunder graves.

Such frenzies are reminiscent, of course, of the ravages of rabies. Traditionally, there were several ways that a person could become a werewolf. In her book "Giants, Monsters, and Dragons," folklorist Carol Rose notes that "In ancient Greece it was believed that a person could be transformed by eating the meat of a wolf that had been mixed with that of a human and that the condition was irreversible.

If their magical pelt was found and taken from the werewolf-in-human-form, he or she could be killed. A similar theme appears in the Scottish and Irish folklore of the selkies — creatures who spend their lives in the cold ocean as seals, but can change into human form by shedding their pelts. If they do so, they must hide their pelts for if they are found they can't change back into seals and must live on land with the fishermen who possess their skins.

Though the full moon was originally only one of many possible causes of lycanthropy, it was the one that stuck in the public's mind. Today, many people still associate the moon with werewolves and madness. Some who work in police and emergency medical services have anecdotally claimed that full moon nights are busier, crazier, and more dangerous than other nights. This perception may be rooted more in psychology and imagination than reality: carefully controlled studies have not found good evidence supporting this idea.