r/werewolves Oct 07 '22

Is anyone interested in reading Latvian Werewolf Legends?

168 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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49 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1h ago

Darling this is no joke. This is lycanthropy. 🐺

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Upvotes

r/werewolves 8h ago

Underworld Werewolves

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74 Upvotes

r/werewolves 10h ago

Izzie / Entwines-Smiles-with-Claws Sketch Page (Art by circadiancrunch)

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73 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1h ago

Werewolf Haunted House

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Upvotes

Pics taken from a lights-on tour of the Dark Hour Haunted House located in Plano, Texas. 🐺😁


r/werewolves 16h ago

My Mother is a Werewolf!

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106 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

Do you think werewolves should be portrayed as physically stronger than vampires?

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323 Upvotes

r/werewolves 16h ago

WTA "Shadowsong" ALL forms

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35 Upvotes

r/werewolves 23h ago

Made myself a chud werewolf fursona because I can

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73 Upvotes

Gonna draw him as a hot dog at some point.

(Please do not edit my art. only repost with credit.)


r/werewolves 16h ago

Werewolves (2024) was Frikkin Awesome!

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18 Upvotes

This movie was so ridiculously awesome. I’m not going to spoil anything, and will simply tell you the premise which they reveal in the opening credits - last year a supermoon caused over a billion people to turn into werewolves! This year the supermoon is coming again!

It’s such a wild ride, and I enjoyed every bit of it. I should note that immediately prior to seeing this film, I made the mistake of watching Abraham’s Boys - an absolutely terrible film that edges you with thinking you’re going to get a vampire film for 90min. Werewolves is the complete opposite in the best way. Highly recommend!

Have you seen this movie and what did you think?


r/werewolves 20h ago

Top 2 Facts About Hungary

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21 Upvotes

r/werewolves 17h ago

Planet Werewolf/Werewolf Moon: Could It Be Real?

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3 Upvotes

r/werewolves 1d ago

My werewolf sona (no reposts)

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31 Upvotes

⚠️ DO NOT REPOST, TRACE, COPY DESIGN, USE TO TRAIN AI, SAVE TO YOUR DEVICE, OR CLAIM AS YOUR OWN ⚠️

Felt like atleast some of you might enjoy this, most probably won't because its too "furry" lol


r/werewolves 2d ago

My gripe with most werewolf designs

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203 Upvotes

In every werewolf movie I have seen, I am disappointed with the design of the werewolf for one single reason and that is that they never leave the design looking as it does mid transformation.

I’ve always had the opinion that the werewolf would look 10x scarier if it kept that blend of human and canine features rather than fully transform into a wolf. It’s much more compelling and uncanny to look at than just a regular looking wolf.

I’ve used American werewolf and Mazey day from a Black mirror episode as my examples. And then the last image of course is what he ends up looking like in American werewolf in London.

It’s nowhere near as scary to watch a regular wolf running around London, if his design had stayed at that mid transformation point as a bipedal man with wolf features it would look so much better.

Are there any movies that use this principle in its werewolf design?


r/werewolves 1d ago

What’s the scariest werewolf movies you guys know?

8 Upvotes

I want some recommendations


r/werewolves 2d ago

Werewolf From The Movie "Van Helsing" (One Of My Favorite Designs)

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274 Upvotes

r/werewolves 3d ago

You're not you when you're hungry

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481 Upvotes

Long time without posting here.

New realistic snarly werewolf mask is the result of merging EasternWindstudio beastly realism (face & ears), with Willowcreativ genius (tpu jaw structure & hinge mechanism + silicone tongue), and my wife's impressive dental work.

Don't let the werewolf get hangry!


r/werewolves 2d ago

What is the were etiquette when eating people, is it rude to eat them when they are also in the middle of eating?

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109 Upvotes

@stoopidpuppet


r/werewolves 2d ago

The Beast of Bray Road

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147 Upvotes

r/werewolves 2d ago

"When You Open The Door" will premiere at Fantasia Film Festival on July 25

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67 Upvotes

Eriko Katagiri's feature debut "When You Open The Door" will premiere at Fantasia Film Festival on July 25

"Miki’s world is quiet and strange, but it will soon be interrupted by a transformative experience that will change her forever."


r/werewolves 3d ago

Anyone one have a werewolf plushie?👀😱

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210 Upvotes

Here’s mine! Thought it was silly and cute


r/werewolves 3d ago

Brutus on a cactus.

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215 Upvotes

That's it.

Just Brurus on a cacrus.


r/werewolves 3d ago

Hot Take (maybe)

62 Upvotes

There should be more werewolf content inspired by Thiess of Kaltenbrun. If you don't know who that is, he's a guy from a really long time ago (16th century if I recall correctly) who claimed to be part of a Christian werewolf clan that hunted demons and witches. He probably had screws loose and that makes the concept even better.


r/werewolves 3d ago

Burdened...

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118 Upvotes

Its not easy being the eldest of a werewolf family.....