Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post’s Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla’s affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. We are all werewolves. Or at least, according to supernatural expert Sabine Baring-Gould, we are all capable of becoming werewolves. Written in 1868, this selection from Baring-Gould's massive tome on werewolves will have you locking the doors and looking over your shoulder. Into the mirror.
THE CLASSIC STUDY OF LYCANTHROPY - TRUE ACCOUNTS OF MEN AND WOMEN TURNED INTO WOLVES! The 1890s classic that launched the 20th century fascination with werewolves. A fascinating and shuddersome compilation of authentic cases of lycanthropy -- men and women transformed into wolves -- from throughout history and around the world. You will read about Scandinavian werewolves in the Volsung Saga and Hrolf's Saga; in the middle ages like the Courland Werewolves, Pierre Bourgot and Michel Verdung, the Gandillon Family, and the famous case of Jean Grenier. You will also learn the lore of werewolves and protections against them dawn from around the world, Scotland, Norway, Russia, Poland, India, Abyssinia, Greece and more. You will also discover the causes of lycanthropy: innate or extreme cruelty, fascination with blood, hallucination and mental illness. The source book for early-twentieth century horror writers and film makers, from Lovecraft to Siodmak. Chapter I. Introductory Chapter II. Lycanthropy Among the Ancients Chapter III. The Were-Wolf in the North Chapter IV. The Origin of the Scaninavian Were-Wolf Chapter V. The Were-Wolf in the Middle Ages Chapter VI. A Chamber of Horrors Chapter VII. Jean Grenier Chapter VIII. Folk-Lore Relating to Were-Wolves Chapter IX. Natural Causes of Lycanthropy Chapter X. Mythological Origin of the Were-Wolf Myth Chapter XI. The Maréchal de Retz.-I. The Investigation of Charges. Chapter XII. The Maréchal de Retz.--II. The Trial Chapter XIII. Maréchal de Retz.--III. The Sentence and Execution. Chapter XIV. A Galician Were-Wolf Chapter XV. Anomalous Case.--The Human Hyæna. Chapter XVI. A Sermon on Were-Wolves
THE CLASSIC STUDY OF LYCANTHROPY - TRUE ACCOUNTS OF MEN AND WOMEN TURNED INTO WOLVES!The 1890s classic that launched the 20th century fascination with werewolves. A fascinating and shuddersome compilation of authentic cases of lycanthropy -- men and women transformed into wolves -- from throughout history and around the world. You will read about Scandinavian werewolves in the Volsung Saga and Hrolf's Saga; in the middle ages like the Courland Werewolves, Pierre Bourgot and Michel Verdung, the Gandillon Family, and the famous case of Jean Grenier. You will also learn the lore of werewolves and protections against them dawn from around the world, Scotland, Norway, Russia, Poland, India, Abyssinia, Greece and more. You will also discover the causes of lycanthropy: innate or extreme cruelty, fascination with blood, hallucination and mental illness. The source book for early-twentieth century horror writers and film makers, from Lovecraft to Siodmak.Eclectic British scholar SABINE BARING-GOULD (1834-1924) inspired My Fair Lady, wrote the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers," and published more than five hundred literary works. Among his foremost folkloric studies is 1865's The Book of Werewolves, the first serious academic study of the shape-shifters of mythological lore. "This work is the most frequently cited early study of lycanthropy and is regarded by most scholars as the foundation work in the field," says cryptozoologist Loren Coleman in his new introduction. "The Book of Werewolves was so visionary that it foresaw that future discussions within werewolf studies would necessarily travel down many side paths. Indeed, midway through The Book of Werewolves, Baring-Gould treks into the shadowy world of crimes vaguely connected to werewolves, including serial murders, grave desecration, and cannibalism."Chapter I. IntroductoryChapter II. Lycanthropy Among the AncientsChapter III. The Were-Wolf in the NorthChapter IV. The Origin of the Scaninavian Were-WolfChapter V. The Were-Wolf in the Middle AgesChapter VI. A Chamber of HorrorsChapter VII. Jean GrenierChapter VIII. Folk-Lore Relating to Were-WolvesChapter IX. Natural Causes of LycanthropyChapter X. Mythological Origin of the Were-Wolf MythChapter XI. The Maréchal de Retz.-I. The Investigation of Charges.Chapter XII. The Maréchal de Retz.--II. The TrialChapter XIII. Maréchal de Retz.--III. The Sentence and Execution.Chapter XIV. A Galician Were-WolfChapter XV. Anomalous Case.--The Human Hyæna.Chapter XVI. A Sermon on Were-Wolves
The Book of Were-Wolves is a classic work of European lore on lycanthropy in particular pertaining to werewolves. The book deals with three subjects: 1) Summarizing folklore and beliefs about werewolves and related phenomena; 2) Collecting specific cases from ancient, medieval, and modern histories; 3) Explaining the origins of the beliefs and demythologize the superstition. The author treats the phenomenon of the werewolf as a psychological aberration, as essentially a delusional state. He also relates it to cannibalism and to the behavior of the notorious Norse berserkers, who would suffer from an insane battle rage. Speculations on the origin the various names by which werewolves were known in different European languages is intriguing, especially the idea that the term may derive from a word for an outlaw, a man condemned effectively to run with the wolves.
Count up to ten and back again with this sweet and clever Halloween bedtime story starring your favorite monsters! Gliding through the moonlight come the monsters big and small, sliding up your stairway and oozing down your hall. They aren’t very scary, in fact they’re rather sweet. So snuggle into bed and let them whisper, “Trick or treat!”
More widely studied and more frequently performed than ever before, John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi is here presented in an accessible and thoroughly up-to-date edition. Based on the Revels Plays text, the notes have been augmented to cast further light both on Webster's amazing dialogue and on the stage action. An entirely new introduction sets the tragedy in the context of pre-Civil War England and gives a revealing view of its imagery and dramatic action. From its well-documented early performances to the two productions seen in the West End of London in the 1995-96 season, a stage history gives an account of the play in performance. Students, actors, directors and theatre-goers will all find here a reappraisal of Webster's artistry in the greatest age of English theatre, which highlights why it has lived on stage with renewed force in the last decades of the twentieth century.
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!
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
