r/werewolves • • Oct 07 '22

Is anyone interested in reading Latvian Werewolf Legends?

177 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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50 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 5h ago

R6: Siege features two werewolf cosmetics as part of its Halloween event!

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125 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 2h ago

I just got my new werewolf Halloween costume for the season in the mail after I ordered it from Amazon this afternoon!

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9 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 22h ago

Reflections by John Mausson

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164 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 22h ago

Little Halloween Project

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144 Upvotes

Happy October guys!! Werewolf by me, wanted to draw one of my favorite creatures for Halloween.

If you guys are interested in my art here's my socials:

Instagram

ArtStation - Reagan Fallesen

There's also a timelapse on my Instagram!


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Cover Art I've done for KNIGHTMARE #2 comic (swipe to see the preliminary thumbnail sketches and full process)

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143 Upvotes

Heya! Just wanted to share a cover I've done for KNIGHTMARE #2, a dark fantasy comic published by East Coast Comics. You can get the comic here https://eastcoastcomics.com/

If you wanna see more of my work here are my portfolio and my instagram: https://www.artstation.com/thenrg https://www.instagram.com/the_nrg_artist/


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Saber tooth werewolves

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76 Upvotes

Worked on a werewolf suit for our sangrya deck and it was the toughest icon to design! But we landed on this neat diamond shaped icon that inspired us to create some saber tooth werewolves. Here's some of my design process and fresh new art for the courts cards by Zi Xu!


r/werewolves • • 9m ago

I've been documenting something in the N.C woods for 7 months. Last week I realized it's been watching me back.

• Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 21h ago

The beast Within (Art by SStriker64)

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26 Upvotes

My OC Mal and her Crinos from behind her. And yes the art used the WWTA Earthblood game cover as a reference


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

What style of werewolves do you ultimately prefer making/using for your own lore?

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319 Upvotes

Do you enjoy werewolves that have no control over themselves are forced to turn into savage beast? Or those who can control themselves and change at their own free will?

What style of werewolf form do you enjoy? Regular or giant wolves? Some flavor or wolf-man hybrid or wolfish beast?

Do you use modern concepts like the full moon/ the weakness to silver and wolfsbane & cursed bites? Or the massive myriad of folkloric idea’s such as divine or supernatural curses, magical rituals and objects among others.

(Image| Werewolf vs Wolfman by Ink-aroo)


r/werewolves • • 17h ago

What is a Luna?

10 Upvotes

I made a similar post asking the same question, but I wasn’t able to get a proper answer from it.

Basically the title explains what I’m asking about. There would be times where I would encounter ai generated video ads of “stories” revolving around a woman who is considered a luna and is fated to become an alpha’s mate. If I’m being honest, I’m not entirely sure if the luna term is related to omegaverse works or not. So essentially what I’m asking is, what is a luna and what’s their role in werewolf type stories?


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Werewolves by alekksandarart

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346 Upvotes

At first, I was like: RAWR

But then, I was like: Can I have my phone call now, please?

Art by alekk.art


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Fav werewolf movie/show?

17 Upvotes

for the spooky season


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Interesting passage by King James VI and I on werewolves in his Daemonologie.

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9 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Preparing for Halloween with Wolfbane

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71 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 2d ago

Baldri Unbound by Hufnaar

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535 Upvotes

The danger of trying to keep a freshly turned werewolf as a pet. One day, he might slip his leash. The vampiric Magnus Clan will learn that lesson the hard way.


r/werewolves • • 23h ago

The characters gather in medieval inns to hide/plot

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3 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Okay, which one of you posted this?

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10 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Monster Garou/Collie Comm'd Art piece! NSFW

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68 Upvotes

What if you and your girlfriend became bloodthirsty monsters, ate a bunch of people, and then you both ate your best friend for dessert?

Perfect date night!

(Don't worry, he'll come back! Eventually)

Artwork by my good friend Edd! https://x.com/EddKono


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Discussions of Darkness, Episode 35: Would You Like To See Werewolf, Changeling, Or Something Else?

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3 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 2d ago

Werewolf TF sequence by GarDaWolf

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145 Upvotes

Yes I spoke on third person of myself... and yes I enjoyed drawing this and yes it has NSFW alt... no you can't see it here, hope you enjoy this little sequence as much as I did...

In my bluesky you'll find both versions and the transcribed text for easier reading, do not use my art to train any AI's, do not feed it to them, I am sharing it with you cuz I care for this... and I want you to see it and enjoy it my brethren... werewolf enjoyers


r/werewolves • • 1d ago

Happy with candies[OC] art by Sirius_Fluffy(me)_timelapse

14 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 2d ago

The Werewolf by Isvoc

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200 Upvotes

r/werewolves • • 2d ago

Evil vs tragic vs savage?

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152 Upvotes

Do you prefer:

The original mythological conception of werewolves as deliberately transforming out of evil intent?

The Hollywood tragedy of the unintentionally cursed?

The idea of werewolves as savage but equally able to be noble as well as evil?