The following annotated
bibliography on werewolves and lycanthropes was written by Aaron
Belloni and Jessica Wilcox for Kip Wheeler's English 199
Class ("Writings About Medieval Monsters"), on July 19, 2001.
Annotated Bibliography
on Werewolves and Lycanthropes
Baring-Gould, Sabine. The Book of Were-Wolves. Detroit:
Omingraphics, Inc. 1989.
This book has excellent entries and will save valuable research
time. It is a must see for the study of Lycanthopy. Baring-Gould has
complied works of werewolf mythology, folklore and studies ranging from
the times of Ovid, Herodotus and Petronias to the late 1800's. However,
if you are looking for a book with an extensive bibliography, this is
not your book because it does not have one. Available at Knight Library.
Black, George F. "A List of Works Relating to Lycanthropy."
New York: New York Public Library, 1910.
Short list, but may be useful when first starting out.
Cambrensis, Geraldus. "The Wonderful Happenings of our own Time;
and First About a Wolf that Talked with a Priest." The History and
Topography of Ireland. Trans. John J. O'meara. Atlantic Highlands:
Humanities press, 1982. 69-72.
If you wish to see Geraldus's account of the werewolf you
may consider saving research time and refer to the book by Charlotte
F. Otten mentioned below. Available at Knight Library.
Magnas, Olas. Description of the Northern Peoples. Vol
III. Trans. Peter Fisher and Humphrey Higgens. Ed. Peter Foot. London:
The Hukluyt Society, 1998. 928-931. 3 Vols.
Magnus's three chapters on werewolves are rather short, but
worth looking at. He gives a good look of how the werewolf is seen through
the eyes of the northern countries of Europe. There is also a short,
but descriptive section on the metamorphosis process. Available at Knight
Library.
Otten, Charlotte F, Ed. A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves
in Western Culture. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1986.
This is by far the best and most informative book I found
on Lycanthropy. Otten includes in her book a series of medical cases,
diagnoses, descriptions, trail records, historical accounts, sightings,
philosophical and theological approaches to metamorphosis, critical
essays on lycanthropy myth and legends, and allegory. This book is full
of great accounts of the werewolf that date as far back as Ovid's time
(43 B.C.-A.D. 18) yet focuses on the lycanthropic beliefs of the medieval
era. Also a must see is the extensive bibliography, page 321. Available
at Knight Library.
Ovid. (Publius Ovidius Naso). Metamorphoses. Trans. Rolfe
Humphries. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1955. 9-11.
Ovid's story of Lycaon in Metamorphoses is the first
written account of a man transforming into the form of a wolf. To save
time in the library you may also find Ovid's story of Lycaon in the
books by Charlotte F. Otten and Sabine Baring-Gould. Both available
at Knight Library.
Remy, Nicolas. Demonolatry. Trans. E.A. Aswin. Ed. Montague
Summers. London: Jon Rodker, 1930. 108-114.
This book was first published at Lyons in 1595 and has since
been revised by Montague Summers and republished in 1930. Summers includes
this book in the bibliography of his book The Werewolf, it may
be worthwhile to see how Summers uses Remy's work to form his own conclusions.
Also, Charlotte F. Otten and Sabine Baring-Gould both refer to Remy's
book. I would say it is definitely worth a look. However, there is not
a bibliography. Available at Knight Library.
Sales, Herberto. The Werewolf and Other Tales. London:
Collings 1928.
Retold By Herberto Sales; Translated (from Portuguese) by Richard
Goddard. I found this title in the UO library files, but couldn't
find the actual book. It might be helpful as another culturally distinct
reference (as opposed to Eastern European literature which seems to
be in abundance) but only if you can find it....
Sandermose, Aksel. The Werewolf; Varuluen Translated
From Norwegian By Gustaf Lannestock. Madison, University of Wisconsin
Press, 1966.
This is confusing because of the translation issue, but others may
have more luck with it than I did.
Sidky, H. Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Drugs, and Disease: an
Anthropological Study of the European Witch Hunts. New York: Peter
Lang 1997.
One of the best references I have found--chapters include Wolves
and Werewolves, Werewolf Hunts and Lycanthropy Trials, Wolf Madness:
Lycanthropy and Disease, Mad Wolves and Wolf Madness, Hallucinogenic
Drugs and Lycanthropy, and Sociological Considerations (pg 215- 254).
Interesting connections between Lycanthropes and Witches, ties to
religious and political issues of the time (1500s). *Be sure to catch
the insight into hallucinogens and Lycanthropy--this is the only source
I've found that mentions it.
Summers, Montague. The Werewolf. London: Hyde Park University
Books, 1966.
The Werewolf is written in great detail. Summers breaks apart
Europe, discussing each country's or region's version of the werewolf.
There is a lot of useful information here, but finding what you want
may be a time consuming process. However, to your benefit there is
an index and a very large bibliography. You should be aware that over
half of the books in the bibliography are in French or other non-English
languages. Available at Knight Library. --Aaron Belloni. Seems to
have some older ideas, but not as grounded in medieval times as needed.
Worth looking at for general knowledge.--Jessica Wilcox. [Dr.
Wheeler's note: Montague Summers has also an extensive publication
record concerning vampires and witches. The version above is an older
reprint of a London version from K. Paul, Trench, and Tubner publications
in 1933. ]
