This story reminded me of a French film called "Brotherhood of the Wolf" released in 2001. I believe that was based on a true story too. This was fascinating and very well-written!
Thank you so much, Alicia, that means a lot to me. Brotherhood of the Wolf is such a haunting comparison, and yes, it draws loosely on the real Beast of Gévaudan case in France. I think those old stories become most unsettling when they stand with one foot in history and the other in fear. I’m very glad this one felt that way to you.
Oh...that was very, very good. The contagion of fear for which there is no vaccine. Question: in the era around 1685, was the concept of a werewolf well developed, accepted?
Thank you so much for reading and for the generous feedback, Jude. As far as I know, by 1685, the idea of the werewolf was already well established in European folklore and belief, so it would not have felt like a modern fantasy concept. And more generally, the notion of a human taking animal form or of something human entering an animal shape, was already a very old and familiar one. In that sense, a story like this would have been culturally legible to people at the time, especially in a world where the supernatural still felt possible.
Diving into all these stories has been amazing. I am happy I found folks such as yourself collecting and sharing!!
Thank you so much, that means a great deal. I’m very glad these old stories are finding their way to readers who care for them.
This story reminded me of a French film called "Brotherhood of the Wolf" released in 2001. I believe that was based on a true story too. This was fascinating and very well-written!
Thank you so much, Alicia, that means a lot to me. Brotherhood of the Wolf is such a haunting comparison, and yes, it draws loosely on the real Beast of Gévaudan case in France. I think those old stories become most unsettling when they stand with one foot in history and the other in fear. I’m very glad this one felt that way to you.
I will for sure be following your work, Martin! This was the first article of yours I read and I absolutely loved it.
Oh...that was very, very good. The contagion of fear for which there is no vaccine. Question: in the era around 1685, was the concept of a werewolf well developed, accepted?
Thank you so much for reading and for the generous feedback, Jude. As far as I know, by 1685, the idea of the werewolf was already well established in European folklore and belief, so it would not have felt like a modern fantasy concept. And more generally, the notion of a human taking animal form or of something human entering an animal shape, was already a very old and familiar one. In that sense, a story like this would have been culturally legible to people at the time, especially in a world where the supernatural still felt possible.