Does anyone have some good stories about werewolves?

Question

No really common ones, just interesting ones or links to them. I just enjoy reading stories and legends of werewolves.

Answer 1

The Werewolf
F. Asmus and O. Knoop
By using a so-called wolf strap, any person could transform himself into a werewolf. Whoever fastened such a strap around himself would turn into a wolf. If someone called out the name of a person who had turned himself into a wolf, that person would regain his human form.

In earlier times there were a great many such straps, but today, along with the wolves, they seem to have been banned to Russia.

A wolf strap was a gift from the devil. A person who possessed such a strap could not get rid of it, however much he wanted to. Anyone who accepted a wolf strap also had entered into brotherhood with the devil, surrendering body and soul to him.

If real wolves were feared in earlier times, werewolves were feared all the more. A real wolf could be shot dead or lured into a so-called wolf pit, where it would perish from hunger. However, a werewolf could not be brought down with a rifle bullet, nor would it ever fall into a wolf pit.

The reader will perhaps ask, "What is the use of running around as a werewolf?"

This was not done for no good reason. When the pantries and meat containers were empty, one would only have to fasten on the wolf strap, run off as a wolf, seek out a fat sheep that was wandering off toward the edge of the woods, creep towards it, seize it, and drag it into the woods. In the evening one could bring it home without anyone noticing. Or the werewolf would know when a peasant was going through the woods with a lot of money. He would ambush him, rob him, then run off across the field with the booty.

In earlier times, after the horses had been unhitched from a wagon or a plow, they would be driven out to a community pasture where they would be watched until morning by two herdsmen. Even colts were put out for the night. People took turns watching after them.

Now once it happened that one of the two herdsmen had a wolf strap. After both herdsmen had kept watch for several hours they got sleepy and laid their heads down. The first one, however, who had heard that his companion possessed a wolf strap, only pretended to be asleep, and the other one thought that he was indeed sleeping. He quickly fastened the strap around himself and ran off as a wolf. The other one got up and saw how his companion ran up to a colt, attacked it, and devoured it.

After this had happened, the wolf man came back and lay down to sleep. Toward morning they both awoke. The werewolf man was rolling around on the ground and groaning loudly. The other one asked him what was wrong.

He said that he had a horrible stomach ache.

To this the first one said, "The devil himself would have a stomach ache if he had eaten an entire colt at one time."

The werewolf asked him to say nothing about what had happened. He kept silent about it for a long time, but later he did tell me about it, and now I too feel free to tell about it, because both men have been dead for a long time.


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A Harz Mountain Werewolf Tale

Count van Breber and his countess Hilda were vacationing in the Harz Mountains in Germany. One night they stopped over at an inn, and, while talking to the innkeeper, they told him of how they had terrible difficulty crossing a brook on their way. The innkeeper identified the brook, and then told the couple that they should never drink from the brook. Realizing that she had taken a drink from the brook, Hilda grew horrified. Soon after she began to have nightmares, and act peculiarly. Also around that time, a string of child-snatchings began to take place.

One night, a woman came into the office of the Count, and begged him to follow her, claiming that she had seen the beast who took her child. The woman was able to run faster than the Count, and chased the beast into a house. From the outside, the Count heard screams, mixed with animal noises. After he got inside, the Count saw the dead body of the woman, along with the hooded beast in the corner. He noticed the shape of a woman, but also, signs of hair growing rampantly on her body. The beast went for the window, causing the Count to shoot. When he found a light, he was able to see clearly that the person he had shot was his countess

Answer 2

My favorite is one about a hunter finding a hand with a ring in a trap.

The strange thing about the hand is that it looks like a lady's hand with a fancy ring, in some stories, the ring bears a family symbol betraying the wearer. But the story always ends with the lady dying mysteriously, probably bleeding to death.

Answer 3

In a village there lived a woman whose first name was Trine. Her husband had been dead for a long time. The woman lived in impoverished circumstances, but nonetheless, she was always able to offer fresh meat to those who visited her.

One time a male relative came to visit her, and she offered him good fresh meat.

The man said to her, "Tell me, Trine, where did you get this nice mutton?"

Trine answered, "I'll show you. Just climb up onto the roof with the ladder that is leaning against the back of the house."

The man did what Trine asked him to do. In the distance he saw a herd of sheep. Suddenly a wolf came out of the brush, ran into the midst of the sheep, and was about to run away with one of them. The shepherd saw this in time, and with his dog took off after the wolf in order to rescue the sheep. The wolf defended itself.

The man on the roof, knowing what kind of wolf it was, called out, "Trine, watch out!"

Suddenly Trine was standing there in her true form. Then the shepherd began striking out at her with renewed vigor, and Trine was scarcely able to drag herself back home.


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Source: F. Asmus and O. Knoop, "Eine Frau verwandelt sich in einen Werwolf," Sagen und Erzählungen aus dem Kreise Kolberg-Körlin (Kolberg: Druck und Verlag der C. F. Post'schen Buchhandlung und Buchdruckerei, 1898), pp. 41-42.

Asmus's and Knoop's source: "Told by Herr W. Rexilius, a carpenter."

The Kolberg-Körlin district is on the Baltic Sea, in present-day Poland.

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The Werewolf of Alt-Marrin
F. Asmus and O. Knoop
About sixty years ago in Alt-Marrin there lived a man by the name of Gust K. He too possessed a wolf strap, with which he brought about much damage and misery. Finally the strap was taken from him, and it was to be burned. Three times the baking oven was heated up, and three times the strap was thrown into the glowing fire, but each time it jumped back out of the flames.

Nor would water damage the strap. It always returned.

However, the pastor from Fritzow finally burned it up. When Gust K. died, the pastor at Alt-Marrin could not finish the Lord's Prayer, and they called on the pastor from Fritzow. The latter said, "Away, away with it!"

When they tried to lower him into the earth, the grave opening was too small, so the pallbearers had to trample him down with their feet. For a long time afterward there was always a hole in his grave mound, but it will have closed up by now, for grass has been growing over the story of Gust K. for a long time now.

Answer 4

check this book out
The passion by Donna Boyd and her second book is called
The promise
you will like it.