Europe’s large-scale persecution of witchcraft, along with related concerns about therianthropes, occurred not during the Dark Ages, but during the Renaissance that followed. And while passionate interest in demons may have been consistent with Renaissance interest in science, it was more a part of science than we commonly assume.
The fiction here, which may be more accessible to general readers than some critical or historical sources, supports Ms. Otten’s claim of a “werewolf myth.” . . We meet evil werewolves and others who are innocent humans under a curse. A strange pattern emerges. The author assures us: “Myths are symbolic. The moral and the metaphysical do not exist apart from the mythical form, but are embodied in it, and myths are religious. Whether they are deaf or symbols of the unconscious (or both), myths are by their very nature truer than history.”
A very interesting part of the book is written by early 20th century British “ghost hunter” Elliot O’Donnell, who describes three actual sightings of the ghost of a werewolf with disarrayed bones. No modern reader would be convinced by Mr. O’Donnell’s words that his subject really saw these monsters, but the story is fascinating, and it is reminiscent of Algernon Blackwood and Sheridan Le Fanu. It has the deep, chilling quality of a good story. It’s a naked gray thing with a human body but a wolf’s head. When it darted forward and its eyes of light flared with ferocity, she instinctively felt in her pocket, pulled out a pocket flashlight, and pressed the button. The effect was magical. The creature cowered, placed a paw-like hand in front of its face to protect its eyes, and disappeared. ”
In short, it provides a wealth of material and insight, of which Ms. Otten’s commentary forms an important part. This book is a rare combination of thorough scholarship and fun reading.
If there’s anything missing here, it’s perhaps a direct confrontation with the erotic aspects of the werewolf myth. “To admit werewolves into human consciousness is to acknowledge the need to examine the moral foundations of society,” Ms. Otten said. But there’s something undeniably sexual about humans becoming hairy beasts. Myths and stories have explicit sexual overtones, but nowhere are these openly discussed. What I’m saying is that werewolves often embody a powerful blend of masochistic and sadistic elements. On the other hand, humans are forced to submit to beastly perversions and are degraded. On the other hand, he appears as a powerful and sadistic predator who is able to ruthlessly destroy other men. Both the victim and the victim, the werewolf is shrouded in magic and may evoke emotions in us that are difficult to define.
