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Audiobook edition · 6 h 14 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What did people see when they believed a human being could turn into a wolf?
In The Book of Were-Wolves, Sabine Baring-Gould follows a frightening belief through ancient tales, northern sagas, medieval romances and court records. He asks where the werewolf comes from and why it holds its grip. Greek tradition tells of Lycaon becoming a wolf; the Volsunga Saga brings Sigmund and his son Sinfjotli to wolf skins hidden in a hut.
The search grows darker in the records of trials in France and Germany. Gilles Garnier, a hermit near Dole, is among those tried and put to death. Baring-Gould sets grim cases beside old stories, then proposes his own explanation in terms of madness and hunger. His question reaches beyond the monster: what human experience lies beneath the fear?
What you’ll discover
- Ancient roots of fear Follow the werewolf into Greek and Roman tales, where human bodies take on frightening shapes.
- Wolf skins and sagas Meet Sigmund and Sinfjotli as the northern tradition gives the wolf legend a different form.
- A monster deserving pity Discover medieval romances in which a blameless nobleman is forced to live in wolf shape.
- Stories before the judges Confront court records where belief in monsters carries terrible consequences for real people.
- The hunger beneath legend Consider Baring-Gould's proposal that a craving for blood and flesh helps explain werewolf belief.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy folklore, Norse sagas, old trial records and true tales of the strange, and a curious, opinionated guide who follows one legend across many lands.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A village fear starts a scholar's search
- Ancient writers already told of wolf-men
- Norse sagas describe three ways to change shape
- Berserkers and word play explain the northern myth
- Medieval chroniclers mix madness with fear
- Courtrooms record killers who felt like wolves
- Folklore carries the wolf around the world
- Cruelty and hallucination can explain lycanthropy
- Myths of soul, storm and cloud fed the legend
- Real horrors and a sober sermon close the case
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Le Livre des loups-garous
by S. Baring-Gould · 1865
A traveler crosses a marsh at dusk with a stick, after villagers warn him about a fearsome werewolf.
Medium level5–10 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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In short
Picture a marsh at dusk. A thin new moon hangs low, frogs trill in the pools, and a white road runs straight across the fen.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A village fear starts a scholar's search
The book opens with a scene, not an argument. The author is tired and needs a ride back to his lodging, but the villagers have only a plough on wooden wheels. Then the mayor speaks, and his voice drops. The marsh is not safe, because of the loups-garoux. An ordinary wolf would be nothing. This one is a man, a fiend and a wolf at once.
The Englishman says he will go alone, and if he meets the beast he will send its ears and tail to the mayor.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1865
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 4 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Baring-Gould, Sabine. The Book of Were-Wolves. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-were-wolves.
Baring-Gould, S. (2026). The book of were-wolves. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-were-wolves (Original work published 1865)
Baring-Gould, Sabine. The Book of Were-Wolves. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-were-wolves.
@book{baringgould2026book,
author = {Baring-Gould, Sabine},
title = {The Book of Were-Wolves},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-were-wolves},
note = {First published 1865}
}
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What is The Book of Were-Wolves about?
It studies werewolf belief from ancient Greece and Rome through Norse sagas, medieval chronicles and trial records to modern folklore. The author argues that the legend grew from real cases of madness, bloodlust and hallucination in people who believed they were beasts.
What does hamr mean, and what is a berserker?
Hamr is the Old Norse word for skin or garment, and it came to mean a body that a soul could wear. A berserker was a warrior in a bear or wolf shirt, later linked to fits of frenzy.
Is The Book of Were-Wolves a true story?
It is nonfiction, published in 1865, not a novel. The author quotes real trial records, chronicles and sagas, along with folk tales he presents as stories. His theory that a disordered mind explains the legend is his own interpretation.
The author
Sabine Baring-Gould
1834–1924 · English novelist and folklorist
Sabine Baring-Gould (1834–1924) was an English clergyman, novelist, antiquarian and collector of folk songs. He was born in Exeter and later lived at Lewtrenchard in Devon, where he died. His writings included The Book of Were-Wolves, published in 1865, and the novel Grettir the Outlaw, published in 1890.
More by S. Baring-Gould
Voir tous ses livresMore like this
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