The dark history of werewolves - Craig Thomson

438,863 views ・ 2023-10-26

TED-Ed


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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In the fall of 1589, the town of Bedburg, Germany,
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held a highly publicized trial.
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Peter Stubbe was accused of several gruesome crimes,
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including murder, assault, and cannibalism.
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But perhaps the most sinister accusation of them all,
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was of being a werewolf.
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In his confession, Peter claimed that the devil had given him a magic girdle,
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which allowed him to transform into a wolf and perform his horrific acts.
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Stories of werewolves existed well before this trial and continue to live on today.
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They’re especially prominent in European literature and folklore,
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and often found in cultures where the wolf is the largest natural predator.
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Over the years, the image of the werewolf has continuously evolved,
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often reflecting the fears and prejudices of that time.
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In early literature, werewolves were sometimes painted as sympathetic figures:
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victims of curses who longed to return to their human form.
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In the story of Gilgamesh,
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one of the earliest written accounts of werewolves from over 4.000 years ago,
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a shepherd falls in love with the goddess of love, Ishtar,
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who transforms him into a wolf when she grows tired of his affection.
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In this and several other stories that followed,
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werewolves were often men who had fallen prey to deceitful, alluring women.
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In the medieval story of “Bisclavret,”
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a knight is trapped in wolf form by the cunning of his wife,
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who leaves him to elope with another man.
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Other early stories explored fears about the darker side of human nature,
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including taboos such as cannibalism and murder.
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In ancient Greek mythology,
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King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf by Zeus,
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after he attempted to trick the god into eating human flesh.
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As Catholicism spread throughout Europe,
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werewolves became increasingly linked to magic, sorcery, and pagan belief.
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By the 16th century, many people struggled separating werewolf fiction from fact.
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Political, economic, and religious upheavals
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gave rise to the infamous European witch trials.
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And while witches were the main targets, in some areas,
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alleged werewolves like Peter Stubbe were also tried and executed.
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Today, some historians view the trials as driven by a fear of outsiders,
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as well as society's early attempts to understand brutal crimes.
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While public belief in werewolves died down by the 17th century
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as medicine and psychology advanced,
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the myth would re-emerge in literature.
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By the Victorian period, werewolves had transformed again,
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often embodying fears of moral and psychological decay.
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In George Reynolds’s “Wagner the Wehrwolf,”
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the protagonist makes a pact with the devil to achieve eternal youth.
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But in return, he transforms into a violent howling wolf
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at the end of every month.
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By the mid-20th century,
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werewolves found a new home to haunt— the silver screen.
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Here, the werewolf began to take its modern form.
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For example, the idea that the curse could be transmitted through bites
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and triggered by a full moon
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was first popularized with the 1935 film “Werewolf of London.”
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Produced in the United States,
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the film identifies the werewolf infection as originating from the east—
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specifically Tibet.
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This mirrored xenophobic fears of the time—
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that East Asian immigrants into North America and Europe
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threatened the stability and power of the west.
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Werewolf hunters adopted silver as their weapon of choice
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after its use in 1941′s “The Wolf Man.”
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Written by Jewish writer Curt Siodmak,
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the film is viewed by many scholars as an allegory for Nazi brutality.
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In the film, a pentagram appears on the palm of the werewolf’s next victim,
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which is thought to allude to the compulsory Star of David badges
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found in Europe during the 1930 and 40s.
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Since the 1950s, cinematic werewolves have frequently infected
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a new group of victims:
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the teenager.
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Here, werewolves are often symbols of male aggression
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and the uncertainty of adolescence.
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By the end of the century,
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some films began to use the beastly transformation
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to explore themes of puberty,
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occasionally with a distinctly feminist perspective.
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Yet, like all great monsters, the werewolf lives on,
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and will continue changing to fit its future audience’s needs.
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But, for the time being, it may be best to stock up on silver,
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keep to the road, and beware the moon.
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