Werewolves

Werewolves
	; Cover art to Beyond #1 from Ace Magazines.
Other Names	Werewolves, Lycanthropes, Wolf Men
First Appearance	European folklore
Created by	Unknown

Origin[]

In folklore, a werewolf or occasionally lycanthrope, is an individual who can shape-shift into a wolf either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction, often a bite or the occasional scratch from another werewolf, with the transformations occurring on the night of a full moon.

Beware05 werewolf — Cover art to Beware #5.

The werewolf is a widespread concept in European folklore, existing in many variants, which are related by a common development of a Christian interpretation of underlying European folklore developed during the medieval period. From the early modern period, werewolf beliefs spread to the New World with colonialism. Belief in werewolves developed in parallel to the belief in witches, during the Late Middle Ages and the early modern period. Like the witchcraft trials as a whole, the trial of supposed werewolves emerged in what is now Switzerland, especially the Valais and Vaud, in the early 15th century and spread throughout Europe in the 16th, peaking in the 17th and subsiding by the 18th century.

The persecution of werewolves and the associated folklore is an integral part of the "witch-hunt" phenomenon, albeit a marginal one, accusations of lycanthropy being involved in only a small fraction of witchcraft trials. During the early period, accusations of lycanthropy (transformation into a wolf) were mixed with accusations of wolf-riding or wolf-charming. The case of Peter Stumpp (1589) led to a significant peak in both interest in and persecution of supposed werewolves, primarily in French-speaking and German-speaking Europe. The phenomenon persisted longest in Bavaria and Austria, with persecution of wolf-charmers recorded until well after 1650, the final cases taking place in the early 18th century in Carinthia and Styria.

An early example of a Werewolf from classic antiquity is included by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. In the story, Zeus visits Lycaon disguised as a common man, Lycaon wants to test if he is really a god. To that end, he kills a Molossian hostage and serve his entrails to Zeus. Disgusted, the god turns Lycaon into a wolf.

Also Herodotus, in his Histories, wrote that according to what the Scythians and the Greeks settled in Scythia told him, the Neuri, which was a tribe to the north-east of Scythia, were all transformed into wolves once every year for several days and then changed back to their human shape.

Public Domain Appearances[]

All published appearances of werewolves from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

Public Domain Literary Appearances[]

Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf (1846): Wagner gives the last year of his life to a guy named John Faust to become a werewolf in exchange for wealth and youth.
The Book of Were-wolves (1865)
The Wolf Leader (1870): A man sells his soul for the vengeful powers of a wolf.
The Man-Wolf (1876)
The Were-Wolf (1896): Sweyn falls in love with a beautiful woman named White Fell, who is revealed to be a werewolf.
The Werewolf (1911)
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914): In Dracula's Guest, a supernatural wolf protected Harker, tending to his wounds and trying to keep him warm. The identity of this supernatural wolf is not clear, but it's heavily implied to have been, if not Count Dracula himself, some werewolf servant sent by him to ensure Harker's protection (as Dracula still needed him at this point).

Public Domain Film Appearances[]

The White Wolf (1914)
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922): Transylvania, the home of the vampire Count Orlok, appears to be the haunt of many nightmarish creatures, including a werewolf (which was actually played by a hyena in the film).
Le Loup-Garou (1923)
Wolf Blood (1925)
The Face at the Window (1939)
The Mad Monster (1942)
Terror is a Man (1959)
Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory (1961)
The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here! (1972)
Moon of the Wolf (1972)
Werewolf of Washington (1973)

Public Domain Comic Appearances[]

Hand of Fate #21, 25b:
- In issue 25b, Brett Hannigan and his partner in crime Nita Dell robbed the main offices of a carnival and decided to hide out from the police in a waxworks show's tent. They seek refuge in hollow statues of a werewolf and tigerwoman respectively. However, the police shoot the statues and take the crooks into custody with a slight pulse. However, the waxworks show owner Lizette used black magic to transform Nita and Brett into the monster they hid in so that she could get revenge on the police for destroying her irreplaceable statutes.
Fantastic Fears #2, 8:
- Issue 2 featured Elmer the Hunter, a werewolf hunting a vampire version of Little Red Riding Hood in the Okefenokee Swamps of Georgia.
- Issue 8 had a horror version of Little Red Riding Hood with the Big Bad Wolf as a werewolf.
Moon Girl Fights Crime #8:Mabelene is a werewolf who assists the witch Lurani in her pursuits, being tasked with bringing victims to sacrifice to the Moon-God Lurani serves. She was defeated by Moon Girl when the werewolf was struck in the heart with a silver knife, killing her.
Forbidden Worlds #1, 24:
- In issue 1, Dr. Walker runs across a feral child being raised by wolves in India. The locals tell him to leave her alone, as she is marked.He takes the girl home with him to adopt as his daughter, naming her Canisa. When she is an adult, Ondok and his group of werewolves kill Dr. Walker so that Ondok might regain Canisa, who bears his mark. The mark means she is bound to marry the werewolf. This Issue also featured a text story titled Monsieur Werewolf.
- Issue #24 features a story titled The Werewolf's Fangs.
Horrific #8-13, Terrific #14:Walter Werewolf is one of a group of narrators for the Horrific series of comics under the leadership of the Teller of Tales.
Four Favorites #1-2, 4-5, 20:
- Adolph Krimetz was a werewolf rejected by society for most of his life. While attending Sumter Military Academy in 1921, he was dubbed "Wolf" Krimetz. Angry, he attacked one of his tormentors and accidentally killed him. Fearing the law, Krimetz fled into the woods, and took residence in the mountains as a hermit. There, his hatred and resentment toward society consumed him, and he found ample time to plan his revenge. He was eventually stopped by Lash Lightning.
- In issue 20, A reported werewolf sighting is investigated by Isobel Blake on the property of professor Davis.
Rangers Comics #8-41; Ghost Comics #3,5: Werewolf Hunter, Professor Armand Broussard, was a leading expert on the occult who traveled to help those who complain of paranormal trouble.
Horror from the Tomb #1: A werewolf falls in love with a girl, kills her husband then finds out she is a werelion.
Nightmare (Skywald) #5, 16, 23:
- In Issue 5, A doctor hypnotizes a man so he can delve into his previous life. It turns out long ago in the 19th century he was a werewolf who was killed by angry villagers. Through hypnosis he becomes a werewolf again in the modern day.
- Issue 9 featured the story The Werewolf Within and was the first appearance of the Darkkos Manse called Darkkos Mansion in the last page of the story.
- In Issue 16, features two werewolf stories The Birth of a Beast and Dragnet: Werewolf
- Issue #23 has a story featuring werewolves tilted Tradition of the Wolf.
Nightmare (St. John) #3: After a trip to Europe, Eric Lupin gets infected with lycanthropy and becomes a werewolf terrorizing New York's Washington Square.
The 1974 Nightmare Yearbook: Psychiatrist Bund finds more than he bargained for when he makes a patient relive an earlier life.
Star Studded Comics :A man's wife is killed in an auto accident, but mysteriously lives on in ghost form, and she is out to protect her husband from a pack of werewolves.
Chamber of Chills #6: A man turns into a werewolf and kills his wife. Before he can kill his son, he is able to kill himself and end the curse.
Airboy Comics v7 #10: Count Bartos is angry at his son because he will not go out and hunt wolves as he has done before. However, Franz claims the wolf they are after is a werewolf! Franz agrees to the hunt and faces the creature which bites him before the werewolf is killed. A few years later, the Baron and Franz are in the same air squadron, and Franz, at first, refuses to fly because of a full moon. When he does and crashes, the Baron sees a wolf at the controls.....and seconds later is shot down. Many years later, the Heap is drawn to Hungary and seeks out the Count's son, and later destroying him.
Feature Comics #71: Zero uses the "ghost disintegrator" on the spirit of a werewolf.
Journey into Fear#15: Bill and his wife Betty move into her family estate in the New England countryside. Residing in the house is Clara the housekeeper, an old and mysterious lady. Betty later finds out about the curse of a werewolf that has plagued the area for decades and discovers the connection with her own family bloodline after finding out her dead grandfather had been a werewolf. Meanwhile a werewolf begins stalking the area claiming victim after victim, sending the locals into a panic. Is this creature the mysterious Clara or is there something else going on in regards to the family curse?
Zip Comics #32: A fake werewolf preys on the French people to get skin and bones to use in surgery on wounded German soldiers. The Nazi werewolf is stopped by Steel Sterling.
Baffling Mysteries #7, 13, 19:
- In issue 7, A werewolf is on the rampage in the English countryside. A brave young constable suspects the ominous Sir Langley, but things turn out different.13
- In issue 13, Ambitious actor goes method acting to portray a werewolf onstage. He joins a band of werewolves, supplies them with victims and learns their behavior and rites. He gets to be a success, but turns into a werewolf himself and is shot dead.
- Issue 19, reprints the story The Werewolf Strikes! from Beyond #1.
Eerie #1: Robert Warsham, last of the Warsham clan, hurries to his uncle’s death bed and learns about a family curse. In an experiment gone wrong decades ago, the scientist partner of Vincent Warsham was turned into a were-beast and killed. When the members of the Warsham family turn 45 years of age, the wolfman stalks and kills them in revenge.
Strange Mysteries #18, 21:
- In Issue 18, A tombstone engraver is a werewolf who kills villagers and then makes money by carving their tombstones. Police set fire to the house he is in, and find that he has carved his own tombstone.
- In issue 21, A werewolf is killing women in New York City. He is killed by the police.
Ibis the Invincible #1: Ibis fights and slays a werewolf.
Haunted Thrills #3: Bolton Baker discovers Gloria Webb attracts victims for James Tinker, a werewolf. This story was originally titled "Calamity Clock" with Bolton Baker replacing Ellery Queen.
Voodoo #1, 10:
- Issue #1 features the Tale of the Werewolf of Walpurgis Hollow.
- Issue #10 features Fangs of the Werewolf where police hunt down a werewolf, who turns out to be the police doctor's fiancée.
Adventures into the Unknown #4, 14, 20, 26, 30, 36:
- In issue 4, Elliot O'Donnell enjoyed a successful career investigating claims of the supernatural and helping free people from supernatural manifestations. As an example, Elliot is shown to exorcise a werewolf haunting a house.
- Issue 14 has a story titled The Were Wolf Strikes which features a Nazi werewolf.
- Issue 20 features the story World of Werewolves.
- Issue 26 features the story The Werewolf Burial.
- In issue 30, Duke Masters buys Werewolf Valley to clear cut all the trees, despite his having the knowledge that werewolves will come out when their valley is disturbed.
The Beyond #1, 2, 13, 21, 27, 29:
- In issue 1, Professor Drago is a werewolf, but working on a formula to keep his human form. But time runs out and Drago gets cornered.
- In Issue 13, A wild wolf-boy from the Carpathian mountains is found in the wilderness and brought up by a caring professor. He is named Druga, gets trained to shake off his werewolf cravings and even goes to university. When his werewolf heritage overpowers Druga again, the hunt is on. A silver bullet seals his fate.
- In issue 21, London file clerk Gregory Cooper wants to be a Scotland Yard detective. He helps the police stalking a rampant south African werewolf by transforming himself into one. In a duel of the werewolves Cooper is overcome by bloodlust and shot dead by detectives.
- In issue 27, A dentist extracts all his rival's teeth and replaces them with dog's teeth - turning the man into a werewolf. After going on a rampage, the beast is caught and the teeth are removed again, rendering the man harmless. Only now the doctor got bitten and turns werewolf.
- In issue 29, A man starts a life with a new family wanting nothing more than to put his terrible first marriage behind him. However he is then called to the deathbed of his first wife, who lets the man know that his first-born was born with a long 3rd finger, a sure sign that he is cursed to be a werewolf. Years later, the first-born returns, his curse fulfilled, intent on claiming his inheritance.
Captain Midnight #47: A wounded U.S. Army Intelligence Sergeant is captured by Storm von Kloud, who realizes the young soldier is a gold mine of information for his Werewolf Corps: a group of Nazis still fighting under his leadership. They are stopped by Captain Midnight.
Police Comics #30: Destiny's trance power transports him to Nazi-occupied Poland, where he tussles with a werewolf.
Psycho #6, 10, 11
- Issue 11 featured the werewolf who had originally appeared in the Darkos Mansion story from Nightmare #9.
Worlds of Fear #2, 10:
- Issue #2 features Curse of the Werewolf where an elderly zoologist, Emil Sonsine, tries to save a man's life by giving him blood, but gets a werewolf affliction in return. He is torn between a new powerful self and feelings of guilt and remorse. When Sonsine learns that his sweetheart loves another man he confronts his rival in a deadly showdown.
- Issue 10 features the guidelines to the ritual for becoming a werewolf.
Crack Comics #5, 15:
- In Issue 5, In a strange town, Kim is kidnapped by a man named Raffrey, who, in reality, is a werewolf. Captain Triumph shows no remorse for the evil creature by delivering a fatal blow to it, even after he had reverted back into human form.
- In issue 15, whether he is supernatural or only human, the Clock must find a way to overcome the Werewolf......and live to tell the story.
Adventures into Darkness #11: Young Jody experiences his transformation into a werewolf and runs with the pack of local wolves.
Strange #2: An unnamed ghost and Charlie, wearing a Death-like robe, seek advice about haunting an old mansion from Emily Ghost, a Morticia-like character. A werewolf shows up during the lessons. Two newlyweds arrive, escaping from a storm. The monsters scare them only because the eloping newlyweds think that their parents have found them.
Dark Shadows vol. #1 #2: Re-prints of the story from Strange #2.
Tales of Horror #7: Dinky was a perennial loser in the boxing world. One day he decided to dress up as a werewolf to scare the other boxers into losing their matches. However his twisted hate turned him into a real werewolf and he began to kill, until he was destroyed by his intended victim's pet wolfhound.
Red Seal Comics #17: Lady Satan encounters three children that are under the control of a werewolf who turns them into werewolves and who attack her. She fends them off using her Xanda Powder, then calls up the Shadow People to lead her to the madman responsible so that she can end his reign of terror.
This Magazine is Haunted #14: Barber Louie is ridiculed by his customers for his baldness. So he makes a wig out of the fast-growing hair of a werewolf he kills in his shop. The werewolf wig however keeps growing and attacks Louie.
Frankenstein #4, 10:
- In issue 4, Businessmen ask Frankenstein to help find and kill a werewolf.
- In issue 10, Frankenstein helps a werewolf return to a normal appearance.
Blue Circle Comics v1 #2: Gail Porter investigates werewolf sightings in Woonsocket.
Beware #5: Feature an 8 page story titled When Werewolves Die that also was featured on the cover.
More Fun Comics #11: Doctor Occult and a young girl are attacked by a werewolf.
Out of the Shadows #14: A werewolf is on the rampage in the English countryside. A brave young constable suspects the ominous Sir Langley, but things turn out different.
Cat-Man Comics #5: The Pied Piper deals with the Werewolf Terror.
Weird Mysteries #10: For an upcoming Halloween party, a man and a woman buy Halloween costumes (a werewolf and a vampire respectively) from a strange old shop owner who warns them the costumes can take over their personalities. At the party, the two literally turn into a werewolf and vampire and proceed to fight each other to the death.
Web of Mystery #2, 5, 6:
- In issue 2, A hunting party in the French Canadian wilds is attacked by a werewolf. One of the men is bitten and has to race time not to change into another werewolf. The man can kill the original werewolf - thus freeing their friend from the werewolf's curse.
- In issue 5, Beautiful Cambria is torn between two men. Unfortunately one of them is a werewolf stalking the English countryside of Cunliffe. In the end the werewolf lover gets stabbed to death.

Public Domain Comic Appearances Inspired by Werewolves[]

Hyper Mystery Comics #1: Ambord and his fellow explorers visit Maiden Island, which is infested with "werdolfs," which change their form from human beings to goats and back again.
Ghost Stories #1: Bobby can't wait to bring Professor Larvay his latest bug, the Werewolf Wasp.

Notes[]

A list of werewolf characters on this wiki can be found here.
The Loogaroo is a creature of Caribbean mythology that is similar to a Vampire or Werewolf. According to the myth, the Loogaroo is a woman who is in league with the Devil. She will have magical abilities only if she gives the Devil blood every night. She tries to give him blood of other creatures, or else he will take her own blood, causing her to die.