The Lycanthropy Reader

Our understanding of lycanthropy is limited by our association of it with contemporary portrayals of werewolves in horror films and gothic fiction. No rational person today believes that a human being can literally be metamorphosed into a wolf; therefore, in the absence of an historical context, the study of werewolves can appear to be a wayward pursuit of the perversely irrational and the sensational. This Reader provides the historical context Drawing on primary sources, it is a comprehensive survey of all aspects of lycanthropy, with a focus on the medieval and Renaissance periods. Lycanthropes were on trial in the courtrooms of Europe, and on examination in medical offices and mental hospitals; they were the objects of communal fear and pity, and the subjects of sermons and philosophical treatises. In the Introduction to the Reader, Charlotte Otten shows that the study of lycanthropy uncovers basic issues in human life the significance of violence and criminality, the role of the demonic in aberrant behavior, and ultimately the nature of good and evil The implications for modern life are immediately apparent. The Reader is divided into six sections ( 1) Medical Cases, Diagnoses, Descriptions; (2) Trial Records, Historical Accounts, Sightings; (3) Philosophical and Theological Approaches to Metamorphosis; ( 4) Critical Essays on Lycanthropy (Anthropology, History, and Medicine); (5) Myths and Legends; and (6) Allegory . Each section has an introduction that summarizes and interprets the materials.

“Emotional, thoughtful, and a true testament to the power of friendship”—Locus Magazine Teen Wolf meets Emergency Contact in this sharply observed, hilarious, and heartwarming debut young adult novel about friendship, chronic illness, and . . . werewolves. Priya worked hard to pursue her premed dreams at Stanford, but the fallout from undiagnosed Lyme disease sends her back to her childhood home in New Jersey during her sophomore year—and leaves her wondering if she’ll ever be able to return to the way things were. Thankfully she has her online pen pal, Brigid, and the rest of the members of “oof ouch my bones,” a virtual support group that meets on Discord to crack jokes and vent about their own chronic illnesses. When Brigid suddenly goes offline, Priya does something out of character: she steals the family car and drives to Pennsylvania to check on Brigid. Priya isn’t sure what to expect, but it isn’t the horrifying creature that's shut in the basement. With Brigid nowhere to be found, Priya begins to puzzle together an impossible but obvious truth: the creature might be a werewolf—and the werewolf might be Brigid. As Brigid's unique condition worsens, their friendship will be deepened and challenged in unexpected ways, forcing them to reckon with their own ideas of what it means to be normal.

Most of us are familiar with the idea of a werewolf—that someone can change, either deliberately or unwillingly, into a ravenous creature—but is there some justification for such a belief? And if so, how is it achieved—through magical potions or ointments or simply by the light of the full moon? Or is the whole thing simply a form of delusion, the product of a disturbed mind? In Werewolves, author Dr. Bob Curran examines the deep psychological perceptions about the linkage of man with the natural, bestial world. Do the roots of such a belief lie in the supernatural world, or are there other explanations? How has the discovery of feral children, living in the wild, shaped our ideas of human-beasts? And what is the future of such beliefs? The book considers genetically-based speculations regarding the possible fusion of human and animal genes in order to alleviate some human diseases and suffering. Is the idea of man into beast really so far fetched? Werewolves is an essential reference book which looks, in depth, at a fascinating subject. One word of warning though: it must never be read under the baleful rays of a full moon. You have been warned!

A wildly entertaining novel about a young man who discovers that he is part of a secret society of immortal were-creatures bent on hunting one another into extinction. Illustrations.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Vintage Anne Rice—a lushly written, gothic … metaphysical tale. This time, with werewolves.” —The Wall Street Journal When Reuben Golding, a young reporter on assignment, arrives at a secluded mansion on a bluff high above the Pacific, it’s at the behest of the home’s enigmatic female owner. She quickly seduces him, but their idyllic night is shattered by violence when the man is inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness. It will set in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation that will propel Reuben into a mysterious new world and raise profound questions. Why has he been given the wolf gift? What is its true nature—good or evil? And are there others out there like him?

Up until a year ago Melinda Cooper was something of an outcast - a skinny, shy, introverted teenage girl with few interests and even fewer friends. Now she's the star player of her school's lacrosse team and counts the most popular girls in school as her allies. What's her secret? She's a werewolf. So are most of her friends. It's a long story. However, balancing a life of pep rallies and practice SATs with secret pack meetings and hunting trips has proven to be anything but easy. Things were complicated enough when she was the only lycanthrope in town. Now Melinda has to worry not only about her own welfare but that of her pack mates, some of whom resent her self-appointed leadership. Add a new romantic interest who has no idea his girlfriend grows fangs every full moon and an unwilling convert to lycanthropy with secrets of her own and you have a recipe for disaster. Adolescence has never been this wild.