We know that in the 16th and 17th centuries people believed in werewolves and trials ran rampant. Werewolves, while in wolf form, were thought to be bloodthirsty and out of control. So what did people think turned someone into a werewolf?
Some methods of becoming a werewolf were simple, and others more complicated. The most obvious one that we still hear today is if you get bitten by a werewolf, you become one. If this was the method that turned you into a werewolf, you would change involuntarily at each full moon.
Other ways included:
· Putting on a belt made of wolfskin
· Ointments or magic salves
· Drinking water out of the footprint of a werewolf
· Sleeping outside with the light of the full moon on your face, but only during the summer on a Wednesday or Friday
· Being kicked out of the church
Being a werewolf was thought to also be a possible curse from God or saints as a punishment. |