Livonia, Land of the Werewolf

In addition to the tale of beer-loving werewolves, Olaus Magnus told three more stories, two of them regarding Livonia. I have already referred to them when commenting on Chauvincourt’s book on lycanthropy, that author having copied them with some changes. The first story refers to a Livonian nobleman who was forced to spend the night in a forest, accompanied by his servants; they had no more food and one of the peasants turned into a wolf to catch a sheep that was then cooked, and he immediately returned to the human form. The second tale refers to a Livonian wife who, talking with one of her servants, says she doubts werewolves exist. The servant goes into a cellar, mutates into a wolf and returns, but is attacked by the woman’s guard dogs that tear out one of its eyes. When the servant reappears, he is missing an eye. These two stories are about werewolves that are good and loyal to their masters. The third story does not take place in Livonia, but in Prussia. A duke demands that a man accused of being able to turn into a wolf show him how he does it because he does not believe it can be done; the prisoner metamorphoses and the duke orders that he be burned at the stake for idolatry.