The Beast of Gevaudan Terrorizes France

18th-century engraving of la Bête du Gévaudan, The London Magazine, vol. xxxiv, May 1765

From 1764 to 1767, a strange beast terrorized the province of Gevaudan. Located in the modern day district of Lozere, deep within the Margeride Mountains in south-central France, the creature was a wolf-like animal that devoured the local citizens. During the period there were 210 attacks resulting in 113 deaths. Almost all of the victims…

Read more

Werewolves

A werewolf devouring a woman

The term “Lycanthropy” refers to the ability of a human being to undergo transformation into an animal – typically a wolf. The term may also refer medically to a mental illness condition in which a patient believes he or she possesses lycanthropic abilities – again, most often a wolf. In 1975, Surawicz and Banta published…

Read more