When Werewolves go to War
Posted by: Nick Redfern on February 9th, 2013
There’s a new post from me at Mysterious Universe on a very weird topic: the connection between werewolves and warfare…
Here’s how it starts:
“In May 2007, I penned an article for my There’s something in the Woods blog titled Do Werewolves Roam the Woods of England? It was a feature prompted by the fact that in that same year, 2007, numerous sightings of a werewolf-type beast were reported in the heart of the Cannock Chase – a large area of forest and heath in the English county of Staffordshire.
“But, of note, all the encounters on the Chase occurred within the confines of an old cemetery, and specifically a cemetery housing the remains of German soldiers and airmen who died in prisoner of war camps on British soil during the First and Second World Wars.”
About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
After reading the article it seems to me that the whole ‘werewolves’ term used by either locals or military is a metaphor. The werewolves being the ‘enemy’ of either side being used to excerpt fear into the other side’s psyche. The Beast of Gévaudan comes to mind right off when reading this article as well, and unlike bringing fear to the opposing threat, this legend seems to bring brotherhood to the French during their infancy as a nation.
What say you Nick?
Given that some people think the werewolf legend started with Norse berserkers, I would have expected some mention of them in a post about “the connection between werewolves and warfare.”
Dr. K: Definitely a thought-provoking possibility!