The Shocking Tale of the Werewolf of Bedburg

It was 1582 in Bedburg, Germany. The people of this farming town were living in an era where violence and death were simply a way of life. The Catholics and Protestants were at war with each other, the plague was tearing its way through Europe, and people were being burned at the stake by the hundreds on charges of witchcraft. With a myriad of threats in their midst, the townspeople would soon discover that they had yet another thing to fear. The werewolf of Bedburg had arrived and was about to paint the town red.

First Signs

The first signs of trouble were discovered in the fields. When a farmer found a mutilated sheep on his grounds, he assumed that it suffered an attack by a wild animal. Some days later, another farmer came upon one of his cows which had been brutally and fatally maimed. But these animals were only the beginning, like the dark and ominous clouds that blow in just before the storm.

The animal killings were picking up pace and the farmers were waking up to the grim sight of their disemboweled livestock each and every day. Given the viciousness of the attacks and the vast amount of un-cleared forest nearby, the farmers believed that wolves were to blame.

It was the most logical explanation, that is, until the beast behind the killings turned its attention from animals to humans.

A Taste for Human Flesh

Soon, children began to go missing. Young women were plucked from the roads, never to be seen or heard from again. Though many of them vanished, those that were found were found in pieces. One such incident was the story of the two men and a woman who were traveling just outside the city wall.

The three of them were on foot. As they made their way along the dirt road, they heard a noise in the woods that sounded like a cry for help. One of them men walked into the forest to investigate, but never returned. Concerned for his friend, the second man instructed the woman to stay on the road while he went into the woods to search for their travel companion. The woman waited and waited, but when it was clear that the second man would not be back, her terror and her instincts told her to run.

Alone and afraid, the woman sprinted for her life. She was fast, but the beast was faster. Springing from the brush alongside her, the creature attacked and dragged her into the woods. Though the mutilated corpses of the two men were found days later, the woman’s remains were never found.

Did Bedburg have a Werewolf on Their Hands?

As the discovery of human body parts in the fields climbed, the people of Bedburg began to panic. What kind of man-eating predator was lurking around the town? Surely this was no ordinary animal. And if witches were in the realm of possibility, could they be faced with another type of supernatural being? Could they be dealing with a werewolf?

The next attack was quite brazen. It happened in broad daylight while a group of children were playing in a field near some cattle. Bounding from behind the trees, an animal-like creature attacked a little girl, clawing at her throat. Fortunately, she was able to let out a shrill scream, startling the cattle who began to stampede. This seemed to frighten the girl’s attacker back into the forest. When the townspeople heard about what happened, they decided it was time to take action. They couldn’t wait around to catch the beast in action. They would need to hunt it down.

Tonight we Hunt!

The men of Bedburg formed a party. They brought all of their weapons and hunting dogs and made their way through the forest. They didn’t have to go very deep before the dogs picked up the scent and led the villagers to the source. What they found both horrified and confused them. The cornered beast was not the werewolf of Bedburg they were expecting at all. It was a man. A wealthy farmer and familiar neighbor named Peter Stumpp.

A Bizarre Confession

With so many men surrounding him, Peter Stumpp knew he had no chance of escape. When the mob threatened him with torture, he broke down and confessed to killing and eating fourteen children and two pregnant women (including their babies). Those he didn’t eat, he tore apart. He told the villagers that he had been practicing black magic since he was twelve years of age and that the devil had appeared to him and gifted him an unworldly belt. The belt allowed its wearer to shed his human form and grow into a mighty, hulking beast with sharp claws and jagged teeth. Peter believed that he physically took the form of a werewolf. While in this state, his animalistic persona allowed him to indulge in his insatiable thirst for blood and flesh.

Though a thorough search of the woods was conducted, the mystical belt was never found. Peter’s confession, on the other hand, was all the townspeople really needed. Peter Stumpp, the werewolf of Bedburg, was sentenced to death by breaking.

Putting the Werewolf of Bedburg to Justice

On October 31, 1589, the villagers exacted their version of justice on Peter. They stripped him of his clothes, strapped him to a large wooden wheel, and peeled off his skin with red hot pincers. His arms and legs were smashed with the blunt end of an axe and his head was separated from his body with the sharp end. His remains were burned, except for his head. The authorities wanted to make an example of Peter in order to stave off any wild ideas from others. To communicate this message, they erected a pole in the town’s square and mounted the torture wheel, a statue of a wolf, and Peter Stumpp’s head at the very top.

Peter Stumpp may have been the first serial-killing “werewolf” on record; however, his mental condition (his belief in his metamorphosis from human to wolf) is not unique. In fact, if Peter were alive today, he would have been diagnosed with clinical lycanthropy – a psychiatric syndrome whereby the patient believes they can transform into an animal. Interestingly enough, the word “lycanthropy” comes from the two Greek words lykos (wolf) and anthrōpos (human being).

Reflection:

At some point or another, we’ve all had to manage the “beast” within. We use animals to describe our moods, our physical appearance, and our personalities. “He’s a bull in a china shop”. “She’s a tigress in the bedroom”. “He’s a snake, don’t trust him”. Do you identify with a “spirit animal”? Leave your comments below.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Stumpp
https://www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/3
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lycanthropy