The Book of Were-Wolves is a classic work of European lore on lycanthropy in particular
pertaining to werewolves. The book deals with three subjects: 1) Summarizing folklore and
beliefs about werewolves and related phenomena 2) Collecting specific cases from ancient
medieval and modern histories 3) Explaining the origins of the beliefs and demythologize the
superstition. The author treats the phenomenon of the werewolf as a psychological aberration
as essentially a delusional state. He also relates it to cannibalism and to the behavior of the
notorious Norse berserkers who would suffer from an insane battle rage. Speculations on the
origin the various names by which werewolves were known in different European languages is
intriguing especially the idea that the term may derive from a word for an outlaw a man
condemned effectively to run with the wolves.
