ABSTRACT
The political and religious strife and social dislocation that shook many parts of Europe in the sixteenth century witnessed the start of the infamous witch crazes and witch hunts as well as the spread of another phenomenon that was associated with it: the persecution of alleged ‘werewolves’. 1 The belief in, and fear of, lycanthropy was deeply embedded in European folklore. Sensationalized reports of werewolf attacks and trials of individuals accused of killing children after gaining the power to change into wolves following a pact with the devil were extensively covered in printed pamphlets that were often accompanied by lurid illustrations. The use of poems and songs to relate such events is evidence of the ‘popular’ fascination with such cases. The horror, disgust and fear trigged by the mixture of child-murder, cannibalism and demonic pacts as well as the gruesome public executions of the individuals concerned guaranteed the popularity and marketability of such works.
