Last week I wrote about Johann Weyer’s De lamiis liber, in which this sixteenth-century scholar offered a skeptical commentary on lycanthropy. As it happens, Weyer also discussed werewolves in an earlier and better-known book: De praestigiis daemonum.
To the best of my knowledge, Weyer’s only reference to lycanthropy in the original 1563 edition of this volume comes when he’s listing human-animal transformations of classical literature (Odysseus’ men becoming pigs, Diomedes’ companions becoming birds, and Arcadians becoming wolves). The expanded 1564 edition of De praestigiis daemonum is a different matter, devoting its entire thirteenth chapter to an account of lycanthropy.
The case is that of Poligny man Pierre Bourgot (referred to by Weyer as Peter Bourgoti) who confessed in December 1521 that he and his accomplice Michel (or Michael) Verdung were lycanthropes.
According to Bourgot’s testimony, he lost his livestock in a storm and, while pursuing the missing animals, was approached by three dark horsemen. The leader of this band offered to help; days later the leader of this band, Moyset, revealed himself to be the servant of Satan. Bourgot, still desperate to get his livestock back, agreed to renounce God and kiss the deathly-cold hand of Moyset in homage to Satan.
Bourgot remained a servant of Satan for years, his livestock now kept safe by devilish forces. Judging by his account, he seems to have done little in Satan’s service beyond avoiding mass — that is, until pushed further into the diabolical fold by Michel Verdung. While Bourgot followed Moyset, we learn that Verdung had his own Satanic master, named Guillemin.
The two men took part in a woodland gathering near Chastel Charnon where various people danced holding blue-flamed candles. Here, Verdung anointed Bourgot with a salve that turned him into a wolf. This transformation would last for an hour or two, after which Verdung would have to re-apply the salve to Bourgot.
Verdung could also turn into a wolf, although unlike Bourgot he did so clothed. The testimony also includes graphic descriptions of the two lycanthropes killing a woman and multiple children, along with the detail that they mated with she-wolves. They also had to power to kill animals with a single touch, thanks to a certain powder rubbed on the left arm.
Weyer, still a skeptic about such matters, concludes the chapter by noting that the two men sometimes contradicted each other when cross-examined.
Sabine Baring-Gould would later cover the Poligny case in his Book of Were-Wolves, although he clearly disagreed with Weyer’s conclusion, remarking that “[t]he statements of Pierre Bourgot were fully corroborated by Michel Verdung.” Beyond this, Baring-Gould’s telling follows that of Weyer very closely, and I suspect that he used the latter as a source. Certainly, I’ve yet to find any earlier accounts of the Poligny werewolves — although if you know of one, I’d be very much interested in seeing it.
Once again, I’ve included a plain text copy of the Latin chapter below. Any errors in transcription are mine alone.
Confessio corum qui se in lupos fuisse transmutatos crediderunt,
Cap. 13.
Hoc loco subiungam corum confessionem, qui se in lupos aliquoties fuisse conuersos, arbitrati sunt, quam in hoc meo instituto sæpius obiecere uiri alioqui cordati er magne existimationis, eámque uelut ex Tripode prolatam cum summa religione & singulari fiducia,tanquam ueracem obseruant, quibus fortè coram à me non esse factum satis uidebitur. Vt itaque illis & quibuscunque alijs, mentis oculi nitidius contra eiusmodi prestigias abstergantur, nec usqueadeò temere illudi se, oculisq; nebulas offundi sinant, neq; uelut cece talpe,in sordibus à demone obtrusis perdurent, sed ab oculorum pupilla nubeculas, quinimò e ungues permittant sanari à medico, qui præsens hoc collyrium gratis offert cuicunque lucidos erà prestringente spiritu liberos oculos cupienti, historiam hanc raram uagámque, nec minus admirabilem,ex Sa baudia finitimisque ditionibus in Flandriam, Brabantiam, Geldriam & regiones alias translatam, atq; àme in qualemcunq; ordinem breuiter ea fide contrarctam, ut iure nihil quod alicuius est momenti, desiderari debeat: deinde excussam, & uelut ueritatis lapide Ly dio exploratam, proponere uolui.
Ad quæationes M. Ioannis Bom Doctoris Theologiae, prioris prædicatoruin Poligni, et generalis inquisitoris fidei, ordinati in dioecesi Besanconensi, cofessio Petri Bourgoti, nuncupati Magni Petri, & Michaelis Verdung, captorum ob maleficij hæresin, uarijs diebus in Decembre extorta, anno millesimo quingentesimo uicesimoprimo, sed maxime coram multis & spectabi libus testibus repetita postremo eiusdem mensis die.
Confessus est Petrus, ante annos circiter nouendesim, ipso die nundinarum Polignensium tam ualidam procello procellosamq; defluxisse pluuiam, ut non solum nundi ne disturbarentur, sed & armenta quibus ille custodiendis tuc præerat, ita disijcerentur, ut ubi requiri possent,plane ignoraretur. Quum igitur cum reliquis agricolis pecudes uariè quæsitum collectumq; abiret, et solus alicubi aberraret,tres equites nigros, atrumq; in dutos uestitum habuit obuios, quorum postremus roga bat: Amice,quò abis uideris esse turbatior. Verum est, resthondit Petrus id aute euenit ob pecora ex sæuo tem pestuosoq; nymbo dissipata & perdita:& qui nullam ea recuperadi rationem uideam, animum equidě prorsus defpondeo. Bono huc animo esse iussit eques ille, pol licitus, si modò fidem ipsi daret, magistrü se donaturu, à quo institueretur, ne in posteru ipsius armentu à lupo uel quauis alia bestia impeteretur, aut ullu sentiret damnum, aut etiam ullum periret pecus. ut item ipsum redderet cofidentiorem, perditas reperturum pecudes addicebat, nec desideratum iri ullas: pecuniam adhæc se daturum spopondit. Conditionem hic acceptat, se in eundem locu post quatuor aut quinq; dies reuersurum promittens. Hinc cum uillicorum comitatu indagatum pergit,armentumq; quærendu inuestigat, er post qua triduum eodem ad equitem mox agnitu redit. Quærit ille, nu opera suam ipsi locare decreuisset Petrus? quo uicissim interrogante, quis nam essettrespodit: Seruus sum magni inferorum diaboli: sed ne metuas. Tum ea le ge suam demoni operam addixit Petrus, si promissis il le in conseruando pecore er beneficijs conferendis sta ret. Inde Deo, D.Virgini Marie, omnibus fanctis & paradisi incolis, baptismo chrismati renunciareiu betur: quo facto, illimanum porrigit sinistram nigram, uelut mortuam, frigidámque, exosculandam. bine in genua prouolutus alter, aperto capite honorem sathane desert, eum appellans dominum. Ne quoque fidei symbolum recitaret, inhibebatur. Perstitit itaque in diaboli ministerio circiter biennium,non prius templum ingrediens, quam in fine Misse, uel saltem post aqua lustralis consecrationem, qua illum noluit afthergi: sic quoque mandarat ipsius præceptor, cuius etiam nomen tum adhuc latuit, sed postea se Moyset appellari significauit. Interim non erudiebatur Petrus, quomodo iumentum tutari posset: sed hoc officium conferuandi pecoris solum præstare uidebatur diabolus, si quando conspicerentur lupi, qui tum nihil iniuria inferebant. Post uerò pascendi pecoris cura exonerata, facilè diabolum neglexit, frequentans templa, fideique consessionem recitans, annos circiter octo uel nouem: donec à Michaele Verdug denuò in sui magiftri obedientiam dicto in loco excitatus, ea assenserit conditione, si pecuniam ex promisso suppeditaret præceptor.
Ita simul in partibus Chastel charlon uesthere quodam cöuenitur in nemore, ubi ab alijs ignotis choreas duci cocurriq; uisum est. Cernebat autem Petrus in cuiuslibet manu candelam uiridem, flammam cyaneam subobscuram euomentem.
Alias illi à Michaele proponebatur, si modò fidem adhiberet, effecturum se, ut quantacunq; uellet leuitate procurreret. Consensit Petrus, modò seruarentur promissa,pecuniaq; donaretur,alioqui se fraudem uereri ait. Pecuniam se curaturum abunde, pollicetur Michael, qui exutum Petrum nudum linimento inungit, quod secum ferebat, unde hic se mox in lupum ueremu tatum autumabat, et quatuor suos pedes lupinos ac pi los intuitus exhorruit: sed tam celeriter, quàm uenti fla tus prouolat, se cucurrisse asseruit, nec id fieri potuisse, nisi uehentis ipsum magistri opera, qui continuò in eiusmodi excursionum uolatu aderat: quamuis eum no prius uideret, quam humanæ restitutus forme. Michael itidem inunétus,und tam pernici ferebatur cursu, quàm optaret, celeritate etiam uisum preuertens. vbieam fuissent passi metamorphofin horam una aut alteram, rursum à Michaele illiti,opiniõe citius in pristinam rediere figuram. Vnguentum utriq; donabatur à magistris, Guillemin scilicet Michaelis magistro, & Moyset Petri.
Vbi de sua lassitudine post eiusmodi cursum, ut se difficulter quandoq; erigeret, apud magistru querertur Petrus, nibil id esse, respodit ille,et mox curatu iri.
Contigit quoq; Petrum ex Michaelis institutione inungi,& conuersum in lupum, sex uel septem annorum puerum masculum dentibus comprehensum occidere: quem tamen ob clamorem er eiulatum relinquere coactus, ad suas uestes confugit, ubi se herbis ex Michaelis doctrina fricans, in bumanam reuertebatur faciem. Simile quiddam Michaelem cum ipso aliàs tentasse fatebatur, quodam die in luporum imagine enecasse foeminam pisa colligentem: superuenisse autem dominu de Chusnee,cui etiam nocere uolentes, aliquoties insultabant frustra.
Confessus item est uterq;, se in ea lycanthropia trucidasse puellam circiter annos quatuor natam, eamq totam deuorasse, excepto brachio: ac Michaelis palato placuisse carnem, licet parum comedisset: non tamen ad Petri identidem uorantis stomachum ita fecisse. Quandam item puellam se iugulasse, eiusdemq; exuxisse sanguinem, collum uorasse, fasst sunt: similiter tertiam perdidisse, eius’que orificium uentriculi come disse ob famelicas Petri fauces. Aliàs etiam in horto pu ellam interemisse octo uel nouem annorum, cui denti bus collum infregerat Petrus,quòd rogate ibi eleemosyne repulsam aliquando fuisset passus, & hoc perpe trato facinore, euestigio eleemosynam in Dei honorem ibidem orasse. Hic insuper confessus est, se capram iugu lasse prope agrum magistri Petri Bongre: eam seilicet momordisse, guttur secuisse cultro.
Michael in lupum transfigurabatur uestitus, Petrus uerò exutus: qui etiam se ignorare quò pili deueni rent, quando desineret esse lupus, retulit.
Lupas etiam se iniusse, et cum tanta uoluptate quasi cum uxoribus congressi essent, confessioni addidere.
Aliquando transmutationis tempus designatu, opi nione & uoto breuius erat.
Confessioni tandem subiunxerunt, puluerem quoque coloris uelut cinerei sibi traditum fuisse, quo confricatum brachium sinistrum,& manus, quodcunq; animal contingerent, interiret.
Hos autem interrogatos, diuerse in eodem facto,e controuerse nonnunquam respondisse,operæpreciumt est meminisse.
Doris V. Sutherland 