Metamorphoses of the Werewolf: A Literary Study from Antiquity Through the Renaissance

The mythical werewolf is known for its sudden transformation under the full moon, but the creature also underwent a narrative evolution from bloodthirsty creature to antihero. Beginning with ""The Epic of Gilgamesh"", Ovid's ""Metamorphoses"", and accounts in Petronius' ""Satyricon"", the book analyzes the context that created the traditional image of the werewolf as a savage beast. The Catholic Church's response to the popular belief in were wolves and medieval literature's sympathetic depiction of the werewolf as victim are presented to support a modern view of the werewolf not only as 'the beast within', but as a complex and varied cultural symbol.