The Origin of the Werewolf Superstition

"The Origin of the Werewolf Superstition" by Caroline Taylor Stewart is an exploration into the age-old terror of werewolves and how it has been found in many different civilizations. The text examines the possible beginnings of this fear, pointing out that werewolves have been a common story in many societies around the world. The book tries to uncover the repeated themes in werewolf stories and how they connect to old traditions and practices. The book starts by explaining to what the general concept of the werewolf is, and suggesting that the topic has been misunderstood. It brings up different ideas that scholars have, such as that the belief in werewolves started with early human customs and the importance of animal costumes used for hunting and religious events. Also, these fears and understandings developed when people did not understand the natural world, painting werewolves as things to fear, and objects of fascination. This establishes the stage for looking into how this fear grew and developed in different areas across time.