The book is not just a book describing the adventures of a hero. It is a work that helps to understand the Slavic world and its worldview. He acquaints us with the deities of ancient peoples and tries to explain their place and role in the life of s...
Werewolves are one of the most famous creatures in today's world. The werewolf motif in particular is used in the film industry. Faith in werewolves, that is people who have the ability to turn into wolves (lycanthropy) is present in many cultures: Germanic, Romanesque and Slavic. Its traces can be found in the mythology of many peoples. In the 5th century BC the outstanding historian Herodotus of Halikarnas wrote that during his journey up the Boh River he met the Neur tribe, associated with the Praslovians. Each member of the tribe was supposed to turn into a wolf once a year.
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Faith in the werewolf was particularly well preserved in Podlasie, in contrast to the western part of Poland, where it quickly faded into oblivion and probably never played a significant role. From a rational point of view, it is assumed that the belief in the werewolf could have arisen for several reasons. Lycanthropy could have been a mental illness - it was a common case when the alleged werewolf himself talked about his extraordinary skills, often disappearing in the forest for a long time. Aggressive wolf behavior could also be the result of a rabies infection, e.g. by a wolf bite. The Inquisition also contributed to the spread of the faith in the werewolf - under torture it was a frequent confession of witches to admit the ability to transform into a wolf.
