1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:05,083 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:06,708 --> 00:00:09,917 [screen whooshes] [wolf howling] 3 00:00:09,917 --> 00:00:11,292 - [Laurence] Tonight, 4 00:00:11,292 --> 00:00:14,875 a legendary monster that transforms from man to beast 5 00:00:14,875 --> 00:00:17,042 whenever there's a full moon. 6 00:00:17,042 --> 00:00:19,375 - [Andrew] The Werewolf isn't just a movie monster, 7 00:00:19,375 --> 00:00:22,208 it's one of humanity's oldest nightmares. 8 00:00:22,208 --> 00:00:23,917 - [Ryan] Is this all in our head? 9 00:00:23,917 --> 00:00:25,875 Or is this something that is truly 10 00:00:25,875 --> 00:00:27,500 happening to the public? 11 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:29,750 - [Lynne] In one town in France, 12 00:00:29,750 --> 00:00:32,292 over 100 people killed. 13 00:00:32,292 --> 00:00:35,583 Young children decapitated and disemboweled. 14 00:00:35,583 --> 00:00:38,708 - [Ryan] In her dying breaths she says she was attacked 15 00:00:38,708 --> 00:00:41,750 by something wolf-like, but not a wolf. 16 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:46,917 - Now, we explore the top theory surrounding the werewolf. 17 00:00:47,458 --> 00:00:50,292 - [Troy] That's just not the behavior of an ordinary wolf. 18 00:00:50,292 --> 00:00:53,958 A wolf would not have been decapitating people. 19 00:00:53,958 --> 00:00:56,042 - [Andrew] By donning the animal's skin 20 00:00:56,042 --> 00:00:57,958 you become the animal, 21 00:00:57,958 --> 00:01:00,750 you gain access to its fury. 22 00:01:01,958 --> 00:01:03,875 - [Brian] Could a condition that makes you froth at the mouth 23 00:01:03,875 --> 00:01:04,917 has you hallucinate and 24 00:01:04,917 --> 00:01:06,042 attack other humans, 25 00:01:06,042 --> 00:01:07,625 get you branded a werewolf? 26 00:01:07,625 --> 00:01:09,083 Certainly won't help. 27 00:01:09,083 --> 00:01:10,542 - [Laurence] Do real facts lie behind 28 00:01:10,542 --> 00:01:12,917 the enduring stories of werewolves? 29 00:01:12,917 --> 00:01:14,625 And why is the idea of this creature 30 00:01:14,625 --> 00:01:17,458 still so powerful today? 31 00:01:17,458 --> 00:01:20,167 [dramatic music] 32 00:01:33,542 --> 00:01:35,458 - [Laurence] The werewolf is one of our oldest 33 00:01:35,458 --> 00:01:37,833 and most gruesome monster stories. 34 00:01:38,917 --> 00:01:40,375 At the Full Moon, 35 00:01:40,375 --> 00:01:44,125 a person transforms into a bloodthirsty beast, 36 00:01:44,125 --> 00:01:45,833 stalking its victims, 37 00:01:45,833 --> 00:01:50,792 then ripping them apart with razor-sharp teeth and claws. 38 00:01:51,750 --> 00:01:53,042 - The next morning, 39 00:01:53,042 --> 00:01:55,125 the individual awakens and they've returned 40 00:01:55,125 --> 00:01:56,625 to their true human self 41 00:01:56,625 --> 00:01:59,667 with no memory of what transpired the night before. 42 00:01:59,667 --> 00:02:03,625 - The werewolf exists in an interesting place culturally. 43 00:02:03,625 --> 00:02:06,042 Nobody goes out hunting for werewolves 44 00:02:06,042 --> 00:02:07,625 the way people go ghost hunting, 45 00:02:07,625 --> 00:02:12,000 but it's an incredibly familiar type of folk character 46 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,875 and we see it often in films, 47 00:02:13,875 --> 00:02:15,375 in books, and comic books, 48 00:02:15,375 --> 00:02:17,750 usually in sort of a real over the top kind of way. 49 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,250 - [Laurence] But this legend remains deeply ingrained 50 00:02:21,250 --> 00:02:23,375 in cultures across the globe. 51 00:02:24,917 --> 00:02:27,125 The question is why? 52 00:02:28,167 --> 00:02:29,542 - [Troy] The epic of Gilgamesh 53 00:02:29,542 --> 00:02:32,875 is the oldest form of literature that exists, 54 00:02:32,875 --> 00:02:35,375 and it includes a werewolf story. 55 00:02:35,375 --> 00:02:36,583 When the goddess, Ishtar, [graphics beep] 56 00:02:36,583 --> 00:02:39,958 transforms a former lover into a wolf 57 00:02:39,958 --> 00:02:44,875 and then allows him to be torn apart by his own sheep dogs. 58 00:02:44,875 --> 00:02:47,333 - [Andrew] Hundreds of years later, we get another legend, 59 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:48,667 this one from ancient Greece. 60 00:02:48,667 --> 00:02:50,875 This is the story of King Lycaon, 61 00:02:50,875 --> 00:02:54,667 a Greek king who tries to challenge the authority of Zeus. 62 00:02:54,667 --> 00:02:57,750 He does so by trying to trick the king of the Gods 63 00:02:57,750 --> 00:03:00,833 into eating a stew that contains human flesh. 64 00:03:00,833 --> 00:03:04,167 - [Ryan] So Zeus sees this because he is all powerful and 65 00:03:04,167 --> 00:03:05,833 he goes, "If you're gonna act like a beast, 66 00:03:05,833 --> 00:03:08,250 then I'm gonna turn you into a beast." 67 00:03:08,250 --> 00:03:10,583 And then in front of all of his guests, 68 00:03:10,583 --> 00:03:13,625 he begins to radically transform 69 00:03:13,625 --> 00:03:16,750 [suspenseful music] into a wolf. 70 00:03:16,750 --> 00:03:19,375 - [Andrew] These early stories are just that-stories. 71 00:03:19,375 --> 00:03:21,042 Now it's possible that like all myths, 72 00:03:21,042 --> 00:03:23,208 there may be some basis, in fact, 73 00:03:23,208 --> 00:03:26,125 but we don't have any of that evidence. 74 00:03:26,125 --> 00:03:28,208 For evidence of actual werewolves, 75 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:30,708 we need to go a little bit forward in time. 76 00:03:30,708 --> 00:03:31,708 The Medieval France. 77 00:03:33,083 --> 00:03:36,542 - [Laurence] In 1764, Gevaudan is a quiet, 78 00:03:36,542 --> 00:03:39,208 remote province in southern France. 79 00:03:39,208 --> 00:03:41,708 380 miles south of Paris, 80 00:03:41,708 --> 00:03:44,542 it's not a place known for generating much news. 81 00:03:45,792 --> 00:03:49,250 - [Lynne] Overall, a very quiet, very peaceful place to live. 82 00:03:49,250 --> 00:03:53,125 Until 1764, when suddenly some 83 00:03:53,125 --> 00:03:55,542 really frightening stuff starts happening. 84 00:03:56,917 --> 00:03:59,125 So the first incident that takes place is in the summer. 85 00:03:59,125 --> 00:04:03,833 A teenage shepherd is out with her flock of grazing cattle, 86 00:04:03,833 --> 00:04:06,875 when a monstrous wolf 87 00:04:08,125 --> 00:04:10,292 bursts out of the brush at her. 88 00:04:11,708 --> 00:04:14,458 Now, her bulls actually protect her. 89 00:04:14,458 --> 00:04:16,750 They charge this animal, they fend it off, 90 00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:19,375 and she goes back into town with reports 91 00:04:19,375 --> 00:04:22,000 of this enormous creature. 92 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,833 - [Andrew] What she describes is unlike any natural phenomenon. 93 00:04:26,833 --> 00:04:28,542 She describes a wolf-like creature, 94 00:04:28,542 --> 00:04:32,292 but the size of a calf with a red coat of fur, 95 00:04:32,292 --> 00:04:36,042 and fangs and fiery red eyes. 96 00:04:36,042 --> 00:04:38,083 And then, she utters a phrase 97 00:04:38,083 --> 00:04:40,500 that stokes fears among the locals. 98 00:04:41,792 --> 00:04:45,750 Like a wolf, yet not a wolf. [suspenseful music] 99 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:48,375 Just weeks later, we have another attack 100 00:04:48,375 --> 00:04:51,792 on another young girl with her dying breath, 101 00:04:51,792 --> 00:04:54,458 she describes the creature that attacked her. 102 00:04:54,458 --> 00:04:57,208 Wolf-like but different. 103 00:04:57,208 --> 00:05:00,833 With huge fangs, more teeth than a regular wolf would have, 104 00:05:00,833 --> 00:05:05,333 and walking on its hind legs like a man. 105 00:05:05,333 --> 00:05:07,167 - [Ryan] And then they find a young shepherd boy 106 00:05:07,167 --> 00:05:08,500 who's dead in the hills. 107 00:05:08,500 --> 00:05:10,750 And now people are starting to think, 108 00:05:10,750 --> 00:05:12,458 "There's something going on here. 109 00:05:12,458 --> 00:05:15,000 We have a bigger problem than just wolves." 110 00:05:16,625 --> 00:05:17,792 - [Laurence] Even though the attacks 111 00:05:17,792 --> 00:05:20,208 are largely taking place in daylight, 112 00:05:20,208 --> 00:05:21,958 locals believe they're being perpetrated 113 00:05:21,958 --> 00:05:24,958 by a loup-garou, a werewolf. 114 00:05:24,958 --> 00:05:28,417 They begin to call it the Beast of Gevaudan. 115 00:05:28,417 --> 00:05:31,042 And the killings are just getting started. 116 00:05:32,583 --> 00:05:34,792 - [Andrew] What follows are attacks on more victims. 117 00:05:34,792 --> 00:05:37,208 Individuals out tending to their flocks. 118 00:05:37,208 --> 00:05:38,583 Many of them are children 119 00:05:38,583 --> 00:05:41,625 and many of them are discovered not only dead, 120 00:05:41,625 --> 00:05:44,542 but mutilated, partially eaten. 121 00:05:44,542 --> 00:05:46,042 - [Ryan] The Beast of Gevaudan will go on 122 00:05:46,042 --> 00:05:50,208 to be the most compelling werewolf case ever. 123 00:05:50,208 --> 00:05:51,583 What it does is it points 124 00:05:51,583 --> 00:05:54,042 to the most obvious explanation for werewolves 125 00:05:54,042 --> 00:05:59,042 [screen whooshes] [graphic beeps] 126 00:06:00,417 --> 00:06:03,250 - [Kinitra] At this time, there were hundreds of thousands of 127 00:06:03,250 --> 00:06:05,500 wolves in continental Europe. 128 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:08,333 And remember, they are raising livestock 129 00:06:08,333 --> 00:06:10,708 which attracts wolves. 130 00:06:10,708 --> 00:06:12,667 So they are living in close proximity 131 00:06:12,667 --> 00:06:14,958 to these very dangerous animals. 132 00:06:14,958 --> 00:06:16,250 [wolf howling] 133 00:06:16,250 --> 00:06:17,167 - [Andrew] According to some estimates 134 00:06:17,167 --> 00:06:19,125 between the 1300s and the 1700s, 135 00:06:19,125 --> 00:06:23,792 wolves in France kill as many as 10,000 people. 136 00:06:23,792 --> 00:06:25,417 Many historians look at this and say, 137 00:06:25,417 --> 00:06:27,792 "Okay, we've got a huge population of wolves. 138 00:06:27,792 --> 00:06:29,708 These wolves are often in conflict 139 00:06:29,708 --> 00:06:31,542 with people and their livestock." 140 00:06:31,542 --> 00:06:32,667 That's the explanation. 141 00:06:32,667 --> 00:06:34,542 This isn't a supernatural beast. 142 00:06:34,542 --> 00:06:36,750 It is a natural menace. 143 00:06:36,750 --> 00:06:38,958 - [Laurence] But the Beast of Gevaudan story 144 00:06:38,958 --> 00:06:41,583 seems to go far beyond the typical conflicts 145 00:06:41,583 --> 00:06:44,625 between wolf and man at the time. 146 00:06:44,625 --> 00:06:45,917 - [Troy] As the killings continued, 147 00:06:45,917 --> 00:06:48,667 the authorities were obviously very concerned, 148 00:06:48,667 --> 00:06:50,583 so they put a bounty out. 149 00:06:50,583 --> 00:06:55,375 On October 8th 1764, a group of hunters were out 150 00:06:55,375 --> 00:06:57,500 and managed to corner the wolf. 151 00:06:57,500 --> 00:07:00,042 They opened fire, they hit it. [gunshot booms] 152 00:07:00,042 --> 00:07:01,458 It went down. 153 00:07:01,458 --> 00:07:05,708 But then the beast just simply got up and ran away. 154 00:07:05,708 --> 00:07:07,292 - [Kinitra] A few months later, 155 00:07:07,292 --> 00:07:10,042 a 10-year-old is attacked by the beast, 156 00:07:10,042 --> 00:07:12,750 but his friends surround him 157 00:07:12,750 --> 00:07:15,583 and beat it back with their sticks. 158 00:07:15,583 --> 00:07:17,792 And the 10-year-old boy survives. 159 00:07:18,833 --> 00:07:20,208 - [Andrew] The stories keep coming. 160 00:07:20,208 --> 00:07:22,542 The young woman is crossing the river Desges 161 00:07:22,542 --> 00:07:24,167 when she's attacked by a monster. 162 00:07:24,167 --> 00:07:28,417 She says that she impales the creature with a spear, 163 00:07:28,417 --> 00:07:30,625 and yet it still runs away. 164 00:07:31,917 --> 00:07:32,667 - [Ryan] This is obviously getting to be a 165 00:07:32,667 --> 00:07:33,917 much bigger deal. 166 00:07:33,917 --> 00:07:36,667 So the king's own huntsman joins the fight. 167 00:07:36,667 --> 00:07:39,125 He actually shoots it and drops it, 168 00:07:39,125 --> 00:07:42,208 and it is a abnormally large wolf for the time. 169 00:07:42,208 --> 00:07:45,250 So the news goes out from Boston to Brussels. 170 00:07:45,250 --> 00:07:47,000 We killed the beast. 171 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,833 - [Troy] But the celebration turns out to be a little 172 00:07:49,833 --> 00:07:51,708 premature because the murders continue. 173 00:07:51,708 --> 00:07:53,875 In fact, they're even more vicious than they were before. 174 00:07:53,875 --> 00:07:56,042 [suspenseful music] [wolf howling] 175 00:07:56,042 --> 00:07:58,542 People are being eaten, 176 00:07:58,542 --> 00:08:00,792 ripped apart, torn limb from limb, 177 00:08:01,833 --> 00:08:02,917 decapitated. 178 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,500 There's no question that it's still out there 179 00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:08,875 and it's still killing people. 180 00:08:08,875 --> 00:08:11,708 - [Laurence] 30 more people are killed in attacks. 181 00:08:11,708 --> 00:08:14,500 Soon the death toll nears a hundred. 182 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,417 - [Erica] It's just absolute terror that's hard to describe. 183 00:08:19,417 --> 00:08:21,833 Maybe this isn't an average mortal beast. 184 00:08:21,833 --> 00:08:23,625 In fact, it might be supernatural. 185 00:08:23,625 --> 00:08:25,625 You might need to be using some supernatural tactics 186 00:08:25,625 --> 00:08:27,583 to take this wolf down. 187 00:08:28,875 --> 00:08:30,333 - [Andrew] Undeterred a French nobleman 188 00:08:30,333 --> 00:08:33,917 forms yet another hunting party to go after the beast 189 00:08:33,917 --> 00:08:37,083 and joining that party is a man named Jean Chastel. 190 00:08:37,083 --> 00:08:40,667 This party like parties before locate the beast. 191 00:08:40,667 --> 00:08:43,208 Now, Chastel loads his pistol, 192 00:08:43,208 --> 00:08:44,667 says a prayer, 193 00:08:44,667 --> 00:08:46,708 aims and fires. [gunshot booms] 194 00:08:46,708 --> 00:08:47,750 Hitting the monster. 195 00:08:48,875 --> 00:08:52,917 The monster stays down, dead. [dramatic music] 196 00:08:52,917 --> 00:08:55,917 - [Troy] Over the years, a legend has grown. 197 00:08:55,917 --> 00:08:58,917 It said that that one bullet killed the monster 198 00:08:58,917 --> 00:09:02,833 and it's believed to have been a silver bullet. 199 00:09:02,833 --> 00:09:06,750 - [Lynne] There's no actual evidence that he used a silver 200 00:09:06,750 --> 00:09:08,958 bullet, but this is the beginning of that motif, 201 00:09:08,958 --> 00:09:11,458 that if you're going to take out a supernatural creature, 202 00:09:11,458 --> 00:09:14,833 the way to do it is with a solid silver bullet. 203 00:09:14,833 --> 00:09:18,583 - [Ryan] So in 1767, they do an autopsy on the decomposing body. 204 00:09:18,583 --> 00:09:20,458 What they find is that yes, 205 00:09:20,458 --> 00:09:24,792 it was just a really large wolf with very unusual markings 206 00:09:24,792 --> 00:09:27,750 and that when they got into the stomach, 207 00:09:28,875 --> 00:09:31,625 they actually found human remains. 208 00:09:31,625 --> 00:09:33,333 - [Laurence] So was the Beast of Gevaudan 209 00:09:33,333 --> 00:09:35,042 simply a large wolf? 210 00:09:35,042 --> 00:09:39,042 If so, how does that explain the stunning death toll 211 00:09:39,042 --> 00:09:43,042 and details provided by the eyewitnesses? 212 00:09:43,042 --> 00:09:46,042 - [Andrew] How do we square that with so many of the observations 213 00:09:46,042 --> 00:09:47,875 about it being the size of a horse, 214 00:09:47,875 --> 00:09:51,208 about it walking on its two hind legs, 215 00:09:51,208 --> 00:09:53,917 about bodies being found decapitated. 216 00:09:53,917 --> 00:09:56,042 [wolf howling] - [Lynne] Because of this, 217 00:09:56,042 --> 00:10:00,458 some theories that maybe this wasn't a typical wolf, 218 00:10:00,458 --> 00:10:02,042 have come to light, 219 00:10:02,042 --> 00:10:04,667 so some people have suggested this could be a dire wolf 220 00:10:04,667 --> 00:10:06,208 that's an extinct species, 221 00:10:06,208 --> 00:10:09,083 supposedly extinct for about 10,000 years, 222 00:10:09,083 --> 00:10:12,167 but much larger than a normal wolf. 223 00:10:12,167 --> 00:10:15,042 - [Troy] In the end, the people of Gevaudan 224 00:10:15,042 --> 00:10:18,125 living in the 18th century as they were continued to believe 225 00:10:18,125 --> 00:10:20,500 that it was a supernatural creature. 226 00:10:20,500 --> 00:10:22,542 To them, it made a lot more sense 227 00:10:22,542 --> 00:10:24,000 that they couldn't kill this thing 228 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,875 because it was something malevolent, something evil. 229 00:10:28,875 --> 00:10:30,833 - [Laurence] The story of the Beast of Gevaudan 230 00:10:30,833 --> 00:10:33,083 is so widespread and terrifying 231 00:10:33,083 --> 00:10:36,000 that from the 18th century onward, 232 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,708 the French public believes all wolves must be eliminated. 233 00:10:40,708 --> 00:10:43,417 [dramatic music] - [Ryan] By the 1800s, 234 00:10:43,417 --> 00:10:46,667 the government has put a bounty out on wolf's heads, 235 00:10:46,667 --> 00:10:49,583 and as a result of this, by 1930, 236 00:10:49,583 --> 00:10:51,917 they're almost all but extinct in the region. 237 00:10:51,917 --> 00:10:55,250 But the curiosity about werewolves continues. 238 00:10:59,958 --> 00:11:01,708 - During the first millennium, 239 00:11:01,708 --> 00:11:03,500 Nordic folklore describes a father and son 240 00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:05,375 who discover magic wolf pelts 241 00:11:05,375 --> 00:11:08,167 that allow them to become wolves for 10 days. 242 00:11:08,167 --> 00:11:11,042 They roam through the woods on a killing rampage 243 00:11:11,042 --> 00:11:13,292 until the father attacks the son 244 00:11:13,292 --> 00:11:15,167 leaving him with a mortal wound. 245 00:11:16,375 --> 00:11:19,250 - [Lynne] In Scandinavia in the first millennium, 246 00:11:19,250 --> 00:11:22,917 there is a documented real phenomenon taking place 247 00:11:22,917 --> 00:11:25,417 that makes the werewolf transition 248 00:11:25,417 --> 00:11:27,292 maybe not seem so implausible. 249 00:11:28,792 --> 00:11:31,458 A good starting point is in the Viking culture. 250 00:11:31,458 --> 00:11:35,167 [dramatic music] [screen whooshes] 251 00:11:35,167 --> 00:11:37,625 - [Erica] So in Scandinavia in the 9th century, 252 00:11:37,625 --> 00:11:40,625 you have this viking warrior culture 253 00:11:40,625 --> 00:11:43,417 and particularly a group of warriors 254 00:11:43,417 --> 00:11:45,708 that worship the God Odin 255 00:11:45,708 --> 00:11:48,542 and they were often meant to protect royalty. 256 00:11:48,542 --> 00:11:51,125 They're known as Berserkers. 257 00:11:51,125 --> 00:11:55,917 - [Troy] The Berserkers were sort of an unusual bunch. 258 00:11:55,917 --> 00:11:59,958 Before battle, they would strip themselves completely naked, 259 00:11:59,958 --> 00:12:04,042 dye their bodies with a black dye, 260 00:12:04,042 --> 00:12:07,958 and then would sort of psyched themselves up 261 00:12:07,958 --> 00:12:10,833 into a state of ferocity. 262 00:12:12,042 --> 00:12:16,042 But there was one subculture of Berserker warriors 263 00:12:16,042 --> 00:12:18,250 who did dress themselves as wolves. 264 00:12:19,958 --> 00:12:23,292 - [Lynne] One of the secrets to their fighting ability 265 00:12:23,292 --> 00:12:27,833 was this insane rage that would take over their body. 266 00:12:28,708 --> 00:12:30,708 A madness would come over them. 267 00:12:30,708 --> 00:12:32,833 They were described as fighting almost 268 00:12:32,833 --> 00:12:34,875 in a trance-like state, 269 00:12:34,875 --> 00:12:37,125 often described as either being naked, 270 00:12:37,125 --> 00:12:41,333 or as wearing bear skins, or sometimes wolf skins. 271 00:12:41,333 --> 00:12:45,042 - [Andrew] The donning of the animal skin, the bear skin, 272 00:12:45,042 --> 00:12:47,708 which is where we get the word Berserk from, 273 00:12:47,708 --> 00:12:49,708 is not simply an armor. 274 00:12:49,708 --> 00:12:51,958 It's actually a mindset. 275 00:12:51,958 --> 00:12:55,958 You're becoming like the animal that by embodying it, 276 00:12:55,958 --> 00:12:59,417 you avail yourself of its power, of its fury. 277 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:03,583 - [Lynne] We see stories of these fighters training in the 278 00:13:03,583 --> 00:13:08,375 woods, but it's possible that one of their best weapons 279 00:13:08,375 --> 00:13:11,292 is actually the use of hallucinogenic substances. 280 00:13:12,542 --> 00:13:15,917 [dramatic music] [graphic beeps] 281 00:13:15,917 --> 00:13:18,042 - [Laurence] Some scholars now theorize 282 00:13:18,042 --> 00:13:21,000 that the berserkers' drug- induced transformation 283 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,375 from men into monsters could be the basis 284 00:13:24,375 --> 00:13:27,292 of the werewolf legend as we now know it. 285 00:13:27,292 --> 00:13:29,708 - [Erica] It's thought that potentially the berserkers 286 00:13:29,708 --> 00:13:32,625 were ingesting Amanita muscaria, 287 00:13:32,625 --> 00:13:34,250 which is the mushroom that's sort of 288 00:13:34,250 --> 00:13:36,042 the "Alice in Wonderland" mushroom. 289 00:13:37,958 --> 00:13:41,208 [dramatic music] When ingested, 290 00:13:41,208 --> 00:13:44,833 there's psychoactive properties that would cause a person 291 00:13:44,833 --> 00:13:48,958 to enter a feeling of just kind of invincibility 292 00:13:48,958 --> 00:13:50,833 and ferocity. 293 00:13:50,833 --> 00:13:52,667 - [Troy] After that feeling of being invincible 294 00:13:52,667 --> 00:13:55,208 and bloodthirsty would wear off, 295 00:13:56,250 --> 00:13:59,042 that mushroom then acts as a sedative. 296 00:13:59,042 --> 00:14:00,917 They wouldn't even remember 297 00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:03,458 what they had done on the battlefield. 298 00:14:04,708 --> 00:14:06,375 - [Laurence] A later ruler of Norway, 299 00:14:06,375 --> 00:14:10,375 King Olaf Haraldsson is said to use berserkers 300 00:14:10,375 --> 00:14:14,000 in one of the most famous battles in the country's history 301 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,208 at Stiklestad in 1030. 302 00:14:17,208 --> 00:14:19,667 But the Berserkers days are numbered 303 00:14:19,667 --> 00:14:21,958 because such animalistic behavior 304 00:14:21,958 --> 00:14:25,208 runs counter to the growing faith of Christianity. 305 00:14:25,208 --> 00:14:28,458 In fact, Olaf himself will be canonized 306 00:14:28,458 --> 00:14:32,500 as Saint Olaf for his campaign to spread the religion. 307 00:14:33,875 --> 00:14:37,375 - [Lynne] As Christianity became a more major religion in Norway, 308 00:14:37,375 --> 00:14:40,625 the sort of Hagan feel of the berserkers 309 00:14:40,625 --> 00:14:42,458 is something that fell out of favor. 310 00:14:44,167 --> 00:14:47,375 And if they fell out of favor with the rise of Christianity, 311 00:14:47,375 --> 00:14:51,083 it was the church that brought back an emphasis 312 00:14:51,083 --> 00:14:54,042 on the possibility of werewolves in the 16th century. 313 00:14:55,375 --> 00:14:57,958 - [Laurence] In the 1500s, the Catholic church in Europe 314 00:14:57,958 --> 00:15:00,167 embroiled in political power struggles 315 00:15:00,167 --> 00:15:03,417 and under threat from a new Protestant movement 316 00:15:03,417 --> 00:15:06,542 is on a campaign to maintain its supremacy. 317 00:15:08,167 --> 00:15:11,583 - [Lynne] As part of this effort to really maintain control 318 00:15:11,583 --> 00:15:12,917 over what people understand 319 00:15:12,917 --> 00:15:15,000 to be the morally correct way to live, 320 00:15:16,125 --> 00:15:18,000 we can see a lot of fear mongering. 321 00:15:19,833 --> 00:15:23,167 - [Andrew] 200 years before the famous Salem Witch trials, 322 00:15:23,167 --> 00:15:26,208 we had a similar type of trial happening in Europe. 323 00:15:26,208 --> 00:15:28,708 These were werewolf trials. [suspenseful music] 324 00:15:28,708 --> 00:15:32,417 Oftentimes individuals were accused of horrific acts, 325 00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:34,708 often killing and eating children, 326 00:15:34,708 --> 00:15:38,333 and so these individuals would be put on trial by the church 327 00:15:38,333 --> 00:15:43,292 and under extreme duress, indeed under torture, 328 00:15:43,292 --> 00:15:46,708 they would often confess to being just that - werewolves. 329 00:15:46,708 --> 00:15:50,708 [screen whooshes] [graphic beeps] 330 00:15:50,708 --> 00:15:53,708 - [Lynne] At this point in the 1500s across Europe, 331 00:15:53,708 --> 00:15:58,042 the Catholic church really is the dominant moral authority. 332 00:15:58,042 --> 00:16:00,833 Telling people what's right, how to live correctly, 333 00:16:00,833 --> 00:16:03,042 really setting the moral tone. 334 00:16:03,042 --> 00:16:05,292 - [Andrew] The church exerts its influence 335 00:16:05,292 --> 00:16:08,000 by claiming that it offers you protection 336 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,458 from demonic influences here on earth, 337 00:16:12,458 --> 00:16:16,542 the most serious threat the church said, were werewolves. 338 00:16:16,542 --> 00:16:18,542 [graphics beeping] 339 00:16:18,542 --> 00:16:20,458 - So in Germany in 1589, 340 00:16:20,458 --> 00:16:23,458 the werewolf executions are in full tilt 341 00:16:23,458 --> 00:16:26,708 and they come across a gentleman named Peter Stumpp. 342 00:16:26,708 --> 00:16:28,042 They put him on a rack 343 00:16:28,042 --> 00:16:31,500 and they slowly remove all of his flesh. 344 00:16:31,500 --> 00:16:32,583 Then they behead him 345 00:16:32,583 --> 00:16:35,333 and they actually burn him on a funeral pyre. 346 00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:39,500 - [Troy] It was a warning not only to any werewolves, 347 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:41,667 but it was also the warning to the people 348 00:16:41,875 --> 00:16:47,292 that only the church had the power to protect them. 349 00:16:47,292 --> 00:16:49,125 - [Laurence] But there may be another factor 350 00:16:49,125 --> 00:16:51,708 that puts unwitting people in the crosshairs 351 00:16:51,708 --> 00:16:54,375 of the werewolf hunting church. 352 00:16:54,375 --> 00:16:55,875 - [Andrew] Some historians have observed 353 00:16:55,875 --> 00:17:00,042 that many of the greatest incidents of werewolf activity 354 00:17:00,042 --> 00:17:02,500 happened in lowland areas. 355 00:17:02,500 --> 00:17:05,208 They tend to be wet, damp, moist, 356 00:17:05,208 --> 00:17:07,917 and they note that those conditions give rise 357 00:17:07,917 --> 00:17:11,000 to a certain fungus that when consumed 358 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,917 can have odd effects. 359 00:17:13,917 --> 00:17:16,167 - [Laurence] This fungus known as ergot 360 00:17:16,167 --> 00:17:19,500 grows on grains and contains chemical compounds 361 00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:23,708 that are not only poisonous, but also psychoactive. 362 00:17:23,708 --> 00:17:27,250 - [Andrew] When grains infected with ergot are consumed, 363 00:17:27,250 --> 00:17:30,625 some of the symptoms include rapid heart rate, 364 00:17:30,625 --> 00:17:33,625 blurred vision, kind of a state of agitation, 365 00:17:33,625 --> 00:17:35,542 all of which could be seen 366 00:17:35,542 --> 00:17:39,375 as part of the werewolf transformation. 367 00:17:39,375 --> 00:17:41,458 - [Troy] To make matters even more compelling 368 00:17:41,458 --> 00:17:44,458 is once the poisoning effects wear off, 369 00:17:44,458 --> 00:17:46,875 you'll have little memory of the things that you did 370 00:17:46,875 --> 00:17:48,292 while you were poisoned. 371 00:17:48,292 --> 00:17:49,625 - [Andrew] It's not hard to imagine 372 00:17:49,625 --> 00:17:52,750 that if in your village something terrible happens, 373 00:17:52,750 --> 00:17:54,292 especially to a small child 374 00:17:54,292 --> 00:17:57,167 that you wouldn't begin looking about for someone to blame. 375 00:17:57,167 --> 00:18:00,708 The person behaving irrationally, uncontrollably, 376 00:18:00,708 --> 00:18:04,000 who's spasming, seemingly undergoing some kind of 377 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:05,542 demonic transformation, 378 00:18:05,542 --> 00:18:07,417 that's an obvious person to blame. 379 00:18:07,417 --> 00:18:09,375 - [Laurence] There are conflicting views 380 00:18:09,375 --> 00:18:12,208 on just how many Europeans are persecuted 381 00:18:12,208 --> 00:18:15,042 in the heyday of werewolf trials. 382 00:18:15,042 --> 00:18:17,375 One source from 1611 claims 383 00:18:17,375 --> 00:18:21,125 the number is 30,000 in France alone. 384 00:18:21,125 --> 00:18:23,208 Some historians today argue, 385 00:18:23,208 --> 00:18:25,917 the total number in Europe is much less, 386 00:18:25,917 --> 00:18:28,083 perhaps several hundred. 387 00:18:28,083 --> 00:18:29,250 - [Lynne] What we might be seeing here 388 00:18:29,250 --> 00:18:32,042 is really sort of a cyclical effect 389 00:18:32,042 --> 00:18:33,917 where these sort of afflictions 390 00:18:33,917 --> 00:18:36,167 may really have increased the idea 391 00:18:36,167 --> 00:18:39,333 that there are people becoming werewolves. 392 00:18:43,708 --> 00:18:45,708 - [Laurence] Winter 1573, 393 00:18:45,708 --> 00:18:48,542 it's a cold night in rural France 394 00:18:48,542 --> 00:18:52,417 and laborers are headed to a tavern for an evening meal. 395 00:18:52,417 --> 00:18:55,583 The entire party is on edge for good reason. 396 00:18:57,500 --> 00:19:00,333 - [Lynne] In the bushes, under the light of a full moon, 397 00:19:01,625 --> 00:19:04,208 they hear some rustling sounds. 398 00:19:04,208 --> 00:19:06,333 They at first think might be an animal. 399 00:19:06,333 --> 00:19:09,458 They hear sort of a growling sound coming from it. 400 00:19:09,458 --> 00:19:13,917 [animal growling] But as they get closer, 401 00:19:13,917 --> 00:19:16,792 they realize that what they're seeing is a person. 402 00:19:17,708 --> 00:19:19,083 - [Troy] His name is Gilles Garnier. 403 00:19:19,083 --> 00:19:22,750 He is a recluse who lives outside of town, 404 00:19:22,750 --> 00:19:25,875 and they also realize that's not a dead animal 405 00:19:25,875 --> 00:19:26,667 that he's eating. 406 00:19:27,625 --> 00:19:29,208 It's the body of a small child. 407 00:19:29,208 --> 00:19:32,125 [dramatic music] 408 00:19:33,125 --> 00:19:35,208 When they confront Garnier, 409 00:19:35,208 --> 00:19:38,250 they find his blood all over his face, 410 00:19:38,250 --> 00:19:40,083 it's dripping from his chin, 411 00:19:40,083 --> 00:19:43,208 and he admits that he's a wolf 412 00:19:43,208 --> 00:19:45,875 and that he's been killing and eating children 413 00:19:45,875 --> 00:19:47,208 for some time now, 414 00:19:47,208 --> 00:19:50,125 as many as 14 in the last few months. 415 00:19:50,125 --> 00:19:52,792 He honestly believes he's a werewolf. 416 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,542 - [Andrew] It's cases like Garnier that lead many 417 00:19:57,542 --> 00:20:01,875 historians to believe that the explanation for werewolf stories 418 00:20:01,875 --> 00:20:05,500 is not the supernatural, not curses or the full moon, 419 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:07,042 but something entirely natural. 420 00:20:07,042 --> 00:20:11,250 It's to be found in deranged but very human predators. 421 00:20:11,250 --> 00:20:15,958 [screen whooshes] [suspenseful music] 422 00:20:15,958 --> 00:20:19,250 - [Kinitra] Further questioning leads to some answers 423 00:20:19,250 --> 00:20:22,375 as to why Garnier would commit such a heinous act, 424 00:20:22,375 --> 00:20:24,833 and he says the devil made him do it. 425 00:20:26,375 --> 00:20:29,708 And the devil helped him by giving him an ointment 426 00:20:30,750 --> 00:20:34,708 that turned him into a wolf. [dramatic music] 427 00:20:37,083 --> 00:20:38,583 - [Troy] Back in those days, 428 00:20:38,583 --> 00:20:41,375 Garnier was believed to be a supernatural creature, 429 00:20:41,375 --> 00:20:45,208 but today, we would call him a serial killer 430 00:20:45,208 --> 00:20:47,708 who engaged in cannibalism, 431 00:20:47,708 --> 00:20:50,958 someone like Albert Fish or Jeffrey Dahmer 432 00:20:50,958 --> 00:20:53,375 who would eat their victims. 433 00:20:53,375 --> 00:20:55,667 We don't think of them as werewolves. 434 00:20:55,667 --> 00:20:59,333 We think of them as a serial killer. 435 00:21:00,625 --> 00:21:04,083 - [Andrew] What we have is arguably a climate of fear. 436 00:21:04,083 --> 00:21:08,042 One person makes a claim and then others get on board, 437 00:21:08,042 --> 00:21:10,417 and suddenly the story takes on a life of its own 438 00:21:10,417 --> 00:21:13,333 and the boundaries between fantasy 439 00:21:13,333 --> 00:21:15,375 and reality begin to blur. 440 00:21:17,042 --> 00:21:19,875 Now the the truth is, we'll never know for sure 441 00:21:19,875 --> 00:21:21,042 in this particular case 442 00:21:21,042 --> 00:21:25,458 because Garnier is found guilty of being a werewolf. 443 00:21:26,875 --> 00:21:28,500 And is burned on a pyre. 444 00:21:30,625 --> 00:21:32,917 - [Laurence] In Bedburg, Germany 16 years 445 00:21:32,917 --> 00:21:35,500 after Garnier's trial, 446 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:38,708 Peter Stumpp is also accused of being a werewolf. 447 00:21:38,708 --> 00:21:41,583 - [Troy] Stumpp was being interrogated by the authorities. 448 00:21:41,583 --> 00:21:43,500 He made a full confession. 449 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:46,417 He said that he was transformed into a wolf 450 00:21:46,417 --> 00:21:50,750 using a belt that had been made from a wolf's skin. 451 00:21:50,750 --> 00:21:53,667 - [Erica] Peter Stumpp confesses to killing 14 children 452 00:21:53,667 --> 00:21:56,833 as well as two pregnant women with their babies. 453 00:21:56,833 --> 00:21:58,500 - [Lynne] One key difference here 454 00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:01,375 is that when he transforms into being a human, 455 00:22:01,375 --> 00:22:04,083 he retains the knowledge of what he's done. 456 00:22:04,083 --> 00:22:08,708 Just as with Garnier, his confession leads to execution. 457 00:22:08,708 --> 00:22:10,958 He's tortured, he's burned, 458 00:22:10,958 --> 00:22:13,875 and then the news of it is reported far and wide. 459 00:22:16,417 --> 00:22:18,792 - [Andrew] The church creates a broad sheet, 460 00:22:18,792 --> 00:22:21,875 announcing that it has captured and executed, 461 00:22:21,875 --> 00:22:23,542 the werewolf of Bedburg. 462 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:26,125 That broad sheet is widely circulated. 463 00:22:26,125 --> 00:22:28,583 It's reprinted hundreds of times 464 00:22:28,583 --> 00:22:32,375 making Stumpp's case the most famous werewolf trial. 465 00:22:32,375 --> 00:22:35,375 - [Lynne] And so these sorts of stories really got 466 00:22:35,375 --> 00:22:37,500 a lot of spread in culture, 467 00:22:37,500 --> 00:22:39,792 letting people know exactly what a werewolf does 468 00:22:39,792 --> 00:22:42,542 and what will happen to someone who is one. 469 00:22:42,542 --> 00:22:45,917 - [Andrew] It's entirely possible that Garnier and Stumpp 470 00:22:45,917 --> 00:22:48,958 did commit the crimes they were accused of 471 00:22:48,958 --> 00:22:51,792 even though their confessions were extracted under torture. 472 00:22:51,792 --> 00:22:54,208 And what's interesting is that in those confessions, 473 00:22:54,208 --> 00:22:58,333 they claim that they did commit the crimes, but as werewolves. 474 00:22:58,333 --> 00:23:00,917 So it's not just a confession to a crime, 475 00:23:00,917 --> 00:23:04,458 it's a confession to a supernatural crime. 476 00:23:06,375 --> 00:23:08,208 - [Laurence] Could accused serial killers 477 00:23:08,208 --> 00:23:09,792 like Garnier and Stumpp 478 00:23:09,792 --> 00:23:13,000 actually believe they were werewolves? 479 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,792 A rare psychological condition 480 00:23:14,792 --> 00:23:19,125 recognized in the late 19th century might provide an answer. 481 00:23:20,750 --> 00:23:23,583 - [Andrew] There is a condition called clinical Lycanthropy. 482 00:23:23,583 --> 00:23:27,167 This comes to us from the Greek, lykos, meaning wolf. 483 00:23:27,167 --> 00:23:29,792 And anthropos, meaning human. 484 00:23:29,792 --> 00:23:33,542 In this case, individuals do claim to believe 485 00:23:33,542 --> 00:23:35,542 that they transform into wolfs. 486 00:23:35,542 --> 00:23:38,375 They describe a physical transformation. 487 00:23:38,375 --> 00:23:39,750 Teeth turning into fangs, 488 00:23:39,750 --> 00:23:42,042 the nails turning into claws, hair growing, 489 00:23:42,042 --> 00:23:45,125 the body contorting into a wolf-like state. 490 00:23:45,125 --> 00:23:48,458 - [Lynne] If we're looking for a documented phenomenon 491 00:23:48,458 --> 00:23:51,625 that could really tie all the pieces together 492 00:23:51,625 --> 00:23:54,333 of the werewolf belief, serial killers, 493 00:23:54,333 --> 00:23:56,375 with diagnosed clinical Lycanthropy, 494 00:23:57,417 --> 00:23:59,000 really hits the nail on the head. 495 00:24:00,958 --> 00:24:04,000 - [Brian] It's very hard to know how prevalent this is 496 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,750 if you're just looking at the scientific literature, 497 00:24:06,750 --> 00:24:09,042 a colleague and I only found 25 cases 498 00:24:09,042 --> 00:24:11,292 of people who believe they turned into wolves. 499 00:24:11,292 --> 00:24:12,708 I'm guessing it's more frequent 500 00:24:12,708 --> 00:24:15,542 than the scientific literature would suggest. 501 00:24:15,542 --> 00:24:17,875 - [Andrew] We have a 2020 case of a young boy in France 502 00:24:17,875 --> 00:24:21,583 who believed himself to be a werewolf. 503 00:24:21,583 --> 00:24:24,375 He would refuse to go to school during the full moon. 504 00:24:24,375 --> 00:24:26,375 There were reports of him biting 505 00:24:26,375 --> 00:24:28,542 or scratching his classmates. 506 00:24:28,542 --> 00:24:29,958 - [Troy] Doctors feared 507 00:24:29,958 --> 00:24:32,250 it had something to do with the internet. 508 00:24:32,250 --> 00:24:36,625 That he had been delving deep into online chat rooms 509 00:24:36,625 --> 00:24:38,625 and things where people were talking about 510 00:24:38,625 --> 00:24:41,833 another world of living as a werewolf. 511 00:24:41,833 --> 00:24:43,208 But even without the internet, 512 00:24:43,208 --> 00:24:46,250 people have been suffering from this condition 513 00:24:46,250 --> 00:24:48,500 for centuries. [suspenseful music] 514 00:24:52,333 --> 00:24:53,042 - By the mid 19th century, 515 00:24:53,250 --> 00:24:55,042 as the wolf population plummets, 516 00:24:55,042 --> 00:24:57,708 there's less fear of encountering a werewolf 517 00:24:57,708 --> 00:24:59,083 in a dark forest. 518 00:24:59,083 --> 00:25:01,625 But in 1855, 519 00:25:01,625 --> 00:25:05,292 a chilling story from France reignites the terror 520 00:25:05,292 --> 00:25:06,583 and the legend. 521 00:25:08,208 --> 00:25:10,625 [graphic beeps] - In 1855, 522 00:25:10,625 --> 00:25:13,208 a article comes out in the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" 523 00:25:13,208 --> 00:25:17,125 about a couple in rural France, and it's really disturbing. 524 00:25:17,125 --> 00:25:20,083 This couple was getting married and before the wedding 525 00:25:20,083 --> 00:25:23,167 the groom started acting really strange. 526 00:25:24,292 --> 00:25:26,792 The night after the nuptials, 527 00:25:26,792 --> 00:25:28,917 they hear this horrible screaming 528 00:25:28,917 --> 00:25:32,208 coming from the bed chamber of the bride and groom. 529 00:25:32,208 --> 00:25:33,917 [person screams] 530 00:25:33,917 --> 00:25:36,208 - [Andrew] Their family rushed to the room, 531 00:25:36,208 --> 00:25:37,708 and upon opening the door, 532 00:25:37,708 --> 00:25:41,250 they see the husband standing above the wife, 533 00:25:41,250 --> 00:25:43,250 blood dripping down his mouth. 534 00:25:43,250 --> 00:25:44,917 He's consuming her. 535 00:25:44,917 --> 00:25:47,125 He's eaten part of her chest. 536 00:25:48,458 --> 00:25:51,708 But just as the villagers get to the man, he too dies. 537 00:25:53,125 --> 00:25:55,875 - [Laurence] Suspicion only grows when authorities learn 538 00:25:55,875 --> 00:25:58,208 that the man had been recently bitten 539 00:25:58,208 --> 00:26:01,167 by some sort of vicious canine. 540 00:26:01,167 --> 00:26:03,750 - [Ryan] Back then, people would not have the knowledge 541 00:26:03,750 --> 00:26:07,000 to understand what was happening to this gentleman. 542 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,667 But now, we understand that there is something 543 00:26:09,667 --> 00:26:12,875 which can affect humans and animals 544 00:26:12,875 --> 00:26:16,333 that could have very well been what he was suffering from. 545 00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:20,458 [screen whooshes] [graphic beeps] 546 00:26:20,458 --> 00:26:21,875 - [Troy] Now rabies has been around 547 00:26:21,875 --> 00:26:24,167 since the beginning of recorded time. 548 00:26:24,167 --> 00:26:26,208 As far as we know the first mention of it 549 00:26:26,208 --> 00:26:30,042 was in a Babylonian text from 2300 BCE. 550 00:26:30,042 --> 00:26:34,708 So it's something that has been part of world history 551 00:26:34,708 --> 00:26:36,833 but not always understood. 552 00:26:38,167 --> 00:26:40,958 - [Ryan] Rabies can affect animals and humans. 553 00:26:40,958 --> 00:26:43,917 And in animals, they become more aggressive, 554 00:26:43,917 --> 00:26:45,417 they lose their fear of the things 555 00:26:45,417 --> 00:26:47,042 normally they're cautious about. 556 00:26:47,042 --> 00:26:49,750 - [Lynne] In humans, more severe cases of rabies 557 00:26:49,750 --> 00:26:52,750 are known as furious rabies. 558 00:26:52,750 --> 00:26:56,208 We see things like seizures, hallucinations, 559 00:26:56,208 --> 00:26:58,542 strange vocalizations, 560 00:26:58,542 --> 00:27:01,000 and even things like foaming at the mouth. 561 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:03,375 - [Troy] And because people came down with these conditions 562 00:27:03,375 --> 00:27:08,042 after they were bitten by some rabid animal like a wolf, 563 00:27:08,042 --> 00:27:11,542 they would just assume that it was a curse being passed on 564 00:27:11,542 --> 00:27:13,750 from a werewolf. 565 00:27:13,750 --> 00:27:15,583 - [Laurence] With Louis Pasteur's development 566 00:27:15,583 --> 00:27:19,000 of the rabies vaccine in 1885, 567 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,333 the number of post bite fatalities in humans 568 00:27:22,333 --> 00:27:24,125 drops significantly. 569 00:27:24,125 --> 00:27:26,708 - [Lynne] Rabies may have played a pretty significant role 570 00:27:26,708 --> 00:27:28,875 in the development of the werewolf legend, 571 00:27:28,875 --> 00:27:31,250 but there are other conditions as well 572 00:27:31,250 --> 00:27:33,792 that could have played a role in suggesting 573 00:27:33,792 --> 00:27:36,750 the same sort of wolf-like behaviors. 574 00:27:36,750 --> 00:27:38,208 - [Ryan] There's a famous story that we all know, 575 00:27:38,208 --> 00:27:41,042 which is "Tarzan" about Lord Gracestoke. 576 00:27:41,042 --> 00:27:43,042 Him and his parents marooned off the coast of Africa, 577 00:27:43,042 --> 00:27:46,208 the parents die and he's left to fend for himself. 578 00:27:46,208 --> 00:27:47,708 He's raised by the apes 579 00:27:47,708 --> 00:27:50,583 and he begins to run around on all fours 580 00:27:50,583 --> 00:27:52,542 and speak like them, act like them, 581 00:27:52,542 --> 00:27:54,542 exhibit all their behaviors. 582 00:27:54,542 --> 00:27:57,542 - [Lynne] Tarzan, the character is obviously fictional, 583 00:27:57,542 --> 00:28:00,125 but the concept of actual feral children, 584 00:28:00,125 --> 00:28:03,417 children raised in the wilderness by animals 585 00:28:03,417 --> 00:28:05,083 has been around for centuries, 586 00:28:05,083 --> 00:28:07,375 and these certainly could have played a role 587 00:28:07,375 --> 00:28:10,042 in the stories about people behaving like 588 00:28:10,042 --> 00:28:13,125 or even transforming into wolves. 589 00:28:13,125 --> 00:28:17,250 [screen whooshes] [dramatic music] 590 00:28:17,250 --> 00:28:20,958 - [Ryan] These feral children don't exhibit violent 591 00:28:20,958 --> 00:28:24,875 tendencies, but even though they're not aggressive, 592 00:28:24,875 --> 00:28:29,208 their mysterious origins, they're wild - like tendencies 593 00:28:29,208 --> 00:28:33,708 really fuels the idea that this is maybe a perfect template 594 00:28:33,708 --> 00:28:36,792 for where we get the modern werewolf. 595 00:28:36,792 --> 00:28:39,042 - [Andrew] Northwest India, 1867, 596 00:28:40,042 --> 00:28:42,125 a hunting party is out in the jungle 597 00:28:42,125 --> 00:28:46,917 when they come upon a cave guarded by a single wolf, 598 00:28:46,917 --> 00:28:49,375 but as they look closer, 599 00:28:49,375 --> 00:28:52,208 they realize that this wolf is not a wolf at all. 600 00:28:53,750 --> 00:28:56,583 It's a boy. [suspenseful music] 601 00:28:56,583 --> 00:29:00,042 - [Troy] When an actual wolf then emerged from the cave 602 00:29:00,042 --> 00:29:02,625 and approached the hunters, they killed it. 603 00:29:02,625 --> 00:29:05,500 And believed they were rescuing this boy, 604 00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:10,417 not understanding that he had been raised by those wolves. 605 00:29:10,417 --> 00:29:12,833 - [Andrew] The hunters deliver him to a group of missionaries. 606 00:29:12,833 --> 00:29:16,000 You know, the missionaries name him Dina Sanichar. 607 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,958 They try to teach him to speak. They're never able to do so. 608 00:29:19,958 --> 00:29:22,583 So what we have here is a real-life "Jungle Book." 609 00:29:22,583 --> 00:29:25,125 A real-life Mogley, man-cub. 610 00:29:25,125 --> 00:29:27,583 - [Laurence] The story of Dina Sanichar 611 00:29:27,583 --> 00:29:30,083 is not an isolated one. 612 00:29:30,083 --> 00:29:32,792 There have been around a hundred documented cases 613 00:29:32,792 --> 00:29:33,833 just like it. 614 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,000 - [Troy] There were other cases of feral children 615 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,833 being raised by animals, different kinds of animals, 616 00:29:39,833 --> 00:29:42,708 leopards, lions, 617 00:29:42,708 --> 00:29:46,250 goats, but most of them seem to revolve around 618 00:29:46,250 --> 00:29:49,792 dogs and wolves because they are such social animals. 619 00:29:49,792 --> 00:29:52,042 - [Lynne] What we see in these stories, 620 00:29:52,042 --> 00:29:53,667 there's not that violence, 621 00:29:53,667 --> 00:29:55,208 there's not that aggression, 622 00:29:55,208 --> 00:29:57,500 but we see at a really basic level, 623 00:29:57,500 --> 00:30:01,875 the general belief that a human animal hybrid is possible. 624 00:30:05,750 --> 00:30:08,125 [suspenseful music] - [Laurence] In 1884, 625 00:30:08,125 --> 00:30:10,542 Phineas Taylor Barnum travels the world with his circus. 626 00:30:10,542 --> 00:30:15,083 He calls it "PT Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth." 627 00:30:15,083 --> 00:30:18,625 Among his sideshow performers is a young boy 628 00:30:18,625 --> 00:30:21,417 with a very startling appearance. 629 00:30:21,417 --> 00:30:24,375 - [Troy] His entire face, except for his eyes and ears, 630 00:30:24,375 --> 00:30:27,583 were covered with a fine, silky hair, 631 00:30:27,583 --> 00:30:29,875 and whenever he would perform, 632 00:30:29,875 --> 00:30:33,083 he would bark and growl like a dog. 633 00:30:33,083 --> 00:30:35,250 Now, this was just his stage act. 634 00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:37,292 He was actually a brilliant young man 635 00:30:37,292 --> 00:30:38,875 who spoke five different languages, 636 00:30:38,875 --> 00:30:40,500 but he made his money 637 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:44,375 by pretending to be half man and half animal. 638 00:30:44,375 --> 00:30:46,333 - [Ryan] Jo-Jo's real name was Fedor Jeftichew, 639 00:30:47,667 --> 00:30:50,417 and he suffered from a condition we know of these days 640 00:30:50,417 --> 00:30:55,458 as Hypertrichosis, which is basically excessive hair. 641 00:30:56,208 --> 00:30:58,208 It can cover just the face 642 00:30:58,208 --> 00:31:01,000 or it can consume your entire body. 643 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,000 - [Lynne] Some experts believe that this condition 644 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:07,208 documented rarely but consistently since the 1500s, 645 00:31:07,208 --> 00:31:10,333 could play a role in the ongoing belief in werewolves. 646 00:31:10,333 --> 00:31:15,083 [suspenseful music] [graphic beeps] 647 00:31:15,083 --> 00:31:16,792 - [Troy] Fedor was born in Russia. 648 00:31:16,792 --> 00:31:19,125 His father had the same condition, 649 00:31:19,125 --> 00:31:23,625 his father had performed in sideshows as a wild man. 650 00:31:23,625 --> 00:31:25,708 After his father passed away, 651 00:31:25,708 --> 00:31:30,250 Fedor went on to perform alone which is how he met PT Barnum, 652 00:31:30,250 --> 00:31:33,583 who offered him a handsome contract to come to America 653 00:31:33,583 --> 00:31:35,917 as Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy. 654 00:31:37,208 --> 00:31:39,625 - [Andrew] Jeftichew is a popular attraction for Barnum 655 00:31:39,625 --> 00:31:41,292 for nearly 20 years. 656 00:31:41,292 --> 00:31:44,167 Even though Jeftichew grows incredibly homesick, 657 00:31:44,167 --> 00:31:46,667 Barnum won't let him out of his contract. 658 00:31:46,667 --> 00:31:49,667 - [Lynne] Barnum's shows draw in hundreds of thousands 659 00:31:49,667 --> 00:31:51,250 of visitors per year, 660 00:31:52,792 --> 00:31:54,042 and likely for many of them, 661 00:31:54,042 --> 00:31:55,958 this is the first time they've ever seen 662 00:31:55,958 --> 00:31:57,708 a person with Hypertrichosis. 663 00:31:57,708 --> 00:32:00,542 The condition didn't even have that name at the time. 664 00:32:00,542 --> 00:32:04,542 And the posters, the advertisement for the show, 665 00:32:04,542 --> 00:32:06,875 really encouraged people to believe 666 00:32:06,875 --> 00:32:09,875 that this was an animal-human hybrid. 667 00:32:11,375 --> 00:32:13,208 - [Laurence] Jo-Jo is part of a long history 668 00:32:13,208 --> 00:32:16,042 of Hypertrichosis sufferers 669 00:32:16,042 --> 00:32:18,958 being cast as wild animal human hybrids, 670 00:32:18,958 --> 00:32:21,083 including werewolves. 671 00:32:22,708 --> 00:32:24,167 - [Troy] In the late 1500s, 672 00:32:24,333 --> 00:32:27,625 there was an Italian naturalist named Ulisse Aldrovandi 673 00:32:27,625 --> 00:32:31,083 and he documented this entire family who lived in Bologna, 674 00:32:31,083 --> 00:32:34,542 who were covered in a thick black hair 675 00:32:34,542 --> 00:32:36,458 over their entire bodies. 676 00:32:36,458 --> 00:32:39,708 - [Lynne] Aldrovandi's book was titled "The History of 677 00:32:39,708 --> 00:32:42,000 Monsters," and the name that it gives to this condition 678 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:43,583 is werewolf syndrome. 679 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:48,875 Even though now we have the name Hypertrichosis, 680 00:32:48,875 --> 00:32:52,042 the name Werewolf syndrome also sticks. 681 00:32:52,042 --> 00:32:53,500 - [Erica] In the last 300 years, 682 00:32:53,500 --> 00:32:56,875 there are only 50 documented cases of Hypertrichosis, 683 00:32:56,875 --> 00:32:59,167 but in many ways, it's rarity may have made it 684 00:32:59,167 --> 00:33:01,708 more alarming and all the more sort of shocking 685 00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:03,375 for people who witnessed it. 686 00:33:03,375 --> 00:33:05,583 - [Laurence] While not nearly as common as rabies 687 00:33:05,583 --> 00:33:08,500 or as well publicized as feral children, 688 00:33:08,500 --> 00:33:11,583 Hypertrichosis may have played a key role 689 00:33:11,583 --> 00:33:14,583 in the development of the werewolf myth. 690 00:33:14,583 --> 00:33:16,500 - [Troy] That may be why one of the oldest 691 00:33:16,500 --> 00:33:18,583 variations of the werewolf legend 692 00:33:18,583 --> 00:33:22,083 involves a creature that doesn't transform 693 00:33:22,083 --> 00:33:23,375 back into a human, 694 00:33:23,375 --> 00:33:26,208 but remains half human and half beast. 695 00:33:26,208 --> 00:33:27,875 - [Laurence] Through the centuries, 696 00:33:27,875 --> 00:33:29,917 a handful of famous cases 697 00:33:29,917 --> 00:33:33,375 reinforced the idea of werewolf syndrome. 698 00:33:33,375 --> 00:33:34,583 [screen whooshes] [graphic beeps] 699 00:33:34,708 --> 00:33:37,375 - [Andrew] In 1840, some Mexican herdsman 700 00:33:37,375 --> 00:33:42,208 discover a young mother hiding a daughter in a cave. 701 00:33:42,208 --> 00:33:44,583 The daughter is striking in her appearance. 702 00:33:44,583 --> 00:33:46,833 She's covered with hair, 703 00:33:46,833 --> 00:33:48,292 including what looks like a long beard 704 00:33:48,292 --> 00:33:49,875 growing from her face. 705 00:33:49,875 --> 00:33:52,375 - [Troy] The mother explained that she was hiding the little 706 00:33:52,375 --> 00:33:54,250 girl whose name was Julia Pastrana 707 00:33:54,250 --> 00:33:58,500 because villagers believed that she was the new Ali 708 00:33:58,500 --> 00:34:00,750 who was a shape-shifting werewolf. 709 00:34:02,208 --> 00:34:05,208 As the story goes, the young mother died soon after, 710 00:34:05,208 --> 00:34:08,583 and Julia ended up in an orphanage 711 00:34:08,583 --> 00:34:13,125 where she became a subject of both ridicule and fear. 712 00:34:14,417 --> 00:34:16,667 - [Kinitra] But she has such a sweet disposition. 713 00:34:16,667 --> 00:34:19,292 She has such a beautiful singing voice. 714 00:34:19,292 --> 00:34:22,292 She is eventually adopted by the governor 715 00:34:22,292 --> 00:34:25,125 of the state of Sinaloa in Mexico, 716 00:34:25,125 --> 00:34:27,417 and she works as a live-in maid. 717 00:34:27,417 --> 00:34:30,833 - [Lynne] While she's working as a maid in this governor's house, 718 00:34:30,833 --> 00:34:32,667 she begins to sing opera, 719 00:34:32,667 --> 00:34:35,208 and as her talents grow, she gets recognized. 720 00:34:35,208 --> 00:34:37,333 She meets an American entrepreneur, 721 00:34:37,333 --> 00:34:40,375 he encourages her to travel to the US, 722 00:34:40,375 --> 00:34:45,458 and by 1854, she makes her debut on Broadway. 723 00:34:46,708 --> 00:34:48,542 - [Laurence] Despite Pastrana's gentle demeanor 724 00:34:48,542 --> 00:34:50,542 and sophisticated performances, 725 00:34:50,542 --> 00:34:54,500 she's still viewed as some kind of monster. 726 00:34:54,500 --> 00:34:58,125 - [Troy] One newspaper article refers to her as "it," 727 00:34:58,125 --> 00:35:01,000 and even doctors who examine her 728 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,375 will say that she is only half human, 729 00:35:04,375 --> 00:35:07,542 and these are doctors, let alone the general public 730 00:35:07,542 --> 00:35:11,542 who sees her as this human animal hybrid. 731 00:35:11,542 --> 00:35:14,375 - [Lynne] Her career continues and she actually has success 732 00:35:14,375 --> 00:35:16,750 traveling around the world and performing, 733 00:35:16,750 --> 00:35:19,500 and in 1860 in Moscow, 734 00:35:19,500 --> 00:35:21,542 she gives birth to a baby boy. 735 00:35:21,542 --> 00:35:25,500 Unfortunately, her child only survives for 35 hours, 736 00:35:25,500 --> 00:35:28,333 and after he passes away, so does she. 737 00:35:29,875 --> 00:35:33,917 - [Ryan] So for Julia, instead of having a dignified burial, 738 00:35:33,917 --> 00:35:38,083 they put her in a box and display her at these events. 739 00:35:38,083 --> 00:35:41,042 And it isn't until years later in 2013 740 00:35:41,042 --> 00:35:43,875 where she is finally given a burial. 741 00:35:43,875 --> 00:35:47,333 - [Troy] The condition that Jo-Jo and Julius suffered from 742 00:35:47,333 --> 00:35:49,667 gave them an animal-like appearance, 743 00:35:49,667 --> 00:35:52,875 but both of them were known for being very pleasant, 744 00:35:52,875 --> 00:35:54,375 peaceful people, 745 00:35:54,375 --> 00:35:57,375 so they weren't anything like the werewolf legend, 746 00:35:57,375 --> 00:35:59,583 but the fact that people saw 747 00:35:59,583 --> 00:36:02,958 that there could be what they thought 748 00:36:02,958 --> 00:36:05,542 was a human animal hybrid, 749 00:36:05,542 --> 00:36:07,875 it kept the story of the werewolves alive. 750 00:36:12,875 --> 00:36:15,792 - [Laurence] Around the time of Julia Pastrana's death 751 00:36:15,792 --> 00:36:18,667 thousands of miles away in the American west, 752 00:36:18,667 --> 00:36:20,667 another alleged form of werewolf 753 00:36:20,667 --> 00:36:23,417 is set to stalk the desert brush, 754 00:36:23,417 --> 00:36:26,458 and this beast is not so peaceful. 755 00:36:26,458 --> 00:36:30,333 - [Troy] In the 1860s, a conflict began in the American 756 00:36:30,333 --> 00:36:33,208 southwest between the Navajo and Ute nations. 757 00:36:33,208 --> 00:36:35,458 The Ute had allied themselves 758 00:36:35,458 --> 00:36:37,708 with the American military against the Navajo, 759 00:36:37,708 --> 00:36:40,375 and the Navajo were angry about this 760 00:36:40,375 --> 00:36:42,875 and decided to have their revenge. 761 00:36:42,875 --> 00:36:46,542 [person vocalizing] - [Andrew] As retaliation, 762 00:36:46,542 --> 00:36:49,917 the Navajo are said to unleash a terrifying curse 763 00:36:49,917 --> 00:36:53,083 upon the Ute people in their ancestral homeland, 764 00:36:53,083 --> 00:36:54,875 what is now present day Utah, 765 00:36:54,875 --> 00:36:58,000 and that curse comes in the form of a monster, 766 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,250 the skinwalker. [suspenseful music] 767 00:37:00,250 --> 00:37:01,625 - [Troy] According to Native American lore, 768 00:37:01,625 --> 00:37:04,083 skinwalkers were a type of witch 769 00:37:04,083 --> 00:37:07,500 that could transform into an animal, specifically a wolf. 770 00:37:08,833 --> 00:37:10,542 And they did so using magic 771 00:37:10,542 --> 00:37:14,208 and the pelt of the animal they wanted to transform into. 772 00:37:14,208 --> 00:37:17,042 The Navajo called them Yee Naaldlooshii, 773 00:37:17,042 --> 00:37:21,417 which roughly translates to He who walks on all fours. 774 00:37:22,833 --> 00:37:27,542 - [Andrew] In wolf form, skin walkers are super strong, very 775 00:37:27,542 --> 00:37:29,958 fast, almost impossible to kill. 776 00:37:31,458 --> 00:37:33,000 Folklore has it that the only thing that can kill them 777 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,042 is a bullet or a knife that's been dipped in white ash. 778 00:37:36,042 --> 00:37:38,542 It's said that the only way to become a skinwalker 779 00:37:38,542 --> 00:37:41,083 is to kill a member of your own family. 780 00:37:41,083 --> 00:37:43,292 - [Lynne] When you put all of these qualities together, 781 00:37:43,292 --> 00:37:45,208 the transformation into animals, 782 00:37:45,208 --> 00:37:47,250 people becoming like wolves, 783 00:37:47,250 --> 00:37:51,042 some people believe that this is a clear connection 784 00:37:51,042 --> 00:37:53,917 to the longstanding historical belief in werewolves. 785 00:37:58,042 --> 00:38:01,500 - [Andrew] By the late 19th century, many Utes have come to 786 00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:03,625 believe that the skinwalkers are powerful, dark, magic, 787 00:38:03,625 --> 00:38:06,167 and so many abandoned the Uinta Basin 788 00:38:06,167 --> 00:38:08,208 and refuse to go back there. 789 00:38:08,208 --> 00:38:12,708 Over time, that land is parceled and sold. 790 00:38:12,708 --> 00:38:17,667 In the 1990s, a couple acquire a 512 acre parcel of land. 791 00:38:18,875 --> 00:38:21,250 - [Ryan] Almost immediately, they begin having strangeness 792 00:38:21,250 --> 00:38:22,917 happening around the house, 793 00:38:22,917 --> 00:38:25,708 which gets worse until they start to notice 794 00:38:25,708 --> 00:38:27,542 wolves on the land 795 00:38:27,542 --> 00:38:30,792 that are three times larger than any wolves 796 00:38:30,792 --> 00:38:34,375 that they've ever seen or they can find in text. 797 00:38:34,375 --> 00:38:36,417 - [Lynne] According to the legend, 798 00:38:36,417 --> 00:38:38,792 these are skinwalkers. 799 00:38:38,792 --> 00:38:42,292 And some say that these are skinwalkers specifically sent 800 00:38:42,292 --> 00:38:45,000 by the Navajo to clear out this land. 801 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,500 - [Laurence] Skin walker sightings aren't limited 802 00:38:47,500 --> 00:38:50,708 to the supposed cursed territory in Utah. 803 00:38:50,708 --> 00:38:53,792 One Native American family in Arizona reports 804 00:38:53,792 --> 00:38:56,042 terrifying forces on their land. 805 00:38:58,375 --> 00:39:00,500 - [Lynne] As the family tells the story, 806 00:39:00,500 --> 00:39:02,792 they're seeing what looks sort of like these 807 00:39:02,792 --> 00:39:06,542 long shadows that are circling around their house. 808 00:39:06,542 --> 00:39:07,875 - [Andrew] The family hears noise coming from the 809 00:39:07,875 --> 00:39:09,625 son's bedroom. 810 00:39:09,625 --> 00:39:12,208 They open the door and see the son being attacked 811 00:39:12,208 --> 00:39:13,792 by some kind of creature, 812 00:39:13,792 --> 00:39:16,792 which they describe as walking on two legs, 813 00:39:16,792 --> 00:39:19,375 but with eyes that burn like fire. 814 00:39:21,042 --> 00:39:22,958 - [Lynne] In this family's belief tradition, 815 00:39:22,958 --> 00:39:25,125 they describe this as a skinwalker, 816 00:39:25,125 --> 00:39:27,667 but with the details provided, 817 00:39:27,667 --> 00:39:30,333 this could easily be the story of a werewolf. 818 00:39:30,333 --> 00:39:32,375 - [Laurence] When European settlers 819 00:39:32,375 --> 00:39:34,833 brought their werewolf legends to the Americas, 820 00:39:34,833 --> 00:39:37,125 they could have heard Native American stories 821 00:39:37,125 --> 00:39:38,750 of the skinwalkers. 822 00:39:38,750 --> 00:39:41,292 After all, both are tales of shape-shifting, 823 00:39:41,292 --> 00:39:42,875 malevolent beings. 824 00:39:42,875 --> 00:39:44,833 That's why some experts believe 825 00:39:44,833 --> 00:39:49,000 that the skinwalker may have been a significant influence 826 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,708 on popular werewolf mythology. 827 00:39:51,708 --> 00:39:55,583 - So it's easy on one level to imagine how werewolf legends 828 00:39:55,583 --> 00:39:58,042 would take root in a pastime before 829 00:39:58,042 --> 00:40:02,125 large technology education research about viruses, 830 00:40:03,708 --> 00:40:05,792 but you also have werewolf stories that are contemporary. 831 00:40:05,792 --> 00:40:07,375 In Wisconsin, there's this sort of 832 00:40:07,375 --> 00:40:08,792 America's Beast of Gvauden 833 00:40:08,792 --> 00:40:10,917 is known as The Beast of Bray Road. 834 00:40:14,667 --> 00:40:19,500 - [Lynne] This is a hybrid of a dog, man who's seen consistently 835 00:40:20,583 --> 00:40:22,667 in the wilderness, often at dusk, 836 00:40:22,667 --> 00:40:25,375 often doing exactly what we hear 837 00:40:25,375 --> 00:40:27,583 of werewolves and skinwalkers do, 838 00:40:27,583 --> 00:40:29,667 menacing people, approaching their houses, 839 00:40:29,667 --> 00:40:32,833 looking in the windows, threatening their well-being. 840 00:40:32,833 --> 00:40:36,042 - [Erica] This becomes sort of a part of the community identity. 841 00:40:36,042 --> 00:40:38,958 The local brewery has a beer named after the beast, 842 00:40:38,958 --> 00:40:40,750 it's on T-shirts. 843 00:40:40,750 --> 00:40:42,542 - [Lynne] At least for the beast of Bray Road 844 00:40:42,542 --> 00:40:44,208 the one thing it hasn't done, is kill anyone, 845 00:40:44,208 --> 00:40:48,125 at least not yet. [wolf howling] 846 00:40:48,125 --> 00:40:52,792 - [Andrew] How do we explain the endurance of the werewolf myth? 847 00:40:53,958 --> 00:40:57,250 In the werewolf, we find something truly terrifying 848 00:40:57,250 --> 00:40:59,708 because the werewolf tells us that 849 00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:02,250 the true monster is not out there, 850 00:41:02,250 --> 00:41:05,208 but is in here inside any one of us. 851 00:41:06,458 --> 00:41:08,667 [suspenseful music] [werewolf howling] 852 00:41:08,667 --> 00:41:11,375 - The legend of werewolves has endured for centuries 853 00:41:11,375 --> 00:41:15,875 by way of folklore, fear, and perhaps misunderstanding. 854 00:41:15,875 --> 00:41:18,542 Whether this creature is a product of our imagination 855 00:41:18,542 --> 00:41:20,375 or something much darker, 856 00:41:20,375 --> 00:41:23,292 the werewolf symbolizes the fine line 857 00:41:23,292 --> 00:41:28,000 between civilized society and our most primal instincts. 858 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:29,708 I'm Laurence Fishburne, 859 00:41:29,708 --> 00:41:33,500 thank you for watching "History's Greatest Mysteries."