Over the centuries, people have blamed “werewolves” for all sorts of gruesome incidents—attacks on livestock, murders, disappearances, you name it. But what makes these werewolf stories even more unsettling is how often they align, no matter the time or place.
There’s something undeniably weird about these werewolf stories. Many of them are separated by hundreds of years, yet the descriptions of the beasts are strangely similar.
Not to mention, they come from all over the world. From small European towns to remote regions in the Americas. It makes you wonder: Could there be something more here?
The next 12 werewolf stories are each based on real events—and they’re definitely not for the faint of heart.
In this article:
The Chalons Werewolf
One of the oldest known werewolf stories is the Chalons Werewolf. It’s a pretty strange tale revolving around a French tailor named Michel Verdun.
Back in the early 1500s (circa 1521), Verdun was accused of luring, torturing, and murdering young women. And even cooking and eating them afterward. To make matters even worse, the residents of Châlons-en-Champagne believed Verdun would transform into a beast at night, wreaking havoc and spreading fear throughout their community.
But what exactly fueled their suspicions? Well, it was all those mysterious disappearances (people vanishing without a trace) and unexplained livestock deaths.
Cattle, sheep, pigs, and even horses were dragged out and partially eaten by an unknown beast. Given that not many animals could easily carry away a cow or a horse, the locals were convinced that a werewolf was causing all the trouble.
After a few weeks, some neighbors started suspecting Verdun. Something about him just wasn’t right. He was reported and eventually arrested.
According to a handful of surviving documents preserved in city archives, Verdun confessed to his horrific crimes after being tortured—a brutal yet all-too-common practice at the time.
He allegedly admitted to a pact with the Devil. He also implicated his friends (Pierre Burgot and Philibert Montot) in the story, claiming that all three would gather in the forest at night, where they practiced witchcraft and transformed into werewolves.
Interestingly, Verdun did not attempt to justify his actions. And he showed absolutely no remorse. Instead, he allegedly threw a curse on the entire town, vowing to return from the dead to haunt anyone who dared witness his public execution.
Verdun’s trial was swift (as you’d expect in those times). He was condemned to be burned at the stake—which was a typical execution method for anyone accused of witchcraft and sorcery back then.
However, on the day of his execution, it reportedly took several strong men to drag Verdun to the site. All the way to the pyre, he fought with almost inhuman strength. And he kept swearing and cursing the crowd that had gathered to watch.
Shockingly, after the pyre was lit, instead of crying and screaming, Verdun started laughing. And he kept laughing until his body was reduced to ash.
Whether Verdun possessed any supernatural abilities, his story remains one of the most infamous werewolf stories ever.
The Beast of Gévaudan
Few werewolf stories are as bizarre or as terrifying as the one about The Beast of Gévaudan. It’s easily one of the most famous werewolves in history.
Between 1764 and 1767, the remote region of Gévaudan (in southern France) was ravaged by a monstrous creature that went on a bloody rampage, leaving behind a trail of death and horror.
Locals called it “The Beast”—a massive, wolf-like creature with reddish-brown fur, razor-sharp teeth, and an insatiable thirst for blood. The key word here is “wolf-like” because those who survived an encounter with The Beast swore it was no ordinary wolf.
The first attack happened on June 30, 1764, when a young girl named Jeanne Boulet was tragically killed. And this was just the beginning.
Over the next three years, The Beast would be blamed for over 100 gruesome deaths—but some records suggest as many as 300 victims. The attacks were brutal. Many victims were found with their throats torn out, and some were partially eaten.
Interestingly, most of the victims were women and children. It was like the monster specifically targeted those who can’t defend themselves.
The situation became so desperate that even King Louis XV took notice. He was reportedly so concerned by the terror that The Beast had wrought that he sent his own personal guard to assist in hunting it down. He even offered a large reward for anyone who could kill the creature.
Soon, professional hunters joined the search. However, despite their best efforts (and even with the King’s personal soldiers scouring the woods), The Beast managed to escape unharmed. In fact, according to local legends, the monster survived being shot, a few arrow hits, and even the traps laid by the hunters.
It wasn’t until June 19, 1767, that a local hunter named Jean Chastel claimed to have killed the monster. Chastel reportedly used a silver bullet—a detail that added to the growing belief that The Beast was, in fact, a werewolf.
However, despite Chastel’s claim of victory, many remained skeptical. When invited to the court of King Louis XV to present the dead monster, Chastel showed up with a rotten carcass of a large animal. But the body was so decomposed that no one could tell what animal it was.
That, and the fact that what Chastel killed looked much smaller than what most witnesses described, made many believe the true Beast of Gévaudan was still out there—waiting for the right time to strike again.
Werewolf Stories: Emily Isabella Burt
This real-life werewolf story takes us to mid-1800s Georgia, home to one of the most infamous legends in the United States. At the heart of it all was a young woman named Emily Isabella Burt, a wealthy and prominent family member.
Emily was the daughter of Mildred Burt, a well-known widow who owned a vast estate in Talbot County. Despite her intelligence, Emily stood out from her siblings. She was a bit more reclusive, more withdrawn, and had a reputation for being “odd” by the local standards of the time.
But it wasn’t Emily’s quiet personality that started raising eyebrows. Things turned dark when mysterious events began unfolding in Talbot County during her late teenage years.
Livestock (mainly sheep) were being found butchered. However, these weren’t ordinary killings either. The animals had been ripped apart in ways that hinted at something far more dangerous than a typical predator.
Rumors of a wolf-like monster quickly spread throughout the whole county.
And it wasn’t long before the rumors reached Emily, whose behavior was stranger and stranger by the day. She was increasingly erratic. More distant and reclusive. Hardly ever left her home. Unwilling to see anyone except her own mother.
And then, there were the witnesses. People claimed to have seen her wandering at night in the middle of nowhere.
Mildred Burt also grew suspicious.
As the attacks on the livestock became more brutal, and the family estate was near the center of these incidents, Emily’s nocturnal wanderings caused Mildred to grow more suspicious. Was her daughter somehow connected to these bizarre events?
Then came the night of 1871—the night that would change everything.
Mildred was awoken by strange noises coming from the sheep pen. She grabbed her gun and rushed outside. What she saw made her blood run cold: what looked like a giant beast was attacking the sheep.
Acting on impulse, she fired. The creature let out a chilling cry before disappearing into the darkness, leaving a blood trail behind.
Her worst fears were confirmed when Mildred followed the trail back to her house. Lying on the stairs, bleeding from a gunshot wound, was Emily.
Had Emily been the creature attacking the sheep? Or was she simply at the wrong place at the wrong time? Maybe she heard the same noises and had gone to investigate? Was she sleepwalking? The questions haunted Mildred, but she could never fully accept the idea that her daughter was a monster.
Unable to risk her daughter facing a trial—let alone a death sentence—Mildred made a quick decision. That night, she sent her daughter to Paris, where Mildred hoped she’d receive the medical care she desperately needed.
Whether Emily was suffering from lycanthropy or some unknown illness, Mildred believed the treatment would help.
Strangely enough, after Emily’s departure, the mysterious livestock attacks stopped. The rumors faded, but so did any mention of Emily. Mildred never spoke of her again, leaving a cloud of mystery over the Burt family.
In 1911, Emily died in a psychiatric hospital. While no official connection was ever made between her and the brutal killings, Emily Isabella Burt remains one of the most chilling figures in American werewolf stories.
Still, some questions remain. Was Emily truly a werewolf, or was something else at play? Could the strange events surrounding her life have been misinterpreted, or was there a darker, more supernatural explanation behind it all?
The Morbach Werewolf
The next werewolf story—the legend of The Morbach Werewolf—comes from Wittlich, Germany.
During the turbulent Napoleonic Wars in 1812, a notorious deserter, Thomas Johannes Baptista, and his marauders were wreaking havoc across the countryside. They looted, plundered, and left destruction in their wake.
One day, Baptista and his crew attacked a small farm, killing the farmer and his wife in cold blood. But before the farmer’s wife took her last breath, she reportedly placed a curse on Baptista—dooming him to walk the earth as a beast until he paid for his crimes.
Shortly after this attack, locals began to report eerie occurrences.
Villagers claimed they saw a massive, wolf-like animal in the nearby woods—something far larger and more menacing than any ordinary wolf. Plus, the monster was allegedly impossible to kill.
In a desperate effort to protect the town, a priest lit a candle at the Kreuzwäldchen chapel—a small, secluded shrine near Wittlich. The legend said that as long as the candle stayed burning, the Morbach Werewolf would remain at bay.
For years, the candle burned without fail. And the terrifying sightings of the creature slowly disappeared. Locals believed the threat had been neutralized, and life returned to normal.
That is, until May of 1988.
On that night, the candle mysteriously went out. Not long after, the villagers started reporting strange happenings once again. Dead animals, large tracks leading to the woods, howls at night. To make things worse, several people swore they saw a large animal around Kreuzwäldchen chapel.
The sightings made the community panic, and the candle at the Kreuzwäldchen chapel was relit. Since then, no additional reports of the Morbach Werewolf have emerged, but the legend lives on, leaving everyone wondering—what happens if the candle goes out again?
The She-Wolves of Jülich
In 1591, the shocking news of 300 female werewolves terrorizing the Duchy of Jülich spread like wildfire. All thanks to a sensational broadsheet published by Georg Kress in Augsburg (now part of Germany).
The most notorious werewolf story told by this broadsheet was one of several women (famously known as The She-Wolves of Jülich). According to Kress, they committed some of the most horrifying acts imaginable—cannibalism, infanticide, and performing rituals in communion with demons.
The broadsheet also mentioned a strange event involving a group of children. While playing on a local farm, the oldest child allegedly stumbled upon a mysterious belt. After putting it on, the child supposedly transformed into a werewolf right before the others’ eyes.
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Terrified, the younger children called for help, and neighbors quickly arrived to fend off the creature. The young lycanthrope begged for his life. In exchange for his freedom, he revealed that his mother transformed into a wolf every night and roamed the forest with other werewolves.
On May 6, 1591, 85 women were allegedly apprehended and burned at the stake in Ostmilich for these gruesome crimes.
The trial, led by local authorities, was brutal. Torture, forced confessions, and accusations of witchcraft were all part of the dark process. Multiple “witnesses” stepped forward, claiming they saw these women gathering in isolated places at night to perform rituals that supposedly allowed them to transform into wolves.
It all started earlier that same year, when a series of livestock attacks and strange disappearances began to plague the area. While Kress clearly exaggerated the number of accused women—claiming 300—the actual records suggest a much smaller group.
In fact, the first confession came from just one woman (Greta Mohr, a well-known healer) who went on to implicate 24 others.
Likewise, the claim that 85 women were executed by burning seems inflated. The number was deliberately sensationalized to feed the public’s growing appetite for werewolf stories and tales of demonic possession during that period.
The Werewolf of Allariz
Most real-life werewolf stories are strange. Bizarre even. But there are a few that are downright disturbing. The Werewolf of Allariz story is one gruesome tale.
Manuel Blanco Romasanta (The Werewolf of Allariz) holds a dark place in Spain’s history. He is Spain’s first documented serial killer. Between 1844 and 1852, Romasanta confessed to the brutal murders of 13 people.
Romasanta worked as a traveling salesman and a guide, earning his living by leading people through the thick forests of Galicia. That’s probably why he was so skilled at gaining his victims’ trust. But instead of safely escorting them through the treacherous wilderness, the killer made sure they would never reach their destination.
In 1853, during his trial, Romasanta made another chilling claim. He said he was cursed with lycanthropy. And because of that curse, he would transform into a werewolf against his will.
While under the curse influence, Romasanta claimed he couldn’t control his dark urges. So, he was “forced” to tear his victims and even devour parts of them while in his wolf form.
Romasanta’s claims shocked everyone.
However, Dr. José Castro (a forensic specialist who examined him and later wrote a report on his mental state) wasn’t buying it. He was skeptical of the whole lycanthropy thing.
Instead, Castro believed Romasanta wasn’t transforming into a wolf but, rather, was suffering from some kind of mental illness. He even noted that Romasanta’s calm, detailed descriptions of the murders pointed to a severe psychological disorder—perhaps even something like dissociative identity disorder.
Makes sense, right? Well, hang on—this is where this werewolf story gets even weirder.
Despite Castro’s doubts, other doctors were actually intrigued by Romasanta’s story. They thought he might really be dealing with some kind of transformation—whether physical or psychological.
This led to a split in the medical community. Some saw it as a chance to study extreme delusion. Others? They held onto the idea that there could be a supernatural angle.
In the end, the doctors’ mixed opinions influenced Queen Isabella II’s decision to spare Romasanta from the death penalty and instead give him life in prison.
King John and the Werewolves of Ossory
According to 13th-century writer Gervase of Tilbury, werewolves were a common sight in England back in his day. He even wrote:
“It is certain there are men who at certain waxings of the moon are transformed into wolves.”
What’s interesting is that Gervase wrote this during the reign of King John of England—and there’s a lesser-known legend that claims King John was a werewolf himself.
In 1185, John traveled to Ossory, a medieval kingdom in Ireland notorious for its werewolf legends, before becoming king.
Chronicler Gerald of Wales, in his work Topographia Hibernica (1188), detailed reports of people from Ossory who were cursed to transform into wolves. He even recounted an encounter between a priest and a couple of werewolves, one of whom peeled back its wolf skin to reveal its human form.
Topographia Hibernica, Distinction II, Chapter 19:
“There are many reports concerning a certain kind of people who, leaving their human form entirely, take on the shape of wolves. The men of Ossory are said to be of this kind, whom we have seen and heard many times, handed down in stories.”
This connection between Ossory and werewolves fueled rumors that King John mingled with these cursed individuals during his visit. Some later werewolf stories even claimed that John roamed as a beast himself after his death.
Real-Life Werewolf Stories: The Demon Tailor
In 1598, Nicholas Damont, infamously known as The Demon Tailor of Châlons, spread terror throughout France. Damont was notorious not just for the number of his murders, but for the gruesome, almost ritualistic, way he carried them out.
Much like a chilling, real-life version of Sweeney Todd, Damont lured his victims—mostly children and young women—into his tailor shop under the guise of fitting them for new clothes.
But once they stepped inside, they never made it out. Damont would attack them, slitting their throats and dismembering their bodies.
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It wasn’t just his brutality that fueled the fear, though. Damont was also believed to be a werewolf. Locals reported seeing a half-man, half-wolf creature in the forests near the town.
The frequent disappearances of villagers, paired with the discovery of partially devoured bodies and witnesses seeing people entering Damont’s shop but never coming out, made people believe he was the monster responsible.
As the terror grew, city officials were flooded with complaints and rumors about missing persons linked to Damont’s shop.
When authorities finally raided his shop, they discovered horrifying trophies—clothing, personal belongings, and even body parts stashed away in secret compartments.
The Welsh Werewolf
In the late 1790s, rumors of a savage beast spread in North Wales’ countryside.
One of the first major incidents involved a horse-drawn coach traveling between Denbigh and Wrexham under a full moon. The coachman and passengers reported being attacked by a massive, wolf-like creature with glowing eyes.
The beast viciously went after the horses, nearly overturning the coach. What made the encounter even more terrifying was the beast’s intelligence. The way it moved, stalked, avoided being shot… it seemed far too cunning to be an ordinary animal.
Later that winter, a local farmer discovered his entire flock of sheep brutally slaughtered. The scene was unlike anything anyone had seen before. The bodies were torn apart, and enormous paw prints led away from the carnage, deep into the woods.
Before that, the same farmer claimed he witnessed a large animal attacking his flock and chased it back to his farmhouse.
He recalled the terrifying moment when the beast smashed on his door and peered through the windows. The most unsettling detail? The creature’s eyes. They were disturbingly “man-like,” as if it had a sinister awareness.
Suspicion soon fell on a local man, who had the odd habit of disappearing for days at a time. And since the attacks often coincided with his absences, locals believed he might be the werewolf.
Though he denied any involvement, the rumors never fully faded. Eventually, the attacks stopped, leaving many wondering whether the beast had died from its injuries or had simply moved on?
Greifswald Werewolves
This strange werewolf story dates back to around 1640 in the German city of Greifswald, where the town was reportedly overrun by werewolves.
Dead livestock, children went missing, the whole package. The townspeople were so terrified that they feared leaving their homes after dark.
Desperate for a solution, a group of students from the University of Greifswald decided to take action. They melted down their silver items—buttons, goblets, and heirloom jewelry—to forge silver bullets.
Then, they organized a hunting party and set out to face the creatures. After a series of harrowing encounters, they allegedly succeeded in killing the werewolves, restoring peace to the town.
While many believe the story is pure folklore, the tale of the Greifswald Werewolves remains one of Germany’s most enduring werewolf stories.
Klein-Krams Werewolf
Speaking of German werewolf stories, another legend speaks of a boy named Feeg, from Klein-Krams near Ludwigslust, who could transform into a werewolf using a magical wolf strap given to him by his grandmother.
This enchanted strap, made from wolf hide, supposedly granted the wearer the ability to become a wolf at will. Feeg used his power to terrorize the other children and villagers, often transforming and chasing them through the woods.
One day, a cavalry officer passing through the village saw children running in fear, claiming that Feeg had turned into a wolf once again.
Intrigued, the officer decided to investigate. After some convincing, Feeg agreed to demonstrate his transformation, but only after the officer had climbed into a secure loft for safety. And, to the officer’s astonishment, Feeg put on the wolf strap and transformed before his very eyes.
The officer immediately reported the incident to a local forester, who organized a hunt. Feeg was eventually shot with a silver bullet, causing him to revert to his human form.
This tale, recorded in Karl Bartsch’s “Sagen, Märchen und Gebräuche aus Meklenburg,” remains a classic example of werewolf mythology.
Werewolf Stories: Claudia Gaillard
The last werewolf story on our list is the one about Claudia Gaillard (infamously known as The Werewolf of Burgundy). One of many tragic victims of the werewolf trials that swept through Europe in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
She was accused by Henry Boguet, a notorious witch-hunter known for his relentless pursuit of those he believed to be werewolves or witches.
Witnesses claimed they saw Gaillard transform into a tailless, wolf-like creature behind a bush and accused her of roaming the countryside in this form, attacking livestock and terrorizing the villages.
Despite the flimsy evidence, Gaillard was subjected to brutal torture.
One of the key accusations against her was that she did not shed a single tear during her torture—something her accusers took as a sign of guilt, believing that anyone who could endure such pain without tears must be in league with the Devil. Her lack of tears was proof enough that she was a werewolf.
In the end, Claudia Gaillard was found guilty and sentenced to death by burning at the stake.
