The Werewolves of Ossory
A medieval writer told of a priest who met a talking wolf in an Irish forest, who asked him to give the last rites to his dying wife.
What was reported
Gerald of Wales, who travelled in Ireland in the 1180s, recorded a tale he was told. A priest travelling through a wood in Ossory was approached at night by a wolf, which spoke to him like a man. It explained that because of a curse on their people, a man and a woman of Ossory had to live as wolves for seven years at a time.
The wolf led him to his dying mate and asked him to give her the last rites. When the priest hesitated, the wolf peeled back the she-wolf's skin, revealing an old woman inside.
Explanations offered
Gerald wrote it down as a marvel and discussed what it meant for theology. It's one of the most sympathetic werewolf stories in medieval literature, and fits a wider Irish tradition of people of Ossory turning into wolves. Ireland's last wolves were killed in the 18th century.
- When
- Recorded around 1185
- Where
- Ossory, County Kilkenny, Ireland
- Witnesses
- Recorded by Gerald of Wales
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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