1 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: this is The Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, 5 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. I need not describe for 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: you the horrors of the werewolf, for this particular monster 7 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: lurks everywhere. It waits in the folkloric dark, it leaps 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: off the cinematic screen. The werewolf is the human who 9 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: became a wolf, and yet is neither a cannibal and murderer. 10 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: The be steal nature of man overriding the safeguards of 11 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: society and culture. You are all too familiar with this 12 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: monster already, and you're also quite familiar with the most 13 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: popular versions of the curse itself. In some werewolf stories, 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: the curse may be the result of past crimes or 15 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: the viral bite of another werewolf. In many cases, the 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: full moon is to blame for drawing out the wolf 17 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: form and drowning the countryside in blood. Other times, the 18 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: transformation might be the result of a potion or rain 19 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: water consumed from the footprint of an animal. Other times, however, 20 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: the curse of the werewolf depends on a curious leather strap. 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: Consider the boxing wolf, a particular variety of werewolf native 22 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: to the Schomberg region of Germany. As Brad Steiger relates 23 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: in The Werewolf Book, if one makes a pact with 24 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: the devil, the devil provides a leather strap that, when 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: worn around the waist, transforms the individual into a mighty, 26 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: murderous wolf. There are other variations of the tail for 27 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: other reasons that don't involve the direct presence of the devil. 28 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: Sometimes a king is tricked into wearing the strap. Other 29 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: times a child discovers the cursed strap of a parent 30 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: and wears it. In at least one tale, as they're 31 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: counted by Michael Sumpson in The Werewolf in nineteenth century Denmark, 32 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: the strap is used defensively. Leave it in front of 33 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: your door, and should someone try to enter in the night, 34 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: the mere act of stepping over the cursed object will 35 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: transform them into a were wolf. Now, personally, I have 36 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: questions regarding how this protects you in your home. It 37 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:28,399 Speaker 1: seems like you would not want to transform potential trespassers 38 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: into were wolves. But we have to trust the wisdom 39 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: of this previous age. Now, the notion of the transformative 40 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: strap might seem counterintuitive, but it connects quite strongly to 41 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: global traditions of where wolves where creatures and monstrous transformations 42 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: in general, because in some cases the strap of the 43 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: boxing wolf is said to be made of wolf leather, 44 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: and numerous tales from around the world speak of humans 45 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: donning the hide of an animal and using it to 46 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: magically transform into the creature, or otherwise being overtaken by 47 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: the beastial nature in the pelt. In some cases, this 48 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: vile garment must be hidden during the day and then 49 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: worn at night. Far from a simple monster, the werewolf 50 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: resonates with numerous complex properties of the human condition and 51 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: human history, animosity towards and fear of wolves, accounts of 52 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: fur clad invaders, the recognition of our animal nature's, the 53 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: reality of psychopathy, and the fear of the unknown. It 54 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: is probably best not to accept anything from the Devil 55 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: should you have the chance to meet him, but certainly 56 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: refuse any straps he might offer you. You may find 57 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: it very difficult to take back off again. Tune into 58 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: additional episodes of the Monster Fact each week incept him 59 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: or in October. As always, you can email us at 60 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: Contact at Stuff to Blow Your Mind dot com. Stuff 61 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind is production of I heart Radio. 62 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 63 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 64 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.