nude, with very long
legs and arms, and the feet and claws of a wolf. Its head is shaped like
that of a wolf, but surrounded with the hair of a woman, that falls
about its bare shoulders in yellow ringlets. It has wolf's ears and a
wolf's mouth. Its aquiline nose and pale eyes are fashioned like those
of a human being, but animated with an expression too diabolically
malignant to proceed from anything but the superphysical.

It seldom if ever speaks, but either utters some extraordinary noise--a
prolonged howl that seems to proceed from the bowels of the earth, a
piercing, harrowing whine, or a low laugh full of hellish glee, any of
which sounds may be taken to express its assent to the favour asked.

It only remains visible for a minute at the most, and then disappears
with startling abruptness. The supplicant is now a werwolf. He undergoes
his first metamorphosis into wolf form the following evening at sunset,
reassuming his human shape at dawn; and so on, day after day, till his
death, when he may once more metamorphose either from man form to wolf
form, or vice versa, his corpse retaining whichever form has been
assumed at the moment of death. However, with regard to this final
metamorphosis there is no consistency: it may or may not take place. In
the practice of exorcism, for the purpose of eradicating the evil
property of werwolfery, all manner of methods are employed. Sometimes
the werwolf is soundly whipped with ash twigs, and saturated with a
potion such as I described in a previous chapter; sometimes he is made
to lie or sit over, or lie or stand close beside, a vessel containing a
fumigation mixture composed of sulphur, asafoetida, and castoreum, or
hypericum and vinegar; or sometimes, again, he is well whipped and
rubbed all over with the juice of the mistletoe berry. Occasionally a
priest is summoned, and then a formal ceremony takes place.

An altar is erected. On it are placed lighted candles, a Bible, a
crucifix. The werwolf, in wolf form, bound hand and foot, is then placed
on the ground at the foot of the altar, and fumigated with incense and
sprinkled with holy water. The sign of the cross is made on his
forehead, chest, back, and on the palms of his hands. Various prayers
are read, and the affair concludes when the priest in a loud voice
adjures the evil influence to depart, in the name of God the Father, the
Son, the Holy Ghost, and the Virgin Mary.

I have never, however, heard of any well-auth