Thiess

Thiess was also part of the werewolves of Livonia, a region of the Northern Europe where the beliefs on werewolves and supernatural beings is strong and considered a part of reality.  Thiess of Livonia has a striking similarity to the case of Benandanti, wherein members of a pagan cult found in Northern Italy was said to leave their human bodies in order to start a combat against the witches to guarantee a great harvest.  The werewolves would leave their human body and went to the world of the undead and would start a war against the witches. The trial began in the year 1693 in a place named Jurgensburg, wherein an 80 year old man named Thiess was placed into trial for being a werewolf.

Thiess claimed that he is a werewolf who battled witches.  He stated that his nose was broken by a witch named Skeistan.  He also gave a full account of the story.  He said that they decided to wage a war against these witches because they are preventing the town from getting a good harvest.    He told the parliament that these witches are responsible for carrying the seeds to the dark world.  In order to stop these witches, Thiess together with the other werewolves decided to put an end to the town’s misery and reclaim the stolen goods.  During the specific time described by Thiess, the werewolves will battle these witches and prevent them from getting the crops.  Their weapon is an iron bar while the witches use broom to defend themselves.  He said Skeistan was able to break his nose by hitting him with a broom covered with the tail of a horse.

When the court asked him what happened to those werewolves who died in the battle.  He said that those werewolves would undergo the traditional burial just like a normal human does and that their soul ascends to heaven.  The parliament was astounded by what Thiess divulged, he said that werewolves were called the hounds of God and was assigned to protect human from the treacherous deeds of the witches.  He said that those werewolves located in Germany and Russia also did the same thing.

Thiess also deny that he made pact with the devil and that mankind should be thankful for the werewolves cause if not for them no one will protect them against the witches.  They even sent a priest to help him confess on his wrong doings but Thiess was angry and proclaimed that he is a better man than that of the priest.  Due to this revelation, Thiess was given a very light sentence of 10 lashes for paganism and idolatry.