Bisclavret: An English Werewolf

The Bisclavret is the name given to the English werewolf who attacked the horse of the hunters and feasted on them. It is also the protagonist in a famous novel by Marie de France.

 

The Story of Bisclavret

 

Marie de France used Bisclavret in her novel "The Lay of the Werewolf." In her story, Bisclavret was accused of being a monster. He has the power to transform into a werewolf, but analyzing the whole story, it seems that the real monster would be his former wife. In the book, the creature was depicted as a monster with some hint of humanity within him. Whenever he would change into a werewolf, he would run into the deep woods to avoid having direct contact with the humans. There was also no incident of him inflicting an injury to anyone. Her wife, who ran away from him to marry a knight, is the one who told his secret. The knight would put him into a terrible situation that would eventually unleash the beast within him.

 

The Real Bisclavret

 

In real life, the Bisclavret is believed to be a wizard who can shapeshift in the form of a wolf. The witch's ability has a striking similarity to the European werewolves and the witches during the Medieval Period. It is said that while hunters are in the forest, an old lady would offer them something to eat. The hunters would gladly take her offer and would leave their horses. After some time, they would notice that the old lady and their horses were gone. She would be held responsible for the disappearance of the horses, and they would blame her for being a witch.