Peter Stumpp, Werewolf of Bedburg

Oct 8, 2025

Dive into the chilling tale of Peter Stumpp, the infamous Werewolf of Bedburg. Explore the eerie connections between witchcraft and lycanthropy in early modern Europe. Discover how historical fears of wolves sparked werewolf legends and the overlap in societal panic. Unravel the lurid allegations against Stumpp and the brutal punishments he faced. Learn about sensational broadsheets that fueled public hysteria and how his story shaped future werewolf lore.

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INSIGHT

Wolves, Climate, And Social Upheaval

Early modern Europe feared wolves due to ecological and social pressures like the Little Ice Age and warfare.
Those pressures increased wolf-human contact and fed werewolf folklore and panics.

INSIGHT

Werewolves As Moral Monsters

Werewolves combined physical transformation with moral monstrosity, often blamed for rape, cannibalism, and livestock killings.
Communities labeled violent, inexplicable attacks as evidence of werewolves rather than ordinary predators.

INSIGHT

Debate Over Lycanthropy's Reality

Religious and medical thinkers debated whether lycanthropy was real or a devilish delusion.
Some blamed demons or witchcraft for perceived transformations, while others saw mass delusion or misattributed crimes.

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Peter Stubbe or Peter Stumpp, also known as the Werewolf of Bedburg, was part of a case in Germany where the concepts of witchcraft and lycanthropy were interconnected.

Research:

Baillie, Nathan. “Monstrous Lessons: Peter Stumpp, the Werewolf of Bedburg.” University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal Volume 9, Issue 2, 2024.
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Beck, Melinda. “Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials.” History. 10/15/2021. https://www.history.com/articles/werewolf-trials-europe-witches
Crabb, Jon. “Woodcuts and Witches.” The Public Doman Review. 5/4/2017. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/woodcuts-and-witches/
Davidson, Jane P. and Bob Canino. “Wolves, Witches, and Werewolves: Lycanthropy and Witchcraft from 1423 to 1700.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 1990, Vol. 2, No. 4 (8) (1990). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43308065
de Blécourt, Willem. “Monstrous Theories:: Werewolves and the Abuse of History.” Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural , Vol. 2, No. 2 (2013). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/preternature.2.2.0188
Dinwiddie, Gerda, trans. “The Execution of Werewolf, Peter Stump: A Translation.” Dana K. Rehn. https://danakrehnblog.wordpress.com/2021/05/22/the-execution-of-werewolf-petter-stump/
Dinwiddie, Gerda, trans. “Truthful and Frightening Description of the many Sorcerers or Witches: An English Translation.” Dana Rehn. https://danakrehnblog.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/truthful-and-frightening-description-of-the-many-sorcerers-or-witches-an-english-translation/
Priest, Hannah. “The She-wolves of Julich.” History Today. Vol. 65, Issue 6. June 2015.
Summers, Montague. “The Werewolf in Lore and Legend.” Dover Publications. 1933. https://archive.org/details/TheWerewolfInLoreAndLegend/page/n273/mode/2up

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