This confession by a ‘werewolf’ frightened the masses

October 13, 2022
by RJ Hamster

Thursday, October 13, 2022

In today’s newsletter, we discover a ‘werewolf’ who horrified Europe, explore the brutish rise of a fascist who wrecked Italy, learn an American icon isn’t 100 percent bison … and find out how octopus moms sacrifice for their kids.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM/SCALA, FLORENCE

He was just a farmer who said he wanted to be a werewolf. Who had “confessed” (under torture) to making a pact with the devil—as well as to killing people and having sexual relations with a beautiful demon.

German townspeople didn’t view Peter Stump as a tortured crackpot. Long before big-screen tales on Professor Lupin, Harry Potter, and the just-released “Werewolf by Night!”, many people viewed werewolves as real (shown above, an engraving of werewolf-induced carnage). After a 1500s version of a “trial of the century,” Stump was convicted, skinned, impaled, and burned at the stake.

But there is no silver bullet for fear. What led to these panics? Who was usually accused of being a werewolf?

Read the full story here.

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CHARLES WALKER/ALAMY/ACI

Eeeek! The werewolf panic spread across borders. This English engraving (above)details the path of Stump’s trial and death. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDY COLEMAN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

100 percent American bison? Nope. All buffalo have cattle genes now (including the one pictured above in Yellowstone)

A Himalayan hike that skims the clouds

The true story of the most intense hurricane you’ve never heard of

Did your mom sacrifice for you the way an octopus mom does?

A fascist pioneer who wrecked Italy and still haunts Europe

She lived 1,200 years ago. See this queen’s face for the first time. Related: The process behind forensic facial reconstruction

One of the world’s rarest penguin species sees a glimmer of hope

See tarot’s centuries-old history in Milan

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAAN MEENS

A secret emerges after millions of years: Dinosaur skin is surprisingly common in the fossil record and a “mummified,” duck-billed Edmontosaurus is answering why that might be. The creature died more than 66 million years ago, but delicate tissues like skin and keratin remain—likely due to how it was buried. Nat Geo reports the preservation has given rise to another discovery too, the reptilian equivalent of a hoof (the keratin nail that covered its right foot, pictured above).

AN EARLY ‘HOOF’

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBBIE SHONE, @SHONEPHOTO

World’s largest cave chamber: The Sarawak Chamber in Malaysian Borneo is 2,000 feet long, 1,400 feet wide, and almost 500 feet tall. Or, roughly twice the size of Britain’s Wembly Stadium. Although discovered in 1981, researchers only recently mapped it using 3D laser scanning technology, shown above in Nat Geo Explorer Robbie Shone’s recent picture on our Instagram.

MORE SUPER CAVES

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK

Hybrids happen: A narwhal mates with a beluga whale. Their offspring? A narluga. A polar bear and a grizzly bear? A pizzlie. A male lion and female tiger? A liger (pictured above). Interbreeding between animals is surprisingly common in nature and has the potential to increase as the world warms. Luckily, their genomes may offer scientists a window into understanding evolution, Nat Geo reports.

PIZZLIES, ZORSES, CAMAS, OH MY!

Correction: Our writeup yesterday on the ghostly Tower of London misstated the cause of death of one of its most famous occupants. Queen Jane, who was imprisoned after only nine days on the throne, was beheaded. A special thanks to eagle-eyed readers Evelyn Shafer, Pat O’Brien, and Dave Frangquist for alerting us—and not leaving us, um, hanging.

This newsletter was curated and edited by David Beard, Sydney Combs, and Jen Tse. Do you have an idea or a link for the newsletter? Let us know at david.beard@natgeo.com.

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RJ Hamster

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This confession by a ‘werewolf’ frightened the masses

This confession by a ‘werewolf’ frightened the masses

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