True crime · 1651
Hans, the young werewolf of Idavere
In 1651 an eighteen-year-old called Hans was brought before the court in Idavere, accused of being a werewolf. He confessed that he had hunted as a wolf for two years and said a man in black had given him the wolf's body. Asked whether his body went hunting or only his soul, he said he had found a dog's tooth marks on his own leg from his time as a wolf, and that he had felt himself a beast. For the judges this proved a real magical change, and the man in black could only be Satan. That allowed the court to treat Hans as a witch, a crime punishable by death. In Livonia, werewolf cases were often turned into witch trials this way.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
1651. aastal toodi Idavere kohtu ette kaheksateistkümneaastane Hans, keda süüdistati libahundiks olemises. Ta tunnistas, et oli kaks aastat hundina jahti pidanud, ja ütles, et hundi keha andis talle must mees. Kui kohtunikud küsisid, kas jahil käis tema keha või ainult hing, vastas ta, et oli leidnud oma jalalt koera hambajäljed, mis ta oli saanud hundina, ja et ta tundis end siis loomana. Kohtunike meelest tõestas see tõelist nõiduslikku muundumist ning must mees sai olla ainult saatan. Nii sai kohus käsitleda Hansu nõiana ja nõidus oli surmaga karistatav kuritegu. Liivimaal muudeti libahundiprotsessid sageli just nii nõiaprotsessideks.
Source: English Wikipedia: Werewolf witch trials (Hans the Werewolf). ↗