In 1564 and for 25 years after, the serene German town of Bedburg and surrounding areas, were terrorized by a werewolf. Peter Stumpp, also known as Peter Stubbe, was born in the village of Epprath, near Bedburg. The exact date of his birth is not known because the records were destroyed during the Thirty Years Wars. What little is known about him suggests that he was a widower with two children, on boy and one girl. Not much is known about the son, but the daughter appears to have been over the age of 15 and went by Beele (or Sybil). Stumpp also appears to have had an affair with a woman by the name of Katharina Trump (Trumpen) who may have been a distant relative. (In this time period it was not out of the ordinary for people to have intimate relations with members of their own family). Stumpp was a wealthy farmer and influential member of the community, which just made his accusation and subsequent confession to the horrific crimes attributed to him just that much more heinous. During what is perhaps one of the most well-known werewolf murder trials in history, Stumpp was placed on the rack (a torture device used during the Dark Ages to get people to confess to crimes. The person was tied at the hands and feet and was stretched until they either died or confessed. Most confessed) and was presented with other tools meant to torture him. Presented with all of this, Stumpp promptly confessed to practicing black magic (since the age of 12). He also claimed that the Devil gave him a belt that allowed him to transform into "the likeness of a greedy, devouring wolf, strong and mighty, with eyes great and large, which in the night sparkled like fire, a mouth great and wide, with most sharp and cruel teeth, a huge body, and mighty paws" whenever he pleased by just putting the belt on and taking it off when he wanted to transform back into a human. During the twenty-five years before his capture, he gorged himself on not only goats, lambs, and sheep, but also men, women, and children. During his confession he claimed to have killed and eaten fourteen children, and two pregnant women and their fetuses. One of the fourteen children was purportedly his own son, whose brain he devoured.
He along with his daughter were accused of having an incestuous relationship (relationships between immediate family members was strictly forbidden) together and were both sentenced to death. He also confessed to having sexual relations with a succubus sent to him by the devil.Trial records tell of a few of the encounters between victims and Stumpp. One such story was that of two men and a woman that were walking along a road that went through the forest were Stumpp frequently hunted. Stumpp called out and one of the men went into the woods after him leaving the other man behind with the woman. When the man did not return after a while, the other man followed leaving the woman behind. When the second man did not return either, the woman ran for her life to no avail. Stumpp caught up with her and apparently devoured her entirely, because no trace of her body was ever found, but the two males bodies were found mangled almost beyond recognition. Stumpp frequently attacked young women who were milking in the fields, as they appeared to be his favorite victims.
After his trial, Stumpp was executed in what would become known as one of the most brutal executions on record. He was put on a wheel and the flesh was torn from his body in ten places with red-hot pincers, followed by his arms and legs. His limbs were then broken with the blunt side of an ax to prevent his return from the grave. He was then beheaded and burned upon a pyre. His daughter and mistress were burned alive with him after being raped and brutalized. As a warning for others, the townspeople erected a statue with a wolf on it and then placed Stumpp's severed head atop it.Let Peter's story be a warning. Do not get caught. While today you may not face the same horrific death as Stumpp, you don't really want to take that chance do you? Learn from your ancestor's mistakes. Do not gorge yourself on human flesh, and do not confess under any circumstances!
*Sources:
Serial Killer Calendar
Wikipedia
Mysterious Things
Werewolves: The Myths and Truths
**Images:
All images were obtained from various internet sources. If any are your images, contact me for removal or credit.
***Disclaimer: Most of the evidence shows that Peter Stumpp was a mentally handicapped serial killer that suffered from a condition called lycanthropy, which is characterized by an individual that thinks he turns into a wolf and therefore acts like a wolf. These people, especially in that time period, would actually brutalize and even consume their victims. There were even some instances where the suspected victim's body was never even found. Many people who were suspected of the heinous crimes attributed to Werewolves in what is considered the Dark Ages, were not only tortured into confessing to these crimes, but were killed in horrific manners. It would have been similar to the execution of suspected witches during the Witch Hunts. Keep in mind that while writing this blog, I may use actual historical stories with a supernatural twist. I will use as much historical fact as possible, but I would not use me as a reference while discussing any history paper.***
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