Werewolves and Other Monsters

by Thomas Gibbons Aylesworth

An informal examination of the phenomena of werewolves and other monstrous beasts reported throughout history

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 1970

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brief introduction to the folklore and history of werewolves and other were-animals, as well as that of sea serpents, Werewolves and Other Monsters covers some of the same ground as Aylesworth's The Story of Dragons and Other Monsters , printed some ten years later. A few of the illustrations - that of the Monk Fish, for instance, and that of the Bishop Fish - were even duplicated. The author seems to have produced a number of such mythological guides for young readers, all published in the 1970s and 80s, and one wonders if they all borrow so heavily from one another.

Howsoever that may be, the focus here is on werewolves, rather than dragons, and Aylesworth delves into the various legends (all European) concerning these "human animals," as well as the history of werewolf trials. He then briefly touches upon some of the other were-animals of world folklore, before discussing the lore of sea serpents and monsters. Like his work on dragons, this volume felt a little too rushed to me, with a string of anecdotes given, almost always with no mention of specific place or source-material. I would have been better pleased to see the author provide a more detailed picture of the werewolf phenomenon, and leave out the sea monsters altogether, as his divided focus made for a rather unsatisfactory book.

I also could have done without the rather condescending tone he occasionally used, when describing non-European peoples and traditions. Mention of folk beliefs diminishing as the "natives become more civilized" didn't sit well with me. All in all, it's just as well that this title is out-of-print, as I think young readers can do much, much better. I probably wouldn't have picked it up myself, were I not trying to work my way through my public library's children's folklore section, as part of a project. I'm rather glad they only had two Aylesworth titles...