Related Objects
The primary object for this exhibit is a miniature on an English manuscript from around 1223. It was created by Gerald of Wales, and it depicts a priest who is blessing a dying werewolf, as her partner, also a werewolf, watches. The two wolves are long, thin, and slightly blue in colour. The male wolf watches from behind the priest as the priest holds a small object above the female, perhaps a cross. This miniature is based on a medieval Irish folktale of a husband and wife who were cursed to live as wolves for seven years. When the female wolf becomes ill, her husband begs a priest to give her her last rites, even though she does not have a human form. The priest, believing the wolves to have souls, complies (Boyd 564). This reinforces the idea present in Bisclavret that the werewolf maintains a human soul, even while in wolf form. The miniature sits at the bottom left of a page made of parchment and covered in Latin writing. The page itself is slightly damaged at the far edge, with some staining visible. The miniature itself is in good condition. The three figures are clearly visible.
The first secondary object is another miniature, on an English manuscript from the 13th or 14th century. It depicts a man removing his clothes in order to regain his ability to speak after going mute when found by a wolf. This is based off a common myth about wolves in medieval Europe, which claimed that if a wolf caught a traveller unawares, the human would be unable to speak until they took off all their clothes and trampled on them (Bystrický 787). This reinforces the connection between werewolves, clothes, and a return to civilization which is explored in Bisclavret. This miniature is placed in the centre of the page of parchment. The paper is in fairly good condition, though there is a bit of staining on the bottom left. The colours of the miniature are still bright, and each figure is easily visible.
The second secondary object is a woodcut-style print by Lucas Cranach the Elder. It was made in about 1510. The print depicts a werewolf on his hands and knees, his clothing ripping around his body, symbolizing his transition from civilized human to beast (this is similar to the metaphor in Bisclavret, where the Lord’s clothes are symbolic of his humanity). He is eating a human child, and body parts litter the ground behind him. In the doorway of a house in the background, a woman screams. The picture has been printed on a piece of paper with the dimensions 6 1/2 × 5 1/16 in. (16.5 × 12.8 cm).