Ancient Origins of the Werewolf-Vampire Wars - ROBERT SEPEHR

Summary

The video script discusses European werewolf folklore, delving into the historical persecution of so-called 'wolf charmers' believed to control wolves through magic. It recounts several brutal witch trials, including that of Peter Stump, known as the 'Werewolf of Bedburg.' The script then traces possible origins of werewolf myths back to Ice Age hunter-gatherers' relationship with wolves, speculating this was an alliance aiding Cro-Magnons in dominating Neanderthals. It further associates Neanderthals with vampire and cannibalistic traits, presenting an anthropological theory that ancient myths reference an inter-species war between Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals in prehistory.

Takeaways

• 😱 The script discusses old European folklore about werewolves and wolf charmers
• 😨 It describes some brutal historical torture and execution methods
• 🐺 Comparisons are drawn between werewolves and ancient warrior initiation rites
• 🧙‍♂️ Alleged wolf charmers were sometimes executed as witches in the 16th-18th centuries
• 🔪 There is discussion of evidence that Neanderthals practiced cannibalism
• 😱 Very graphic details are provided about a man named Peter Stump's execution
• 🐺 Connections are drawn between wolf mythology and Cro-Magnon humans
• 👀 Speculation that Neanderthals were partially nocturnal due to their eye structure
• ⚔️ The idea of an ancient war between Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals is proposed
• 🧛 Suggestion that vampires evolved from folklore about cannibalistic Neanderthals

Q & A

What evidence suggests neanderthals may have been partially nocturnal?

Neanderthals had larger eyes which may have given them better night vision. They also lacked advanced hunting weapons like bows and arrows used by Cro-Magnons for daylight hunting.

What evidence suggests neanderthals practiced cannibalism?

Archaeological evidence from caves in Belgium shows neanderthal bones with signs of cutting, fracturing, and marrow extraction similar to how they processed animal bones.

How does the author link neanderthals to vampires?

The author speculates neanderthals were nocturnal hunters who drank blood based on evidence they practiced cannibalism. This links them symbolically to vampires in myths.

What distinguished Cro-Magnon skulls from Neanderthal skulls?

Cro-Magnon skulls were round while Neanderthal skulls were elongated. Neanderthals also had protruding brow ridges and larger eyes.

What evidence shows Neanderthal lives were violent?

Many Neanderthal skulls show blows to the head likely from clubs. Skeletons also show signs of trauma, especially in young males.

How does the author link ancient conflicts in the Levant to Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons?

The author speculates the Levant region saw conflict between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons occupying the same areas, which still affects the region today.

What recent genetic evidence disproves the out-of-Africa theory?

Recent genetic sequencing shows contributions from extinct hominin species like Homo erectus unique to certain populations, contradicting a single African origin.

When did interbreeding between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons take place?

According to the author, interbreeding took place around 40,000 years ago and lasted about 7,000 years until Neanderthals disappeared.

What modern groups does the author link to possible Neanderthal ancestry?

The author suggests some modern groups, especially those with religious/occult ties, may retain Neanderthal ancestry linked to historical cannibalism.

How can Cro-Magnon ancestry be identified genetically?

The author states Cro-Magnons are closely related or identical to modern Europeans based on genetic sequencing.

Outlines

00:00

🐺 Mythology and Folklore Related to Werewolves

This paragraph discusses mythology and folklore related to werewolves in Europe. It covers wolf charmers, spells that caused wolf attacks, the persecution of wolf charmers in the 16th-18th centuries, and famous witchcraft trials accusing people of being werewolves.

05:03

😱 Gruesome Execution of Alleged Werewolf Peter Stump

This paragraph describes the graphic torture and brutal public execution in 1589 of Peter Stump, a German farmer accused of being a werewolf. It also mentions the persecution of his daughter and mistress.

10:05

🐺 Wolves in Proto-Indo-European Mythology and Shamanism

This paragraph explores the role of wolves in ancient Proto-Indo-European/Aryan mythology as part of warrior initiation rites. It also discusses Turkish/Central Asian shamans voluntarily transforming spiritually into wolfmen.

15:05

🐺 Possible Origins of Cro-Magnon Alliance with Wolves

This paragraph speculates on the possible origins of an alliance between Cro-Magnon humans and wolves during the Ice Age. It suggests this alliance contributed to Cro-Magnon's victory over Neanderthals.

Keywords

💡Werewolf

A werewolf in folklore and mythology is typically a person who can transform into a wolf, often during a full moon, due to a curse or magical spell. In the video script, the werewolf symbolizes the dark and monstrous aspects of humans' connection with nature, reflecting cultural fears and superstitions about the wild and untamed. The script discusses various European folklore that describes humans transforming into wolves, highlighting the myth's evolution and its role in witch trials and executions in the Middle Ages.

💡Wolf charmers

Wolf charmers, as mentioned in the video script, were individuals in Germanic folklore believed to possess the power to control or influence wolves through charms or incantations. Unlike werewolves, they did not transform but could command wolves, protecting or attacking on their behalf. The script illustrates how these figures were persecuted alongside werewolves under witchcraft accusations, emphasizing the medieval conflation of natural mastery with malevolent sorcery.

💡Shamanism

Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to interact with the spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world. In the script, shamanism is connected to the concept of transforming into a wolf, particularly in Turkish and Central Asian folklore, where shamans would undertake rituals to embody the wolf, reflecting a deep respect and spiritual kinship with this totemic animal. This illustrates the diversity of cultural perceptions surrounding the idea of human-animal transformation.

💡Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. In the script, Neanderthals are described as having practiced cannibalism, a trait that contributes to their depiction as more 'primitive' or monstrous in comparison to modern humans. The script uses archaeological evidence to discuss cannibalism among Neanderthals, suggesting that it was either a ritualistic practice or a survival strategy, and connects this to the broader theme of ancient human and humanoid species' behaviors and social practices.

💡Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humans, human behavior, and societies in the past and present. The video script heavily draws upon anthropological research to discuss the interactions between Cro-Magnon humans and Neanderthals, the domestication of wolves, and the evolution of human societies. It emphasizes the role of anthropology in uncovering the roots of myths and legends, linking scientific findings with folklore to provide a more comprehensive understanding of human history.

💡Neanderthals

Neanderthals are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. The script discusses Neanderthals in the context of their interactions with Cro-Magnon humans, highlighting differences in physical characteristics, tool use, and possibly nocturnal habits. It suggests a conflict or competition between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, reflecting on how these ancient interactions might be echoed in myths and folklore.

💡Cro-Magnon

Cro-Magnon refers to the early European modern humans of the Upper Paleolithic period. The script contrasts Cro-Magnons with Neanderthals, noting their advanced tool technology, domestication of animals, and possibly symbolic role as 'wolves' in ancient conflicts. It explores how Cro-Magnon's technological and social advancements might have contributed to their success over Neanderthals, framing this historical narrative within broader themes of human evolution and myth-making.

💡Domestication of wolves

The domestication of wolves is considered one of the key events in the development of human societies, leading to the modern dog. The script touches on this process as a significant moment in human prehistory, suggesting it played a role in the success of Cro-Magnon over Neanderthal. This theme links to the broader narrative of the video, illustrating the complex relationships between humans and animals both in a literal sense and within mythology.

💡Witch trials

Witch trials were a series of persecutions that involved accusations of witchcraft, often resulting in executions. The script mentions witch trials in the context of the persecution of individuals believed to be werewolves or wolf charmers, highlighting the medieval conflation of pagan practices with heresy and witchcraft. This reflects the video's exploration of how folklore and mythology can influence real-world actions and societal fears.

💡Mythology and folklore

Mythology and folklore refer to the collection of stories, beliefs, and traditions held by a specific culture that often involve supernatural events or beings. The script traverses a wide range of mythologies and folk tales to explore themes of transformation, human-animal relationships, and the symbolic meanings of creatures like wolves and werewolves. It demonstrates how these stories reflect human culture, fears, and the struggle to understand the natural and supernatural world.

Highlights

The werewolf myth evolved from the concept of 'wolf charmers' who were seen as having power over wolves

Wolf charmers were persecuted as witches in the 16th-17th century and executed as werewolves, though they were not shapeshifters

Peter Stump's horrific torture and execution is one of the most brutal werewolf cases on record

After witch trials ended, werewolf myths emerged in Gothic horror and modern fantasy genres

In Central Asia, shamans transformed spiritually into wolfmen as the wolf was the totemic ancestor

Possible werewolf myths date back to Ancient Greece and Rome using herbs and poisons

The alliance of Cro-Magnon with wolves may have led to the extinction of Neanderthals

Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon had distinct skull shapes - one elongated, one rounded

Neanderthals were likely partially nocturnal with superior night vision

Archaeological evidence confirms Neanderthals practiced cannibalism

Trauma and violence was common, suggesting almost constant warfare between species

Interbreeding between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons occurred just 40,000 years ago

Genetics disproves linear human evolution, supporting distinct regional populations

Secret societies may still participate in Neanderthal practices like cannibalism

Conflict between these groups stems back tens of thousands of years

Transcripts

[Music]

do

[Music]

i'm in the park again hanging out with

my friends

and while they don't really follow the

social distancing guidelines

spending time with these peaceful

animals seems to have a good effect on

my health

even if just psychologically animals

have been part of mythology

since prehistoric times and while

they're often portrayed in a positive

light

they're sometimes used to symbolize

monsters

or invasive threats depending on one's

cultural perspective

in folklore a werewolf was a term which

usually referred to a human

with the ability to shapeshift into a

wolf

we're all familiar with movies where

this tendency to transform

takes place at the site of the full moon

usually after being scratched or bitten

by another werewolf

this isn't the only variation of the

myth as it was widespread in european

folklore

and in earlier times also applied to

terms

such as wolf riding and wolf charming

in bavarian folklore around the middle

ages

terms such as wolf sagan and wolfbound

refer to charms or incantations

that either protected against wolves or

spells that

caused wolf attacks in the folklore of

german-speaking europe

the people that were involved in this

sort of magic

were known as wolf charmers and were not

humans that transformed into a wolf but

usually depicted as

wise elderly men that had a power or

influence over wolves and made a living

selling charms

or incantation around the time of the

16th century

they began to be persecuted as witches

and in the early 1600s a number of wolf

sagner or

wolf charmers were tried and executed as

werewolves

i want to stress that at that time the

werewolf was not a shapeshifter

but a magician and a typical example

is the trial of an 84 year old man named

thomas heiser

who underwent extreme torture which i

don't want to describe because it's very

graphic and brutal

but he eventually confessed to knowing

how to perform

wolf sagan which he said he had learned

from a friend

50 years earlier and had made his living

by performing it for the peasants

he claimed to be able to call the wolves

to attack a specific head

of cattle and to have done this a total

number of 10

times over a period of 40 years

after being severely tortured he

confessed

that he had to promise his soul to the

devil in order to learn the charm

but that part of the confession was

something that the church usually

demanded

to justify mutilating and then burning

people alive

another famous case was of a german

farmer

named peter stump who was nicknamed

the werewolf of bedburgh and in 1589

was accused of werewolf free and

witchcraft

after being stretched on iraq and before

further torture commenced

he confessed having practiced black

magic since he was 12 years old

he also confessed to many other sins

during the torture

such as having intercourse with the

succubus

sent to him by the devil but again when

someone's limbs are being torn off

they'll usually confess to anything

peter stump was then executed in one of

the most brutal ways

ever recorded quote he was put to a

wheel

where his flesh was torn from his body

in ten places

with red-hot pincers followed by his

arms and legs

then his limbs were broken with the

blunt side of an axe head

to prevent him from returning from the

grave before he was beheaded

and his body burned on a pyre

his daughter and mistress had already

been flayed and strangled

and were burned along with stump's body

as a warning against similar behavior

local authorities erected a pole with

the torture wheel

and the figure of a wolf on it and at

the very top

they placed peter stump's severed head

persecution of wolf charmers were

recorded in bavaria

and austria until after 1650

with the final cases being placed in the

early 18th century

after the end of the witch trials the

werewolf folklore emerged in the gothic

horror genre

and in modern horror and fantasy

literature

but in the pre-christian pagan era

proto-indo-european or aryan mythology

often includes a wolf as part of an

aspect

of the initiation of the warrior class

where a ritual is conducted to

symbolically turn

men into wolves which from a medieval

christian perspective

became associated with the devil

in turkish and central asian folklore

shamans after performing long and

arduous rights

would voluntarily be able to transform

into the humanoid kurt adam which

literally means wolfman

and since the wolf was the totemic

ancestor animal of the turkic people

they would be respectful of any shaman

who is in such a form

so in a shamanistic context the

transformation is on a soul level

where his spirit form may leave and his

body remains behind

in a trance state unchanged physically

in some rituals clothing is removed

and a belt made of wolf's skin or the

entire animal's skin is worn

and a magic hallucinogenic ointment is

rubbed on the body a few references to

men

changing into wolves are found in

ancient greek literature and mythology

herodotus in his histories wrote that

nuri an aryan tribe he placed to the

north east of scythia

were all transformed into wolves once

every year

for several days and then changed back

to their human shape

there are also stories of a temporary

transformation

into a wolf during sacrifice rituals to

zeus

the ancient roman poet virgil wrote of a

man who used herbs

and possibly psychedelic poisons that he

picked to turn himself into a wolf

it seems implied that certain

characteristics of the wolf were

attained

rather than a physical transformation

in greek mythology dolan fought for troy

during the trojan war

and is often depicted wearing a wolf

skin

the wolf also turns up in nationalist

germany

as a term for the fuhrer whose military

headquarters

was also codenamed the wolf's lair

its earliest origins possibly stretched

back into the pleistocene or

ice age with the earliest domestication

of wolves

which became companions to early modern

humans

or who in the ice age anthropologists

refer to as cro-magnon

some researchers speculate that the

relationship between cro-magnon

and domesticated wolves was an alliance

that contributed to the victory of

cro-magnon over neanderthal species

which were eradicated around 30 000

years ago

the most popular explanation for the

extinction of neanderthals

is climate change but modern bone

re-dating methods

don't support that long-held theory the

evidence suggests that while

neanderthals had lived successfully in

europe

and asia for several hundred thousand

years

they became extinct when a newcomer

suddenly shows up in the fossil

and genetic record cro-magnon appears

around forty thousand years ago

with a fully developed tool kit not

found anywhere else on the earth

there were no gradual stages of

development

the bifacial stone tool technology was

sudden

and a characteristic attributed to

cro-magnon

that means bow and arrows stone tip

bifacial spear tips

that you throw not just pointy sticks

with a sharp rock attached to it

but the kind that you throw especially

with an

atoll atoll which is a spear-throwing

device that makes the spear go

farther and faster cro-magnon had a

larger cranial capacity

40 000 years ago than today's average

was seafaring wore clothing

lived in wooden houses and while the

wood hasn't survived as evidence

the post that they made in the ground

has

crowmagnon also domesticated animals

like horses which i covered several

times and

dogs which to a large degree comes from

domesticated wolves

the myths and legends of ancient

antediluvian wars

such as the one between the greek gods

and the

titans i've already discussed in prior

videos

where i identify the conflict in terms

of haplogroups

such as r1a and r1b

which are terms describing the y

chromosome

which is attributed to men passed down

from father to son

and now i'd like to expand on this

ancient war

to merge with some anthropology in terms

of the fossil record and genetics

which come down to us in mythology

[Music]

while some myths and legends involve the

dragon

which burns down villages takes

cattle and demands young virgin girls

to presumably appease its sexual

appetite

which i've associated with invading

cultures that revered the serpent

symbology

penetrating into europe from eurasia

in the east now i'd like to talk about

the ancient

conflict between cro-magnon and

neanderthal

which is also reflected in early myths

as a war of the species

between what are symbolically referred

to as wolves

and vampires having already associated

the wolf to cro-magnon

let us take a closer look at neanderthal

starting with its skull

the first noticeable difference is the

shape of the skull

where cro-magnon had a round-headed

shape

like a basketball the neanderthal skull

is elongated

resembling more of a football both of

them had large cranial capacity

but the shape of the skull was

significantly different

including the face and the eyes not only

did neanderthal have a massive brow

ridge

which means a protruding bone where the

eyebrows are

but the eyes themselves were larger they

devoted a larger part of their brain to

seeing

and while this possibly meant that they

had better eyesight

in my personal opinion it could also

suggest that they were at least

partially

nocturnal while most anthropologists

will argue that neanderthals lived in

northern regions

where the light was dimmer and their

large eyes may have helped them to see

better

i would also add that their lack of bow

and arrows

and inferior types of spears also

indicated that they did not

hunt as effectively in the daylight the

same way that modern humans

or cro-magnon and that they mainly

operated at night

i'm not suggesting that they were

exclusively nocturnal

but if they could see better in dim

lighting than cro-magnon

it would make sense that they would

exploit this advantage

especially if there was a conflict or an

inter-species war if you follow my line

of reasoning so far

you can already see where i'm going with

this as vampires are traditionally

afraid of the sunlight

and were said to come out at night

that said there's plenty of

archaeological evidence suggesting that

neanderthals were cannibalistic

meaning they dined on human flesh

for example in the caves of belgium

bones from a newborn a child

and four adults or teenagers who lived

around 40 000 years ago

show clear signs of cutting and of

fractures

to extract the marrow from within quote

it is irrefutable cannibalism was

practiced here

says belgium archaeologist christian

cassayus

while neanderthal took care of bodies of

their deceased

and held burial rituals they also ate

their dead

the bones showed traces of cutting to

remove the flesh

they also broke the bones in the same

way that they broke those of reindeer

and horses found at the entrance of the

cave to extract the marrow

while archaeologists aren't sure if this

cannibalism was systematic

or only done at certain particular

moments

such as in a ritual i would speculate

that if a species is cannibalistic

also drinking the blood would not be a

far

leap to speculate nor would the

consumption of the bodies of

captured cro-magnon the archaeological

record confirms

neanderthal lives were anything but

peaceful

neanderthal skulls frequently show the

marks of a blow to the head

presumably from a club another sign of

warfare

or fractures or a break to the lower arm

caused by warding off blows neanderthals

also show a lot of broken arms

at least one neanderthal from shannadar

cave in iraq

was impaled by a spear to the chest

trauma was especially common in young

neanderthal males

as were deaths neanderthals

occupied the middle east for many

millennia and i would speculate that is

one of the reasons there's still so much

conflict there today the levant

was not occupied by one species of

hominin

and according to the ancient mythologies

and

guarded teachings of some secret

societies

it was a scene of an ancient unresolved

war

which still carried on until the hollow

scene or

our modern age while some

anthropologists will claim this struggle

has been going on for hundreds of

thousands of years

as they incorrectly lump homo erectus

with cro-magnon

probably because of their commitment to

the out of africa hypothesis

which is politically motivated and at

this point

resembles a cult-like ideology rather

than science

recent genetic sequencing has disproved

a smooth linear out of africa

progression

of one african hominin or race

but rather supports a multi-regional

model

to explain the origin of modern racial

populations

for example present-day sub-saharan

africans

trace up to 19 percent of their genetic

ancestry

to an extinct hominin species

such as homo erectus that is not found

in the dna of present-day asians or

present-day caucasians or europeans

in any event cro-magnon had very

unique cranial characteristics they're

the only ones with the chin

and forehead and no brow ridge

there are dental differences meaning the

teeth

the number of vertebrae the number of

ribs

differences in blood and while there

were complications with interbreeding

it did happen but not hundreds of

thousands of years ago

cross species interbreeding took place

around forty thousand years ago

and lasted for about seven thousand

years at which point neanderthal

disappears from the fossil record

but still remains in certain

demographics in the genetic record

of some modern populations of course

certain groups which have infiltrated

religious organizations

and certain secret societies are also

said to still participate in cannibalism

blood consumption and seem to have a

political agenda

which some have described as being

antagonistic

towards ancestors of cro-magnon types

which according to genetic sequencing

are closely related

if not identical to modern day europeans

my name is robert supper i'm an

anthropologist

my published work is available on amazon

as well as through various other major

book outlets

they make a great gift if you'd like to

support my work

you could do that through patreon.com

there should be a link in the

description section for those that are

interested

i appreciate it thank you please have a

wonderful weekend

and i hope to see you again soon