King Arthur arrives and saves the day, nurturing Melion’s rational aspects and enabling him to return to human form. Melion forms a pack with other wolves and preys upon the countryside. It tells of a knight whose lover transforms him into a wolf with a magical ring and then leaves him for a squire. Melion also deals with the theme of infidelity.

In the end, he bites off his wife’s nose and she in turn undergoes her own transformation. He redeems his role in society through his relationship with the king, who recognises his humanness despite his bodily transformation.

Bisclavret is perhaps the better known of the two, featuring a sympathetic werewolf whose faithless wife discovers his secret and abandons him to the wilderness. Werewolves appear as central characters in the lais Bisclavret and Melion. Greyback is monstrous both inside and out. Greyback’s shaggy, dishevelled, and monstrous appearance recalls the story of Lycaon, in which Lycaon becomes the monster that he always was on the inside. Moreover, Greyback wants to infect as many wizards as he can, indicating that lycanthropy is seen as an infection or disease. He ‘specialises in children’, preferring to attack young wizards and spread his lycanthropy, implying predatory and potentially paedophilic behaviour. Fenrir Greyback, however, is the complete opposite. His transformation pains him and drives him to a frenzied, irrational state. Lupin is a good wizard who is a victim of a werewolf attack. Professor Remus Lupin and Fenrir Greyback appear most prominently. There are many great Harry Potter books to choose from, but Deathly Hallows is a satisfying finale to the classic bildungsroman, and it also features all the werewolves. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. If you have a favourite werewolf book, share it with us on twitter, where Curtis is currently posting a series of intriguing #werewolves facts.ġ. From Remus Lupin to Bisclavret to the Gmork, there are werewolves here to terrify, surprise, thrill, and delight – and not only during the full moon! Looking for a few good werewolf reads this summer? Curtis Runstedler counts down the best of the best.

Stephen king werewolf stories