Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages [Paperback]

Claude Lecouteux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2003

Reveals the true nature of medieval belief in the Double of the Soul

• Demonstrates the survival of a pagan belief that each individual owns three souls, including a double that can journey outside the physical body

• Explains the nature of death and the Other World hidden beneath the monsters and superstitions in stories from the Middle Ages

Monsters, werewolves, witches, and fairies remain a strong presence in our stories and dreams. But as Claude Lecouteux shows, their roots go far deeper than their appearance in medieval folklore; they are survivors of a much older belief system that predates Christianity and was widespread over Western Europe. Through his extensive analysis of Germano-Scandinavian legends, as well as those from other areas of Europe, Lecouteux has uncovered an almost forgotten religious concept: that every individual owns three souls and that one of these souls, the Double, can—in animal or human form—leave the physical body while in sleep or a trance, journey where it chooses, then reenter its physical body. While there were many who experienced this phenomenon involuntarily, there were others—those who attracted the unwelcome persecution of the Church—who were able to provoke it at will: witches.

In a thorough excavation of the medieval soul, Claude Lecouteux reveals the origin and significance of this belief in the Double, and follows its transforming features through the ages. He shows that far from being fantasy or vague superstition, fairies, witches, and werewolves all testify to a consistent ancient vision of our world and the world beyond.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is one of those rare delights, a book as readable as it is scholarly on a subject appealing to general readers, especially to those interested in folklore and magic. Although he emphasizes European wonder tales in his search for understanding of the worldwide phenomenon of the spirit double, Lecouteux's approach is cross-cultural. Tales of the phenomenon stem, he maintains, from the very widespread belief that the soul isn't trapped in the body but can move about at will or, sometimes, even against a person's will. Common beliefs in spirit doubles, and werewolves, witches, and fairies, can be traced to that idea, the origin of which may lie in shamanic soul travel. Filled with unusual narratives--such as that of the churchman who challenged a Lapland magician to prove that his skills were no superstition, whereupon the man traveled in spirit to the minister's house and stole his wife's wedding ring, a theft confirmed by the woman in question--this book may ask more questions than it answers but is always absorbing. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"One of those rare delights, a book as readable as it is scholarly on a subject appealing to general readers."
(Patricia Monaghan, Booklist, September 2004 )

"...an important academic work that throws new light on historical accounts of witchcraft, the supernatural and the spirit world."
( The Cauldron, February 2004 )

"Surprisingly, and despite the consistently scholarly tone, Lecouteux treats his subject with unmistakable sympathy and enthusiasm. He contrasts traditional beliefs about the soul with those imposed by Christianity and clearly favors the former." (
Joshua Buckley, TYR, Vol. 3, 2007-2008 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; 1 edition (July 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892810963
• ISBN-13: 978-0892810963
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A few more clarifications, September 10, 2006

By 

K. Brausch - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages (Paperback)

Like sidoman, I picked up this book initially because I'm researching werewolves and werewolf trials in medieval Europe, and while it does have more to do with witches than it does werewolves, I still found it fascinating.

It's heavy reading; the translation is not the most effective and is halting and not always entirely clear. However, the book provides an interesting alternative explanation for the phenomena of fairies, witches, and werewolves in medieval Europe -- a very convincing explanation, but unlike sidoman, I didn't get the interpretation that Lecouteux truly believes in the existence of the paranormal beings he writes about.

If you're not of the scholarly bent, this book will be hard to get through, even if you're interested in the subject. As someone deep into the research of medieval paranormal beings, I found it utterly fascinating, as this was an interpretation of werewolves that I had not seen elsewhere.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some clarifications, February 15, 2004

By 

C. Vermeers "simon_whateley" (seattle, wa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages (Paperback)

contrary to sidoman's review, it is very apparent that M. Lecouteux is not necessarily a believer in the paranormal, but is reporting the beliefs of various people from the past. further, his thesis is precisely that the theme of the Double is much further-reaching than the previously recognized ideas of the doppelganger and similar doubled existences, but extends to the beliefs of the powers of witchcraft, werewolves, and many others. the idea seems to be that the Double (and here i will oversimplify, as the purpose here is not to provide a summary, but only to correct the more blatant misunderstandings of the previous reviewer) is the pre-Christian conceptualization of the "soul", and that Christianity brought a very different idea of how the nonphysical aspect of a human interacted with the world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, January 4, 2007

By 

Richard Deveno (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages (Paperback)

When I discovered that the author taught at the Sorbonne, my first thought was "Wow, the educational system of France is truly in it's sunset years ..." but first thoughts are always a little hasty. If you're a "big werewolf fan" (as some of the other reviewers seem to be), you will be very disappointed by this work. The text is vaguely scholarly but not terribly so. Basically it's a survey of themes in mythology and folklore. About 70% of the work focusses on Northern Europe. The author attempts to loosely connect these themes to a concept he calls "the double" ... but he draws very little in the way of conclusions and at times his web of connections is a bit of a stretch. It's a bit like the work of H. R. Davidson but without the wisdom and deep insight. In the author's defense his citations are very interesting and well chosen. He focuses on topics that are fascinating, for instance he spends a great deal of time discussing the hamr and fylgja in Northern cultures. I found the book to be a very enjoyable read (finished over the course of a single night) even though at times it lacked a bit in substance.