Peter Stumpp: The Werewolf of Bedburg

In the year this literary work was published, 1612, the story of Peter Stump became widely known throughout Europe. However, as the centuries passed, this story gradually faded into oblivion, and any written details about this unfortunate man were lost in the annals of history. 

In 1920, an English clergyman and writer named Montague Summers saw a long-forgotten pamphlet in the British Museum detailing the singular case of Peter Stump. The pamphlet details Stump's life, including his crimes and the trial that followed his capture. Everything we know about this event comes from these 16 pages. The original broadsheet was published in German, with an English translation of which only two copies now exist. Besides one in the British Museum, there is another in the Lambeth Library in London. No copy of the original German pamphlet survives.

Peter Stump was a wealthy farmer in the rural community of Bedberg, located in the Cologne constituency of Germany. It is possible that Peter Stump was not his real name, but a nickname acquired due to losing his left arm in an accident. Another surname that is associated with his name is Abel Griswold.

Peter Stump was born in the village of Ephrath near Bedburg in the mid-1500s, probably around 1564. They had two children – a girl named Beale (Sybil), who was about 15, and a son of unknown age. He was a widower.

From the mid-1560s, large numbers of cattle began to be found dead around Bedburg, their stomachs cut open and mutilated. The villagers were naturally suspicious of wolves. But when the city's women and children also start falling victim to these attacks, the townspeople become convinced that something more sinister is at play.

People became afraid to come out of their homes and whenever they did, they did so only in large armed groups. Sometimes while traveling from one town to another, he would find the severed parts of victims scattered in the fields. These scenes spread panic among the public. When a child goes missing, parents immediately assume that all is lost and that the wolf has taken another victim.

The attacks continued for 25 years, during which time countless numbers of men, women, children, cattle and sheep were devoured by the hideous creature.

In 1589 an extraordinary event occurred. Some children were playing in a meadow, when suddenly a wolf came out of the forest and caught hold of a young girl by the collar of her coat, but the collar was so tight and well-made that the wolf was unable to pierce it. There was a scream and the wolf released his grip and ran away. The people gave chase and soon surrounded the animal, but as they moved in for the kill, they found that the wolf had disappeared and in its place was Peter Stump. It is unclear whether the people actually saw the wolf transform or whether Stump was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Pictures supplied with English pamphlet. In this colorful version we can see the episodes of his story depicting Stump as a werewolf, the stages of his arrest by the authorities, his interrogation and his brutal execution. Photo Credit: National Geographic

Anyhow, Stump was captured and tortured on the rack, which ultimately resulted in him confessing to several horrific crimes. Stump claimed to have been practicing black magic since the age of 12. He confessed that he had made a pact with the devil, who in return gave him a magical girdle that allowed him to transform into "the likeness of a greedy, devouring wolf, strong and powerful, with big and wide eyes". Which was allowed, which was glowing like fire in the night, big and wide mouth, sharp and ferocious teeth, huge body and powerful claws. Removing the belt will transform him back into his human form. Stump claimed that he had thrown the belt into a certain ravine. The magistrate sent to retrieve it but no such belt was ever found.

Stump confessed to killing and eating fourteen children and two pregnant women, whose fetuses he removed from their wombs and "ate their hearts hot and raw." Stumpp also confessed to murdering his own son, who is said to have eaten his brain.

Stumpp was also accused and later confessed to having an incestuous relationship with his daughter. It is believed that their son is the result of this relationship. Furthermore, he confessed to having intercourse with a succubus sent to him by Satan.

For his alleged crimes, Stump was put to death in the most horrible manner: his body was laid on a wheel, and with red-hot burning tongs, the flesh was pulled from the body to the bones in several places; After this his legs and hands were broken with a wooden axe. His body was decapitated and then burnt in a pyre. His unfortunate daughter and her mistress, Catherine Trompin, were also burned at the stake as accessories to the murders. As a warning against similar behavior, the local authorities erected a pillar with the figure of a torture wheel and a wolf on it, and at the top they placed the severed head of Peter Stump.

It is unclear why Stumpp became the villagers' prime suspect. Some historians believe that it is possible that Stump was a murderer. His scandalous relationship with his daughter, as well as his mistress, who was a distant relative, likely tarnished his reputation throughout Bedburg and fueled accusations of being a werewolf on the stump. It is also possible that Stump has been made a scapegoat. These events occurred during a period called the Cologne War (1583–88), a conflict between Protestants and Catholics. Stump was a well-known Catholic who converted to Protestantism. The Catholic faction, which had gained control of the Bedburg area, may have thought of making an example out of the stump to discourage any Protestants from thoughts of rebellion.

The execution of Peter Stump was not an isolated incident in the history of werewolf trials. Such tests were prevalent in Europe from the early 15th century to the 18th century, reaching their peak in the 17th century. The persecution of alleged werewolves, combined with related folklore, became associated with the widespread phenomenon of witch-hunting that spread across Europe during this period. However, it is important to note that charges of lycanthropy, or transformation into a wolf, were only a small part of witchcraft trials.

The case of Peter Stump in 1589 led to a significant increase in both interest in and persecution of alleged werewolves, especially in the French-speaking and German-speaking regions of Europe. Werewolf trials eventually spread to Livonia in the 17th century, becoming the dominant form of witch-trial in that region. The phenomenon lasted longest in Bavaria and Austria before gradually disappearing at the beginning of the 18th century in Carinthia and Styria.