Semester of Graduation

Spring 2026

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The werewolf – a fictional figure that transforms from human to wolf – serves as a compelling example of how medieval thought shaped ideas about identity and transformation. The motif of the werewolf, present in a small corpus of works from the tenth through the fourteenth century, emerged to explore the limits of change while also comparing the likeness of humanity to its animal counterpart. This paper explores medieval literature - Beowulf, Bisclavret, Biclarel, and Melion – from both French or English descent to offer overlapping and contrasting thoughts about human likeness to wolves. The manuscripts - The Nowell Codex, Cotton MS Vitellius A.xv (containing Beowulf and The Wonders of the East), MS 700 (Topographica Hisorica), and Royal MS 12 (The Rochester Bestiary) – are all from medieval England, which featured a unique acceptance of Christian, Pagan, and local ideas, that was not present in French manuscripts.

Each manuscript and piece of literature - with its unique context and illuminations of wolves and werewolves - and connect them with the contemporary pieces of literature in medieval Europe. Each of the depictions of werewolves in the literature and manuscripts is different; they all take different human traits and twist them to criticize the social institutions in the Middle Ages. The medieval manuscript is a great vessel to explore these ideas because it is a space where text and image coexist, presenting readers, viewers, and listeners with vivid, often exaggerated textual descriptions of extraordinary beasts and monsters alongside visual representations. Authors and illuminators used text and manuscripts to explore their humanity through their creations by layering meaning from the world in which they lived, potentially giving us a window into the experience of the Middle Ages.

Date

3-27-2026

Committee Chair

Dietz, Maribel

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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