A Roman Werewolf

Tales of the Supernatural

The Romans enjoyed stories of the supernatural, and could tell a story that still raises goose-pimples. In Cena Trimalchionis (Trimalchio's Dinner-Party), part of Petronius's Satyricon composed in the 1st century AD, one of the freedmen (ex-slaves) at the dinner, Niceros, is prompted to tell of a scary personal experience when he decided to visit an old flame, Melissa, in the countryside. It’s wonderfully atmospheric, in colloquial Latin, and I translate accordingly.

“My master happened to go to Capua to sort out some business, so I seized the opportunity. I got one of the guests to agree to accompany me for the first five miles of the journey - he was a soldier, strong as the devil.

We headed off at cock-crow, the moon was shining bright as day. We arrived at the cemetery, and the fellow went to take a dump among the graves. I sat there humming and counting the tombstones. When I turned round to look at him, he was stripped to his skin and had piled all his clothes in a heap on the roadside. My heart leapt into my mouth, and I kept dead still. He was walking in a circle around the clothes and urinating, and all of a sudden - he turned into a wolf! (Some listeners laugh). I’m not being funny - I wouldn’t joke about this for all the tea in China. (Laughter subsides).

To continue my tale. After becoming a wolf he started howling and rushed off into the woods. At first I was in a complete daze. Then I went to pick up his clothes - but they’d turned to stone! I was scared stiff - how could I not be? Still, I drew my sword and slashed at shadows until I reached the girl’s farmhouse. I got there pale as a ghost; I could hardly breathe, the sweat was pouring down my crotch, my eyes were staring like a dead man’s. It was some time before I recovered.

Melissa wondered why I was making the trip at such a late hour. ‘If you’d come earlier, at least’, she said, ‘you could’ve helped out. A wolf got into the yard and attacked all the sheep. There was blood everywhere - it was like a slaughterhouse. He got away, but not scot-free - the groundsman speared him through the neck’.

I couldn’t get a wink of sleep after that. At daybreak I fled for home like a barman who’s been caught with his hands in the till. When I got to the place where the soldier’s clothes had turned to stone, there was nothing but a pool of blood. And then, when I got home, the soldier himself was lying prostrate in bed like a stunned bull, with a doctor tending to his neck.

I realised he must be a werewolf. After that I couldn’t sit down to dinner with him if you killed me. Believe what you want, but if I’m lying your angry ghosts can haunt my dreams’.

Forte dominus Capuae exierat ad scruta scita expedienda. Nactus ego occasionem persuadeo hospitem nostrum, ut mecum ad quintum miliarium veniat. Erat autem miles, fortis tanquam Orcus.

Apoculamus nos circa gallicinia; luna lucebat tanquam meridie. Venimus inter monimenta: homo meus coepit ad stelas facere; sedeo ego cantabundus et stelas numero. Deinde ut respexi ad comitem, ille exuit se et omnia vestimenta secundum viam posuit. Mihi anima in naso esse; stabam tanquam mortuus. At ille circumminxit vestimenta sua, et subito lupus factus est. Nolite me iocari putare; ut mentiar, nullius patrimonium tanti facio.

Sed, quod coeperam dicere, postquam lupus factus est, ululare coepit et in silvas fugit. Ego primitus nesciebam ubi essem; deinde accessi, ut vestimenta eius tollerem: illa autem lapidea facta sunt. Qui mori timore nisi ego? Gladium tamen strinxi et umbras cecidi, donec ad villam amicae meae pervenirem. In larvam intravi, paene animam ebullivi, sudor mihi per bifurcum volabat, oculi mortui; vix unquam refectus sum.

Melissa mea mirari coepit, quod tam sero ambularem, et: ‘Si ante, inquit, venisses, saltem nobis adiutasses; lupus enim villam intravit et omnia pecora tanquam lanius sanguinem illis misit. Nec tamen derisit, etiamsi fugit; senius enim noster lancea collum eius traiecit’.

Haec ut audivi, operire oculos amplius non potui, sed luce clara Gai nostri domum fugi tanquam copo compilatus; et postquam veni in illum locum, in quo lapidea vestimenta erant facta, nihil inveni nisi sanguinem. Vt vero domum veni, iacebat miles meus in lecto tanquam bovis, et collum illius medicus curabat.

Intellexi illum versipellem esse, nec postea cum illo panem gustare potui, non si me occidisses. Viderint quid de hoc alii exopinissent; ego si mentior, genios vestros iratos habeam.”