SOURCE: "THE WEREWOLF" (1911) by EUGENE FIELD

DESCRIPTION: "But no, Harold was not asleep.  His face was calm and beautiful, as if he dreamed of his beloved, but his raiment was red with the blood that streamed from a wound in his breast–a gaping, ghastly spear wound just above his heart."

PLOT: This story is set in ancient Saxony. Harold is bethrothed to Yseult but his family secret, the curse of Siegfried, keeps him from her. Whenever he feels a bout of the trouble coming he goes off hunting. His rival for Yseult's affections, Alfred, notices and tries to use it against Harold. Alfred also points out that Harold is never around when the werewolf comes and attacks the Saxons. When the Feast of Saint Alfraeda comes, Harold has a dream which he tells Yseult about. A bearded man takes his soul from his body and places it inside a wolf. He is then driven in wolf-form to hunt down and kill. He finds a beautiful girl at the sacred grove where the feast is held, and kills her. Harold begs Yseult not to go the ceremony. When Alfred chides him, Yseult goes to the grove with Alfred and his spearmen. Harold retreats into his castle tower but before he goes he gives Yseult the charmed spear of Siegfried, one that never dulls. At the grove the werewolf attacks Yseult. She kills it with the spear of Siegfried. She rushes to find Harold. He is up in his tower but he has been stabbed through the heart, just like the wolf.

WEREWOLF FACTS: This story suggests that the man doesn't transform so much as have his spirit place inside a wolf. The wolf, once killed, does not turn back into a man. Instead, any harm that happens to the wolf happens to the man. Algernon Blackwood would use a similar idea in "Running Wolf".

INTERESTING FACTS: The author of this story was a children's writer. This shows in his way of avoiding protracted violence. Instead the story has more of fairy tale feel to it, worthy of George Macdonald. Field is not the first to use ancient Saxony in his story. "Hugues the Werewolf" uses it much earlier.