SOURCE: Studies of Death: Romantic Tales (1893) by Count Eric Stenbock

DESCRIPTION: "...But on a sudden a black cloud covered the moon entirely, and all was black, utter darkness, and through the darkness he heard wolves howling and shrieking in the hideous ardour of the chase, and there passed before him a horrible procession of wolves (black wolves with red fiery eyes), and with them men that had the heads of wolves and wolves that had the heads of men, and above them flew owls (black owls with red fiery eyes), and bats and long serpentine black things, and last of all seated on an enormous black ram with hideous human face the wolf-keeper on whose face was eternal shadow; but they continued their horrid chase and passed him by, and when they had passed the moon shone out more beautiful than ever, and the strange nightingale sang again, and the strange intense blue flowers were in long reaches in front to the right and to the left."

PLOT: Gabriel is a sensitive fellow who lives a sad life in a brutal Bretan village. There is a stream that runs by the village that no one crosses because on the other side live monsters like werewolves, lead by the Wolf-Keeper. Gabriel crosses the stream to gather a blue flower and becomes the husband of a wolf-woman. He forgets his former life in the village. When the villagers have a funereal for the missing Gabriel, he hears their prayers and wants to go back. The Wolf-Woman won't let him but he puts her to sleep with the juice of the blue flower. Returning across the stream he is transformed into a wolf. Only Abbé Félicien's prayers can save him. The Other Side is consumed in flame and no longer haunted. Gabriel survives but for nine days a year is afflicted with madness (or lycantrhopy).

WEREWOLF FACTS: The transformation in this story is unique, crossing a magical stream to become a werewolf. The figure of the Wolf-Keeper is also found here along, though he bears a striking resemblance to the Devil, with his hunting hounds.

INTERESTING FACTS: This story reads more like a fairy tale by George Macdonald or more exactly like the Marchen tales of E. T. A. Hoffman. There are werewolves, and wolf men and men-wolves in it as well as the creepy Wolf-Keeper, who rides around on a black ram. I believe it is this tale which inspired Saki to call his werewolf Gabriel-Ernst, making it a kind of sequel. Saki certainly could identify with Stenbock's point-of-view as an oppressed artist.