On this episode of Ominous Origins, we discuss the strange and grisly tale of Peter Stumpp, a savage killer known as the Werewolf of Bedburg.
EPISODE SUMMARY
We had so much fun last week, that we’re back with some more wild werewolf stuff!
MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
I have an interesting real life case today, and a little tidbit about a potential werewolf skull. The skull in question was found in a box, wrapped in chains, in Macedonia, which apparently has a rich and very long history of werewolves in their culture. It was an interesting find, but certainly not the main topic of today’s episode. The main event comes to us in the form of a German man by the name of Peter Stumpp (c. 1525/1549 – 1589; name is also spelled as Peter Stube, Peter Stubbe, Peter Stübbe or Peter Stumpf), who in the 16th century, believed himself to be a werewolf of sorts — causing him to go into homicidal rages.
Stumpf was a respected and known member of the community in Bedburg, Germany (not far from Cologne). He was fairly wealthy and owned a farm where he lived with his kids; his wife had died sometime earlier. Of course, nobody was going to suspect him of the terrible crimes that were committed. Instead, it was believed everything that happened was caused by wolves (ironic).
But what were the crimes? They ranged from cattle mutilations to human mutilations, and everything in between. Now, why did people think this was the doings of a wolf, or wolves? Well, locals would find bits of bodies: legs, arms, organs, in the countryside. Never did they think it was a human’s doing.
It wasn’t until a hunting party got fed up with the wolves ravaging their livestock that they went in search of said wolves. It wasn’t long until they thought they had their culprit. But when their dogs cornered something, that something turned out to be Peter Stumpp.
His story was incredible and near unbelievable, and his trial — and ultimate execution — were the things of nightmares. For all the details you’ll have to listen to the episode!
ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
Welcome to the Ominous Origins Podcast, a Horror Shots production. If you were previously a fan of the Horror Shots Podcast, this is the same great show with the same compelling content focused on myth, mysterious creatures, unexplained events, spooky stories — and even some of the strangest and most disturbing true crime stories. As always, our goal is to entertain, but also to enlighten with short, well-researched episodes on a variety of fascinating topics.
I hope you enjoy the show. If you would like to show your support, reviews on iTunes or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts are always greatly appreciated and help out so much. You can also comment on this post right here on Morbidly Beautiful and use the social share buttons to spread the word. Finally, you can check out my Redbubble store for some some great merchandise, including the new logo for sale on a variety of things!
Be sure to leave a review on iTunes, or Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. 5-Star reviews do indeed get a shoutout, so if that tickles you the right way, be sure to leave one!
Note: If you want to catch up on previous episodes, you can find them all at https://www.horrorshots.com/podcast.
Follow Us!