Within Latvian Monsters
Was Latvia's Famous Werewolf a Monster?
Old Thiess's 1691 trial is Latvia's strongest creature case because it preserves werewolf belief in a court record.
On this page
- The 1691 Livonian trial record
- Werewolves as hounds of God
- What the testimony can and cannot prove
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Old Thiess is arguably Latvia’s most important “creature” case, not because it proves the existence of werewolves, but because it preserves a detailed first-hand claim in a surviving court record. In 1691, an elderly Livonian peasant known as Old Thiess appeared before authorities in what is now part of the Latvian cultural and historical landscape of Livonia. Instead of denying accusations that he was a werewolf, he openly embraced the label. His explanation, however, was unlike almost any werewolf story in Europe. He insisted that werewolves were not servants of the Devil. They were defenders of humanity who descended into Hell to fight witches and recover stolen crops and livestock.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
For readers interested in Latvia’s strange-creature traditions, the importance of Thiess lies in the evidence. Most werewolf legends survive as folklore collected long after the events they describe. Thiess left something rarer: sworn testimony recorded by a court. Whether interpreted as folk belief, religious dissent, social protest or a fragment of older mythology, it remains one of the most unusual werewolf accounts ever documented.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
The 1691 Livonian Trial Record
The surviving testimony comes from proceedings held in Livonia under Swedish rule. Thiess, already in his eighties, was questioned by judges who knew that local people regarded him as a werewolf. Rather than rejecting the accusation, he confirmed it and began describing the activities of werewolves in remarkable detail.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
The court expected a familiar story. Across much of Europe, werewolves were commonly treated as servants of Satan, criminals who transformed into wolves through witchcraft or demonic pacts. Thiess presented something completely different. He claimed that he and other werewolves transformed on certain nights of the year and travelled to a supernatural realm where they fought witches and the Devil himself.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
The judges repeatedly tried to fit his statements into the standard Christian model of witchcraft. They wanted to know how a werewolf could avoid being a servant of Satan. Thiess consistently resisted that interpretation. According to him, the werewolves opposed the Devil rather than serving him.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
This exchange is one reason the case fascinates historians. The record captures a direct clash between official religious assumptions and local popular belief. Instead of a confession extracted to match court expectations, the testimony repeatedly surprises the judges.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
Werewolves as Hounds of God
The most famous part of Thiess’s testimony is his claim that werewolves were “hounds of God”. Modern historians often use this phrase as shorthand for the entire case because it reverses the usual image of the werewolf as a monster.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressOld Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfIn this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a uniquel…
According to Thiess, werewolves entered Hell three times each year. There they fought witches using iron rods and attempted to recover grain, livestock and other blessings stolen from the human world. If the werewolves succeeded, the coming harvest would be good. If they failed, famine and hardship might follow.[Wikipedia]WikipediaThiess of KaltenbrunThiess of Kaltenbrun
This was not merely a story about shape-shifting. It was a story about fertility, agriculture and community survival. In a rural society where harvest success determined whether people prospered or starved, the idea that supernatural guardians protected crops carried obvious importance.[Wikipedia]WikipediaThiess of KaltenbrunThiess of Kaltenbrun
Several details stand out:
- The werewolves were portrayed as protectors rather than predators.
- Their enemies were witches and demonic forces.
- Their mission centred on recovering agricultural abundance.
- Thiess claimed their souls went to Heaven, while witches were destined for Hell.[Wikipedia]WikipediaThiess of KaltenbrunThiess of Kaltenbrun
For modern readers, this sounds closer to a folk hero tradition than a horror story. That contrast is exactly what makes the testimony so memorable.
Why Historians Find the Story So Unusual
Old Thiess’s account differs sharply from most documented European werewolf trials. Elsewhere, accused werewolves often confessed—sometimes under torture—to harming livestock, attacking people or serving demonic powers. Thiess instead described a morally positive role.[Wikipedia]WikipediaWerewolf witch trialsWerewolf witch trials
Because of this, historians have proposed several interpretations.
One influential explanation comes from historian Carlo Ginzburg, who compared Thiess with other European traditions in which selected individuals fought supernatural battles on behalf of their communities. Ginzburg argued that these beliefs may preserve traces of much older folk traditions concerned with fertility, seasonal renewal and journeys to the spirit world.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressOld Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfIn this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a uniquel…
Other scholars have been more cautious. Some see the testimony as evidence of local Livonian folk beliefs that never fully matched official church teachings. Others interpret the story as a reflection of social tensions between Baltic peasants and the German-speaking elite who dominated many institutions in Livonia. More recent studies have explored whether Thiess was using the werewolf identity to express ideas about justice, community and rural survival.[bibliovault.org]bibliovault.orgOld Thiess, a Livonian Werewolf: A Classic Case in…In this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a…
What most researchers agree on is that the testimony cannot be dismissed as a simple repetition of standard werewolf folklore. Its details are too distinctive, and its arguments repeatedly challenge what the court expected to hear.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
What the Testimony Can and Cannot Prove
For anyone approaching the story as a cryptid or mystery-animal case, it is important to separate evidence from interpretation.
The testimony does prove several things:
- Werewolf beliefs existed in seventeenth-century Livonia.
- Some local people understood werewolves very differently from church authorities.
- Thiess publicly identified himself as a werewolf.[jmelliott.substack.com]jmelliott.substack.comold thiess a livonian werewolfThiess, A Livonian Werewolf - J. M. ElliottSubject/Theme(s): An examination of the 1691 trial of a Latvian peasant called “Old Thiess” wh…
- The court considered his statements serious enough to record and investigate.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
However, the testimony does not prove:
- That physical transformation into wolves occurred.
- That supernatural journeys took place.
- That the events Thiess described happened literally.
- That werewolves existed as biological creatures.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressOld Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfIn this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a uniquel…
The value of the case lies elsewhere. It offers a rare window into how ordinary people in the Baltic region could understand the supernatural. Instead of showing a hidden animal, it shows a living belief system recorded in real time. That makes it more historically significant than many later monster legends that survive only through retellings.
Why Old Thiess Still Matters in Latvia’s Monster Tradition
Latvia has relatively few creature traditions supported by detailed historical documents. Many legends survive through folklore collections, oral stories or later literary retellings. The Thiess case is different because readers can still examine the trial record itself.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
As a result, Old Thiess occupies a special place in Latvia’s broader landscape of strange stories. He is remembered not as a lurking beast in a forest or lake, but as a named individual whose extraordinary claims were preserved by the legal system. The story links Latvian werewolf traditions to wider Baltic and European folklore while remaining uniquely local in its details.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressOld Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfIn this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a uniquel…
More than three centuries later, the mystery is not whether Thiess was secretly a wolf. The enduring question is why an elderly peasant stood before a court and insisted that werewolves fought for God. That puzzle continues to attract historians, folklorists and readers of strange tales alike because the testimony is real, the record survives, and the explanation remains intriguingly open to interpretation.[University of Chicago Press]press.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Was Latvia's Famous Werewolf a Monster?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Penguin Book of Dragons
Edited by a medieval folklore scholar and appeals to similar readers.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.
Endnotes
1.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Werewolf witch trials
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_witch_trials
2.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Thiess of Kaltenbrun
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiess_of_Kaltenbrun
3.
Source: bibliovault.org
Link:https://www.bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?ISBN=9780226674414
Source snippet
Old Thiess, a Livonian Werewolf: A Classic Case in...In this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a...
4.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365875896_Livonian_Werewolves_Assessing_Their_Historical_Significance_Through_the_Case_of_Old_Thiess
Source snippet
(PDF) Livonian Werewolves: Assessing Their Historical...5 Dec 2025 — A close reading method was utilized on the trial transcript of Old...
5.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346761547_Carlo_Ginzburg_and_Bruce_Lincoln_Old_Thiess_a_Livonian_Werewolf_A_Classic_Case_in_Comparative_Perspective
Source snippet
Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln, Old Thiess a Livonian...13 Dec 2020 — The case of the self-professed Latvian werewolf, Old Thiess, a d...
6.
Source: press.uchicago.edu
Link:https://press.uchicago.edu/sites/thiess/index.html
Source snippet
University of Chicago PressTrial transcript from Old Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis page has the trial transcript comprising chapter one...
7.
Source: press.uchicago.edu
Link:https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/O/bo46813477.html
Source snippet
University of Chicago PressOld Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfIn this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a uniquel...
8.
Source: press.uchicago.edu
Link:https://press.uchicago.edu/sites/thiess/old_thiess_transcript.pdf
Source snippet
Thiess, a Livonian WerewolfThis trial transcript was filed in the Hofger- Archiv Kriminalakte n. 30 v. J. 1692 and was first published by...
9.
Source: web.english.upenn.edu
Title: Ginzburg Freud Wolf Man and Werewolves
Link:https://web.english.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Ginzburg_Freud_Wolf-Man_and_Werewolves.pdf
Source snippet
Thiess, - a Livonian WerewolfThe Trial 13. Transcript from the Hearings at the Provincial Court of Venden. (April 28, 1691) 13. Verdict P...
Published: April 28, 1691
Additional References
10.
Source: the-tls.com
Title: old thiess a ivonian werewolf carlo ginzburg bruce lincoln review jan machielsen
Link:https://www.the-tls.com/history/early-modern-history/old-thiess-a-ivonian-werewolf-carlo-ginzburg-bruce-lincoln-review-jan-machielsen
Source snippet
God's own werewolf31 Jul 2020 — Old Thiess, A Livonian Werewolf by Carlo Ginzburg And Bruce Lincoln. The trial of Old Thiess in 1691 is e...
11.
Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/59044277/Of_Demons_and_Disciplines_Old_Thiess_a_Livonian_Werewolf_A_Classic_Case_in_Comparative_Perspective_by_Carlo_Ginzburg_and_Bruce_Lincoln_and_Daemons_Are_Forever_Contacts_and_Exchanges_in_the_Eurasian_Pandemonium_by_David_Gordon_White_
Source snippet
inst witches, demonstrating a deviant interpretation of lycanthropy during his...Read more...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Title: God’s Monsters: The Secret History of Holy Werewolves
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ItYNf728uI
Source snippet
Old Thiess Livonian werewolf trial testimony Old Thiess: The True & Hellish Case of the Livonian Werewolf | Documentary The Paranormal Sc...
13.
Source: jmelliott.substack.com
Title: old thiess a livonian werewolf
Link:https://jmelliott.substack.com/p/old-thiess-a-livonian-werewolf
Source snippet
Thiess, A Livonian Werewolf - J. M. ElliottSubject/Theme(s): An examination of the 1691 trial of a Latvian peasant called “Old Thiess” wh...
14.
Source: read.dukeupress.edu
Title: View full article.Read more
Link:https://read.dukeupress.edu/common-knowledge/article-abstract/30/3/384/398291
Source snippet
Thiess, a Livonian Werewolf: A Classic Case in...by F Trivellato · 2024 — The volume consists of two original introductions by each auth...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Livonian Werewolf: Tale of the Wolf That Went to Hell to Fight the Devil
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnrENRBP3ZA
Source snippet
Lupus Dei, The Hounds of God | The Livonian Werewolf...
16.
Source: jstor.org
Link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/48650816
Source snippet
109 In the years 1691–1692, a werewolf trial was held in...by M Metsvahi · 2022 · Cited by 1 — a werewolf trial was held in Livonia, con...
17.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Lupus Dei, The Hounds of God | The Livonian Werewolf
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac0HJMT_p4M
Source snippet
God’s Monsters: The Secret History of Holy Werewolves...
18.
Source: books.google.com
Title: Old Thiess a Livonian Werewolf
Link:https://books.google.com/books/about/Old_Thiess_a_Livonian_Werewolf.html?id=BOHSDwAAQBAJ
Source snippet
Thiess, a Livonian Werewolf: A Classic Case in...23 Mar 2020 — In 1691, a Livonian peasant known as Old Thiess boldly announced before a...
19.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Hounds of God: The Werewolf Trials
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5dTdBCKrMk
Source snippet
Livonian Werewolf: Tale of the Wolf That Went to Hell to Fight the Devil...
Topic Tree