InBavarian folklore of theEarly Modern period, aWolfssegen ([vɔlfs.ˈzeːɡn̩];alsoWolfsegen, Wolf-Segen) was anapotropaic charm against wolves; conversely, aWolfbann (Wolf-Bann) was a malevolentspell causing a wolf attack.
TheWolfssegen is just one specific example of various distinct kinds ofSegen ("blessing; charm, incantation") in the folklore of German-speaking Europe.[1]
Early examples ofWolfssegen survive from theLate Middle Ages.[2] The use of these charms seems to have peaked during the 17th century, when they were offered by professional "wolf charmers" (Wolfssegner orWolfbanner). This corresponds to the cold period known as theLittle Ice Age, for which there is ample historical evidence of wolf populations in much of theBavarian Alps. There is no extant text of aWolfbann, the malevolent opposite of theWolfsegen. However, there is the text of a spellreversing aWolfbann recorded in 1635, in effect again aWolfsegen, but against a specific wolf earlier conjured by aWolfbann.[3]
TheWolfssegner, or more generallySegner, were mostly destitute elderly men who made a living by selling charms or incantations. They were mostly tolerated in the 16th century, but from the 1590s they began to bepersecuted as witches. During the early 1600s, a number ofWolfssegner were tried and executed aswerewolves. Apparently, theWolfssegner often used fraudulent scams in order to convince the peasants of their magical power.[4]
These trials persisted into the 1650s, albeit without the werewolf accusation. A typical example was the trial of Thomas Heiser, aged 84. According to the protocol, Heiser underwent the first stage of torture before confessing to know how to perform theWolf-Segen, which he had learned from a friend fifty years earlier, in Innsbruck, and had made his living by performing it for the peasantry. He claimed to be able to call the wolves to attack a specific head of cattle, and to have done this a total number of ten times over a period of 40 years. He confessed that he had to promise his soul to the devil in order to learn the charm.[5]
InVienna, there was also a custom known in which the text of theLiber generationis Jesu Christi (Matthew 1, viz. the beginning of the gospel) was known asWolfssegen, chanted in a particular way after mass onChristmas Eve. This was supposed to commemorate the banning of wolves by singing the gospel in former centuries, before the city was fortified.[6]
The 2019 novelEmpire of Wild byCherie Dimaline features aWolfssegner.[7]