An analysis of the 14th century English alliterative poem William of Palerne with specific focus on the role of the werewolf in the story. The werewolf is seen as "eiron" (self-deprecator), the tricky servant. The article also compares William of Palerne with the earlier French vesrion, Guillaume de Palerne. "Thus we see that these typical werewolf motifs, like the pseudo-transformation of the lovers into bears and then derr, are transmuted in William of Palerne into something far more fascinating than simple tales about ferocious wolves. William of Palerne resonates with many other medieval works while resembling none of them..."

Language: English