WITCHES, WEREWOLVES, AND FAIRIES; SHAPESIHIFTERS AND ASTRAL DOUBLES IN THE MIDDLE AGES BY CLAUDE LECOUTEAUX

Reveals the true nature of medieval belief in the Double of the Soul• Demonstrates the survival of a pagan belief that each individual owns three souls, including a double that can journey outside the physical body• Explains the nature of death and the Other World hidden beneath the monsters and superstitions in stories from the Middle AgesMonsters, werewolves, witches, and fairies remain a strong presence in our stories and dreams. But as Claude Lecouteux shows, their roots go far deeper than their appearance in medieval folklore; they are survivors of a much older belief system that predates Christianity and was widespread over Western Europe. Through his extensive analysis of Germano-Scandinavian legends, as well as those from other areas of Europe, Lecouteux has uncovered an almost forgotten religious concept: that every individual owns three souls and that one of these souls, the Double, can—in animal or human form—leave the physical body while in sleep or a trance, journey where