The Real Story Werewolf Of Allariz

In the magical country of meigas and tardos, ancient trees weave a rich green hue, reminiscent of Galician folklore. This is our destination, a woods of unbelievable but genuine tales. If we go into Galicia's dark woodlands, where sunlight hasn't touched the grass in years and a thousand eyes watch us from the unknown, we may encounter the terrible Allariz werewolf case.

Manuel Blanco Romasanta is Spain's first serial murderer. His unusual methods of murder and his fervent belief that he was a werewolf immediately made this case famous. Who was Allariz's werewolf?

The tale of the Galician lycanthrope must be traced to the early nineteenth century. In 1809, Manuel Blanco Romasanta was born in Regueiro, a tiny Ourense town. Romasanta's birth certificate read Manuela, the female counterpart of Manuel, sparking gender conflicts. The youngster had mixed sexual features, so parents thought he was a female. We are undoubtedly talking about an intersexual individual, but it was the nineteenth century and they didn't have the means to label it. We will assume Manuel spent much of his life as a guy despite being born female because we cannot question them.

Romasanta measured 1.37 meters. He was pleasant and blond, fitting in well with society. His reading and writing skills were rare at the time. His neighbors received letters and papers from him. We'll see how he used that talent to hide his misdeeds.

Manuel married Francisca Gómez Vázquez. Tragically, she died shortly. This may have turned Allariz's werewolf, but we don't know. Romasanta quit his tailor profession and became a hawker, especially in Portugal.

The next era is unclear. His commerce centered on soap and ointments. Rumors say he made them using human grease. Romasanta quietly garnered confidence from everyone around him. He guided people through Galicia's woodlands and pathways, often women with children seeking a better life. Those ships never departed, and those women and children never returned. Werewolf victims were destined to roam the forest's twisted trees forever.

The Galician woodlands were the major aspect of Allariz's werewolf strategy. He confessed to going into the forest on full moon evenings and crawling behind the mountains' silver outlines to wait for his victim. Romasanta mutilated and ate their carcasses, apparently driven by wolf instincts. He underwent a gory and terrifying metamorphosis in the woods for days.

Romasanta used his literacy to write letters for his victims, saying they had arrived. He wrote to his victims claiming they were safe and had great employment in their intended destinations. Over time, the disappearances raised suspicion, rendering the letters ineffective. They also located some of the vanished people's things among Romasanta's peddlery, and the village's residents were uneasy about his ointments' provenance. Romasanta fled when his murder cover crumbled.

When the Allariz werewolf stepped foot, people vanished. They seized him in Toledo in 1852 and transported him to Allariz for trial. He was mentally competent when he committed his crimes, thus the court held him accountable. Romasanta was the first clinical lycanthropy case.

Manuel Blanco Romasanta confessed to nine murders. We find 13 or 17 murders, depending on the source. When invited to testify, he said he became a werewolf every full moon night, sometimes for days or weeks. Romasanta carried a lunar calendar when detained. He also attributed his illness to a witch's curse. Romasanta said that the curse only lasted a few years, thus he could no longer change into a werewolf.

Trial lasted almost a year, and judgment was given on April 6, 1853. The court condemned Manuel Blanco Romasanta to death by garrotte. Despite all odds, the defense counsel avoided the death penalty for lack of proof, and the case was appealed to the Spanish Supreme Court. In addition, a French doctor named Mr. Philips petitioned Isabel II to spare Romasanta's life to research his situation. Romasanta received a life sentence when the queen granted the request.

The 54-year-old Allariz werewolf died in a Ceuta jail in 1863. The documented cause of death was stomach cancer, but others believe his cellmates murdered him. It is impossible to know and conceive those evenings when this figure enveloped by fogs and mystery walked the purple forests of Galicia beneath the pearly rays of the moon, both ally and adversary of a beast that howled long ago.

References

https://carameltrail.com/haunted-spain-stories-for-an-all-hallows-eve/

https://www.fascinatingspain.com/articulo/history-and-legends/the-werewolf-of-allariz-first-spanish-serial-killer/20221026090934068670.html