Kilspel Family

Aside from the Van Helsing family, few hunter families are as well known as the tales of the monsters they have tracked down for centuries.

While I created the Kilspel Family, they are not fictional. Their name has been changed for my books, but would likely imply they hunt werewolves as a group.

There is history tying the family primarily to England. Their regions focused on Shropshire and Herefordshire.

Internationally, they could be found in many of the same locations as my family. In the United States, they centered almost exclusively in Utah.

While the documentation will not be presented here or shared in my stories, there are also strong ties between the family and both the names Eve/Eva and the study of mycology.

Interestingly, the average lifespan for family members in 1962 was 38 years old. This was far lower than families with similar professions. My theory is that their name is tied to an etymology designating them as the scapegoat ritual or human sacrifice for their groups. After 1962, their average lifespan increased to 83.

The U.K. region the family name is said to have originated not only has actual ties to the word “werewolf,” but also many legends dealing with vampires and werewolves-including Little Red Riding Hood.

In Herefordshire is also the Abbey Dore. Gustav Dore is known to have made paintings and drawings of Red Riding Hood.

For more information on related legends of the region, see the section on Shropshire and Herefordshire.