Analyzes the true nature of medieval belief in the Soul Diploma. It declares the survival of a pagan belief that every individual has three souls, including a double that can travel outside the physical body. It explains the nature of death and the Other World hidden behind monsters and superstitions in stories from the Middle Ages. Monsters, werewolves, witches, and fairies remain vividly present in our fairy tales and dreams. However, as Claude Lecouteux shows, their roots run much deeper than their appearance in medieval folklore. They are a survival of a much older belief system that preceded Christianity and was widespread throughout Western Europe. Through extensive analysis of German-Scandinavian legends, as well as those from other parts of Europe, Lecouteux has uncovered a nearly forgotten religious concept: that every individual possesses three souls and that one of these souls, the Diploma, can—in animal or human form—leave the physical body during sleep or ecstasy, travel wherever it wants, and then re-enter its physical body. While many experienced this phenomenon involuntarily, others—those who suffered the unwanted persecution of the Church—were able to induce it at will: the witches. Through a thorough excavation of the medieval soul, Claude Lecouteux reveals the origin and significance of this belief in the Diploma and follows its transformative characteristics over the years. He shows that far from being fantasy or vague superstition, fairies, witches, and werewolves affirm a consistent ancient perception of our world and the world beyond it.