Benandanti
Friulian agrarian cult study by Carlo Ginzburg ('The Night Battles') - 'good walkers' who fight malevolent witches (Malandanti) in Spirit Form at night. They Project their spirits (leave body while sleeping) as wolves/cats/hares to battle for crops. The Four Nights per year during Ember Days (Thursdays at specific seasonal times) were key battles - aligned with planting/harvesting. They were NOT werewolves in the usual sense - they Left their human form to go to the 'underworld' to heal the sick, secure paths, fight evil. Their leader was the 'captain.' The Inquisition Reinterpreted them as Sa