Mythological Creatures Series - Werewolf

 (Credit: Werewolf Pack Leader - Miranda Meeks, Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast)

Hello all! I think it's time we revived this series and what better season to do it!

This is a long one, feel free to take breaks. SQUEAMISH PEOPLE, continue at your own risk, you have been warned.

We're coming back strong with Werewolves!

Werewolves can be found throughout the world in one mythology or another but, their place of origin might take you by surprise. The earliest surviving mention of a Werewolf or Werewolf type being can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is from roughly 2100 BC. The Werewolf that we mostly know of however, comes from ancient Greece. In 425 BC, Herodotus wrote a tribe of nomadic men called the Neuri who were said to take the form of a wolf for several days at a time throughout the year. This actually has an explanation as the Neuri came from Scythia, which is now part of Russia. As you can imagine, the cold climate led to the use of animal skins, notably wolves, to keep warm, hence the man to wolf transformation.

But it wouldn't be ancient Greece without Zeus being involved in one way or another. In Arcadia, Zeus was referred to as Lycaean Zeus (literally Wolf Zeus) and ritual human sacrifice was said to happen at his shrine which we now have archeological evidence for. In 380 BC, a story from Plato, his character Socrates described how to become a Werewolf at the shrine of this iteration of Zeus where one must consume a mixture of human entrails (lovely 🤢) and the entrails of other victims (sacrificees) to transform into a wolf. The word Lycanthrope also comes from the Greek word Lykanthropos, meaning wolf man.

Modern Werewolves can be traced back to the myths of another character from Plato's story, a mythical protector turned tyrant king called Lycaon. I say myths because, of course, there's more than one version. The myth of Lycaon was expanded apon in Latin texts mostly Fabulae by Hyginus and Metamorphoses by Ovid. These stories focus on the themes of murder, immoral behaviour and something that no mythical beast story would be complete without, cannibalism.

In the Fabulae version, Lycaon's sons sacrificed the youngest of the brothers and served his remains at a feast, specifically to Zeus. Zeus however, killed the remaining brothers with lightning bolts and turned Lycaon into a wolf.

In Metamorphoses, Lycaon killed and chopped up a hostage that was protected by Zeus, then attempted to serve it to him. Zeus turned the king into a wolf as punishment.

The sum of this is that in order to become a Werewolf on the outside, you must first become a monster on the inside. 

Werewolves in other folklore 

Now that we've seen the origins of the Werewolf, let's see what a few other cultures have to say:

In Slavic mythology, Werewolves are referred to as, Wilkołak, Vukodlak, Vlkolak, Vlkodlak, Volkodlak, верво́льф, Вукодлак, or Вовкулака. Wolves themselves were associated with many deitis and the phases of the moon. Since early Slavic villages were largely unprotected, animal predators and other human threats could invade at any given moment. This where the combined fear of wolf and man came from this leading to the Wilkołak. There are a few ways to become a Werewolf in Slavic mythology. Firstly, a witch or magickal practitioner could transform into one and back to human. Second is to be born one but this was seen as a punishment for the wrongdoing of your parent/s. Finally, one could be cursed to become one by a witch who would either throw a wolf pelt over your head or pass you through an enchanted doorway. 

In Irish mythology, Werewolves are called Faoladh and Conroicht. Contradictory to how Werewolves are perceived in other cultures, Irish Werewolves were supposedly protectors of their community, especially children, possessing superhuman strength, speed and in some cases, animal communication and control to help aid their communities. In order to become a Werewolf, you either need to be bitten by one or cursed to become one. Wild wolves used to be common in Ireland up until the mid 1800s when the population was made extinct. 

In the Shetland Islands of Scotland, the Wulver is a Werewolf like creature that has the body of a man covered in short brown hair and a wolf's head. Wulver aren't aggressive unless provoked. They are fond of fishing and would share their catches with locals who they were on good terms with. The exact origin of the Wulver and how to become a Wulver is unknown.

Ways to become a Werewolf 

There are a few ways to become a Werewolf according to legend:

- Bite or scratched. If you're bitten or scratched by a Werewolf, the curse would then pass to you 

- Being born. Depending on the myth, people born at certain times would either be born Werewolves or would go on to become one but this also links to the next point 

- Curse. You can be cursed in many ways to become a Werewolf including a curse to be born as one 

Powers 

Being a Werewolf can come with some perks, a few of these are already listed but it's nice to have everything in one list. Depending on the myth, Werewolves can have:

-  Superhuman strength 

- Enhanced speed 

- Shape shifting - some can only transform during the Full Moon or the 3 days of the Full Moon (reason unknown) and some can shape shift at will or a certain number of times 

- Animal communication/control 

- Enhanced healing 

Werewolf Defense 

 Should you ever encounter the danger pupper, here's some ways to deal with one:

- SILVER. Like Vampires, Werewolves are vulnerable to the pure metal of silver. Silver bullets (yes plural) and other silver weapons are a good choice 

- Hiding/Destroying skin. This is a lesser known one. There is a belief that when a Werewolf turns back into a human, it sheds it's skin but it needs it's skin to transform again. If the skin is hidden or destroyed, the Werewolf can no longer transform 

- Curing the infection. Modern tellings see Lycanthropy as a hereditary condition or infectious disease that can be managed or cured in some way, usually point 1 of this section 

- Breaking the curse. In the event that the Lycanthropy is the result of a curse, it can often be undone, again see point 1

I think we'll leave this one here! I hope you've enjoyed this one. If you have a mythological creature you want to learn more about or find interesting, let us know!

Blessings,

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