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If the legends are to be believed, lycanthropy has been with us since King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf, in retribution for serving human flesh to Zeus during a dinner party in ancient Greece. Ever since, the werewolf has followed the human race through whispered tales and popular myth, stalking towns and villages from the Caucasus to Colorado.
The popularity and seeming irrationality of these stories has been a traditional target for debunkers of the supernatural. Rationalisations of the werewolf myth have stretched from theories of rabies infection to ergot poisoning. More difficult to dispel has been the delusional convictions of people with clinical lycanthropy. Often submerged in intense psychosis, affected individuals report the feeling of transformation into various forms of animal, some experienced as so unusual, the animal has yet to be identified.
In a valley in the Fichtel Mountains a shepherd tended his flock in a green meadow. Several times it happened that after driving his herd home he discovered that one of the animals was missing. All searching was in vain. They were lost and they remained lost. Watching more carefully, he saw a large wolf … Read more
The 16th century Swedish writer Olaus Magnus says that the Livonian werewolves were initiated by draining a cup of specially prepared beer and repeating a set formula, they routinely transformed themselves into wolves by passing through a certain magic pool, another instance of baptismal rebirth in animal form. Ralston in his Songs of the Russian … Read more
In the Middle Ages, the wolf became a symbol of evil. Hysteria about werewolves broke out all over Europe. Thousands of people were accused of being werewolves and many were tortured and executed. The magic salve is frequently mentioned in witch and were-wolf trials. It is supposed to be a strong hallucinogenic. When rubbed over … Read more
In Galician, Portuguese and Brazilian folklore, it is the seventh of the sons (but sometimes the seventh child, a boy, after a line of six daughters) who becomes a werewolf. In some Latin American countries, the seventh sons of a seventh son is believed to be cursed to be a werewolf, lobizón, Luison (in Paraguay) … Read more
Being a child conceived under a new moon Being born on a full moon friday (Italy) Being born on the winter solstice or Christmas Eve (Italy) Being the elder son of priest Being the 7th of 7 consecutive (Germany). Drinking water out of the footprint of a savage wolf … Read more
The process of turning into a werewolf relates to the realm of magic and the powers of words. Traditional incantations have been recorded from various traditions. Try at your own risks. Sacharow quoted an old Russian charm, to be spoken by one who wished to invoke the Moon-goddess and become a werewolf: “On the sea, on … Read more
When the European colonization of the Americas occurred, the pioneers brought their own werewolf folklore with them and were later influenced by the lore of their neighbouring colonies and those of the Natives. Woodward even believes that the Vikings brought with them their beliefs in werewolves during the Norse colonization of the Americas. Many Native … Read more
In India and the Asian islands the tiger is the most common animal for transfomation; in Japan, the kitsune (fox), the tanuki (raccoon dog), and sometimes the wolf are invoked. Common Turkic folklore holds a different, reverential light to the werewolf legends in that Turkic Central Asian shamans after performing long and arduous rites would … Read more