Werewolves: The Humanoid Beasts

Learn about Werewolves, a unique type of humanoid creature that can transform into a wolf and also known as lycanthropes.  In this blog, we'll explore their history and look at how they've been depicted in movies, folklore, literature, and television shows.

Werewolves: The Humanoid Beasts

Werewolves have been a part of folklore for centuries, but they are now more popular than ever. This is largely due to the popularity of shows like Teen Wolf and movies like Underworld and Twilight. 

The truth is that werewolves are much different from what you see on television, however. The following are some facts about these humanoid beasts that you might not have known.

What Are Werewolves?

Werewolves are mythological humans with the ability to transform into wolves, either deliberately or after being placed under a curse or lycanthropic infection.

Belief in werewolves is called lycanthropy, and it is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek myth of Lycaon, who was transformed into a wolf after trying to serve human flesh at a dinner party.

The idea that people can transform into animals or vice versa has been present in many cultures across the world for centuries. 

The transformation may happen voluntarily or involuntarily. Sometimes people will be cursed to become Werewolves if they break societal taboos, other times they will intentionally take on this form using Magic.

What Does a Werewolf Look Like?

What does a Werewolf look like? Do you imagine the beast to be giant and hairy, with razor-sharp claws and teeth? 

We all have a mental image of what we think a werewolf looks like. Werewolves are usually depicted as humans with fur on their bodies and wolfish behavior.

They are human-like creatures, but there is a big difference between mythological werewolves and modern werewolves. 

The former are usually depicted as humans that can turn into wolves by means of magic, whereas the latter has no magic powers, but have a wolf-like appearance due to genetic mutation or medical conditions.

Full Moon Connection

It has been observed that during the full moon, there are more reported cases of people transforming into Werewolves than at any other time. 

This happens because the lunar cycle affects human behavior. A study was conducted in 2011 at Rutgers University to determine whether or not this was true.

The researchers discovered that over a five-year period, they found an increase of violent crimes during full moons compared to new moons. 

They concluded that there is a 20% chance of committing violent criminal acts on these days, which is twice the normal rate for non-full moon days.

Origin of the Werewolf!

Werewolves, also known as Lycanthropes were prominent in medieval European folklore. They appear in many different forms and have at least two types: the wolf-like monster and the man-wolf hybrid. 

The werewolf's first appearance is in a 9th-century poem by Guillaume de Palerme, but by the late 15th century they had become part of daily French-language folklore.

First-Ever Werewolf

The first person believed to be a Werewolf was Dr. George Baker. He had recorded his experience with Lycanthropy by writing down his diary every day for about two years.

According to Dr. Baker’s diary, he turned into a wolf-like creature during each full moon and ate small animals like chickens and rabbits in order to survive the pain of transformation

Common Traits Of A Werewolf

Popular artistic portrayals of Werewolves show them often as being torn between humanity and animalistic desires, sensitive personalities that are prone to depression/fearfulness while also having the tendency to be aggressive predators when hungry or threatened.

Where Do They Live?

Werewolves actually do live among us, in their human form but they love to live In forests, swamps, or in towns close to forests.

What  Do They Eat?

Their exact dietary habits differ from one werewolf to the next. Some like to eat only raw meat but others prefer cooked food. 

During a full moon, it is impossible for them to resist their hunger and they need to hunt and devour other animals in order not to starve themselves.

Why Do They Have A Bad Reputation!

Somehow, the Werewolves have become the face of evil in our stories. They’ve been made out to be murderers and thieves when in reality they’re just like us with fur.

How Can You Tell If Someone Is A Werewolf?

The easiest way to tell if someone is a Werewolf is by their behavior. Werewolves tend to be very violent and aggressive, especially during the full moon. They're also quite weird around new people and strangers.

The key to understanding a werewolf is in the eyes. The human eye is a sphere, but the werewolf eye looks more like a triangle. 

The pupils of a werewolf are almost always dilated, and they have an iris that appears darker than the surrounding skin.

Can Anyone Be A Werewolf?

Those questions are pretty easily answered in most cases. Werewolves, commonly accepted to be the product of lycanthropy, are human-wolf hybrids.

Lycanthropy is deliberated to be a transmittable disease spread through wounds, bites, and scratches.

The bite will not turn another person into a werewolf unless they have an existing condition that allows their body to accept the infection.

How To Kill A Werewolf

It is not surprising that there are many different ways of killing a Werewolf, some complicated and some simple like Beheading, Burning the corpse, and Drowning in holy water.

Symbolism Of Werewolf

The Werewolf is a creature that seems to be the symbolic embodiment of man's dual nature. The wolf represents an aggressive, instinctual side of human behavior, while the human form relates to our rational and civilized impulses. 

Perhaps because of this duality, werewolves have appeared in countless stories and myths all over the world for centuries.

To Wrap Things Up...

Werewolves have been a very popular creature in the media for hundreds of years and continue to be so today. In this article, we've explored how they've evolved over time and where their origins come from.

We hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. Have you ever seen a werewolf?  We'd love to hear your stories! Let us know by commenting below and if you want to learn more, you should consider subscribing to this blog where we discuss the facts about such creatures.