Stories of transformations or shape-shifting are present in many cultures. In many parts of the world, the belief that humans can transform into animal shapes has persisted for centuries to modern times. The werewolf is a fierce creature � man by day and a bloodthirsty beast at night. Medieval legends and ancient folktales tell of different origins for the werewolf. In some rituals, men donned the skin of the wolf in an effort to acquire its power. Tales tell of magic that would transform the men totally into the animal they imitated. In other stories, it was a curse or a wolf bite that turned a man into a werewolf. In 13th century England, wolves were a menace to villagers and the people believed that some persons became wolves with the changes of the moon phases. In 16th century France, reminiscent of witch hunts, thousands of people were accused of being werewolves and put to death. Werewolves were blamed for killing women and eating children. Proof of guilt was frequently a story told by a witness of injuring an attacking wolf only to find the blood trail led to a bleeding man with the same wounds.
Lycanthropy is the name for the apparent condition of a man becoming a wolf. Using past descriptions of the magic rituals and folktales, several explanations for lycanthropy and the belief in werewolves can be discerned. The transformation was often associated with magic ointments or drugs. These drugs likely had hallucinogenic properties that caused the participant to believe he actually became a wolf. In some cases, the so-called werewolves may have had real mental illnesses or perhaps rabies that caused them to act unnatural. The popular media has propagated and embellished the myth of the werewolf in horror movies and novels. The myth is so ingrained in our modern culture that we automatically associate werewolves with the full moon, certain personal physical features such as hairiness and death by a silver bullet. Wolves, in fact, have been exterminated in England and from many areas of North America, accused of killing livestock. While humans may have an innate sense of fear of the wolf, wolf attacks are extremely rare. The gruesome deeds attributed to monstrous werewolves in the night are chilling. However, only in myth and tales of magic (and perhaps in their own mind) can a person transform into a wolf.
- Sharon Hill (Scientist) |
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