A creature that was scorned in the human world, but despised in the magical world. Over the past two decades, werewolves have made numerous notable appearances in series and films such as Wolfman (2010), The Howling (1981), Stephen King's Silver Bullet (1985) and the teen drama Twilight . In Western culture, werewolves are depicted by day as mysterious and disturbing humans who then transform into dark and deadly creatures during the night. According to Oxford Dictionary.com, a werewolf is described (in myth or fiction) as a "person who transforms for a period of time into a wolf, usually on a full moon." So, many are under the impression that all werewolves act and look pretty much the same when it's a full moon. However, according to a surplus of legends, not all werewolves come from the same region or do the same things. The History of the Werewolf Legend states that "the 'oriental' werewolf-vampire is found in the folklore of Central and Eastern Europe, notably in Hungary, Romania and the Balkans, while the wolf- “Western” were-wizard is found in France, Germany. “Speaking Europe and the Baltic” (History.com). Additionally, not all werewolves react the same way to shapeshifting. Werewolves can be divided into 3 main categories: wolf-wolves, wolf-men, and spirit/spirit wolves. Each particular group of werewolves then has their own types of animals that associate with the werewolf family, some of the most common wolves being Skinwalkers, wolfmen being wereanimals, and spirit wolves /spirit being Berserkers. Although each animal associates with each other, their history and characteristics also vary greatly from each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The most popular type of werewolf is the wolf, hence the name. Lycanthropy, the medical definition of becoming a werewolf, is made up of two Greek words: lykos (meaning wolf) and Anthropos (meaning man). (Encyclopedia Britannica). Humans who fall into the category of "wolves" have the ability to "transform into the wolf native to where they came from, allowing them to be very in touch with nature, whether in human or wolf form." They are also able to retain their human intelligence when in wolf form and are generally able to transform at will, although strong negative emotions like anger can cause a change” (Supernatural Archive: Types of Werewolves). Two types of animals, skinwalkers and shapeshifters, share similar characteristics to the wolf. A skinwalker is similar to an Animagi, in that they are a person with the ability to transform into any animal at will. According to Skinwalkers Fandom, the legend of skinwalkers originates from the Navajo tribe, a "Southwestern Native American tribe in which, in the Navajo language, the word "skinwalker" translates to "one who walks on all fours" (Skinwalker Fandom) . The most popular forms a skinwalker takes are coyotes, wolves, foxes, eagles, owls, and/or ravens. However, although they can take many forms, their current appearance seems to resemble that of a "hollow" dog-like animal. Not only do skinwalkers have the ability to transform into multiple animals, but they also tend to "hang around cemeteries, digging graves, allowing some to "also steal the faces of different people and appear as someone you know. This can be extremely dangerous, especially if you accidentally lock eyes with a skinwalker, as they can “absorb” into you and take over your body” (Skinwalkers Fandom). If their other powers weren't terrifying enough, skinwalkers are also said to be capable of running over 200 miles in a day and the only way to kill one is to call it by its human name. The other type of animal in the wolf category is shapeshifters. However, a shapeshifter differs from a skinwalker in that it is a human-like creature that has the ability to transform into any "person" of its choosing. Some develop this ability at a young age, while others develop it later during their early adolescence. Some shapeshifters are "known to change form in seconds, while others can take up to several hours." When a shapeshifter takes the form of a person, they not only take on the person's physical appearance, but they are also able to access the thoughts of the person they are copying. They can also take the form of fictional characters or inhuman characteristics, such as vampires and wolves” (Shapeshifter Fandom). Some of the other strengths include the ability to regenerate (injured body parts), super strength (even at a young age), and super agility (having very fast reflexes). The second category of werewolves are wereanimals. A wereanimal is a fictional character capable of transforming into an animal other than a wolf. Wereanimals are less popular than werewolves, making most of their shifting abilities unknown. However, wereanimals have been known to transform into animals publicly or secretly. Other times, a wereanimal transformation requires him to be bitten by another animal in order to reflect its image. Wereanimals generally have control over their transformations, but simple things like being under a full moon or having unbalanced emotions can trigger a transformation. Wereanimals are very limited in variety, as not being a "pure" wereanimal prevents some humans from being able to move on or even move at all. Any animal other than a werewolf is considered a lesser species by the werewolves themselves, even if they are similar in nature. A pure werewolf, that is, both of its parents are werewolves, can move whenever it wishes, but is still likely to move in the presence of a full moon. However, wereanimals don't have the same luxury. Wereanimals are not considered purebloods because to make a werewolf one of the parents must be a werewolf and in their animal form they are not completely animal. They can “recognize people and places and have some control over their actions. In human form, they have heightened senses – a keen sense of smell, taste, and hearing, essentially retaining some of their animal instincts when in human form. They may also find themselves strongly attracted to other weres and shapeshifters” (Were-animal Fanlore). As animals, their powers include super strength, super agility, general killing (the ability to tear bodies apart), and biting (some including venom). However, some of their weaknesses include: extreme physical damage (ripping out hearts and breaking necks), tranquilizers, and magic (wereanimals are susceptible to magic.) Now, modern werewolves are more docile than their counterparts. As shownpreviously, the belief in lycanthropy is what allowed the belief in werewolves to take off, although there is no actual medical evidence that humans could even transform into werewolves. However, this erroneous belief about the truth behind the existence of werewolves began to diminish after psychologists and medical professionals received calls to work on cases related to clinical lycanthropy. According to Penn State University, there have been 13 cases of people turning into werewolves. Thus allowing some to believe that modern werewolves exist. A psychiatrist, Dr. Jan Dirk Blom, is one of the doctors who is looking into clinical lycanthropy. According to Blom's research, "52 cases of lycanthropy were reported, but only 13 met the requirements for clinical lycanthropy since it is usually the result of a larger mental disorder such as severe depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder” (Penn State). University). Blom's studies of his patients "reported extreme changes in physical appearance, such as changes in the mouth/teeth, enlarged chest, shrinking body, burning sensations in the thighs and stomach area" ( Penn State University). So, there aren't really people who turn into werewolves today, however, depending on a person's mental stability, their brain can cause them to think otherwise. The third category of werewolves is mental/spiritual wolves. Mind/spirit type wolves are people who do not physically transform into a werewolf but change mentally. For them, their brains and minds literally change. This plays into “clinical lycanthropy,” which is the belief that you are transitioning or have transitioned into that of a wolf or other creature when this is not the case. All their senses began to become alert, their sight became sharper, their sense of smell and hearing were heightened, and their reflexes were quickened” (Supernatural Archive). Despite the fact that these types of wolves are rare, there are still a few different types of mental/spiritual wolves, such as Norse berserkers who have taken on the spirit of a wolf before battle and Therians who are capable of changing their minds. notice mentally. in that of a wolf or other creature. Berserkers are known to be a special group of elite Viking warriors who, according to the Urban Dictionary, "fought in a savage frenzy and gained their power through ritual practices." Berserkers are known to participate in rituals which, before a battle, created a "berserk gang" state in which anyone who participated was considered a shapeshifter. These rituals caused bands of berserks to begin “with shivering, chattering teeth and shivering in the body, then the face would swell and change color. To this was added a great impetuosity, which eventually transformed into a great rage, under which they howled like wild beasts, bit the edge of their shields and cut everything they encountered without distinguishing between friends and enemies. . In this state, berserkers lost all human ability to reason and were known to constantly scream and scream while tearing their enemies to shreds. » (Wikipedia: Berserkers). However, Berserkers also mentally transformed themselves by assuming the mental identities of the animals they wanted to mirror. These practices included spending periods of extreme isolation, fasting, and exposing oneself to extreme heat or cold, just to copy the mannerisms of said animal. For example, "the berserker's goal in combat was to assume. », 2(4), 44-49.