Werewolves have become a popular icon and myth in recent pop culture. There are many books written for both young adults and adults that explore the possibility of becoming a werewolf. Traditionally, werewolves were looked on as something to be feared, and becoming one would make you an outcast. However, the shift in the books coming out now paint werewolves as people with superhuman powers instead of as monsters. Werewolves have fascinated mankind for centuries.
Origins
Many people believe that the origin of the werewolf myth was a result of seeing someone with hypertrichosis, which causes excessive hair growth on humans. The hair often covers the entire body. Another possible source is that villages had been poisoned by Ergot, a mold that grew in food. This drug would cause people to act strangely and hallucinate. However, the werewolf myths were first mentioned by Ovid and have been passed down through several different cultures around the world.
Becoming a Werewolf
There are a variety of ways that legend states you can become a werewolf. The most common belief is that you must be bitten by a werewolf to become one. Another option is to dress in wolf skins on the night of a full moon. Some people believe that you must make a pact with the devil or eat another human being to turn into a werewolf. The one thing that the legends agree on is that the transformation process is horribly painful.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Werewolves have traditionally been known as the enemies of vampires, and they have many strengths to help them defeat vampires. Werewolves are incredibly strong and can heal very quickly. They age more slowly than humans and many people believe that they are immortal. However, there are weaknesses as well. Werewolves can be killed with silver, either a knife or a bullet. Another weakness is that werewolves lose control of themselves when they change, especially during the full moon.
Werewolves in Various Cultures
Werewolves are predominately found in European cultures and legends. However, shape shifters are found in other cultures as well, but instead of a wolf, the animal the people change into varies. There have been werewolf legends reported within the United States, and in Portugal. The stories of the shape shifters in other cultures are very similar to the werewolf legends, and many consider them a slight variation of the same basis for the story.
Literature References
There are many references to werewolves in literature. One well known story is “Arthur and Gorgalon,” which is the story of a noble man who is a werewolf and is forced into hiding when his wife discovers who he is. “Wagner the Were” is a well-known German story from the 1800s that explains the origin of the first werewolf. Werewolf stories have become more popular recently, and generally the wolves can maintain control of themselves instead of running wild and out of control.
Miscellaneous Resources
Werewolves show up in board games, role playing games and video games as well as in a wide variety of books. The rise in popularity of werewolves over the last few years has made werewolves a popular subject all year round. Although most people no longer believe that werewolves really exist, many people like to imagine what it would be like to have them exist today. Werewolf images, art and movies all reflect different viewpoints and aspects of the werewolf.
Article written by Janice D. McDonald