The werewolf is a mythological animal and the subject of many stories throughout the world and more than a few nightmares. Werewolves are, according to some legends, people who morph into vicious, powerful wolves. Others are a mutant combination of human and wolf. But all are bloodthirsty beasts who cannot control their lust for killing people and animals
Werewolves (literally "man-wolves") are shape-shifting creatures with unusual speed, strength, reflexes, and senses. They can be found in countless books, films, and television shows, from the horror classic.
Traditionally, there were several ways that a person could become a werewolf. In ancient Greece it was believed that a person could be transformed by eating the meat of a wolf that had been mixed with that of a human and that the condition was irreversible , other methods includes "being cursed, or by being conceived under a new moon, or by having eaten certain herbs, or by sleeping under the full moon on Friday, or by drinking water that has been touched by a wolf. If their magical pelt was found and taken from the werewolf in human-form, he or she could be killed.
Though the full moon was originally only one of many possible causes of lycanthropy, it was the one that stuck in the public's mind. Today, many people still associate the moon with werewolves and madness.
This perception may be rooted more in psychology and imagination than reality. Furthermore, there is no known mechanism by which the moon would somehow influence a person's mind to make him or her more dangerous — except of course for their own imaginations and expectations.
Today, werewolves are known to be mythical creatures found in fiction instead of lurking in the dark woods, but that was not always the case. Not so long ago, belief in werewolves was common. Overall, there was little difference between the killings and activities of wolves and werewolves: both would hunt at night, attacking sheep or livestock, and sometimes humans. The main difference was, of course, that the werewolf changed into human form at some point.
There are several medical conditions that can mimic the appearance of a werewolf and may have contributed to early belief in the literal existence of the creatures.
One is hypertrichosis, which creates unusually long hair on the face and body; two porphyria, is characterized by extreme sensitivity to light (thus encouraging its victims to only go out at night), seizures, anxiety, and other symptoms. Neither of these rare conditions turns anyone into a werewolf, of course, but centuries ago when belief in witches, vampires, and magic was common it didn't take much to spawn werewolf stories.
threeClinical lycanthropy is a recognized medical condition in which a person believes himself or herself to be an animal, and indeedthere are rare cases where people have claimed to be werewolves.
As myth's greatest creatures are able to do, the werewolf legend has spread across countries, yet during the day no one can find a trace of the creatures responsible. Those who study mythology have long known that few creatures have the power, speed, and mindless slaughtering propensity the way they do.
There is a bit of a disagreement among mythologists as to what really constitutes a werewolf. I'll break it down into the three distinct creatures that are all known by this name.
The Shapeshifter Wolf
the shapeshifter wolf has the ability to change form at any time. This is believed to have been the original power of the first werewolf before it was taken away. The shapeshifter wolf can transform from human form to wolf form at will, though aggressive energy or anger may increase the likelihood of causing an unintentional transformation. The shapeshifter wolves considered "werewolves" can only change from human to wolf form, though "pure" shapeshifters can transform from human form to any other animal form, including a wolf. It is believed that all shapeshifters are born into this ability, and one cannot be transformed into a shapeshifter by the bite from the creature.
The Wolfman
Many "werewolf" stories, describe a creature that is physically a combination of a wolf and a man. This mutant wolf-man typically has a mostly human-shaped body, stands on two legs, but is covered in wolf hair and has claws and fangs. The Wolfman is often called a "werewolf" because in many legends this creature is believed to share many of the traits of the werewolf "curse". Depending on the legend, some wolfmen are humans by day and wolf-men by night while others are in their duel human/wolf form at all times. I believe the generally accepted theory is that one begins by transforming from human to wolfman on full moons only, then over time it increases to every night, and eventually the body settles into a pure wolfman form at all times.
The True Werewolf
A true "werewolf", according to most legends, is a human being that uncontrollably transforms into a wolf during a full moon. The original werewolf curse transformed a Shapeshifter Wolf into a Werewolf, effectively taking away the ability to control the shift but also taking away the ability to think as a human while in wolf form. Werewolves, when in wolf form, have uncontrollable rage and hunger. They are driven to kill everyone and everything they encounter, regardless of their relationship as humans. The curse causes these wolves to lose all control of their minds, and when they wake up in human form in the morning, they don't remember anything (though they may revisit certain memories in dreams). It is this form of werewolf that can transfer their condition through a bite, assuming of course that the human being bitten survives the attack.
We know from history that cultural beliefs and views about wolves shift over time, changing human behavior, and therefore wolf survival.
Humans have a significant influence on wolf survival worldwide. Humans determine wolf management policy, including lethal control measures,
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