Post by Brookelle Bones on Jan 21, 2010 21:12:47 GMT -5
What are they?:
Werewolves, λυκάνθρωπος, λύκος (wolf) and άνθρωπος (human, man), are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to shape shift into wolves or anthropomorphic wolf-like creatures, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse. This transformation is often associated with the appearance of the full moon, as popularly noted by the medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury, although it may have been recognized in earlier times among the ancient Greeks through the writings of Petronius.
Description:
Werewolves were said to bear tell-tale traits in European folklore. These included the meeting of both eyebrows at the bridge of the nose, curved fingernails, low set ears and a swinging stride. One method of identifying a werewolf in its human form was to cut the flesh of the accused, under the pretense that fur would be seen within the wound. A Russian superstition recalls a werewolf can be recognized by bristles under the tongue.
The appearance of a werewolf in its animal form varies from culture to culture, though they are most commonly portrayed as being indistinguishable from ordinary wolves save for the fact that they have no tail (a trait thought characteristic of witches in animal form), and that they retain human eyes and voice. After returning to their human forms, werewolves are usually documented as becoming weak, debilitated and undergoing painful nervous depression. Many historical werewolves were written to have suffered severe melancholia and manic depression, being bitterly conscious of their crimes.One universally reviled trait in medieval Europe was the werewolf's habit of devouring recently buried corpses, a trait which is documented extensively, particularly in the Annales Medico-psychologiques in the 19th century.
Fennoscandian werewolves were usually old women who possessed poison coated claws and had the ability to paralyse cattle and children with their gaze. Serbian vulkodlaks traditionally had the habit of congregating annually in the winter months, where they would strip off their wolf skins and hang them from trees. They would then get a hold of another vulkodlaks skin and burn it, releasing the vulkodlak from whom the skin came from its curse. The Haitian jé-rouges typically try to trick mothers into giving away their children voluntarily by waking them at night and asking their permission to take their child, to which the disoriented mother may either reply yes or no.
Becoming a Werewolf:
[/center]Becoming a werewolf simply by being bitten by another werewolf as a form of contagion is common in modern fiction, but rare in legend, in which werewolf attacks seldom left the victim alive to transform.
It is not always clear in films whether the bite of the werewolf infects the victim with some disease, or whether the person bitten must first be under some sort of curse. The source of this confusion is easy to understand. Some even state that the consumption of food prepared by a werewolf is enough to carry the infection.
To the old folk tale of a god's curse, the modern disease of rabies was added. A person bitten by a mad dog or other animal over time becomes mad, and begins to behave like a beast. Traditionally, all madness falls under the domain of the moon. In movies, the bite of a werewolf acts in a very similar way to the bite of a mad dog.
How To Kill One:
In order to kill these strange mysterious beasts you would either have to kill them with a silver bullet to either the head or the heart. If a silver bullet is lodged in any other part of the body they can still live long enough to get the bullet out and only have a burn where the bullet entered. Other then that before ever full moon you would have to cut off there heads so that they can not heal themselves. Though more gory taking the head of a werewolf while there in human form is a lot more certain then shooting them with a silver bullet. You cant kill a were wolf with just plain silver. They can touch the stuff though it burns them. Normal bullets to the head of the heart will only make them unconscious for a few minutes, usually long enough for an average person to get away.