Werewolves 101: Lesson 1
Everyone loves a good story. The fact is, werewolves make up many good stories, and so many people have vague ideas of what werewolves should be. Well, here, for the benefit of mankind, I have assembled a collection of facts about different kinds of werewolves, presented in the simplest form possible. Enjoy.
1. The name “Werewolf”
The name of werewolves is thought to stem from one of three main influences. The first train of thought implies that the modern word werewolf evolved from two old english (Saxon) words wer and wulf. The meaning of wer is man and wulf generally meant beast though was thought to have been translated to more accurately mean wolf.
The second idea dictates that it has evolved from another old english word weri which means to wear. It is thought by some that warriors of the north in Europe would sometimes clothe themselves in wolves skin or bears skin to make themselves more frightening. Hence the term werewolf. Or in terms of bear skin they were referred to as berserkers.
The last widely accept theory of the origin of the name came from the old Norse name werg-wolf. The word werg was said to mean rogue in Norse and was used in old English to describe an animal, a wolf in particular, which would destroy a herd of sheep but eat very little of what was killed.
The term lycanthropy comes from ancient Greek and means wolf (lýkos) human (ánthropos). Werewolves in pop culture are often referred to as lycanthropes.
Ways to Become a Werewolf
- He is bitten by a werewolf.
- He is the child of at least one werewolf.
- He eats a part of the werewolf.
- He drinks water from the pawprint of a werewolf.
- He drinks water downstream from where a werewolf is drinking.
2) In the case of Mental Shifting, there is no given way to become a werewolf. It just happens, being something of a genetic fluke.
3) A human cast a magic spell to become a werewolf.
Types of Shifting
- Bilocation Shifting – This is a rare form of P-Shifting. In it, the human body becomes completely rigid, and a wolf materializes by it. The wolf contains the essence of that human.
- Classical Shifting – It is a painful process during, and sometimes before, the Shift as the human slowly morphs into wolf shape.
- Molecular Shifting – This is an almost instantaneous Shift. The actual event is painless, though the werewolf may feel some discomfort leading up to it.
2) Mental Shifting
In my opinion, an M-Shifter can’t properly be called a werewolf, but for the sake of completeness, I’ll include them here.
- Astral Shifting – The Shifter becomes a wolf during a kind of daydream.
- Aura Shifting – A common form of M-Shifting, this is when a human being takes on a wolfish mood.
- Non-Shifting – A human feels a deep connection to wolves but has never experienced any other kind of Shift. Of course, he may later on.
- Persona Shifting – Think Dissociative Identity Disorder. Yeah, it’s kind of like that. The person has a human personality and a wolfish one.
- Sense Shifting – The person has at least one wolfish sense, such as hearing, eyesight, etc.
When Shifting Can Occur
Depending on the person, he can transform at a variety of times. He may do it:
- At night.
- At will.
- During the full moon.
- When the he is extremely emotional or stressed.
Source: mult. websites for example: http://ajhargrove.hubpages.com