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Some legends say that werewolves just people who morph into vicious, powerful wolves. Others depict a mutant combination of human and wolf. But all have a bloodthirst.
Werewolves first appear in Greek mythology. In the Legend of Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, angered the god Zeus when he served him a meal made from the remains of a sacrificed boy. This really grossed Zeus the F out. As punishment, Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves. The Greeks weren't the only ones preoccupied with stories of the wolf man.
Norse legends spoke of Fenrir, the son of Loki and a wolf-like being who was the father of both the wolves and werewolves. The poet Virgil discussed a man named Moeris, who could transform from human to wolf form through the use of herbs. The idea of werewolves has stayed in the public mind to this day and traveled to the Americas along with the Europeans to mingle with indigenous lore. These beliefs have left unique traditions including one in Argentina where the seventh son of any family is made the godson of the President to prevent the child from being preemptive abandoned for being a werewolf.
Modern folklore holds that silver bullets are strong enough to kill werewolves. The other element used throughout history was quicksilver, which is the liquid form of Mercury. Pop culture and mythology have blended to add werewolves to everything from children's books to horror.
What are your favorite UF series about or featuring werewolves? Anyone have a neat werewolf trivia to share? Drop a comment on my FB page about it.
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