If you missed my last article on the dead and undead, you can find it here.
Last week I wrote a similar article to this on the dead and undead (you can find it at the link above), and wanted to do another one but on werewolves. I love this time of year because I can do more on here with witches, ghost, and whatnot. Not to mention the fact that I just love spooky season. Halloween is my favorite holiday but I have the decor up all year. You know what I mean? Har you a spooky person too?
On to the reason we are here. There are a number of names for this condition. All of them are very similar and you can usually find them as synonyms. However, if you are an avid reader of fantasy, you are going to find the names as separate and different things. I am here to fill you in on the differences and where they come from o where you can find them. Lets go!
Werewolf definition~ a person who turns into a wolf for a period of time usually when the moon is full.
Werewolves are everywhere. They have been given different strengths and powers. In most stories, they are stronger, faster, and more resilient than humans with exceptional healing. Their senses are better and sharper than humans also. In some legends, they can be in half man, half beast form. Their change is tied to the moon and at one point they could only change then. Later on it sort of changed to being able to access their senses even in human form.
Found in~ Everywhere. They are all over in books, movies like Twilight and Scary Godmother, TV such as Teen Wolf and Wolf Pack, and comics. Werewolves are tied to stories about Dracula and Van Helsing in both books and movies. There is a specific story in the Greek mythologies about Lycaon and his sons being turned into wolves by an enraged Zeus. They are also found in Norse mythologies in the Saga of the Volsungs.
Lycanthrope definition~ A mythical monster that can change from human to wolf (or other animals) and back again at will
Lycans can change into the half man, half beast better than most of the other types. They are consider stronger, faster, and basically better than regular werewolves. This is true in the books I had been reading on the Dreame app, and even some of the KU books I read. Lycans can do partial shifts such as only their hands or face.
Found in~ the Anita Blake series there are many strains of the “disease” besides werewolf. There is wereleopards, weretigers, snakes and much more. Also in multiple Dreame, Galatea, and such apps as well as KU books. Because the word and definition are so close to werewolf, it is found throughout Europe and is used interchangeably in other cultures’ beliefs.
Loup garou definition~ also called a rougarou in French, is an evil character of popular legends, wolf-man who passed to wander the countryside at night.
In this particular type of werewolf, it is accomplish by a spell as opposed to an illness or a curse. I know that a curse is a type of spell but that one the cursed person cannot stop changing. Loup garous can choose when to change though they are one for one hundred and one days. They must stay quiet about the ordeal or the cursed will curse who they spoke to, to change into a loup garou also. They are, however, free of the cycle of the moon meaning they can change at will. They are, of course, superior in all ways to humans.
Found in~ The Dresden Files. They are also found in European and French Canadian folklore. In the latter, they are usually a dog rather than a wolf. They are also seen in pig, cat, owl, or a calf or small ox forms.
Skinwalker definition~ also known as yee naaldlooshii, are evil medicine men of the Southwestern Native Americans such as the Navajo tribes.
Skinwalkers are, as I said, evil medicine men. They have the power to posses, curse, and shapeshift. They can shapeshift into any animal they have the skin for. but because they usually have access to wolves, that is the form they choose.
Found in~ Aimee Thurlo’s romance novels for Harlequin (yeah, I used to read Harlequin Romance until I found spicy novels, my favorites were the Intrigue and Historical genres). The Native tribes of the Southwester United States have a belief in these powerful witches. The Navajo and the Hopi are examples of who believes in skinwalkers.
Shifters definition~ people who change from human to a wolf only, think the Twilight Saga.
They do not change into the half human and half beast. They always have heightened senses but cannot partial shift like werewolves and lycans. In some books they are slightly offended and make a point to explain that they are not werewolves. They can shift whenever they want though shifting on a full moon is the best. They have a much more symbiotic relationship with their wolf. They are a separate entity but still the same entity as the human part. You can see their wolf in their eyes sometime and the human half can argue with the wolf half as thought they are two separate people.
Found in~ in modern spicy romance books such as the Shadow City: Silver Wolf trilogy.. It is used a lot more today than in books I have previously read, though I must admit, reading werewolf/shifter books more recently. At least outside of the Anita Blake series.
Werewolf legends are wide and varied. I wouldn’t mind being one. In some stories they are close to immortal where as others they are mortal. They may age slower but they have a finite amount of time on this earth. What about you? Did I tell you anything you didn’t know? Did I miss any information you feel is important? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
