Werewolf

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German representation of a werewolf.

The werewolf , also known as the werewolf , is a legendary creature present in many independent
cultures throughout the world . It has been said that this is the most universal of all myths (probably
along with that of the vampire ) , and even today, many people believe in the existence of
werewolves or other kinds of "beastmen." All the typical characteristics of that animal - such as
ferocity, strength, cunning and speed - are clearly manifested in them, to the misfortune of all those
who cross their path. According to popular beliefs, this werewolf can remain in its animal
appearance for only a few hours, usually when the full moon rises.
In folklore and mythology , a werewolf is a person who transforms into a wolf , either on purpose or
involuntarily, because of a curse or other outside agent. The medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury
associated the transformation with the appearance of the full moon , but this concept was rarely
associated with the werewolf until the idea was taken up by modern fiction writers. Most
contemporary references agree that a werewolf can be killed if a silver bullet is shot at it, although
this is a product of modern narrative and does not appear in traditional legends, although some
classic ones say it can be killed. cutting off his head and ripping out his heart .
No one knows exactly when the legends about werewolves originated. It may be a superstition as
old as humanity itself and the observed manifestation of various pathologies. This seems to be
indicated by some cases dating back to Spain , such as one reported in the 16th century or that of
Manuel Blanco Romasanta , 19th century , on whose life the films El Bosque del lobo and
Romasanta are based. The hunt for the beast ( 2004 ) .
(...) And it is that in the kingdom of Galicia a man was found, who walked through the mountains hidden
and from there he went out onto the roads covered in a wolf's skin, and if he found some young boys
running wild, he killed them. , and he was fed up with eating them, and the damage he did was so much
that those of the land tried to remove that beast from the world and arrested him, and seeing that he was
a man, they put him in prison (...)
Antonio de Torquemada . Garden of curious flowers , 1575 1

See also: wolf boy

 Index
[ disguise ]

• 1Etymology
• 2Features
o 2.1Transformation into a werewolf
• 3History
• 4Theories of its origin
• 5Werewolves in fiction modern
o 5.1Werewolves inhe cinema
o 5.2In Role Playing Games
• 6See also
• 7References
• 8External links

Etymology
The word lycanthrope has its root in the Greek lycanthropus and this in turn from the Greek words:
λύκος, lýkos ['wolf']; άνθρωπος, ánthrōpos ['man'].
Another expression used is lobizón whose etymology comes from the Portuguese lobisomem (wolf
+ homem), "werewolf".

Features [ edit ]
In some countries and cultures other animals play the role of the werewolf. Thus, in Africa they still
believe in hyena men or leopard men; In India it was thought that tigers, enemies of men, were
capable of turning into humans to attract them. To this day, legends of " man-tigers " abound in Latin
America , associated with yaguares, jaguars, otorongos or pumas since these are the most feared
beasts on that continent. The two most important myths are: the runa uturuncu , "indian-tiger" or
"man-puma" in the Quichua of northwestern Argentina ; 2 3 b) the Yaguareté-Abá or "capiango-tiger"
of the Guaranitic legends of northeastern Argentina and Paraguay . 4 5 These legends also appear in
the posthumous work of the poet Leopoldo Lugones . 6 However, from a certain point of view it
would not be appropriate to call all the beings mentioned above as lycanthropes since, as can be
seen in the etymology above, the word lycanthrope designates a werewolf.
The myth of werewolves seems (or is) originally from Europe , and was closely linked to other
superstitions and black magic . The myth is essentially masculine and, among the causes of a
human being becoming a werewolf, the most frequent were the following:

• Ingest certain plants traditionally linked to wolves and black magic.

• Drinking in the same place where a wolf would have done it.
• Cover yourself with the skin of a wolf.
• Sleeping naked in the light of the full moon.
• Use a wolfskin clothe.
• Acquire the ability to transform into a wolf through magic and spells .
• Being bitten by another werewolf (this last way was the most common).
• Have sex with a werewolf.
• Being born after twins or twins as a male child.
In all cases the traditional explanation of the myth seems to overlap with the violation of some
natural or social norm. It can, like the more modern and literary myth of Man and the Beast ,
summarize the conscious and social tendencies of man and his unconscious instinctual tendencies,
even more than instinctual: instinctive prior to the socialization of the subject .
According to tradition, most werewolves do not transform into such voluntarily (only wizards and true
werewolves, i.e. not cursed, can do so); They are victims of a curse, and suffer enormously at the
time of their metamorphosis. What's worse, when transformed they completely lose human
consciousness and become dangerous, even to their loved ones. The only way to free a werewolf
from its curse is to kill it, which is not easy at all; It must be done with a silver instrument, be it a
cane, a knife or a bullet, although in some areas of the Iberian Peninsula there is a ritual consisting
of cutting off the head and ripping out the heart.
A werewolf is a completely normal man most of the time, and behaves naturally, although a little
hairy , and with more developed senses (especially smell), as well as being in good health and
physical shape.
It is only during the night of the Full Moon that it transforms, since the light of this satellite is what
controls its transformations. Although it varies according to the versions, the appearance of a
transformed Werewolf can range from a real Wolf, although larger than normal, to a hairy, fanged
humanoid that goes in search of human flesh.
Transformation into werewolf
Historical legends describe a wide variety of methods for becoming a werewolf. One of the simplest
is to strip naked and wear a belt made of wolf skin, probably a substitute for assuming the entire
skin of the animal that is also frequently described for this process. In other cases the body is
rubbed with magical sap. Other ways also considered to achieve metamorphosis are drinking water
that is on the animal's footprint or drinking from certain enchanted fountains.' Olaus Magnus said
that Livonian werewolves were initiated by drinking a cup of specially prepared beer while repeating
a magical formula. Ralston, in his Songs about the Russian People, gives a form of incantation that
is still familiar in Russia . It is also said that when a woman gives birth to six girls, a seventh boy will
be born and he will be a werewolf .
In Galician , Portuguese and Uruguayan , Argentine and Brazilian folklore, he is the seventh of the
male children. It stands out that this belief was so widespread in Uruguay , Argentina and
Paraguay , where the werewolf derived or merged into the legend of the being called the werewolf
or luisón , in which the seventh children were abandoned, given up for adoption or killed.
In 1907 the president of Argentina made the first official sponsorship, and in 1973 he issued a
decree to legalize this custom. The State now grants them a gold medal at their baptism and a
school scholarship until the age of 21. This managed to put an end to the abandonment of children,
and it is still traditional for the president to be the godfather of the seventh children.
In other cases the transformation is supposedly achieved by satanic agents to which he voluntarily
submits, and this is done for the most unpleasant purposes, in particular for the gratification of the
longing for human flesh (the human flesh that the lycanthrope can crave can be understood as such
- that is, an anthropophagy related to cases of psychosis - or, it can be understood figuratively as
sexual desire without any censorship).Richard Verstegan wrote:
«Werewolves are certain sorcerers who, when they anoint their bodies with an ointment that they make
with the instinct of the devil, and put it in a certain enchanted girdle, not only do they look like wolves in
the sight of others, but their own Thought has the form and nature of wolves, as soon as they wear the
aforementioned sash. And they dispose of themselves like Wolves, by nibbling and killing, especially
human creatures.
Richard Verstegan Restitution of Decayed Intelligence , 1628

Such were the views about lycanthropy across Continental Europe when Verstegan wrote: "The
ointments and saps in question may contain hallucinogenic agents (particularly those derived from
belladonna ) ."
There are theories that say that lycanthropes, when they are not converted into wolves, wolf hair
grows inwards, and when they are wolves, their skin grows outwards; so when he transformed, he
would turn into his own skin. [ citation needed ]
There are also several methods to remove the beast form. The simplest was the act of
disenchantment (working on oneself or a victim), and another was the removal of the belt or skin
from the animal. Other methods of possible cures are: kneeling at one point for a hundred years,
being reproached for being a werewolf, being greeted with the sign of the cross, being called three
times by the baptismal name, being hit three times on the back of the head with a knife, or at least
spill three drops of blood. Many European folk tales include throwing an iron object at or towards the
werewolf , so that it reveals its human form.
Lycanthropy is the mythological ability or power that a human being has to transform into a wolf or
werewolf. The term comes from the ancient Greek lykanthropos (λυκάνθρωπος): λύκος, lýkos
('wolf') + άνθρωπος, ánthrōpos ('man'). The word can also be used to refer to the act of transforming
into another human wolf.

History [ edit ]

Engraving made by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1512 , showing a werewolf.

Many European countries and cultures have stories about werewolves, including Spain , Greece
(lycanthropos) , Bulgaria (varkolak, vulkodlak), Denmark (Varulv), Finland (Ihmissusi), Netherlands
(Weerwolf), Hungary (Farkasem ber) , Indonesia (manusia serígala), Ireland (Bleidd-
ddyn), Iceland (varúlfur), Italy (lycanthrope), Serbia (vukodlak), Sicily ( Lupu mannaru), Russia
(volkodlak), Poland (wilkolak), Romania (vârcolac), Turkey (Kurt Adam), England (werewolf) ,
Germany (Werwolf), Sweden (Varulv), France (loup-garou), Galicia (lobishome, lobo de xente),
Portugal , Brazil and Paraguay ( Luzón or Lobizón, lobisomem), Uruguay , Argentina (Lobizón),
Lithuania (vilkolakis and vilkatlakis) and Estonia ( libahunt).
According to legend, the first recognized werewolf was Lycaon , king of Arcadia , Greece . In Greek
mythology , Lycaon was a wise and cultured king and a very religious person who had led his
people out of the savage conditions in which they originally lived. However, it seems that he himself
continued to be a savage, because despite everything he continued to sacrifice human beings in
honor of Zeus , and it was even said that he murdered any stranger who came to his kingdom
asking for hospitality.
Upon finding out, the god Zeus wanted to verify the rumors and disguised himself as a wanderer to
pay a visit to Lycaon. He immediately thought of killing his visitor, but he learned in time that it was
Zeus and invited him to participate in a sumptuous banquet. Everything would have turned out well if
it had not been for the fact that Lycaon could not resist the temptation to play a horrible joke on the
king of Olympus ; He ordered that they serve him the flesh of a child (presumably his son).
Zeus noticed, of course, and, enraged, condemned Lycaon to become a wolf, since all his
descendants would also be werewolves. Today the African wild dog , a relative of wolves , is known
as the wild dog.
The story of Lycaon provides one of the earliest examples of the werewolf legend. According to the
story of Lycaon, he transformed into a wolf as a result of eating human flesh; A witness who was
present at a periodic sacrifice on Mount Lycaon said he suffered a similar fate.Pliny the Elder said
quoting Euanthes (Historia Naturalis viii. 22/34. 81): that a man from the family of Anthus was
selected by Lot and taken to a lake in Arcadia, where he placed his clothes on a tree and swam
across the lake. This resulted in his transformation into a wolf, and he wandered in this form for nine
years. Then, if during this time he did not attack any human beings, he would be free to swim back
and return to his original form .
The two stories are probably identical, although there is no mention of the sacrifice of Lycaon by the
descendants of Antaeus .Herodotus (iv. 105) mentions that the tribe of the Neuri , a people he
places northwest of Scythia , transformed annually for a few days.Virgil was also familiar with the
transformation of human beings into wolves (see Eclogues viii. 98). In the novel Satyricon , written
by Gaius Petronius around the year 60 , one of the characters recites a story about a man who turns
into a wolf.
From that moment on, werewolves seem to have multiplied. When the Middle Ages arrived , stories
of men who transformed into wolves were common and people had so much faith in them that they
did not even dare to go out into the forest at night. It must be remembered that in those times real
wolves were common and it was not uncommon for them to attack people. Wolves were later
hunted and exterminated in much of their range, but the fear of beastmen remained as strong as
before.
According to Armenian beliefs, there are women who, as a result of mortal sins, are condemned to
spend seven years in the form of a wolf. A spirit comes to such women and gives them the skin of a
wolf. He orders them to put it on, and as soon as they do, wolf marks appear on their right hand.
Once its nature is conquered, it eats its own children, one by one, then devours the children of its
relatives according to genealogical closeness, and finally attacks children outside its family. He then
wanders only at night, and locks and doors open at his approach. When morning is near, he returns
to his human form and takes off his wolf skin. In these cases the transformation is involuntary. But
alongside this belief about involuntary metamorphosis are beliefs that human beings can transmute
into animals at will and then resume their original form.
In particular, France appears to have been infested with werewolves during the 16th century , and
subsequent trials were numerous. In some cases, for example, those of the family of Gandillon in
the Jura, the tailor of Chalons and of Roulet, all occurring in the year 1598 , there was clear
evidence against the accused of murders and cannibalism , but none associated with wolves ; in
other cases, such as that of Gilles Garnier in Dole , 1573 , there was clear evidence of the existence
of some wolf, but none against the accused; In all cases, with very few exceptions, there was a
predisposition on the part of the accused to confess and even to detail the circumstances of the
metamorphosis, which is one of the recurring themes of medieval witchcraft. Even as this fever of
lycanthropy (of both accusers and suspects) reached its zenith , it was decided in the case of Jean
Grenier in 1603 , in Bordeaux , that lycanthropy was nothing more than a sick illusion. Since then
the loup-garou was no longer considered a dangerous heretic, and returned to his previous
position. Christian as a simple "wolf-man" threat. The werewolves ( lubins or lupins ) were
considered in France, however, as shy and harmless females, in contrast to the feared loup-garou .
According to bishops Olaus Magnus and Majolus, in the provinces
From Prussia , Livonia , and Lithuania , 16th-century werewolves were more destructive than "true
wolves," and their heterodoxy arises from the assertion of Catholic bishops that they formed a
"cursed school" of those "desiring innovations." contrary to divine law.
However, at the beginning of the 17th century in England , people accused of witchcraft were still
jealously persecuted by James I of England , by then the wolf was already long extinct, so this pious
monarch was free (Demonologie, lib. iii.) of accusing werewolves as victims of an illusion induced by
a "superabundance of natural melancholy." Only small creatures such as the cat , the hare and the
weasel remained as vehicles for the evil sorcerer to transform into.
The werewolves of the Christian dispensation were not all regarded as heretics or viciously arrayed
against humanity. According to Baronius, in the year 617 , a group of wolves appeared in a
monastery, and destroyed several friars who held opinions about heresy. The wolves sent by God
tore to pieces the sacrilegious thieves of the army of Francesco Maria , Duke of Urbino, who had
arrived to plunder the treasure of the Holy House of Loreto. A wolf watched over and defended Saint
Edmund Martyr , king of England, against wild beasts.Saint Odo , Abbot of Cluny, devastated by a
pack of foxes, was freed and escorted by a wolf (A. de Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, 1872, vol.
ii. p. 145). Many of the werewolves were innocent and God-fearing people, who suffered through the
bewitchings of others, or were simply destined for an unhappy fate, and who in wolf form behaved in
an admirable manner, honoring and protecting others. his benefactors. The Bisclaveret in the poem
William and the Werewolf by Marie de France (c.1200 ) , the hero belonged to this class and the
numerous princes and princesses, ladies and knights, who temporarily appeared in the form of
beasts in German fairy tales (or Märchen). See Snow White and the Red Rose , where the Big Bad
Bear is really a charming prince.
In fact, the power to transform others into wild beasts was not only attributed to evil sorcerers , but
also to Christian saints. Omnes angeli, boni et mali, ex virtute naturali habent potestatem
transmutandi corpora nostra ( All Angels, good and bad, have the power to transmute our bodies )
was the sentence of Saint Thomas Aquinas .Saint Patrick transformed Vereticus, a king of Wales ,
into a wolf; and Saint
Natalio cursed an illustrious Irish family with the result that each member of it was condemned to be
a wolf for seven years. In other stories the divine will is more direct; in Russia , men are supposed to
become werewolves by incurring the wrath of the devil .
Certain beliefs about the werewolf are based on documented events. The Beast of Gévaudan was a
creature that terrorized the general area of the province of Gévaudan , in the present-day
Department of Lozère , in the Margeride Mountains of southern France , in the period from 1764 to
1767 . The beast was frequently described as a giant wolf, attacking livestock and humans without
distinction. She was shot down, according to the stories, by Jean Chastel with a silver bullet , hence
the myth that werewolves can only be killed with this device.

Theories of its origin

A recent theory has been proposed to explain werewolf episodes in Europe during the 18th and 19th
centuries. Ergot , whose ingestion causes poisoning, is a fungus that grows in places where rye is
grown in wet seasons, after very cold winters. Ergot poisoning typically affects entire towns or at
least poor areas of towns, causing hallucinations, mass hysteria and paranoia, as well as seizures
and sometimes death ( LSD is derived from ergot). Ergot poisoning has been proposed as the cause
of individuals who believed they were a werewolf, or an entire town who believed they had seen a
werewolf.
Like most attempts to use modern science to explain religious beliefs and folklore , this theory is
controversial and unsatisfactory. For example, it does not explain why outbreaks of hysteria about
witchcraft and legends of animal transformations exist around the world, including in places where
there is no ergot . Hysteria and superstition have existed throughout the world for all of recorded
history, and, generally speaking, mushroom poisoning is not the reason for all of these events.
Similarly, some modern researchers have attempted to use conditions such as rabies ,
hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth over the entire body), or porphyria (an enzyme disorder with
symptoms including hallucinations and paranoia) as an explanation for the werewolf belief, although
the symptoms of those ailments do not completely match the folklore or the evidence of mass
hysteria episodes.
There is also a rare mental disorder called clinical lycanthropy , in which the affected person has
an illusory belief that he or she is transforming into another animal, although it is not always a wolf or
werewolf.
Others believe that werewolf legends were born as part of shamanism and totems , animals in
primitive nature-based cultures. The term "therianthropy" has been adopted to describe a spiritual
concept in which the individual believes that he or she has the spirit or soul, in whole or in part, of a
non-human animal.
Biblically speaking, there are no known references.

Werewolves in modern fiction

Main article: Fiction about the werewolf

The transmutation process is described as painful in many films and works of literature. The
resulting wolf is typically cunning but ruthless, and prone to devouring and killing people without
remorse, regardless of the person's moral character when human. The form that the werewolf
assumes is not always that of an ordinary wolf, but they are often anthropomorphic or may
otherwise be larger and more powerful than an ordinary wolf. Many modern werewolves are also
supposedly immune to damage caused by ordinary weapons, being only vulnerable to silver objects
(usually a bullet or a knife). This negative reaction to silver is sometimes so strong that just touching
the metal to a werewolf's skin will cause burns. Current werewolf fiction almost exclusively involves
lycanthropy as an inherited condition or being transmitted as a disease by the bite of another
werewolf.
Recently, the depiction of werewolves has taken a more sympathetic turn in some circles. With the
advent of environmentalism and other return-to-nature ideals, the werewolf is seen as the
representation of humanity allied with nature. A typical example of this perspective can be
considered in the role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse , in which players take the role of a
werewolf working on behalf of Gaia, against the destructive supernatural spirit called the Wyrm, who
represents the destructive forces of industrialization and pollution.
Author Whitley Strieber previously explored these themes in his novels The Wild (in which the
werewolf is portrayed as a means by which human intelligence and spirit are brought back to nature)
and The Wolfen (in which werewolves They are portrayed as predators of humanity, acting as a
"natural" control on their population now that they have surpassed the traditional limits of nature).
The writer J. K. Rowling includes in her Harry Potter books a werewolf named Remus Lupin , who
during periods of the full moon takes a potion to achieve his wolf form but with a human mentality.
There is also mention of another werewolf named Fenrir Greyback who, unlike Lupine, loves being a
werewolf and bites people even when there is no full moon.
The novel Howling Mad , by Peter David , takes the unusual plot of featuring a wolf who has been
bitten by a werewolf, and as a result becomes a "werewolf." The Wolf-Man provides the reader with
a unique perspective on human civilization. With the same argument there is a story by Boris Vian ,
in which Denis, a wolf who lives in the Bois des Fausses-Reposes , is bitten by a werewolf, and
every full moon , turned into a man, lives the nights of Paris as such. . In the 1980s this story was
turned into a song by the Spanish musical group La Unión with the song " Wolf Man in Paris ." This
idea is also used in the children's book The Legend of Tsobu , by Juan José Plans , published in
Alfaguay , where a man is turned into a werewolf and subsequently bites a wolf, with which the latter
dedicates himself to controlling the actions of the first while transformed.
The Talisman , a novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub , portrays werewolves as protectors of the
World of the Territories. One werewolf in particular (named Lobo) helps young Jack Sawyer on his
quest to locate an ancient item of power. Although portrayals of evil werewolves still continue in
popular culture.
The Valencian writer Sergi Durà updated the character of the werewolf, adapting it to the dystopian
world of the third millennium in his satirical novel Un home llop xangainés a Dubai (2011).
In the novels of Memorias de Idhún , by Laura Gallego García , the character Alexander transforms
into a wolf every night of the full moon, since his body has a human spirit and a wolf spirit. While
maintaining his human appearance, he has gray hair, yellow eyes, claws, and fangs.
In the novels Tremor , Trace and Forever , by Maggie Stiefvater , the story is centered on wolves.
These are larger in size and retain the eyes of their humanity. They become wolves with the cold
and adrenaline and after a period of time (several years) they stop being human and begin to
acquire the definitive form of a wolf.
Several television series made reference to werewolves, including Supernatural and Luna, the
Mystery of Calenda . Also the series Teen Wolf with actor Tyler Posey and other actors such as
Dylan O'Brien , Tyler Hoechlin , Crystal Reed and Holland Roden
At the level of video games, the story of werewolves has been widely disseminated and exhausted,
although although it is not the best-selling element among them, it is used and spent at least in
simple references and transformations of the original myths.
The 2015 video game Bloodborne , whose setting uses various elements of Gothic literature such
as those of Bram Stoker or HP Lovecraft also uses the figure of the werewolf as one of the axes of
his main story, but from his own particular point of view. In it, the inhabitants of the fictional city of
Yharnam are affected by an epidemic that transforms them into what they call "beasts", whose
design and behavior is obviously inspired by the figure of the werewolf. Throughout the video game,
many different types and variants of beasts appear, as well as characters that are still in the early
stages of their illness (from being simple humans with more hair than usual until they transform into
rabid monsters), but always based on the figure of the werewolf.
In the video game Sonic Unleashed , Sonic , the famous hedgehog from the Japanese company
Sega , suffers a curse in the game and acquires the ability to transform into a werewolf, or in this
case, into a wolf-hedgehog.
In the famous MMORPG game World of Warcraft there are creatures called worgen, which are wolf-
beasts. In its new expansion World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the worgen race, with a werewolf
appearance, will be available in the alliance faction.
There is an Iron Maiden song, " Prowler ," which tells the adventures of an alcoholic and sex-
addicted werewolf who wanders through the city.
There are also several games in which the player takes the role of a werewolf. Some of them: Wolf ,
WolfTeam , BiteFight and Crimson Moon . The Sims 2 has an expansion in which you can become
a werewolf, Castlevania from Nintendo 64 . A hero in DotA is a werewolf: Banehallow (lycantrope)
Writer Cassandra Clare includes werewolves and werewolves in her Shadowhunters books, such as
Maia Roberts, Luke Garroway, and Jordan Kyle .
In the American TV series, The Vampire Diaries (TV series) , there are several werewolf characters,
such as Tyler Lockwood . In the series, a werewolf "gene" is passed from generation to generation.
Whoever has that gene is not born a werewolf; They become werewolves by killing another person,
because that is the way to trigger the curse. The werewolves in this series adopt their animal form
during the nights of the full moon involuntarily and other times voluntarily; The transformation is
painful, and the animal form is that of a normal-sized wolf. Furthermore, money does not affect
them. In their human form they have a lot of strength and a violent attitude at times. In this series
there are also characters called "hybrids", who are half werewolf and half vampires.
Werewolves in cinema [ edit ]
In cinema, werewolves have been widely represented, forming part of the most famous scarecrows
of all time (along with vampires , zombies , Frankenstein 's monster and mummies ) . The first film to
use an anthropomorphic werewolf was 1935 's Werewolf of London (not to be confused with the
similarly titled 1981 film), establishing the canon that the werewolf always kills what he loves most.
The werewolf of this film was a handsome London scientist who retained some of his style and most
of his human characteristics after his transformation. The genre was also popularized by the classic
Universal Studios film The Wolf Man ( 1941 ) , composed by Lon Chaney Jr. as werewolf Larry
Talbot. This film contains the now famous rhyme: Even a man who is pure in heart / And says his
prayers at night / May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms / And the autumn moon is bright. (
Even a man who is pure in heart / and says his prayers in the night / Can turn into a wolf when the
poisonous wolf (or "wolf scourge") blooms / And the autumn moon shines .) This film is often
credited as originating several aspects of the legend that differ from traditional folklore (including
invulnerability to non-silver weapons, contagion, and association with the moon).
In 1981, two films with werewolves as protagonists were released: An American Werewolf in London
, directed by John Landis, and The Howling (known in Spanish-speaking countries as El Aullido or
Aullidos ) directed by Joe Dante. Both were influential both in the use of special effects and in the
revitalization of the myth. In 1985, Teen Wolf was filmed (Hair on Chest, in Spain; Travesuras de un
Lobo Quinceañero in Chile; and Teen Wolf in the rest of Latin America), starring Michael J. Fox and
directed by Rod Daniel.
You can also see a man turn into a wolf after being bitten by this animal in the 1994 film Wolf ,
starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer .
A remake was released in 2010 , starring Benicio del Toro . The appearance of the beast was based
on what it had in the original, but more realistic and updated thanks to advances in computing and
makeup . 7
The Spanish Paul Naschy , who created the werewolf Waldemar Daninsky, is the actor who has
played a werewolf the most times on screen. Also in Spain, Pedro Olea 's film, El Bosque del lobo ,
was produced, where a more naturalistic and realistic treatment is given to the phenomenon of
lycanthropy.
The Canadian film Ginger Snaps (released in 2000, spawning a sequel and a prequel) uses
lycanthropy as an analogy for puberty.
In the Underworld films, werewolves are shown in a centuries-long battle against vampires. In
addition, another race is presented, the werewolves control their metamorphosis at will and can
convert others by biting them. These new ones will transform when the full moon arrives, after an
involuntary transformation, they become lycanthropes. According to the story, werewolves (and later
werewolves) were servants or watchdogs for vampires, until a werewolf led them into a rebellion for
their freedom and to avenge the death of his beloved.
In the film Van Helsing , werewolves are diabolical monsters at the service of Dracula , suffering in
the transformation, changing their skin, the full moon only controls them the first days of their
lycanthropy, then the curse consumes them until they become wolves for always.
The Company of Wolves , by Neil Jordan , is a modern interpretation of the tale of Little Red Riding
Hood , in which the big bad wolf is really a werewolf.
Among other werewolves represented is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , directed by
Alfonso Cuarón . In the film: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , a parody of the
monster called "rabbit-wolf" appears ( wererabbit , the "man-rabbit").
It is also worth mentioning the Japanese series Wolf's Rain where the protagonists are actually
wolves (in all their animal form) but they can take on human appearance to other people.
In Role-playing games [ edit ]
Werewolf: The Apocalypse ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse in English ) , is a role-playing game
published by the White Wolf company and in which the player plays a werewolf . 8 Werewolves
(called garou in their language) are warriors of Gaia ( Mother Earth ) who fight against the
Apocalypse , the prophesied end of time, which heralds the destruction of the Earth. In the game,
the player represents a werewolf. Unlike traditional mythology, these werewolves can transform at
will, the Garou have five forms, from wolf to human, passing through two intermediate forms to a
form similar to the one that can be seen in the film Van Helsing .