Monster Profile: Werewolves

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(Drawn by the-lone-voice)

We all know about the werewolves, but lately we've seen all types of different werewolves. With Maggie Steifvater's "change with temperature" and Stephenie Meyer's "change at will" we may have lost some of the old, ancient touched to werewolves.

COUNTRIES WITH LEGENDS OF WEREWOLVES

• France (loup-garou)
• Greece (lycanthropos)
• Spain (hombre lobo)
• Bulgaria (valkolak)
• Turkey (kurtadam)
• Czech Republic/Slovakia (vlkodlak)
• Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia (vukodlak / вукодлак)
• Russia (vourdalak , оборотень)
• Ukraine (vovkulak(a), vurdalak(a), vovkun, перевертень)
• Croatia (vukodlak)
• Poland (wilkołak)
• Romania (vârcolac)
• Macedonia (vrkolak)
• Scotland (werewolf, wulver)
•  England (werewolf)
• Ireland (faoladh or conriocht)
• Germany (Werwolf)
• the Netherlands (weerwolf)
• Denmark/Sweden/Norway (Varulv)
• Norway/Iceland (kveld-ulf,varúlfur)
• Galicia(lobisón)
• Portugal/Brazil (lobisomem)
• Lithuania (vilkolakis and vilkatlakis)
• Latvia (vilkatis and vilkacis)
• Andorra (home llop)
• Hungary (Vérfarkas and Farkasember)
• Estonia (libahunt)
• Finland (ihmissusi and vironsusi)
• Italy (lupo mannaro)

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SOME GREEK HISTORY

Greek mythology provides the earliest of the werewolf legends. According to a story in history Lycaon had served human flesh during a meal with the Gods and was turned into a wolf-a long with another member-because of it.

In another Greek story, says a man of Anthus' family was chosen and taken to a lake. He hang his clothes on a tree and swam across. With this, he was transformed into a werewolf. He roamed around in this form for nine years, if he promised he wouldn't eat a human he would be allowed to transform back into a human and swim back across the river.

The Greek scholar Herodotus says that the Neuri tribe would be transformed for a few days.
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SHE-WOLF

Even though it's also a song by Shakira it's in mythology too.

She is an aspect of a triple Goddess. In legend, she had given three souls to the Legendary King Herulus. She is also the mythical mother of the two founders of Roma, Romus and Remulus.

South Slavs had a ritual where they used to pass a newborn child through a wolf skin saying it was thus born from the She-Wolf.
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One of the most common beliefs of werewolves is that they change only during a full moon and they can only be killed by a silver bullet. 

~M.A.Chase♥

Cited:
History of the Werewolf
She-Wolf