Werewolves?

Question

What r werewolves exactly? R they real?

Answer 1

Werewolves are human beings that can transform into wolves. Some legends say that they transform at will. Others say it's an unwilling transformation brought on by the full moon.

Some say that if you are bitten by a werewolf but live then you'll be infrected and become one yourself. Others say it's an inherited trait.

Regardless, there's no scientific proof that they exist but you can't actually prove that they don't exist if they're delberately in hiding. Believe what you want to believe.

Answer 2

A werewolf (also lycanthrope or wolfman) in folklore and mythology is a person who shapeshifts into a wolf, either purposely, by using magic, or after being placed under a curse.


Real or not, hard to say... for those who have not seen a real one, the question should be "believable or not?" And that leads to:


Theories of origin

Many authors have put forward the idea that stories of werewolves (and vampires) may have been used to explain serial killings in less enlightened ages. This theory is given credence by the tendency of some modern serial killers to indulge in practices (such as cannibalism, mutilation and cyclic attacks) commonly associated with the attack of a werewolf. The idea (although not the terminology) is well explored in Sabine Baring-Gould's seminal work The Book of Werewolves.

A recent theory[citation needed] has been proposed to explain werewolf episodes in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ergot, which causes a form of foodborne illness, is a fungus that grows in place of rye grains in wet growing seasons after very cold winters. Ergot poisoning usually affects whole towns or at least poor areas of towns and results in hallucinations, mass hysteria and paranoia, as well as convulsions and sometimes death. (LSD can be derived from ergot.) Ergot poisoning has been proposed as both a cause of an individual believing that he or she is a werewolf and of a whole town believing that they had seen a werewolf. However, this theory is controversial and not well accepted.

Some modern researchers have tried 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 werewolf beliefs. Congenital erythropoietic porphyria has clinical features which include photosensitivity (so sufferers only go out at night), hairy hands and face, poorly healing skin, pink urine, and reddish colour to the teeth.

There is also a rare mental disorder called clinical lycanthropy, in which an affected person has a delusional belief that he or she is transforming into another animal, although not always a wolf or werewolf.

Others believe werewolf legends arose as a part of shamanism and totem animals in primitive and nature-based cultures.[citation needed] The term therianthropy has been adopted to describe a spiritual concept in which the individual believes he or she has the spirit or soul, in whole or in part, of a non-human animal.

Answer 3

they are the spiritual manifeatation of Chaos and destruction.
most often called Demons, they can take many forms, but are usually only encountered in a spiritual or "astral" sense. it has been recorded in history that these demons can grant supernatural powers to humans.

the case of Stubb Peeter as recorded by the Catholic Church in the 1800's described a man that was observed by a proest to take the form of a Wolf and Kill,rape, and consume men, women and childern. Stubb Peeter was convicted in Germany of the murder,rape and cunsumption of the flesh of no less than 13 men women and children.

there is another wolf-man story from Finland that dealt with a family of Werewolves. they had in their possession several "wolf belts" a magical device (said to be a gift from the devil) that was constructed of the hide of a wolf and when worn would grant a human the features, cunning, appitite, and senses of the Wolf.
they were convicted of murder and incest and were all Hanged, drowned and then burned at the steak....yes each one was "killed" 3 times.

further back in the Celtic myths several men were said to be able to shift form into a Chosen Animal. this was not viewed as a curse or anything evil untill the Christian invasion of europe..

and in modern day, there has been discovered a genetic disease that will cause a human to grow an excessive ammount of body hair, and cause the Canine teeth to grow to be almost 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch longer than usual. this creates a wolf- like appearenance and it commonly called the Werewolf syndrome.

Yes they are real. i believe in them an all of their forms.

Answer 4

werewolves are traditonally half human/half wolf. those werewolves are not real. real werewolves are people suffering from Lycanthropy, which is condition of the mind that causes a man or woman to believe that they are either a full wolf or some kind of cross between a human and a wolf

Answer 5

It's just a legend. Sometimes people that had certain sicknesses were labeled as vampires or werewolves. Actually, Lupus was named after lupine, latin for wolf.
This is fomr Wikipedia.org-
History
Medical historians have theorized people with porphyrias (a disease that shares many symptoms with Lupus) generated folklore stories of vampires and werewolves due to the photosensitivity, scarring, hair growth and porphyrin brownish-red stained teeth in severe recessive forms of porphyria or combinations of the disorders known as dual, homozygous or compound heterozygous porphyrias.

The history of lupus erythematosus can be divided into three periods: the classical, neoclassical, and modern. The classical period began when the disease was first recognised in the Middle Ages and saw the description of the dermatological manifestation of the disorder. The term lupus is attributed to the 12th century physician Rogerius, who used it to describe the classic malar rash. The neoclassical period was heralded by Móric Kaposi's recognition in 1872 of the systemic manifestations of the disease. The modern period began in 1948 with the discovery of the LE cell (the Lupus Erythematosus cell, a misnomer as it occurs with other diseases as well) and is characterised by advances in our knowledge of the pathophysiology and clinical-laboratory features of the disease, as well as advances in treatment.

Useful medication for the disease was first found in 1894, when quinine was first reported as an effective therapy. Four years later, the use of salicylates in conjunction with quinine was noted to be of still greater benefit. This was the best available treatment to patients until the middle of the twentieth century, when Hench discovered the efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of SLE.

Answer 6

Werewolves are a shape shifting creature. They are human's who transform into large humanoid wolves. Standing erect on 2 "hind legs" with all the agility and stamina of a wolf. Not entirely sure if they are real or not. Most stories are myth, but you can never be too sure of what is a myth and what is not.

Answer 7

Yes lycans (or for you idiots that dont no anything werewolves) are real. Dont believe those people that need everyy little bit of proof to make sure somethings real. And dont listen to those people who say they need to see it to believe it. IF you have someone say that just tell them you cant see air but it is around you. There is no scientific explination for alot of natural anomalies in the world that people know exsist. IF you have any questions just email me...my email is [e-mail]

Answer 8

I don't know, but I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain. He was looking for a place call leehold Foof's. For to get a big dish of beef chowmein

Answer 9

People may have different conceptions if they exist or not. All I can say that while it is not proven that they do not exist - then they DO!
They are a mixture of man and wolf. Were comes from latin meaing MAN; and wolf keeps is meaning, so it is a wolf man.

Answer 10

well, we're kinda like everybody else. I mean we eat, drink, like to have fun. Only difference is ever full moon, we get really hairy, our nails get very long and sharp, Our teeth get monstrous, and we need to feed on something human. Of course we're real. Duh!