Werewolves: Legends, Cases, Theories
The wereanimal belief or legend is universal. In the European and American cultures, the predominant theme is that the werecreature is a wolf. In other cultures, there are were- panthers, werejaguars and werebears. Some societies believed that the person shape shifted and appeared to be the animal while others believed the person became the animal.
During the Middle Ages, people in Europe believed in werewolves. Some believed the creature was a wolf whose body was possessed by a demon. Others believed the devil put the person in a trance and transported the soul into a wolf's body. Another theory was that a demon got into a wolf's body and charmed the person into believing that he or she committed savage acts that were revealed in dreams. Another theory believed that the person actually changed into a wolf and that the devil substituted a human form in the werewolf's place.
The majority of werewolf cases come from Europe. They believed the wolf was bloodthirsty and cunning and the animal was greatly feared. Between 1530 and 1630, there were 30,000 cases of werewolves recorded in France alone. People in Normandy believed in lupins or lubins, wolf like beings that talked at night in graveyards in an unknown language. They would flee from humans, but they also dug up graves and ate human bodies.
In court documents, the testimony did not vary much. The person made a pact with the devil. They were given an ointment that transformed them into a wolf. Some were given a wolf pelt for protection.
Over the centuries, ideas began to change. Werewolf experts believed that the victims suffered from what they called lycanthropy. The victim was usually of less than average intelligence and might have been under the influence of hallucinatory drugs or delusions and believed he or she actually became a werewolf. This was often accompanied by sadistic cravings. Beliefs and legends of those who saw the werewolf might have made them think they saw a snarling four legged beast. The mind is a powerful thing.
During fits of lycanthropy, victims actually believe they are wolves and may run around, as if on four legs, snarling, growling, howling and barking. Some may desire human flesh and commit murders. This is rare in "modern" times. During the 1600s, in Luc, Switzerland, men began to walk like dogs and bark. The cure was a magical herb hung around their necks.
Some medical theorists believe werewolf sightings are those of people who have porphyria, a rare disease. The tissue of the hands and face is destroyed. They also suffer from lesions and are very sensitive to light. The combination of the disfigurement and the photosensitivity may cause some of them only to go out at night.
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