Werewolves

Man-Wolf Shapeshifting Beings
In the spring of 1971, Mobile, Alabama, residents reported a creature walking at night whose "top half was a woman, and the bottom was a wolf." Police investigated with no firm conclusion. Such modern encounters echo ancient tales of lycanthropy-human beings able to transform partially or wholly into wolves.

Origins of the Werewolf
The term "werewolf" comes from Old English wer ("man") plus wulf. Though most know werewolves from horror fiction, stories date back to the first century Satyricon, and Greek myth portrays Zeus turning Lykaon into a wolf. Medieval Europe feared wolf attacks so deeply that "loup-garou" became synonymous with bloodthirsty wolves.

Pagan Roots and Berserkers
Northern tribes worshipped wolf deities and believed honored ancestors became wolves after death. Berserkers-Norse warriors in wolfskins-were said to acquire superhuman strength. With Christianity's rise, the priesthood labeled these shapeshifters as Satan's agents, insisting any wolf sighting was demonic illusion rather than true metamorphosis.

Witches' Salve and Trials
Confessions at witch trials described rubbing salves made of henbane and nightshade to induce hallucinatory transformations into wolves. An 18th-century French woman on trial claimed a three-hour coma after salve application and insisted she awoke as a wolf to kill livestock-investigators oddly found animal remains at the accused site.

Lycanthropy as Disorder
Modern psychiatry records rare cases of clinical lycanthropy-a delusional conviction of turning into an animal-often triggered by schizophrenia, substance abuse, or brain injury. Psychologists trace this to deep archetypes in the collective unconscious, where the wolf represents primal instincts surfacing in extreme mental states.

Modern Sighting Reports
While scarce, credible modern sightings persist. In 1958 Texas, a lightning flash revealed a shaggy, wolflike creature; by morning a tall man alone stood where the "huge wolf" had vanished. In 1972 Ohio, witnesses saw a 6-8-foot beast with glowing red eyes and human posture. Southwestern Navajo legends call these "skin-walkers," said to run faster than cars.

Reflection
Whether mythical curse or mental delusion, werewolves bridge human psychology and folklore. Their enduring power lies in a universal fear-that beneath our own skin, something wild still waits to be unleashed.