Who is a werewolf. Werewolf: the secret of the transformation of a person into a beast Lycanthropy is the rarest disease due to which people become werewolves
Werewolves are people who can transform into ordinary animals or monsters. The term "werewolf" (lycanthrope) is actually a misnomer coming from the roots lycos (wolf) and anthropos (man). A more correct term is "therianthrope", from therios (animal) and anthropos. However, since werewolves are the most common therianthropes, the term werewolf has become much more popular and more widely used.
To further complicate the issue, there are beings like the werewolf and werejackal, animals that can take on human form. These creatures are ("antherions" for lack of a better term) and pass on their properties genetically (that is, by having offspring), rather than by biting and infecting other creatures. Other differences between the two creature classes include their vulnerability: antherions can be killed with cold iron, werewolves only with silver. Antherions hate werewolves, and always attack them (wolves- werewolves attack werewolves, etc.). Likewise, most werewolves sense the enmity of the antherions, and also attack them if they see them.
In addition, there are many sub-species of some werewolves, beyond differences in animal type. For example, there are three different sub-species of the werewolf, distinguished by their secondary form: one has fangs, a furry body, a tail, wolf-like legs, and wolf-like features (but no muzzle); the other has a very wolf-like face and body with human arms, and is easily mistaken for a wolf when walking on all four legs; and the third additional form is a huge wolf as big as a bear.
The state of being a werewolf, often referred to as a curse, is called werewolf. A distinction must be made between true werewolves and infected werewolves. True shapeshifters are those for whom shapeshifting is a genetic trait; they breed with other werewolves and produce werewolf babies. Only true werewolves can infect others with werewolves. Infected werewolves are those whose werewolves are the result of being hurt by a true werewolf.
There are also beings known as "forced werewolves" whose shape-shifting is effected by a magical item; these creatures cannot infect others with shapeshifting, although magical items can be passed on to new owners. Some of the items are cursed, so that once they are equipped, they cannot be removed without casting a remove curse spell. Forced werewolves include the May Swans and anyone using a manta ray cape.
Finally, there are the "cursed werewolves" created by the spell, curse of shapeshifting (see below).
True werewolves and forced werewolves rarely hate their "curse". They see themselves as any other being, with the same right to survive. Those bitten and infected, or affected by the shapeshifting curse spell, most often curse their fate. These misfits seek treatment and sometimes try to track down the werewolf who infected them (or the wizard who cursed them).
Most werewolves have three forms; some have only two. The first form is always the natural humanoid form, which becomes more and more like the werewolf animal form over time. The second form is a hybrid, combining both animal and humanoid traits; the size of this hybrid tends to fall between the size of the humanoid and the size of the creature being copied. The third form of the werewolf is superficially identical to that of a normal creature of the copied variety; the only visual clue is that the eyes can glow in the dark. A slain werewolf always reverts to its natural humanoid form after being killed.
This spell creates a temporary instance of shapeshifting in the victim the caster touches. Every month, on the full moon, the state of the victim manifests itself.
Almost any type of normal shapeshifting can be triggered by this spell. By using the blood of an ordinary animal as a component of the spell, the wizard can force the victim to assume the form of that werewolf.
Werewolf manifests itself on the full moon, as well as on the night before and on the night after the full moon. During these nights, the werewolf loses all memory of everything that happens while in animal form. When the three nocturnal attacks are completed, the werewolf may attempt to discard the effects of the spell. No other spells can remove the curse.
Although the forms of attack vary with each species, all true werewolves can transmit their terrible misfortune. Any humanoid creature damaged by a werewolf but not killed (and possibly eaten) has a chance to be morphed. Some werewolves only communicate their misfortune through a bite, others through any natural attack, and some even through the weapon they use.
If the character eats belladonna within an hour of being attacked, there is a chance it will cure the misfortune.
The other only way to remove bad luck is to use a remove curse spell on the character, on the night of a full moon, or on the night immediately before or after a full moon.
Only infected werewolves can be cured. For a true werewolf, shapeshifting is as natural as breathing, and its state cannot be changed. True werewolves have complete control over their physical condition; they are not affected by darkness, the phases of the moon, or any of the other situations that traditionally affect infected werewolves.
In human form, the werewolf uses weapons to attack. But he tends to use natural offensive abilities in other forms.
In werewolf form, the monster can only be hit with silver or magical weapons. Wounds from any other weapon heal too quickly to cause actual damage. Due to their vulnerability to silver, some werewolves have a psychological aversion to metal and refuse to handle it; in some cases, the psychosomatic effect is so great that touching the silver actually incinerates the werewolf.
True werewolves can change their shape at will, regardless of the time of day or the phase of the moon. infected werewolves— during the day, usually humanoids. On the night of a full moon, or the night immediately before or after a full moon, an infected werewolf reluctantly changes shape and is obsessed with bloodlust.
The transformed character simply wants to hunt and kill, but usually chooses the victims to be either his friends or his enemies. The werewolf makes no distinction between friend and foe; all these questions depend on the strength of the emotion to them.
When the character returns to normal form, any wounds sustained while in animal form heal immediately. The character also has hazy, haunting memories of performing gruesome acts.
Each type of werewolf has its own language as well as the humanoid language; some are able to speak the language used by the animals they imitate.
True werewolves have no tendency to avoid human company when attacked or on errands. Werewolves travel alone or in packs. Packs usually have the same werewolves, but may also include common animals or monsters that werewolves look like. Some werewolves have the ability to summon such creatures.
Virtually any predator from the size of a small dog to a large bear can be the basis for a werewolf. Most (but not all) true werewolves are mammals; most (but not all) are carnivores. Forced werewolves, either by spell or item, can be created using a wide variety of animal types, and even monstrous creatures.
In humanoid form, a werewolf has subtle signs of a curse, ranging from animal-like hair color, to a general facial type, to voice and actions. In animal form, a werewolf looks like a larger version of a normal animal (but not big enough to be significant). When viewed closely, the animal form's eyes show a faint fire of unnatural intelligence, and often glow red in the dark.
A werewolf can also have a third form, part human and part animal. This form is usually humanoid, and the body has the same skin as the animal (usually fur, sometimes scales or feathers). Slightly modified features of the face and body shape to get more characteristics of the animal (fangs, sideburns, claws, animal leg structure, etc.).
The werewolf gains the same forms of attack as the base animal type, such as claws, bites, tail swipes, headbutts, or something similar. The damage must be similar to that caused by the base animal. The similarity of werewolves to the animals of their base type gives them the ability to dominate such a group.
A creature's alignment tends to be an extrapolated version of the base animal's alignment. If the animal is a vicious predator and a strong fighter, the werewolf version is probably evil; if she tries not to stay in the way of other creatures, she can be kind or neutral.
True werewolves have a vulnerability to silver weapons, perhaps due to the metal's mystical relationship with the moon, or inherent qualities or abilities of the metal itself. Extremely rare variants might not have any such vulnerability, but instead might have a weakness to another precious metal (gold and copper, most likely), or perhaps bronze, obsidian, or even wood).
In addition to their abilities to shapeshift, summon normal animals for help, etc., some werewolves have other special abilities.
Werewolf (Belarusian pyarevaratsen, Ukrainian inverted) is a mythological creature that has the ability to turn (turn around, flip) from a person into an animal or vice versa. In everyday speech, "werewolf" often means a werewolf, but in mythology and fantasy there are different types, from eastern kitsune werefoxes to cat werewolves popular in furdom, to sharks and werewolf insects of the role-playing game World of Darkness. In fantasy and furry fandom, there are werewolves in fictional creatures: dragons, griffins, Tauris ...
In mythology
The transformation of a person into an animal is a very common story in the mythologies of different peoples of the world. Thus, the Tale of Igor's Campaign describes the capture of Novgorod by Vseslav of Polotsk and the battle on Nemiga. Vseslav is represented by a sorcerer and a werewolf. And in the ethnic culture of the North American Indians, turning into the animal-totem of the tribe is an indicator of the highest merging with the spirit of the ancestor. In Scandinavia, they believed that berserkers could transform into bears and wolves. The hero of Russian epics, Volga Svyatoslavich, turned into a “left-beast”, “pike-fish”, “bay tur-golden horns”, “small ermine”, “small bird-bird” and other animals. In Russian folklore, the Fire Serpent can turn into a handsome young man and, as such, visit women, and Koschey the Immortal has the ability to turn into various creatures. In Turkic mythology, werewolves - walkers are mentioned as evil personalities that live in deserted places and frighten travelers.In Russian beliefs, a werewolf was also called an evil spirit that “rushes under a person’s feet”, as a harbinger of trouble [source not specified 516 days]. Moreover, he always appears briefly, on the run, and it can be very difficult to see him. Unlike most beliefs in Western countries, a "Russian" werewolf can turn not only into animals, but also into a piece of stick, a haystack, a ball, a stone. Always hits the ground before transforming. It was believed that such a werewolf is a child who died unbaptized or an apostate, whose soul "will misbehave involuntarily." In the North, a werewolf was often called a kikimora. The property of werewolves was attributed to the brownie and the witch. Cursed and unbaptized children or witches could take on different material forms and then also turn into animals.
Belief in werewolves and werewolves was strong both in ancient, medieval Russia, and in Russia of the 18th-19th centuries. At the end of the 19th century, the well-known collector of Russian folklore N. Ivanitsky wrote: “Cases of turning people into animals and trees are still considered quite possible and not uncommon among the Vologda people. Frogs are everywhere recognized as converted people, in many places and bears. In general, most people turn into wolves. Beliefs and mythological stories about werewolves in Russian villages are still widespread to this day: peasants often talk about cases of turning people into animals or inanimate objects known in the local area.
In folk tradition, a werewolf was considered a person who, by his own spell, due to the magical influence of other persons, or by virtue of an innate property, turns into a beast. Werewolves were also called "wrappers", "crossovers", "tip", "transitions". Most often, those who were converted or transformed took on the appearance of a wolf, and therefore in the South Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian traditions, werewolves were called “wolf lak”, “wolf lak”. The word "volkodlak" is formed from two parts - the common Slavic "ulk" and the South Slavic "diaka", meaning "wool, skin".
Titles
Another name for werewolves is lycanthropes. It comes from the Greek words λύκος - wolf, and άνθρωπος - man, but in modern usage does not indicate the type of animal. To designate the type of animal, the words ver- (Old English man), -anthrope (Greek man), -dlak or -lak (Old Slav skin), -morph (Greek form), -kin (Eng. relative). These words are combined with the name of the animal in the language of origin, for example:Werewolf, werewolf, lycanthrope - werewolf
Koshkodlak, ailuranthropus - werewolf cat.
The rat, ratkin - werewolf rat.
Kinatrop, kinamorph - werewolf dog.
Cultures in which werewolves play a prominent role in mythology have special names for werewolf species. For example, tanuki are Japanese raccoon werewolf dogs, anioto are African werewolf leopards.
In Western furry fandom, werewolves and their fans are called weres. Werewolf is a popular variant of the transformation fetish. A character in the form of a beast may be called a feral (feral, eng. wild), and such a form - feral. Other names for werewolves in English fiction: changers, shifters, shapeshifters, shapechangers (transforming), skinchangers, skinwalkers (skin-changing), werebeasts (were-beasts). Sometimes these words are combined with the name of the animal, for example, foxchanger - "turning into a fox."
Words without transformation are used to refer to therianthropes and non-transforming beings that combine the qualities of a human with an animal, such as anthropomorphs. If the root "man" is in the opposite order to the root of the type of animal (for example, as in the word wolfwere), then a werewolf with a basic animal form can be meant - an animal that sometimes turns into a person.
Origin
Mythology and fantasy give many reasons for the appearance of werewolves. Those born with the ability to turn into a beast are often referred to as true ones. Those who acquire this ability during their lifetime are called cursed, tainted, or converted, as the case may be.Origin of true werewolves:
The legacy of parents, at least one of whom was a werewolf.
Ancestral Legacy: A nation or family was founded by a werewolf or animal.
Belonging to a werewolf race that has its own culture and place in the world.
Origin of converts:
Werewolf bite, lycanthropy.
A curse sent by someone, received through atrocities or inherited.
The result of witchcraft or cooperation with the devil.
Using an enchanted item or magic. For example, this is what animagi from the Harry Potter series do.
Law of mystical nature, true superstition. For example, "he who drank rain water from the trail of a wolf becomes a werewolf."
Spirit or demon possession.
Scientific experiments, genetic engineering.
Temporary werewolves
Temporary werewolves - people consciously and voluntarily taking on animal form for some time. After the transformation, they completely retain the human mind and thinking.In folklore and The Tale of Igor's Campaign, the historical figure of Vseslav the Prophet appears as a sorcerer and werewolf. In the form of a wolf, he is able to reach from Kyiv to Tmutarakan in one night.
In the daytime, “judge the courts, and he himself drags a scout from Kyiv into the night”, “... he dressed the princes of the city, and he himself prowled like a wolf in the night ... Kherson the great wolf roamed the path ...” (The Lay of Igor's Campaign).
Another hero with such abilities is the hero Volga Svyatoslavich.
Volga Svyatoslavich (also Volkh Vseslavievich) is a hero, a character in Russian epics. The main distinguishing features of this hero are the ability to shapeshift and the ability to understand the language of birds and animals.
The central moment of the epics about the Volga is his campaign in a distant kingdom. He is recruiting a team. To provide her with everything she needs, he turns into a wolf and a falcon, feeding her with hunting. The success of the campaign is due to the wisdom of Volga. With an ermine, he spoils the bowstrings of enemies' bows, with a wolf he bites the throats of horses, and so on.
Wolves, as well as crows, falcons and sometimes other animals, were able to turn around the Magi.
In those days, Volkh learned wisdom:
And I learned the first wisdom
Wrap yourself in a clear falcon,
To another wisdom he studied Volkh
Wrap yourself in a gray wolf
Such an image is present in the annals of 1282, which tells of a volkolak who "drives the clouds and eats away the moon" (the Slavs for a long time kept faith in the volkhvs-clouders, who turned into wolves, rose to the sky and called for rain or dispersed the clouds).
At a later time, the characterists were endowed with the ability to turn into wolves.
The characteristic is a Cossack, a warrior, a sage and a sorcerer all rolled into one.
The legends about the Koshevoy Sirk (one of the most famous characterists) testify to the transformation into a wolf: having broken that vovk so that the stench all fell asleep.
It was possible to take the form of an animal with the help of conspiracies and rituals ("wisdom") or by throwing. Swinging was the most common way. A person endowed with "supernatural" abilities becomes a wolf, "spreading over" (turning over) through a knife or ax stuck in a smooth stump or ground. They also threw themselves over a rocker, a stump, hoops, twelve knives, a rope, a tree branch, a fire on a stove hearth, through the core of a fallen tree, or simply turning somersaults "against the sun", etc.
So, according to the stories of the inhabitants of the village of Luchasy, Smolensk province, a werewolf man once lived there. He went somewhere and disappeared without a trace. Once, after another such disappearance, his fellow villagers found a knife stuck in the ground behind a barn. He was taken out of the ground, and since then the man has been disappearing for who knows where for three whole years. After that, the local sorcerer advised to stick this knife again where it was found. No sooner said than done, and soon after that the missing man returned to his hut, but only all overgrown with wolf hair. He was steamed in a bath, and the wool came off. And only after that he admitted that whenever he threw himself over a knife, he turned into a wolf, and when he threw himself again, he took on a human form. And that time, when the knife behind the barn was removed, he had to run like a wolf in the field for three years. By the way, even in the form of a wolf, his thoughts remained human.
Werewolves at will
The Eastern Slavs distinguished several types of werewolves. One of them is sorcerers and witches who turn into one or another animal at will. According to folk beliefs, they can take the form of not only a wolf, but also a bear, pig, cow, cat, crow, magpie, amphibian: frog, snake. Sorcerers and witches can also turn into plants: a bush, a branch, straw; a natural element, such as a whirlwind; some object: a ball of thread, a spindle, a haystack, a log, etc. Moreover, sorcerers and witches, according to legend, have the ability to repeatedly change their appearance. So, in one mythological story, it tells about the transformations of a sorceress who flew into a strange house at night in the form of a magpie. The owners “zaminili” the magpie, and she could not fly out of the hut, but the next morning the household could not find her. "Knowledgeable" people suggested that it was necessary to look for something that was not in the house, and the owners found a strange aspen block of wood, which they cut down and threw away. And on the same day, it became known in the village that the priest, whose whole body was skinned, was dying. The Eastern Slavs also believed that a witch can change her appearance twelve times in an instant, and then turn back into a woman.Sorcerers and witches turn around when they need it, and they can return to their human form at any time. Usually transformations are carried out at night. “Turn around”, that is, turn into an animal or an inanimate object, often literally meant “turn over”, that is, roll over through a conditional line in the form of one or another object installed in a certain place, which in the mythological system of space distribution correlated with the concept of the border between the worlds . To transform into an animal or object, the sorcerer and witch tumble, somersault through one or more knives stuck in the ground underground, or into a smoothly felled stump in the forest. Among the objects through which the werewolves tumbled, hoops, a yoke and some others are also mentioned in mythological stories. You could also change your appearance by throwing a bast belt over yourself. In order to return to his human form back, the werewolf had to run from the opposite side of the border and somersault back through it. But if during the stay of a person in the form of an animal someone takes away and takes away a knife or a similar boundary object, then he will forever remain a wolf. Here is how a mythological story recorded in the Angara region tells about such a case:
There lived a man and a woman. And every night the peasant would leave somewhere, and in the morning he would turn back home. Here the daughter says: “Mother, I will find out where the father is going.” Once the old man went straight into the forest, and his daughter followed him. Here the old man stopped, and his daughter was buried behind a bush. The old man took off his cross, put it on one stump, then took off his knife and belt and put it behind the block, then walked away a little, but from running straight through the block and turned somersaults. The girl is looking - the old man is no longer there, but in his place is the mother bear. Then she got frightened and ran home, and in a hurry she grabbed Tyatkin and the cross, and the knife, and the strap. She ran to wash, threw everything into the stove. The next morning the old man should be home, but he is not. And he went up to the deck, rolled over, shtob an old man who turned around, broke everything in his back and legs. I looked, there is no property. And so he roared. The goals of the transformation of sorcerers and witches are selfish: for example, to penetrate unnoticed into someone else's yard or to guard the neighbor's cattle. So, in the Vologda bylichka, the sorceress turns into a wolf to drive away the sheep. Often, the "knowing" turn into animals or birds in order to hide from their pursuers or deceive them, just to cross a distant space. Even in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign" it is mentioned how Prince Vseslav "prowls like a wolf in the night", overcoming great distances. The epic sorceress Marina Ignatievna turns into a magpie to get from her chamber to the shore of the distant "Turkish Sea". The Arkhangelsk bylichka tells of a merchant who, fearing that he will be robbed by robbers, turns into a bear and runs straight through forests and swamps. In a mythological story recorded in the Surgut region, a werewolf-merchant "walks like burbot" in the river, looking for fish. Burbot is caught by a man, but thanks to the fisherman's wife he manages to slip into the water. After some time, the fisherman goes to the city, and there, in the bazaar, he meets an unfamiliar merchant who invites him to visit, generously treats him and gives gifts for his wife:
“Brother, please take a gift from me to your wife that I will give you.” And here he began to put aside various materials for the peasant - both silk, and satin, and lace, and various necklaces, and earrings, and rings. Then the peasant could not stand it and asked the merchant: “Please tell me who you will be and why you my wife? - “That's why I give it,” the merchant answered. - Do you remember, just in the winter you got a seasoned burbot and ordered your wife to cook an ear out of it, but she did not listen to you? I walked late in the river, lagged behind my comrades and stumbled upon an oud, and thanks to your wife, otherwise I would have been in my ear, and for this a gift to her. ”After that, the peasant asks:“ Why do you go burbot? - “But you see, brother, we hunt fish on the sands, so we go to find out where the fish stops more, and we do fishing there.” Then the man realized that there was a werewolf in front of him, took gifts as soon as possible - and went home. Changing their appearance, sorcerers and witches try to attack their enemy, remaining unidentified, frighten people, seek to harm them, "confuse" and confuse them, lead them off-road, spoil, etc. In mythological stories, the witch mother is often in the form of a pig or a dog, he pursues his son in order not to let him go on a date with a girl who turned out to be not to her liking, and to destroy their relationship.
Congenital werewolf
Another type of werewolves are people who are born into werewolves. They were usually considered children conceived by parents on days that, according to the prescriptions of tradition, were forbidden for sexual intercourse. So, in the Volyn province, it was believed that those conceived before Easter would definitely become werewolves. Suffering for the sins of their parents, at the appointed hour - usually at night - they involuntarily turn into wolves. This transformation is very painful for them and is accompanied by strong groans. In the Zhytomyr region, it was believed that as a predetermined fate, werewolf threatens children born from the relationship of a woman and a wolf. In the Russian North, they believed that children cursed by their parents become werewolves. Gomel peasants told about the transformation into a werewolf of the one who committed the crime.According to mythological stories, the marriage of such werewolves usually ends in disaster for their spouses, who, as a rule, are bitten by them. Werewolves of this origin, like witches with sorcerers, can be in the form of wolves after death, since, in addition to their souls, they also have a “spirit” that gives them the opportunity to be ghouls.
Werewolves under duress
And finally, the third type of werewolves are ordinary people turned into animals by sorcerers. Werewolf is committed with the aim of punishing a person for the offense and settling scores with him. In one of the stories, a witch turns a guy who rejected her love into a wolf; in the other, the mother-in-law "lets out the wolf" of her objectionable son-in-law; in the third, the sorceress takes revenge on her neighbor for the offense by wrapping him at night in a horse and riding him. There are widespread stories among Russians about how a sorcerer or witch turns an entire wedding into wolves or bears. In mythological stories, the transformation of a person into a werewolf sometimes acts as a punishment for disrespecting parents: There lived a grandfather and grandmother. They had a single son. So he squeezed them, squeezed them, didn’t give them for nothing. He had old people naked, hungry, barefoot. Here the old man is dead, the old woman is sitting on the parade ground. And the son goes to the hut with a shovel, and she will say:
Why, son, are you taking a spatula? And he says:
I’ll bury my father in the garden, I need a lot of priests, and without a priest it will rot.
Then the old woman howled, and said:
- I would rather give birth to a wolf than such a son; father, like a dog, wants to bury.
As soon as she said this, the son became a wolf, his tail was tucked in, and he ran into the forest. How long did he live in the forest, how short, but only did not eat meat. He will tear up the sheepskin, and look where the shepherds baked potatoes, and fry the meat on those coals. He knew that, like raw meat, he would forever remain a wolf. He came running once at night in the winter, lay down under the fetus, lies, trembling all over. A kind man walked past, he sees: the dog lies, trembles, and does not bark. He took off his caftan and covered the wolf. As the caftan of tselovets fell on him, he became a man again. He came home, bowed at his mother's feet. Well, mother, you know, forgave. And now he lives, but who - I will not say.
The effect of the magic charms of the "knowing" on the victim is achieved in different ways. According to popular beliefs, a sorcerer or witch throws an animal skin, ribbon or belt on a person, or beats him with his stick. Another technique is also known: a twisted belt is placed under the threshold of the hut, and the one who enters it becomes a werewolf. In Novgorod, it was believed that a witch, in order to wrap the bride and groom with wolves, throws a ball of yarn under the horses' hooves. According to some mythological stories, in order to cause damage, a witch dug up the road along which the wedding was supposed to pass with a small ditch, and when the train crossed this recess, the horses fell dead, and people turned into wild animals.
Sometimes, when wrapping a person, the period of his stay in the form of an animal is determined - up to several years - after which the victim regains a human form. Unlike sorcerers and witches, bonded werewolves cannot freely change their appearance. Only under special conditions can a person turned into a wolf by witchcraft regain his former appearance: if the magic belt with which he is girded frays, bursts or is torn apart by someone.
Werewolves under duress, as well as those who are them from birth, retain a human mind. The people believed that a werewolf could be distinguished from an ordinary animal or bird. So, a werewolf, unlike a wolf, has a white stripe on his neck, and a werewolf in the form of a magpie does not have a tail. Kaluga peasants believed that the Volkolak was easy to recognize, since his "hind legs have knees forward, like a man, and not back, like a wolf." Belarusian beliefs say that a werewolf has a human shadow and he always runs alone. In the Smolensk region, it was said that if a werewolf leans over water, then a human appearance will be reflected in it. All Eastern Slavs had the idea that under the skin of a killed werewolf there would certainly be the remains of decayed clothes, wedding jewelry, beads, etc. man. But the second time the peasant kills the wolf and finds under his skin a man in a red shirt. Often in mythological stories it is told that werewolves do not eat raw meat of an animal killed by a wolf pack, but only roast their share on fire. According to Russian beliefs, if a werewolf eats raw meat, he will remain in the form of an animal forever. In the Chernihiv region, it was generally believed that a werewolf does not eat his prey, but only strangles.
During their forced wanderings, werewolves always keep to the leeward side of real wolves, fearing that they would not attack them. According to popular beliefs, werewolves never attack a person and do not touch livestock. Necessity forces them to eat whatever they can, but for the most part they try to get bread and meat food by penetrating the cellars. Many peasants, noticing the loss of food, usually attribute this to the Volkolaks and remain in this belief unless they happen to find the culprit of the loss. Sometimes, yearning for human life, werewolves come under the windows of their native hut and howl plaintively, wanting to see their relatives. Relatives sometimes recognize in the wolf their missing household member:
This werewolf got into the habit of walking under the barn and lying there. His family thought: “Isn’t this our heart?” - and put on the place where he lay at night, a slice of bread. In the morning they looked, but there was no slice: it was eaten. The next night they put more bread, and he ate it. So they fed him until he turned back into a man. Seven years passed, his wolf skin cracked and all jumped off: he became a man. The cross, as it was on his neck, remained, and a piece of gray wool against the heart.
Most of the werewolves are the young hosts and guests of the wedding, spoiled by sorcerers for not showing them respect. After such a misfortune, it is usually necessary to look for a medicine man who can turn them back into people.
Any person can save a werewolf from an animal appearance if he takes off his belt, ties several knots on it, each time saying: “Lord, have mercy,” and then girds a wolf-kolak with it. You can also just throw human clothes or a regular cloth over the werewolf. Then, according to legend, the wolf skin will fall off and an ordinary person will appear from it. Other ways to disenchant a werewolf are to feed him "blessed food", bread, or, upon meeting him, call him by a human name. The acquisition of a human form could also occur by itself after the expiration of the spell - from 9 days to a year or 3, 7, 9, 12 years. However, as the Ukrainians believed, there was a danger for the werewolf victim: if the sorcerer dies before the expiration date of the spell, then the person will remain a wolf for life.
According to folk beliefs and mythological stories, during the reverse transformation, the werewolf retains the signs of a werewolf: he is naked, cannot speak like a human. The final return to the world of people and the acquisition of human characteristics occurs when he, who has returned from the natural world, is introduced to cultural phenomena: when putting on clothes, eating human food, washing in a bath; at the sound of a bell. Violation of the conditions for the reverse transformation threatened that a person could have a tail. The motif of the transformation of an animal-like monster into a beautiful prince is characteristic of a fairy tale, where the kiss of his beloved returns the human form to the hero.
Amulets that could protect a person from turning into a werewolf, according to popular belief, practically do not exist. Protective measures, especially during the wedding, included inviting the sorcerer to the wedding feast and plentiful treats to him. In addition, for the wedding ceremony, the friends tried to choose a person who knows special spells and amulets.
Transformation
The nature of the transformation differs from myth to myth, from work to work. One of the forms can be considered primary or natural. Often, true werewolves have more control over their form and can transfer at any time or with less effort, especially if all forms are equal. It happens that between the forms of a man and an animal there are intermediate anthropomorphic ones, or a werewolf can turn partially - for example, turn only the head, grow a tail.Werewolves may have trouble transforming into an animal or returning to their true form. The transformation can be triggered involuntarily under certain conditions (for example, on a full moon or out of rage) or require an effort of will. Sometimes the transformation requires special actions, such as knocking on the ground or somersaulting over a stump in which a knife is stuck. If these actions cannot be performed (for example, the knife is stolen), the werewolf is stuck in one form. There are many beliefs about how such transformations are removed - with magical herbs, prayers, deeds, the kiss of a beautiful lady ...
Transformation options:
Anatomical: the organs of the body temporarily become elastic and take on a new shape.
Monstrous: The transformation is painful, such as a werewolf "turning its skin inside out" or bones breaking before being healed in a new way.
Magical: One form is simply replaced by another, often in a magical glow or invisible to the eye.
In addition to transforming from human to beast and beast to human, a werewolf may undergo a gradual transformation over the years. From the first transformation or becoming a werewolf, animal nature can change the features of a person, making him more like the corresponding animal. Sometimes these are quite human features, such as the grace of cat werewolves, sometimes they are serious (a fused eyebrow, hairiness) or even inhuman (tail, fangs), by which a werewolf can be distinguished from ordinary people. Often werewolves, even true ones, become capable of turning into adulthood or after puberty. Others are born with the marks of the beast - traits of animals.
Ways to protect against werewolves
Newlyweds and wedding trains were always guarded by a specially invited sorcerer - a polite man and friend, "the groom's best man", called the "wolf" in the south.It was possible to protect oneself from a werewolf (first of all - from a werewolf-sorcerer) by hitting him backhand, crippling (injuring a werewolf, shoeing a witch-horse).
The "serpent ax" (the ax that killed the snake) protected from werewolves.
If you steal the clothes of the sorcerer or the object through which he turned around, then the werewolf will not be able to take on human form.
So that the werewolf would not become a ghoul after death, his heel tendons were cut, and his eyes (or mouth) were clamped with coins.
An image similar to a werewolf, a wolfman, a werewolf exists in the beliefs of many peoples (English Beowulf, German Werewolf, etc.). Belief in volkolaks dates back to an era when it was possible to represent a person in the form of a beast and when people, being in constant communication with animals, were able, according to a proverb, to howl like a wolf with wolves: strange as it may seem, but the chroniclers really attributed this art to some persons. So, in the Laurentian Chronicle we read: “... and as if it was midnight, and Bonyak got up and departed from the howl, and began to howl like a wolf, and the wolf rose to him, and began to howl howl many.”
One way or another, the idea that a man or a woman can be under the skin of a wolf reflected the belief in the kinship and unity of all living things: here the wolf is the “owner” of the forest, animals and at the same time the “senior” relative, patron, ancestor of man, “strong » sorcerer, wolf-sorcerer. Man, in turn, is a “transformed wolf”, who (especially the sorcerer) draws strength from this kinship, and at critical moments of life can again become a wolf.
In medicine
Clinical lycanthropy
Clinical lycanthropy is a psychosis in which a person seems to be turning into a beast or is one. This rather rare condition is considered to be a peculiar expression of a psychotic episode due to another mental disorder such as schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder (manic depressive syndrome) or clinical depression. Most often, wolves are found as an animal, but there are various other options - cats, horses, birds, frogs, and so on. In some cases, it is not possible to determine which animal the patient presents himself to. Clinical lycanthropy has been known since ancient times. There are references in ancient mythology and the Bible. People identified themselves with animals that lived nearby - somewhere they were wolves, somewhere tigers, bears, lions, crocodiles.One 28-year-old killer, who suffered from paranoia, schizophrenia and lycanthropy, described his illness in this way [:
When I'm upset, I feel like I'm turning into someone else; my fingers numb, as if pins and needles were stuck in my palm; I'm losing control of myself... I feel like I'm turning into a wolf. I look at myself in the mirror and see the process of transformation. My face is no longer mine, it is completely transformed. I stare intently, my pupils dilate, and I feel like I'm growing hair all over my body and my teeth are getting longer.
A 1988 study suggested that the diagnosis of lycanthropy should be based on the following criteria:
The patient himself tells in moments of enlightenment that he sometimes feels or felt that he is a beast.
The patient behaves quite animalistically, such as howling, barking, or crawling on all fours.
Fedor Adrianovich Evtishchev, a patient with hypertrichosis, a showman in the Russian Empire. There is an opinion that it was he who served as the prototype for Chewbacca.
Hypertrichosis
Hypertrichosis - excessive general or local hair growth of a congenital or acquired nature, as well as the growth of excessively long, thick hair in unusual places and inconsistent with sex and age. Vellus hair can grow in excess, covering the entire body with a colorless fluff or terminal (long, thick, pigmented). Does not pose a danger to life.
Fedor Adrianovich Evtishchev, a patient with hypertrichosis, a showman in the Russian Empire.
There is an opinion that it was he who served as the prototype for Chewbacca.
Some researchers believe that the myths about werewolves owe their origin to these diseases.
Traditions about the werewolf exist in the beliefs of almost all peoples and cultures. Phobias associated with belief in werewolves reached their apogee at the end of the Middle Ages, when werewolves were directly identified with heresy, Satanism and witchcraft, and the figure of a wolfman was the main theme of various "Hammers of the Witches" and other theological instructions of the Inquisition (for example, "De lamiis et Phitonicis milieribus" by Ulrich Molitor).
Werewolf, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, wrapper, overtuner, wrapper - an object, a creature that has turned (wrapped) into a person, or, conversely, a person who has turned, turned into someone, into something -or; witch.
wrapper, turnover- witch, sorceress; werewolf.
“Overtysh was a raven” [from a fairy tale] (Murm.); “Here the man realized that he was in front of a werewolf” (Surgut.); "The witch is the same werewolf"; “A werewolf rushes across the road”; "The drunk and the werewolf make fun"<Даль, 1881>; “The turnover seems to be running around the yards at night, milking cows” (Perm.); “The service took the werewolf, put him on the threshold and demanded an ax” (Kursk).
In beliefs, goblin and water devils are endowed with the ability to shapeshift, but most often sorcerers, witches, as well as people wrapped in animals by sorcerers and witches (see Volkodlak) are called werewolves.
“In flowing waters and especially often“ in the pools ”(deep places) there are werewolves in the form of fish; at the same time, they usually “stand on the water”, that is, they meet the water with their tail ”(Vlad.); “Werewolves are a special breed of people. Men often turn into a bear, and women into a pig ”(Surgut.). A werewolf turns into a pig, less often into a wolf, more often among them there are female pigs who “just walk the streets at night, frightening the baptized people” (Vyatsk.).
“The people believe in the transformation of people into bears, magpies and other animals and confirm their faith to experienced people for centuries” (Arch.). Werewolves - men and women "who know the black book and with the help of evil spirits can turn into different animals"; they say that a witch “is always a werewolf and can appear in different forms. So, they say that they saw a pig running around the village for a long time, in the evenings, which they were going to kill several times, but when they saw the people, they ran away somewhere into a remote corner and disappeared instantly. Several years ago, it was as if they saw a barrel at night that swept through the whole village and also disappeared: all these werewitches-werewolves ”(Sarat.)<Минх, 1890>. A witch turning into a cow, into a goat (yamana), into a pig, in some places is called a werewolf (Zabayk.); a werewolf rolls up in a ball, a patch of hay, a clod of snow, a sheepskin, turns into a stone, a ball of thread, a bunch of tow, into a dog, an owl, a rooster, a hedgehog<Даль, 1880>.
“Werewolves come in two varieties: one free, the other bonded. A free werewolf is one who by himself, by his own will, turns into some kind of beast in order to accidentally frighten people and rob them when they are frightened. A bonded werewolf is one whom someone turns into a beast out of anger, so that he wanders and recognizes his need. Bonded werewolves are safe, pity is similar ... But those who, by themselves, for the sake of self-interest, embark on these things, those, of course, it’s not a sin to kill - that’s the way to go ”(Ural.)<Железнов, 1910>.
The most common forms of transformations of "actually werewolves" are a wolf, a bear (sorcerers); a pig, a horse, a bird, smoke, a wheel, a haystack (witches), as well as a wolf, a bear, a horse (for those who are wrapped in sorcerers).
Sometimes werewolves are called children exchanged, replaced by evil spirits: a werewolf is a firebrand turned into a child by a devil (Kursk).
Belief in werewolves and werewolves was strong both in ancient, medieval Russia, and in Russia in the 18th-19th centuries. In the XVIII century. V. N. Tatishchev noted that belief in the transformation of a person into a bear, a magpie, smoke is “firmly held” and “between meanness and between reckless nobles.” “Cases of turning people into animals and trees are still considered quite possible and not uncommon among the Vologda people,” he wrote at the end of the 19th century. N. Ivanitsky. - Frogs are everywhere recognized as converted people, in many places and bears. In general, people most often turn into wolves ”(Volog.). The belief that the bear is a transformed (damned) person is still held by some residents of the Novgorod region.
“Turn around”, “turn around” (turn) often literally meant “turn over”, that is, roll over, “throw over oneself” or over a conditional border. According to beliefs, jumping over a knife (over twelve knives, twelve knives in the underground - Surgut.), A rope, a rocker, a tree branch, a stump, a fire on a stove hearth or simply - “against the sun” (Pech.), A person could become a beast, bird.
“To become a werewolf, you need to throw yourself over twelve knives set up with sharp ends, and at the same time use well-known conspiracies” (Nizhegor.); werewolves "as the people believe<…>at midnight they tumble three times through the fire on the stove hearth, with twelve knives and forks between their fingers, after which they fly out into the chimney as a magpie and, at will, become a bird or other animal ”(Sarat.); “If a tree falls down, then you don’t need to leave the core on the stump, because otherwise, if a person familiar with magic jumps over such a stump, then he becomes a bear” (Yenis.).
“Turning around”, the sorcerer and witch, as it were, turn over with that side of their being, which is attached to the higher forces of the world, to revered animals, birds, fish - “ancestors, relatives and patrons” of a person. In stories about werewolves, the line between man and beast is a narrow strip of a knife, rope, branch, in fact, it passes through the werewolf himself: he is both a man and an animal, a bird at the same time.
The witch is especially prone to shapeshifting, metamorphoses, which easily turns not only into birds and animals, but also into various objects, elements, which at the same time become “alive” (although usually these are certain objects that are significant for the peasant economy - a needle, a ball, heap of hay, etc.).
This ability to almost universal shape-shifting apparently reflects a long-standing idea of the world as an arena of eternal metamorphosis, the transformation of one form into another.<Штернберг, 1936>, where even inanimate objects - "living", can become people (and vice versa), and death is not destruction, but the transition "to another plane" of being, turning into an animal, bird, plant, tree. "The dead have the ability to turn around and, thanks to this ability, overcome the difficulties that the grave mound poses." “Ever since the mind of a primitive man had a sense that a man like him could turn into various objects and beings, the most important questions that life and nature posed were resolved for him. He understood the life of nature, the genesis of things and the mystery of the afterlife of man.<Смирнов, 1890>.
Sometimes the movement-transformation of the kidnapped or cursed is also understood as a moral rebirth. Having drowned, but continuing to “live” under water, the evil wife and the robber-son become so kind, good, that the husband and father who got to them cannot believe their eyes: ““Tell me, what does it all mean? After all, I drowned you. Why are you so affectionate? "-" Because the little goblin took me away from my mother during sleep and raised me, he taught me to be rude to you. He taught you to throw me into the water. If you had not come, we would have suffered forever, but you came, so we will live happily "" (Moscow).
Belief in werewolfism reflected ideas about the unity of the world, the interdependence of all things, which (naturally, not in the form of a coherent theory) can be traced in rituals, and in fairy tales, and in the beliefs of Russian peasants.
In the central, northwestern and northeastern regions of Russia, a werewolf is often referred to as a “wolf man” (less commonly, a “bear man”) (turning around usually occurs during a wedding) (see Volkodlak). Compare: “People were turned into a wolf or a bear once upon a time, when there were strong sorcerers; however, there is a belief that even now “in the zyryans” there are still such sorcerers that they can “turn a person into a wolf”, more werewolves are produced at weddings ...<…>. Werewolves live in the forest with other wolves, like real ones, but if you kill a werewolf and tear off his skin, then there will be a naked person; it is very rare to kill a werewolf, and then only to an “expert” (who knows something about witchcraft), because a werewolf is very cunning and evasive” (Volog.)<АМЭ>.
Animals, werewolf birds were distinguished by unusual behavior, less often by some features in their appearance (a white stripe on the neck of a wolf; the white color of its skin (Arch., Sib.); the absence of a tail in a magpie, etc.).
“In the winter, there was a very big wedding. And with the help of an evil man, this wedding was turned into wolves. And this wedding ran away, disappeared without a trace. At one fine time, in the cold, this wedding appeared to people. And these wolves came under the porch, under the corridor. And the bride keeps closer and closer to the groom, everything is a couple, she clings to him. And the woman heard about it and began to give them bread. Well, the peasants, of course, had bread with a cross (blessed. - M.V.) and butter with a cross. She began to throw bread and butter to them, to these wolves ”(Novg.) (one of the ways to disenchant a werewolf is feeding blessed food. - M.V.; for other methods, see Volkodlak).
It was possible to protect yourself from a werewolf (first of all, from a werewolf-sorcerer, witch) by hitting him backhand, crippling (cutting off the ear of a werewolf pig, shoeing a witch-horse) (see Witch, Sorcerer). “... One old woman told that when she happened to walk through the village one night, on the way she met a big black dog. The old woman wanted to protect herself from her with her stick, but the dog said: “Go, go your own way: they won’t cover it up” (Kaluzh.).
The "serpent ax" (the ax that killed the snake) protected from werewolves.
They also believed that if you steal the object with which the transformation took place (for example, a knife), or the clothes of a sorcerer, then he will not be able to turn into a man again.
Wrapping is itself a witchcraft act. In the stories about werewolves (XIX-XX centuries), they can simply prowl as an animal or fly as a bird, sometimes, however, with specific goals - to spoil a person, guard (or, on the contrary, destroy) livestock, scout fishing areas: werewolves bite the people or completely seize people (Sarat. and others).
The most insidious actions of werewolves (not always called so) include inducing damage and epidemics: “Being sure that all misfortunes, especially bestial cases, are caused by some heretic or warlock, who, according to ancient legend, often turn into four-legged animals for causing harm to people, peasant women, when plowing the land, fiercely beat the one who comes across, who is mistaken for a werewolf or for death itself ”(Kaluzh.)<Ляметри, 1862>.
In a story from the Vologda province, a sorceress turns around through a yoke to drive away the sheep; the girl turns into a goat and runs away from her unloved husband (Smol.).
In a bylichka in the Arkhangelsk province, a merchant, fearing to be robbed, goes to the fair as a bear; in this guise he was killed - under the skin of a dead bear, a werewolf is found, a man dressed in a vest and trousers, with several thousand money in his pocket<Ефименко, 1877>.
In a story recorded in the Surgut region, a werewolf merchant “walks in burbot”, looking for fish in the river. Burbot is caught, but thanks to the fisherman's wife he manages to slip back into the river. Soon after this, a fisherman who arrived in the city meets an unfamiliar merchant at the market, who calls him to visit, treats him and asks him to give gifts to his wife: “... the merchant says to the peasant:“ Take, brother, please, take a gift from me to your wife I will give you". And here he began to lay aside different materials for the peasant - both silk, and satin, and lace, and various necklaces, and earrings, and rings ... Then the peasant could not stand it and asked the merchant: “Tell me, please, who you will be and why you Give my wife as a gift?” “That's why I'm giving her,” answered the merchant. - Do you remember, just in the winter you got a seasoned burbot and ordered your wife to cook an ear out of it, but she did not listen to you? I walked late in the river, lagged behind my comrades and stumbled upon an ud, and thanks to your wife, otherwise it would be in my ear, and for that she got a present ... "After that, the peasant asks:" Why do you go burbot? - “But you see, brother, we hunt fish on the sands, so we go to find out where the fish stop more, we do fishing there ...” Then the man realized that he was in front of a werewolf, took the gifts as soon as possible and went home ”(plots have a similar development , recorded in the Olonets province, in the Novgorod region).
Among the Russian peasants of the XX century. Belief in werewolves is generally fading, although tales of werewolves - bears and wolves - are still popular in some parts of Russia. An interesting transformation of the theme of werewolves is found in the story written by I. V. Karnaukhova in the Russian North about one of the heroes of the Civil War, "famous" for his cruelty: in this story, the partisan commander acts as a werewolf, a ghoul that destroys people<Карнаухова, 1934>.
werewolf animal form
Alternative descriptionsconstellation of the southern hemisphere
Predator of the canine family
Carnivorous mammal of the wolf family
Russian cosmonaut
Constellation
. "Hungry like..." (proverb)
. "Work is not ..., it will not run away into the forest"
. "Nurseman" whose feet feed
. "Tambovsky... you comrade!"
. "I'm an evil and scary gray..."
. "it's the lamb's fault that... it's hungry"
. "blame the lamb that ... is hungry" (last)
. "and the mosquito will knock down the horse, if ... help" (last)
. "forest orderly" in a gray "robe"
. "grayish, toothy, prowling around the field, looking for calves, lambs" (riddle)
. "It's bad for the sheep, where ... in the shepherds" (last)
. (colloquial) one who has experienced a lot, accustomed to hardships, dangers, experienced in any business
. (grey wolf) carnivorous mammal of the wolf family
Ig. (born 1937) Russian pilot, cosmonaut
Akela as a beast
grandma with big teeth
Running comparison with work
Free fabulous forest taxi
Knows a lot about piglets
Howling at the moon
Little Red Riding Hood's Enemy
hare enemy
Enemy of the seven kids
Enemy of the Three Little Pigs
The hero of the popular cartoon, constantly asking for "wait a minute"
Hero asking for "wait"
wild relative of the dog
A wild carnivorous animal of the canine family, usually gray in color
Don't go to the forest to be afraid of him
His feet are fed
His tail in the river is frozen
Hare scared
Beast in sheep's clothing
Animal looking into the forest
The beast whose tail the superstitious carry with them to protect themselves from disease
Each of those who set the chariot of Mars in motion
What animal is called gray
Which cartoon character said the phrase: "I'll sing right now!"
What predator became a symbol of Mars among medieval astrologers
Coyote is a meadow...
USSR cosmonaut
Cosmonaut with a "predatory" surname
Shouted ... "Well, wait a minute!"
Who in Russian fairy tales most often plays the role of a simpleton, a "gray fool"
Who said: "I'll sing right now!"
Who helped Ivan Tsarevich save Elena the beautiful
Who asked to "wait"
Forest taxi for Ivan Tsarevich
Forest "orderly"
forest predator
M. a predatory beast of a canine genus, positive signs barely distinguishable from a dog, Canis Lupus; southern vovk, novg. lykas (Greek?), east. Tatar biryuk, joking. auk, grey, sheepdog; own beast. Red wolf, Canis alpinus, in the mountains southeast. Siberia, in everything similar to ours, but the hair is like a fox, the tail is shaggy. The wolf slaughtered the cow, the bear lifted it up, the babr carried it away. They beat the wolf not for being gray, but for eating the sheep. Feet feed the wolf. What the wolf has in its teeth, George gave. No matter how you feed the wolf, he keeps looking into the forest. A fed wolf, a healed horse, a baptized Jew, and a reconciled enemy are equally reliable. Become a sheep, and the wolves are ready. Howl to you like a wolf for your sheep's simplicity. The wolf had one song and they adopted it. yawn So be it, howl with the wolves. Either howl with the wolves, or be eaten. To be afraid of the wolf, and not to go into the forest. There are wolves in our peg. Believe in the wolf in toroki, killed. There is a fur coat on the wolf, but sewn on. The shepherds steal, and the wolf is slandered. The engagement is on the wolf, and the shepherds are naughty. Speak to the wolf, speak to the wolf, about the truth. You can't fill a wolf's belly with hay, that's how it was created. Know the wolf in sheep's clothing. it happens that a sheep eats a wolf, about a lie, slander. Bring the wolf to the withers. A well-fed wolf is more meek than an insatiable man. Already the wolf has washed, and the kochetok has sung, it is getting light. It is inconvenient for a wolf and a fox to trade, strength and cunning; from a fairytale. Swapped a serk for a wolf. Starve the wolf, gourmet fox. Neither wolf nor dog. Do not poke your nose into wolves with a dog (dog) tail. Who was born a wolf, he will not be a fox. Not all that is gray is a wolf. How to let a wolf into a barn. Summoned the wolf from the peg. I would say a word, but the wolf is not far away. Who believes that the wolf tends the sheep? Don't put your finger in the wolf's mouth. The wolf was put in the shepherds. The wolf catches the fatal sheep. The wolf steals and the counted sheep. It was (will be) a wolf at the withers. He left the wolf and attacked the bear. Fun for the wolf, how not to hear the race (head) behind you. Fun to the wolf, as they drive on the peg. The wolf has hired himself as a shepherd, he says: how to be, it is necessary to serve. Do not call a wolf to help dogs, an enemy to a friend. Happiness is like a wolf: he will deceive, he will go into the forest. To lend money, and the wolf will be the guarantee. The wife sings, and the husband howls like a wolf. Howl like a wolf. He looks like a wolf at a body. Understand wolf tears. Believe in wolf tears. He looks like a wolf, unreliable. They beat the wolf in someone else's peg; on a wolf, according to the general law, hunting is always and everywhere permitted. The wolf dragged and dragged the wolf. Here they carry the wolf, but how they carry the wolf! The wolf catches, and the wolf is caught. The wolf also catches, until the wolf is caught. After us, at least the wolf eat grass. If the horse is not mine, then eat the wolf! the wolves are full and the sheep are safe. Not the first winter for the wolf to spend the winter. For me, God is with you, even though the howl of a wolf. He poisons the wolf with someone else's dog, but saves his own. The spinning top is running, the barrel is snatched? stalls. Is there a wolf, a scorched side? barrier. The wolf will cross the road fortunately. A girl with full buckets, a Jew, a wolf, a bear, a good meeting; empty buckets, pop, monk, fox, hare, squirrel for worse. Sheep with wolves live badly. Remember the wolf, and the wolf is here. Light wolf in sight. I would feed the wolf if I ate grass. the sick wolf will become the size of a sheep. Wolves under the village (in winter), to hunger, crop failure. They caught a wolf in Volosatovo, dragged a wolf through Lobkovo, through Glazkovo, through Noskovo, through Rotkovo, killed a wolf in Nogtevo, louse. * The person is gloomy, unsociable, wolfish; unreliable, who looks into the forest. Projectile for clean bashing and breaking wool; heck. A kind of wicked skin disease similar to cancer. Several folk games bear this name: wolf and geese, wolf and sheep, etc.; in the first, the wolf stands on its side, and the uterus drives out the geese and the wolf catches them; she is like a kite game; in the second, the queen goes to market and the wolf steals the sheep. Sea wolf Chernomorsk. predatory fish Hiphiasgladius, scientists have sharp-snouted and saberfish; akin to mackerel. She-wolf wolf female. She-wolf wolf hole, lair, nest with young ones. Wolf cf. wolf cub, pl. wolf cubs, wolf puppy, puppy. Volcha. plant Ononis spinosa, bovine tongue. A top, a small, bad wolf, but not a wolf cub. Cuff, a cross between a wolf and a dog. Volkolis, a cross between a wolf and a fox. To wolf, hunt for wolves, esp. with a gun at night, with a pig, or on a bait. Wolf, referring to a wolf or wolves belonging to. wolf teeth, and a fox tail. These are wolf tears, feigned. You will laugh like a wolf, or with a wolf voice. The wolf's mouth, but the priest's eyes, are insatiable. A wolf's tooth and out by the roots, ugly, out of place. wolves live like a wolf howl. Wolf ticket, folk. a six-month reprieve given to criminals sentenced to exile who are disowned by society. A wolf cage, a trap, a double wattle fence or a palisade, a ring where the wolf cannot turn around, and he keeps circling, locking the door behind him. Made from wolf skin or fur. Wolf pit, wolf pit a pit covered with brushwood, with a bait on a pole, for catching wolves. Military wolf pits, rows of round pits, in front of the fortifications, apart, to impede the attack. Volkovnya? heraldic figure, crescent, with a ring in the middle. Wolf's eye, a stone from the genus of simple opals. Wolf tooth6, crumbled from the edge, and therefore sharp, the tooth of a horse; odd tooth, sometimes growing in humans and animals out of place, for example. in the middle of the sky, interfering with food. Wolfgrass, fern; see susak. Wolf eyes. see cup. Wolf food, full, scold the horse, cattle. Wolf root, plant. Aconite Lucoctonum, large covered. Wolf laurel, Daphne Laureola plant. Wolf pepper, wolf's bast, plant. Daphne Mezereum, powder. Wolfberry, crow, Paris qvadrifolia plant, stretcher, native, raven, raven eye. Wolf, wolf skin, wolf fur, fur coat. Volchina wolf meat; m. arrogant and cunning person. Volchisto, ver. adv. many wolves (Shane). Volchnyak m. olon. white plant. Volchec, the common name for thorny weeds; Carduus, thistle, thistle, Tsar Murat, Tatar, sow thistle, burdock, burdock, Mordvin; crispus, red sow thistle, wasteland; nutans, generous burdock, repyak, grandfather, dedovnik, tatarnik, red bodyak. Cirsium, thistle, needlewort, buttonhole, and the same names. like Carduus; Cirsium arvense, sow thistle, sickle, etc. lanseolatum, dedovnik, vakhlachka, pork turn, sorrel; legasseum, grandfather; palustre, Mordvinnik, etc. A fossil consisting of oxidized iron and thistle, Shele metal (the name of the finder) or tungsten. Thistle, relating to a plant, or to a fossil, to a metal, thistle. Wolf cub m. a hunter engaged in catching or fighting wolves. Volchan m. plant Lipinus, lupin, transfer. Wolfboy m. hunter, beating wolves from a horse with a flail. Rusten. Asonitum Napellus, wrestler, ranunculus, covered, erroneous. prigrid and hogweed. Volkovoi, howler, hunter calling wolves, imitating their howl. Volkogon m. a hound dog that chases a wolf, a wolfhound m. a greyhound or other dog that takes a wolf and with which they poison wolves. The wolfhound is right, but the cannibal is not. Volkodlak is old. vovkulak vol. southern app. (wolf and kudla, that is, wolf hair?) A werewolf, a person turned into a wolf, who then also turns into a dog, cat, monster, bush, stump, etc. According to superstition, witches turn into vovkulak and turn others; belief is common, German. Wehrfwolf, French Loup-garou, etc. It is necessary to find a smoothly cut stump in the forest, stick a knife into it with sentences and turn somersaults through it and become a werewolf; after rummaging with a wolf, one must run from the opposite side of the stump and roll back; if someone takes away the knife, then you will remain a wolf forever. Volkonog (volkhunok, from magic? Or translation), plant. Lycopus europaeus, water shandra. Volkonozhye cf. translation plant Licopodium, club moss, sheep. The wolf will diminish. wolf; wolf's cuff, a cross between a wolf and a dog; a kind of head over heels, with a cavity inside, which, for the amusement of children, is lowered with a rumble to the floor. A projectile launched by swimming into a liquid and determining, by the measure of its immersion, the degree of density of this liquid, for example. vodka, brine, etc. Kavk. a special kind of checkers (sabers), in kindness not much inferior to gourde checkers. The top of the wagon, wagon, more correctly: bolok, drag, drag. Pheliraea ramosa plant, thistle. Lower the root of the plow, on which lies the police. Wild shoot, offspring from the root of a fruit tree. Wolf, plant. Astaea spicata, crowberry
Mammal living in Russia
Folk tale from the collection of Afanasyev
They beat him not because he is gray, but because he ate a sheep
The image of a werewolf at night
One of the gray goat eaters
He receives information about the world around him primarily through the sense of smell.
He offers the hare to wait
Hunter for three pigs and seven kids
Papanov in "Well, you wait!"
According to our ancestors, this predator literally dragged away its prey
Granny and Little Red Riding Hood Eater
dog ancestor
The Three Little Pigs Chaser
A. Chekhov's work
pseudo-grandmother
fur animal
A play by the Russian writer L. Leonov
G. Hesse's story
The story of the American writer D. London "Marine ..."
The role of B. Shcherbakov in the film "Case squared 36-80"
Russian cosmonaut
Nurse in a gray coat
forest orderly
Gray "horse" of Ivan Tsarevich
Gray "comrade" from Tambov
gray beast
Gray from fairy tales
Gray forest "medic"
Gray forest robber
Gray Rogue
Gray Forest Orderly
gray predator
Gray predator on the sheepfold
Gray, and knows a lot about piglets
Symphonic fairy tale by Russian composer S. Prokofiev "Petya and..."
Fairy tale "Peter and ..."
Fairy forest "taxi"
No matter how much you feed him, he still looks into the forest
The dog that went to the partisans
constellation of the southern hemisphere
Ate Little Red Riding Hood
A well-fed caretaker in the forest (last)
Ate Grandma Little Red Riding Hood
Tambov "comrade"
Comrade from Tambov
The one who is fed by the feet
The one whose feet feed
Missed Kolobok
A film by Sergei Nikonenko
Film with D. Nicholson
Predator of the canine family
A predator that "clicks with its teeth"
Predatory wild animal
predatory beast
Predatory and dangerous animal
Man to man
Member of the Tambov Association
Whose words "I know a lot about pigs"
Jackal - in the Caucasus, and with us
Gray "forest orderly"
. "I'm gray ... click teeth!" (new year)
Jackal - in the Caucasus, and here?
Lifespan: up to 300 years
Childhood- 1–13 years; youth - 14–17 years; maturity - 18–100 years; the average age is 101–150; old age - 151–300 years
Language: General
Magic : Necromancy, Elemental Magic, Alchemy
Peculiarities:
Beast Turn
- the animal is ALWAYS the size of a real animal or slightly larger (no horse-sized wolves)
Force- True werewolves are always stronger than converted ones. Since they are born that way, they always develop their potential, while the converts are trying to control themselves, age also plays a role.
Heightened hearing and sense of smell
High regeneration
High pain threshold
True werewolves are capable of partial transformation and the transformation of individual parts
Mandatory conversion on full moon nights (seven days)
Every uncontrollable transformation into a full moon is very painful.
Appeal at will and transformation of individual parts (teeth, claws)
Silver- Wounds caused by silver weapons heal for a long time and painfully.
In the form of a beast, the need for fresh meat every day
Only a true werewolf can turn another creature into a similar one.
Poison from aconite - the only one that has an effect on the werewolf, to the rest - immunity
A little bit about...
The characters of werewolves are as different as those of people, but to a large extent depend, firstly, on the type of werewolf, and secondly, on the nature of the beast whose appearance is taken.
Animal Forms: wolf, tiger, lynx, bear
There are three forms of werewolves:
human form
- always a natural human form, which after some time becomes more and more reminiscent of an animal form (grin, bestial gaze, crouching gait)
hybrid form
- combines both animal and human traits - a straight posture of the body and a human structure, in the presence of animal claws, wool, skull structure and head features, hind limbs and possibly a tail
animal form
- externally identical (or slightly larger) to that of a normal creature of the copied variety; the only visual clue is that the eyes can glow in the dark. A slain werewolf always returns to its natural human form.
Werewolves the race is not numerous and usually they live in clans, with the exception of converts - they are loners. At the head of each clan is a leader (not necessarily a man) and his right hand (life partner or companion).
True werewolves
True werewolves are born only in pure union. When mixing races, a cub is often born with physical defects, sickly and weak - conversion into a beast is not possible.
A true werewolf is able to transform at any time of the day, regardless of the phases of the moon, while he retains full human consciousness and self-control. It has three forms - true (human), hybrid (second form or partial transformation of body parts (claws, eyes, teeth)) and bestial.
Turned Werewolves
You can become a convert in two ways:
- From being bitten by another werewolf
A Turned is a werewolf who has become so after being wounded by another werewolf, after having sex with a werewolf, or as a result of the werewolf's body fluids coming into contact with open wounds. The converted is a slave of the night, the phases of the moon, or his own violent emotions - these are the factors that cause his transformation. If a werewolf is affected by a full moon, his transformation occurs every night three days before, during, and three days after the full moon. The transformation can take place regardless of the moon, at any time of the day - when the Beast, provoked by emotions or otherwise, breaks out. The reverse transformation occurs after the end of the impact of the relevant factors (in the case of a full moon - during the day).
The converted has only two forms - human and hybrid. When reincarnated, he is not able to control himself - he is covered by animal instincts and primitive emotions. Often does not remember what he did in animal form. Every transformation is painful.
With the help of magic
Damned - a person who became a werewolf as a result of an imposed curse, imposed both directly and by pure chance (appropriated a cursed thing, plucked flowers from a cursed grave, etc.) Usually such a curse requires great strength and skill, it cannot be imposed like that, from a floundering bay. Each transformation takes a lot of time (from 5 minutes to an hour) and is painful - the curse itself implies that the victim will experience torment. The conversion occurs both on the full moon and under the influence of strong emotions.
The bite of such a werewolf is not contagious. Prayers, sacred signs are terrifying.
Is it possible to remove the curse?
A convert can be cured by performing an elaborate ritual, only before conversion on his first full moon. Unfortunately, the "recipe" for the ritual has been lost - not a single magician of Talion is able to save the Convert from his curse.
The werewolf is a mythical creature that existed in the legends of almost every nation.
This term refers to a person, spirit or demon that can turn into any animal and vice versa. Although it is generally accepted that werewolves in most cases take the form of wolves.
In this case, the transformation can occur both at the request of a person, and be the result of certain factors: a change in the cycles of the moon, the smell of blood, the howling of animals, and so on.
What are these monsters
Initially, werewolves were called people who can turn into various creatures, and even into inanimate objects with the help of magic and sorcery. In most cases, they were portrayed as some kind of monsters.
For example, among the Greeks, a werewolf is a skinny sorcerer who has a donkey's head and a monkey's tail. Such "shifters" walk the streets on winter nights and scare people. But after the consecration of water, which is held on the feast of the Epiphany, the world is cleansed of these monsters until the next winter.
Different peoples have their own idea of what animals a werewolf turns into. It can be a leopard, a lion, a fox, a bear and even a seal, like "silks" in Celtic mythology.
But still, for most people, a werewolf is associated with a wolf. Such a creature has many names: lycanthrope, werewolf, werewolf, mardagail, viltaki.
It was believed that the transformation from a man into a beast occurs in different ways. If the werewolf is a sorcerer, then he could "put on" the skin of an animal at any time at will. At the same time, he retained his mind, and thought logically in any situation.
If a person was bitten by a monster or a curse was placed on him, then he could transform at any moment without his desire.
In most cases, the transformation took place during the full moon, but it could be provoked not only by the light of the night star, but also by the smell of blood or the howl of another monster.
The process of transformation itself is quite painful, and at this moment the “changeling” is most vulnerable.
After the conversion, the person could not control his instincts, and killed all living things in his path, while he did not remember anything about his "tricks".
The attraction of werewolves
These monsters have many advantages over ordinary people. First of all, they are strong, hardy and fast, just like the beasts they turn into. In addition, these monsters also have other abilities:
- Tissue regeneration. It is believed that werewolves have very fast cell regeneration. Due to this feature, creatures do not age, and are not subject to any diseases.
- Immortality. A werewolf is almost impossible to kill, and the only danger for them is silver, and in cases where the monster is wounded exactly in the heart or brain.
- Cunning and knowledge. These monsters are dangerous because, even while in animal skin, they do not become stupid, and can apply all the knowledge and skills that they had in human form. The monsters can easily outwit the hunters, see the trap from afar and bypass all the traps on their way to the victim.
Such skills make werewolves excellent killing machines. And if we take into account that the "shifters" in the legends had increased bloodthirstiness and ruthlessness, it becomes clear why people felt horror, and at the same time respect for these creatures.
How to become a werewolf
There are many legends about how to learn to turn into an animal. According to beliefs, you can become a werewolf in the following ways:
Apply a special magic spell;
Being bitten or scratched by a werewolf;
Drink a sip of water from a wolf trail, or get drunk from a reservoir used by an animal pack;
Born on Christmas Eve;
Eat the brain or flesh of a wolf;
Wear clothing made from animal skins;
In addition, it was believed that the children of werewolves from birth are able to turn into animals.
In this case, people who have become "shifters" after being bitten or cursed can be cured. But only if they can endure hunger and don't taste human flesh. Then you can perform a purification ritual and save a person.
If the werewolf tasted human flesh, then his soul is cursed, and he will be forced to wear the "animal skin" until his death.
In the mythology of many peoples, it is believed that the curse can be removed by killing the monster that bit the person. In this case, all victims of the werewolf again become normal people.
Myths about werewolves
Why did the wolf become a symbol of werewolves?
For many hundreds of years, this animal has remained quite fantastic. And, despite the fact that his habits were quite studied, people did not stop endowing the wolf with an incredible “devilish” mind and quick wit.
It was believed that the beast could hypnotize a person, and he would lose all will to resist and lose his "talk of speech."
The first legend about the transformation into a wolf appeared in ancient Greece.
Once Zeus decided to visit King Lycaon in the guise of a simple wanderer. But the cruel ruler ordered the traveler to be killed in order to find out if he was a man or a god. As punishment, Zeus destroyed the king's palace and turned him into a wolf for the rest of his life.
So the term "lycanthropy" appeared, meaning the transformation of a person into a beast.
But before, wolves were, albeit fantastic, but quite revered animals.
Many warriors chose this beast as their totem.
According to legend, a man with the "soul" of a wolf had endurance, strength and speed, as well as intelligence, which made him invincible in any battle.
In history, there are many references to tribes that lived in different parts of the world, who considered themselves werewolves.
For example, the Balts had a caste of warriors, who were the servants of the wolf god.
These "werewolves" performed a special ritual before each fight, which included the use of narcotic substances, to be specific - henbane.
Under the influence of the plant, the warriors saw hallucinations about their transformation into wolves, and in the "animal form" went into battle.
With the widespread spread of Christianity, all wolf cults began to be considered pagan, and they were ruthlessly fought against.
The early founding fathers of the church denied any possibility of the existence of any werewolves and lycanthropes. But a little later, Christian preachers changed their minds.
medieval persecution
Later legends about werewolves appeared in the 14th century.
In one of the medieval cities there was a mass attack of dogs on domestic animals. Having found a flock, the townspeople found a wolf in it, which supposedly knows how to turn into a person. Later, the werewolf himself was "established" - one of the residents was accused of lycanthropy.
Under torture, the man "confessed" that he was turning into a wolf and committed several murders. He was, of course, executed, but the story received a lot of publicity. Soon in all cities and villages there was only talk about werewolves.
These rumors were strongly supported by the Inquisition, which gladly began to look not only for witches, but also for "shifters". Many people confessed under torture in the ability to turn into animals. And the number of werewolves burned at the stake is in the hundreds, if not thousands.
The most famous case of a werewolf trial was the trial of Gilles Garnier, which took place in the 16th century.
According to investigators, the defendant met the devil in the forest and sold his soul to him.
In return, Garnier received a potion that gave him the ability to transform into a wolf.
One way or another, this "werewolf" really killed a lot of people.
He raped women and children, gnawed off the genitals of the murdered and did many more terrible things.
In 1621, after the publication of the book "Anatomy of Melancholy", written by the scientist and priest Robert Barton, attitudes towards werewolves changed.
His theory was also confirmed by the fact that in those days drugs for many diseases were created on the basis of tincture of opium and belladonna.
These plants are known hallucinogens, and it is not surprising that many patients after treatment with such drugs "became werewolves."
scientific point of view
Many drawings from the Stone Age have been found, which depict hybrids of people and animals. Our ancestors often depicted a mixture of man and beast: deer, horse, cat, bird, fish. In addition, statues of demi-humans were often created.
The oldest figurine of a hybrid of a human and a cat was discovered in Germany, and its age is about 32 thousand years.
But where could the image of werewolves come from?
First of all, such "monsters" could appear due to physiological disorders in the body of a person.
For example, there is a disease called " congenital hypertrichosis».
This disease, which causes the growth of hair on the body, face and upper limbs, could change the appearance of a person and make him look like a beast.
And since earlier people were prone to superstition, they could give "lycanthropy" to everyone who was sick with this disease.
Another ailment due to which a person could "become a werewolf" is porphyrin disease.
This disease not only provokes increased hair growth, but also makes other manifestations noticeable, coinciding with werewolf myths.
Patients develop photophobia, in addition, their skin changes color, facial features are distorted, and the flesh separates from the nails, making them look like claws.
In most cases, patients also have psychological disorders that make them more aggressive. And the inappropriate behavior of patients, coupled with physical changes, could well have caused the emergence of myths about lycanthropy.
Werewolf in art
Despite the popularity of werewolves, they failed to take root in literature.
Shot from the film "An American Werewolf in London"
But the situation changed dramatically with the advent of cinema.
The first time the werewolf appeared on the wide screen in 1913 and since then has taken a leading position among all the "movie monsters". He was able to move even his eternal literary opponent - the vampire.
In 1981, the werewolf received an Oscar for best makeup. We are talking about the film "American Werewolf in London".
Despite the fact that the plot of the picture is rather banal, the external "natural" appearance of the protagonist made an indelible impression on the audience.
In addition, the special effects of the picture were also amazing, because wool, fangs and a wolf's face grew "right before our eyes."
Since that time, werewolves have appeared more than once in various films and blockbusters, and each time these monsters provided the film with commercial success.
With the development of technology, werewolves have taken another niche in modern art, namely, they have become favorite characters in computer games.
You can try yourself as a werewolf in such well-known RPGs as Diablo II, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Werewolf: the last warrior and many others.