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© 2004 Bobette Bryan
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Throughout history, werewolves have been considered to be vicious
killers, shape-shifters who can change from human, to wolf, to a hybrid form at
will. But on full moon nights, they lose control and turn into the fierce hybrid
form, the form that’s often depicted in horror movies. The hybrid werewolf,
walks upright like any other biped, but has considerable strength. This form is
the vicious killer that leaves a trail of innocent victims in its wake. After
such a rampage, the werewolf awakens in the human form the next day, and doesn’t
remember what it did or who it killed the night before. Luckily, these creatures with claws and red glowing eyes, tend
to shy away from contact with humans, and prefer the company of other
werewolves. But if you encounter one, you'd better have a silver bullet handy.
That part of werewolf lore is not just a Hollywood creation; supposedly, the
only way to kill or damage these virtually immortal creatures is with
silver-based weapons. And if you fear werewolves, you better have one of these
weapons ready no matter where you roam, because just about every country has
reported incidents of werewolves. Germany certainly has its share of werewolf
incidents. In fact, the word “lycanthropy” derives from there. But the werewolf
is known under many other names as well. In Portugal it’s called “lob omen,” and
in Italy it's “lupo manaro.” Mexico even has werewolves the, “nahual.” And in
France they’re called “loup garoux.” France has quite an interesting history of werewolves. In 1603,
Jean Grenier, a 12 year-old shepherd boy, was accused of being a werewolf. He
was tried at Bordeaux after he was found eating human flesh. Amazingly, Jean
didn’t deny that he was a werewolf and claimed that he had eaten many babies and
other children. He claims that this was because a stranger, whom he thought was
“the Lord of the Forest,” had given him a magic wolf skin and some ointment that
had turned him into a wolf. The judge thought that Jean was insane. He called in
a medical specialist who agreed, diagnosing Jean with “lycanthropy,” a mental
illness in which the person fully believes that they’re a werewolf. Instead of
being burned at the stake, as most people who were accused of such crimes were
at that time, Jean was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a monastery.
But, his delusions of being a werewolf doubtlessly continued.
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