The Tru th o f Lycan thro py

Lycanthropy, also known as the curse of the werewolf, is the uncontrollable ability for a human to transform into a wolf-like creature. While sometimes used to describe a transformation from a human form to an animal form, lyncanthropy specifically details the transition to a wolf form.

attempted to trick the god Zeus into eating human flesh and thus disprove Zeus's divinity. However, Zeus was wary of the trick Lycaon tried to pull, and in retribution Zeus turned the king into a wolf.

Cultural B eliefs
Many cultures around the world have differing, yet similar, tales of humans transformation into a wolf or wolf-like creature. In these fables, the most common cause of lycanthropy is being bit by another werewolf. However, some cultures attribute the cause of the curse to sorcery or witchcraft. In Brazil the legend holds that the seventh child in a row to be born of the same sex becomes a werewolf taking the form of a guar-wolf. In the great planes regions of North America, Native Americans believe that shamans can take the animal form of a coyote. These shamans, or in some cases warriors, are known as skin-walkers.

Did You Know?

The word lycanthropy comes from the Greek word lyknthropos, a combination of the word l!kos, which means wolf, and nthr"pos, which means human. Myths of lycanthropy can be found in cultures all over the world, however the oldest known origin of lycanthropy can be traced to the Greeks. Tales of lycanthropy range from the tribal stories of The East Indies all the way to the modern film representations of The United States.

Werew olves in the Media

Myths of lycanthropy continue to propagate even to this day in American media. Movies like An American Werewolf in London which depicts the story of two American tourists attacked by a werewolf while in Illustration 2: A BBC London foster movie poster for the popular belief in film, An American Werewolf in London.

The Greek Ki ng Lycaon

The Greek king Lycaon was the first king of the great city, Arcadia. The myth of Lycaon, the oldest known story of lycanthropy, says that the great king

Illustration 1: Many werewolves have fearsome teeth.

lycanthropy.

Concl usi on
Myths of werewolves are several thousand years old now, however transformation of human beings into animals is still a popular element of fantasy. Varying stories and depictions of lycanthropy are found all around the world. Each story contains factors of sorcery and deep roots of mythical black magic. However, they all delve back to humanity's desire to paint pictures of the unknown.

Sources
Wikipedia, Lycanthropy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycanthropy Wikipedia, Lycaon (mythology) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaon_%28m ythology%29 Imdb, An American Werewolf in London - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/