Trials: Werewolf Theiss, 1692

The trial of a Russian man named Theiss, accused of werewolfism, is much different from other such trials and it is probably thanks to this that it has its place among the most famous werewolf cases. The whole difference is contained in the statement that the accused gave. Theiss told the court an interesting tale about himself and his wolf companions. He claimed that werewolves were the defenders of human communities, fighting against demons and evil witches with the aim of protecting all good people. In the end, the court believed Theiss and he was released without consequence.

On the basis of: A. Devine, Magia Księżyca, Wrocław 2002

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Myths, Legends & Folklore: Sigmund and Sinfjotli

The following is a story about Sigmund and his son Sinfjotli putting on wolf skins, thus transforming into wolves. It is part of the 13th century Icelandic prose work, Völsunga saga, which tells of the origin and decline of the legendary Völsung clan.

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Sigmund and Sinfjotli, father and son, set out into the woods for hunting. In the heart of the woods, they came across an abandoned hut where, apart for hunting equipment, they found two wolf skins. While Sigmund searched for the owners of the hut, Sinfjotli put on one of the skins to frighten his father. Suddenly, however, he realised that he is not able to take it off and that he is turning into a wolf. The father, wanting to find out what happened to his son, also put on the skin and became a wolf.

Then, Sigmund and Sinfjotli ran off into the woods in the form of wolves. After some time, they came across a human trail which led them to two huntsmen, most probably the owners of the hut, asleep next to a campfire. They attacked, killed and devoured them whole.

For many months the two wolves roamed the vicinity murdering travellers, peasants and foresters until one time after a successful hunt Sinfjotli tried to attack his father to shoo him away from the prey. Sigmund bit his son in self-defence, but the moment he did it, he regained consciousness and remembered that they were, in fact, human beings and that the other wolf was his own son. He went, therefore, to the other wolf and started licking his wound. Then, suddenly, the wolf skins fell off of the two men and they became human again. Having regained their former shapes, they decided to burn the skins which had nearly deprived them of their humanity.

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On the Forms of Werewolf Physicality

This is another one of the more interesting posts I wrote on the original website. This one comes from July 2006. Enjoy!

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It could appear that recently the division of werewolves on the basis of their physical appearance after the change into anthropomorphic (i.e. humans with wolf features) or zoomorphic (i.e. wolves with human features, mostly psychological) became rather insufficiently general for the level of complexity that the 21st century has brought. That is why more and more frequently there appear more specific terms which divide the two categories mentioned above into a few minor sub-categories.

My search for the origins of that nomenclature have lead me to the most probable source from which they may have stemmed – the 1992 RPG called Werewolf: The Apocalypse which has since gone through several re-editions, in which one can come across the mentioned terms, as well as a whole history that accompanies the gameplay and which surely also had an influence on how we see werewolves now, which, however, I won’t be describing here at this time.

According to this nomenclature, combining it with the previous terms as well, werewolves can appear in five different forms:

I. Anthropomorphic

As the name suggests, anthropomorphic werewolf forms are those that possess visibly human or human-like features.

1. Homid

Human form. The form in which most of the traditional werewolves exist. Usually, it is not characterised by any particular traits in outer appearance, however some sources do enumerate a few characteristic features which are supposed to enable a keen eye to discern a werewolf in human form from a regular human. Such features may include:

• excessive body hair
• bushy, often connected, brows (the so-called ‘monobrow’ or ‘unibrow’)
• sharp, reddish nails
• dry lips and conjunctiva
• bloodied eyes.

An only slightly changed appearance can be still classified as human form (different eye colour, elongated canines, sharpened fingernails). The consciousness of a werewolf in human form is maintained and they are able to fully control their behaviour.

2. Glabro

An example of glabro werewolves as seen in the movie Skinwalkers.

Form known also as “monstrous man” or quasi-human. It can be said that in reference to the subsequent change, this would be the initial form, in which there are visible physical changes to the body. It is characterised by:

• bigger body size and an increase in muscle tissue (stronger and more bulky)
• appearance of considerable hairiness on the skin, which may or may not cover the whole of the body
• complete or partial change of nails into claws
• sharpened and bigger teeth, protruding fangs
• change of eye colour and/or pupils
• deformation of facial features to those resembling a wolf

We can assume that in the glabro form, a werewolf’s consciousness should still be working properly, if not fully then at least partially, as the changes in body-build are usually not as far-reaching as in case of further stages of transformation. The influence of animal instincts, however, is visible in a person’s behaviour.

3. Crinos

A crinos werewolf as pictured in the movie Van Helsing.

Human-wolf. The favourite form of modern movie-makers of the werewolf genre, as well as many werewolf fans, in the age of pop culture it is also probably the most popular portrayal of a werewolf. It is the final of the anthropomorphic werewolf forms, a middle point in the transformation process overall. This form is distinguished by the following:

• upright position
• being bipedal, moving usually using the two legs, like humans; sometimes in order to achieve greater speeds such a werewolf can drop down to all fours and run like an animal
• visible features of human anatomical body build (torso, hands/legs, five fingers with opposable thumbs and five toes, sometimes also human genitals)

A tail can appear this form, usually in a not yet fully developed, residual form (hence it can be a stub of varying lengths). It is also possible that it will not be present at all or, sometimes, be a fully-grown, bushy wolf tail already.

Along with further anatomical changes which relate to the passing from glabro form to crinos form, most probably somewhere on the line separating the two the loss of human consciousness occurs in most shapeshifters, giving way to the animal mind which often makes use of sub-conscious experiences and knowledge of the human form. In some cases in modern werewolf lore, however, this loss of consciousness does not occur – usually when the werewolf has control over the time of their transformations. Voice communication at this stage, unlike glabro, becomes impossible due to the changes to the vocal cords.

II. Zoomorphic

Zoomorphic werewolf forms are those that no longer possess visibly human or human-like features, instead possessing traits that make them look more akin to regular wolves. The following forms are the most advanced in terms of werewolf shapeshifting progression.

1. Hispo

An example of a hispo werewolf from An American Werewolf in London.

The so-called “monstrous wolf” or quasi-wolf. It is the transitional form between a human-wolf and a fully developed wolf. It is characterised by:

• quadruped body position
• strong, roughly human-like, limbs, especially the hind ones, which can cause the whole silhouette to be crooked forwards (though rarely an opposite thing can happen)
• a werewolf in this form is usually a lot faster than a bipedal werewolf, and his manner of movement to a bigger degree resembles that of a regular wolf
• due to the advanced stage of transformation and the physical changes that this entails, hispo werewolves are usually unable to stand up straight and move on two legs like in the crinos form
• if we follow the logic that crinos werewolves tend to have a semblance of a tail, the hispo form will also have it - again, it can be a shorter or longer stub, but it is still not a full wolf tail. While there is a pretty big variance in portrayals in the case of crinos werewolves nowadays, I struggle to think of an example of a hispo werewolf with a full tail. If you know of one, let me know in the comments below!

2. Lupus

A wolf form werewolf as seen in the episode Alpha of the X-Files series.

Wolf form. It is the final stage of werewolf transformation, however not all werewolves reach it, stopping and remaining at different levels of change. The reason for this might be the level of penetration of a host’s body by the virus or stem from the werewolf’s experience. Some werewolves are thus able to jump to each of the above forms without having to go through specific stages. The gradual process is more natural, though. A werewolf in wolf form is usually indistinguishable from regular wolves save for the usually larger body size, coupled with human intelligence and cunning. In some folk tales, these "wolves" were described as having “human eyes” and snouts shorter than an average wolf's.

As with all posts, I will update this one, if need be, with more content and/or error corrections.

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Ways of Becoming a Werewolf

Evening to all and every one of you who happen to be reading this!

A lot of work is still needed from me before all the contents of Werewolf Theory are successfully relocated to here, but the blog seems to be growing nicely for the time being. Today I’d like to share with you one of the more interesting posts I wrote back in September 2005, in which I attempted to gather all the known ways of becoming a werewolf that can be found in legends, lore and all other aspects of our culture. The list below is not necessarily complete, so if you have any other ideas that are not there, feel free to let me know by adding a comment!

Disclaimer: When I originally wrote this post for informational reasons only and as part of my research into the subject of werewolves, I did not expect it to need a disclaimer, but now I realise that it does, just in case. The following is by no means a guide or a list of instructions and should be taken as a collection of curious beliefs that people have or have had over the centuries. In other words, do not under any circumstances try any of the following at home!

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There exist at least 27 ways, according to lore, of how one can become a werewolf. I have taken the liberty of dividing them into the following categories:

I. Werewolfism caused by supernatural means

The werewolf transforms only when a spell is in effect and remains in the form of a wolf without pause for a time specified by the spell or until it is lifted.

1. Werewolf that does not have control over changing

a)     curse, hex, enchantment, spell, etc.

A magical curse is put on the victim (or victims, for it can as well be a whole family or clan), which forces them to temporarily or permanently stay in the form of a wolf. This can be done by witches, sorcerers, gods and saints. This method was popular especially in the Slavic regions, Greece and Rome. Often, such magic forced the werewolf to remain in the form of a wolf for several years during which if they wanted to return to their human form, they were not allowed to consume any kind of meat (e.g. in Rome, this period amounted to 7 years).

b)     atonement for sins

An idea that was born in Christian Europe. It tells of souls of sinners roaming the earth after death in the form of animals, such as wolves, which because of this were regarded as evil to the core, being both a nuisance and a threat to the living.

c)      neglecting a child’s ceremony of baptism

This was supposed to cause a child to possess two souls –  a Christian and a pagan one, the latter considered to be the cause of the child’s periodic transformations into a wolf.

d)     divine punishment

As punishment for committed sins, the mortal is transformed into a wolf by a deity or a saint. Two examples of this are the legend about king Lycaon, who was turned into a wolf by Zeus, and St. Patrick of Ireland, who turned the king of Wales into a wolf.

e)      being born of one or more werewolf parents

If at least one of the parents is a carrier of the virus, it’s almost certain that their offspring will be a werewolf. Also, it was believed that a male child born on Christmas Eve would become a werewolf when he grew up. It was believed that the only way to cure such a child was the ritual of “shoeing”, which had to take place during the following three nights of Christmas. Such children did not become werewolves until they became 20 years of age. Originally, this belief applied only to boys, as girls would supposedly become witches – but nowadays, it applies to both genders.

f)      possessing inborn abilities to shapeshift into wolves

The transformation occurs in opportune circumstances, e.g. in times of danger or agitation. It can stem from inborn magical abilities or from a person possessing some traits of a wolf’s nature in their human nature. In some cases, it can be controlled, in others not.

2. Werewolf that shapeshifts according to will and has control over their wolf form.

Applies mainly to sorcerers possessing magical abilities (innate or, like in Christian culture, granted by the devil or his minions). Slavic folk tales tell that such abilities were also alleged to sheep herders.

a)     signing a pact with the devil

This was said to  particularly concern atheists and black magic adepts. Such people were said to offer their souls to the devil in exchange for the ability to become wolves.

b)     according to a Russian legend, in order to become a werewolf, one needed to jump over a fallen tree in a forest, stab a copper knife into it, and recite a specific verse.

c)      drinking water that gathered in the pawprints left by a wolf in moist earth or drinking from a wolf’s watering-place was said to turn one into a werewolf

d)     eating the brain of an animal killed by wolves

e)      eating the meat or the brain of a wolf itself

f)      rubbing in magical lotions (usually under a full moon)

Such lotions were supposedly obtainable from witches or demons or prepared personally and often included the root of deadly nightshade (Antropa belladonna), the blood of bats, henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), silverweed (Potentilla anserina), sometimes also opium, the fat of an infanticide and soot, all of this mixed together while reciting appropriate spells.

g)     a wolf belt

Anyone who had access to this magical belt could transform into a wolf at will whenever they put it on. Such a werewolf could remain in his animal form for as long as they wanted to and was able to return to human form at any moment. The wolf belt was usually obtained from devil himself or demons that served him.

h) drinking a pint of specially brewed beer combined with the recitation of a magical formula (like it was common among the Livs)

h)     participating in magical gatherings or rituals

In Germanic culture, these were secret gatherings of young males, during which young warriors were supposed to temporarily obtain wolf-like traits, such as ferocity, strength or endurance, often thanks to specific practices, e.g. drinking human blood or intoxicating potions.

i)       eating specific herbs

Some sources speak of a particular type of plant whose picking and consuming was thought to induce a change into a werewolf. This plant was said to grow in the Balkans. Although there was a lack of agreement regarding its look – according to some it was a big red daisy, others claimed it was a ghost-white sunflower with a delicate scent – everyone agreed that it was very attractive to the eye.

k) a pregnant woman eating deadly nightshade (Antropa belladonna) marked by the urine of an alpha wolf was supposed to induce werewolfism in her unborn child (of course, if she herself managed to live through the experience, because deadly nightshade is known to be extremely poisonous...)

j)       drinking of magical potions

It was believed that potions containing northern wolfsbane (Aconitum lycoctonum vulparia) were given by witches to those they wanted to change into wolves.

k)     innate abilities to shapeshift into wolves, as described in I. 1. f) that were controllable

l)       wolf skin

A method similar to the wolf belt, putting on a wolf skin was supposed to enable a person to transform into a wolf. In some legends, the skin could be taken off whenever the person willed it, while in others, once it was put on, one would remain a wolf for the rest of their life or until they were released spontaneously (usually through proving their humanity and not allowing the animal nature to take over) or via external interference.

II. Werewolfism induced by contact with a wolf or a werewolf – natural lycanthropy.

1. Direct contact with a lycanthrope’s bodily fluids (blood, gland secretions, etc.) in his wolf form.

The so-called “Lyc-V” virus similar to the known HIV virus makes the means of infection pretty similar to each other, including: bites, scratches, wounds inflicted by objects covered with werewolf blood, etc. Originally this one-hundred-per-cent certain way of contracting lycanthropy boiled down to a bite, nowadays however the spectrum of infection means was expanded by other possibilities, so all kinds of contact with infected blood (of course, leading to its inclusion into the victim’s bloodstream). Some people may wonder why scratches/wounds caused by claws qualify – usually, just like in case of biting, a werewolf’s saliva containing the virus comes in contact with a victim’s wound, just like the gland secretions used in the wild to mark territory, which should also contain the strain, make contact during claw-induced injuries. It is worth mentioning that in some lore a werewolf is able to infect others by biting also in human form, however the issue of gland secretions like in case of claws should theoretically not apply here.

a) transfusion or injection of infected blood (or even just wolf blood, as thought up in 1925’s werewolf movie Wolfblood)

b) transplantation of organs/tissue/body parts of a wolf/werewolf (e.g. in one of the movies the main character becomes a werewolf after an eye transplant)

III. Werewolfism caused by other means

1. Being born on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve

Some folk tales tell that male children born on the 24th or 25th of December will sometimes grow up to become werewolves. Believing this, parents of such children often performed a ritual called “shoeing”, which was supposed to rid their progeny of the curse.

2. Being conceived at a specific time

Some sources claim that those conceived during a full moon have a good chance of being born as werewolves.

3. Certain actions being performed during a full moon by one’s parent(s)

a) knitting or sewing under a full moon

b) sleeping in the open during a full moon on Wednesdays or Fridays in the summertime

These activities were supposed to cause a person’s progeny to be born as werewolves, especially if that person was pregnant at the time.

4. A specific sequence of birth.

a)     being the seventh son of one woman, especially if those born before were all daughters, or being the seventh son of one set of parents (in Galicia, Brasil and Portugal such children were banished or given up for adoption).

b)     being the seventh or ninth child of one set of parents

In Romania, such a person was said to become a werewolf only after death (usually seven years after), would leave their grave and – similar to the nosferatu – drink human blood.

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