Who is a werewolf really? Werewolves What are the werewolves.

Mystical events and legends continue to attract the attention of modern man.

Therefore, it is not surprising that our ancestors gave birth to a whole other world, which is inhabited by the most diverse monsters, spirits and gods.

The representative of this mysterious world is a werewolf, the legends of which exist in almost all peoplesinhabiting and inhabiting the planet.

This term dates back to ancient times and indicates a person or spirit capable of turn into another living being, or perform the reverse transformation.

Despite the fact that there are no specific restrictions on what kind of creature a werewolf can turn into, but today many are sure that he chooses the shape of a wolf most often.

The transformation can occur both under the control of the will of the werewolf himself, and under the influence of external factors, for example, the smell of blood or feelings of anger, rage.

It is also believed that the werewolf is affected by the cycles of the moon, which lead to its transformation precisely during the full moon.

History of the term

Originally, this term was used to refer to those who had ability to transform into an animal, as well as inanimate objects.

At the same time, most often the catalyst was magical abilities, and a curse... Only in some cases werewolves were called real monstersattacking people.

In ancient times, the Greeks considered a werewolf skinny sorcerer, who appeared in the form of an ugly creature who had monkey tail and horse head.

Such a creature usually emerged from almost nowhere and frightened passers-by. However, after conducting the consecration of water, the world seemed to get rid of such creatures, which were to be expected only for the next winter.

Also noteworthy is the fact that each culture had its own assumptions about who exactly the werewolf turns into.

Therefore, you can find reports that the werewolf took the form of a lion, fox, wolf or other animals.

In the European tradition of werewolves associated with wolves, so the latter received many local names including lycanthrope and ghoul.

The process of becoming an animal also occurs in different ways, depending on who the person was originally.

If he was sorcerer, then he only needed put on a special animal skinthe shape he wished to take at the moment.

In the event that a person was lucky to be bitten by a monster, or if he was faced with the action of a curse, this led to the inability to control his own transformation cycles.

As a result, he could acquire a second likeness in the most inappropriate situations and his relatives learned about a terrible secret.

Other myths that have come down to us indicate that a werewolf could only transform into new moon, or if persistent smell of fresh blood.

Regardless of what reasons spun the flywheel of transformation, the process itself was necessarily accompanied by terrible painful sensations.

At the moment, while the lycanthrope has not yet become a beast, but you can no longer call him a man, he is most vulnerable... In the case when the werewolf could not control his own actions, this led to the total destruction of all living things that stood in his way.

At the same time, after the reverse transformation the person did not remember anything from what he has done in a different way.

Werewolf attraction

The werewolf himself has several important distinctive qualities that allow him surpass the common man... First of all, we are talking about the power characteristics, which for this monster are significantly higher level.

In terms of power, a werewolf usually reaches those boundaries that correspond to the animal into which he turned.

Also, werewolves are often prescribed the ability to organ regeneration... The very rapid recovery that occurs at the cellular level leads to the fact that hurting a werewolf is very difficult.

This feature also eliminates the aging process organism. Killing such a creature is a very difficult task.

Many cultures have left reports suggesting that a final solution to the lycanthrope problem will require several silver bulletsthat should break through heart and brain of a creature.

If the werewolf was previously sorcerer, then he is able to control his own behavior, therefore, shows cunning and various tricks that do not allow immobilizing him.

About werewolf we seemed to know everything. After all, the images of werewolves are present in all mythologies of the world, not excluding the Slavic one. Each has its own characteristics. What is a Slavic werewolf?

A mythological creature capable of temporarily changing its appearance, magically turning (turning around, throwing itself) from a person into another creature, plant or object, or vice versa. Most often, werewolf people turned into animals.

Werewolves were practiced by people capable of witchcraft. And it is far from being necessary for causing harm to others.

What legends were told about the Slavic werewolves?

In Russia, shape-shifting was not considered a sign of evil. In addition, Gods were werewolves in Slavic mythology. Veles, for example, could appear among people in the form of a bear, and Yarilo's favorite appearance was a wolf. They say an epic about Volkh Vseslavievich, a powerful hero who can turn into a wolf. There is in our epic the Fire Wolf Serpent - the son of the Serpent-Gorynych in human form, a real Slavic werewolf.

What are the Slavic werewolves? Genuine Nordicbullies

Sorcerers and witches turned into wolves and other animals, or even into objects:

Sorcerers were made to wolves. The Yens ran like dogs. Sometimes they would shoot, and in the wolf's skin there was a man.

Earlier such sorcerers were, for example, he would get angry with his son and make him a wolf. And this son will be like a dog. One sorcerer made his son a wolf for six years. And it happens that for three or a year. And he walked around the world. He had a red ribbon around his neck, so no one touched him. And when these years came out, he became a man again.

There were also those who were born werewolves. They cannot control their abilities and transform into beasts at will.

Before dad's eyes, the man turned into a bear. A man entered the water, and got out as a bear, went into the forest and told his clothes not to burn. And they burned him, and he remained a bear. He just didn't take off his belt. He went into the herd, lifted up the cows, what kind of people did him trouble. He was killed with a belt on him.

And Dadko once said: "Granny, don't throw your foot at me, there will be a bear's foot." She somehow threw on a bear's leg in the morning.

Another type of "involuntary werewolves" - victims of witchcraft:

Here before: the mother does not want to marry, she found a witch, they went to get married, they were riding on horseback, and suddenly the horses stopped, and the young turned into wolves and ran into the forest.

Such werewolves in Slavic mythology are friendly to people, dangerous only for those who cast a spell on them.

The enchantment can be removed from them after a certain period of time or under special conditions.

The witch will cast a spell - and he is a werewolf. It turns more into a bear, especially guys, girls - into birds. He [werewolf] does not do evil, and his identity has his own time. The opposite will be when someone can love him in this form. He will run around like a scarecrow all the time.

Ordinary people could be engaged in werewolves. Usually, the transformation into an animal served a specific purpose: to escape from the unwanted crown, for the sake of hunting, in order to hide from enemies.

As already mentioned, in Slavic mythology, the Gods and Ancestors were animals and birds. The goddess Lada is a swan, Svarog the blacksmith is a fiery boar, the Kupalo -year-old sun is a red rooster, Ancestors descend from the sky as birds.

How to recognize a Slavic werewolf?

It was said that the werewolf-prone can be distinguished outwardly. On their heads "wolf hair" grows. When they met an animal, they looked at how his knees were turned - if forward, then a man was hiding under the skin. It was also believed that the werewolf beast is reflected in the water in its true, human form. Indicates werewolf and unusual behavior of the animal (for example, very intelligent), special signs in appearance (no tail, white stripe on the neck, white color of the skin or feathers).

How can you turn into a werewolf?

Those who wanted to become a beast themselves or to bewitch another read special conspiracies for this. Then they rolled over a symbolic obstacle. Werewolves involuntarily became, stepping over the sworn thing. They turned back to people either at the end of the term, or if they threw clothes on the beast, they gave him “blessed” food to eat.

Slavic ways of protection from werewolves

If a werewolf attacked, it was necessary to hit him with a backhand, inflict damage on him, which would certainly be noticeable in his normal form (this is how they calculated who exactly was an evil werewolf). You can also find the object with which the werewolf performed the transformation ritual and kidnap it.

Werewolf is one of the characters in Slavic mythology. His very image emphasizes the connection between the human and natural principles. Our ancestors believed that they were closely related. Studying the myths of the Slavs, we ourselves become closer to nature.

Read more about Slavic mythology.

A werewolf is a mythical creature that existed in the legends of almost every nation.

This term means a person, spirit or demon, who knows how to 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 become a consequence of certain factors: a change in the cycles of the moon, the smell of blood, howling animals, and so on.

What are these monsters

Initially, werewolves were called people who can transform into various creatures, and even into inanimate objects with the help of magic and witchcraft. 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 “shape-shifters” walk the streets on winter nights and scare people. But after the consecration of water, 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 \u200b\u200bwhat kind of animals the werewolf turns into. It can be a leopard, lion, fox, bear and even a seal, like "silk" in Celtic mythology.

Still, a werewolf for most people is associated with a wolf. Such a creature has many names: lycanthrope, werewolf, wolf, mardagail, viltaki.

It was believed that the transformation from a man to a beast occurs in different ways. If the werewolf is a sorcerer, then he could "put on" the skin of the animal at any time at will. At the same time, he kept his mind, and thought logically in any situation.

If a person was bitten by a monster or a curse was imposed on him, then he could transform at any moment without his desire.

In most cases, the transformation took place at a full moon, but it could be provoked not only by the light of a night luminary, but also by the smell of blood or the howl of another monster.

The transformation process itself is quite painful and at this moment the “shape-shifter” is the most vulnerable.

After 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".

Werewolf attraction

These monsters have many advantages over ordinary people. First of all, they are strong, hardy and fast, like the animals they turn into. In addition, these monsters have other abilities:

• Tissue regeneration... It is believed that werewolves regenerate cells very quickly. Thanks to this feature, creatures do not age, and are not susceptible to any disease.
• Immortality... A werewolf is almost impossible to kill, and only silver is a danger to them, and in cases where the monster is wounded exactly in the heart or brain.
• Cunning and knowledge... These monsters are dangerous because, even being in animal skin, they do not become stupid, and can apply all the knowledge and skills that they had in human form. Monsters can easily outsmart the hunters, see the trap from afar and bypass all the traps on their way to the victim.

Skills like these make werewolves a great killing machine. And if we take into account that the “shape-shifters” in the legends possessed increased bloodthirstiness and ruthlessness, then 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 how to turn into an animal. According to popular 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's trail, or drink from a reservoir that the animal pack uses;

Born on Christmas Eve;

Eat wolf brain or flesh;

Wear clothing made from animal skins;

In addition, it was believed that werewolf children from birth know how to turn into animals.

In this case, people who have become "shape-shifters" after being bitten or cursed can be cured. But only if they can withstand hunger and do not taste human flesh. Then you can carry out a ritual of purification and save the person.

If the werewolf has tasted human flesh, then his soul is cursed, and he will be forced to wear "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.

Werewolf myths

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 giving the wolf an incredible "devilish" mind and ingenuity.

It was believed that the beast can hypnotize a person and he will lose all will to resist and lose his "speechless".

The first legend about the transformation into a wolf appeared in the days of Ancient Greece.

One day Zeus decided to visit King Lycaon in the form of a simple wanderer. But the cruel ruler ordered to kill the traveler in order to find out whether it is 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.

This is how 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 for their totem.

According to legend, a man with the "soul" of a wolf possessed 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 planet, who considered themselves werewolves.

For example, the Balts had a caste of warriors who were the servants of the wolf god.

Before each battle, these "werewolves" performed a special ritual that included the intake of narcotic substances, to be specific, henbane.

Under the influence of the plant, the warriors saw hallucinations about their transformation into wolves, and in "animal form" went into battle.

With the widespread spread of Christianity, all wolf cults began to be considered pagan, and they were mercilessly 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 XIV century.

In one of the medieval cities, there was a massive attack of dogs on domestic animals. Having found the pack, the townspeople found a wolf in it, which supposedly knows how to turn into a man. Later, the werewolf himself was "installed" - one of the inhabitants was accused of lycanthropy.

Under torture, the man "confessed" that he was turning into a wolf, and committed several murders. He, of course, was executed, but the story received loud publicity. Soon in all towns and villages there was only talk about werewolves.

These rumors were supported in every possible way by the Inquisition, which happily began to look not only for witches, but also for “shape-shifters”. Under torture, quite a few people confessed their 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 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, chewed off the genitals of those killed and did many more terrible things.

In 1621, after the publication of the book "Anatomy of Melancholy", written by the scientist and priest Robert Burton, the attitude towards werewolves changed.

Confirmed his theory and 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 were found, which depict hybrids of humans and animals. Our ancestors often depicted a mixture of man and beast: deer, horse, cat, bird, fish. In addition, demi-human statues 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 did the image of werewolves come from?

First of all, such "monsters" could appear due to physiological disturbances in the body of a person.

For example, there is a disease called " congenital hypertrichosis».

This condition, which causes hair growth on the body, face and upper limbs, could change a person's appearance and make him look like a beast.

And since before people were prone to superstition, they could endow "lycanthropy" all who were 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 visible other manifestations that coincide with the myths about werewolves.

Patients develop photophobia and their skin changes color, facial features become distorted, and 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 myths of lycanthropy.

Werewolf in art

Despite the popularity of werewolves, they failed to take root in literature.

Shot from the movie "American Werewolf in London"

But the situation changed dramatically with the advent of cinema.

The werewolf first appeared on the wide screen back in 1913 and since then has taken the 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 striking, because the hair, fangs and wolf's face grew "right before our eyes."

Since that time, werewolves have appeared in various films and blockbusters more than once, and each time these monsters provided the film with commercial success.

With the development of technology, werewolves have occupied another niche in contemporary art, namely, they have become favorite characters in computer games.

You can try yourself as a werewolf in such famous RPGs as Diablo ii, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Werewolf: the last warrior and many others.

It is not so easy to answer the question "who is a werewolf", with all the seemingly obviousness. And all because there are many werewolves, as well as the options and methods of werewolves themselves. Nevertheless, we still try to fully answer the question "who is a werewolf"?

Who is a werewolf?

Let's start answering the question "who is a werewolf?" from the fact that, in fact, werewolves were originally called people involved in witchcraft and therefore able to "turn around", that is, turn into any creatures and even inanimate objects. Those who knew how to be a werewolf were also called "wrappers", "shifters", "overturns", "transitions".

In general, it should be noted that werewolf, in other words, the ability to change its appearance, was originally inherent in any evil spirits. Therefore, people seeking to master the secret of werewolves (and these are not only sorcerers, but also hunters, shepherds, millers, blacksmiths, and so on), as a rule, adopted this science from unclean and dangerous creatures. Devils and demons were also werewolves, they could take the form of beautiful boys or girls, various animals, jewels, wandering lights, and so on. According to popular belief, devils, gobies, water and other unclean entities take on a human form in order to lure passers-by into the forest thickets, drown them in whirlpools and, in general, annoy ordinary people in every possible way.

Also, the ability to shape-shifting, according to popular belief, is possessed by people born "in a shirt", that is, with an embryonic film partially covering the head of a newborn. Among such personalities, there were usually many people with an unusual fate, clairvoyants, and so on.

Werewolves and Metvets

By the way, according to legends, the deceased also have the ability to shape-shift. So, it was believed that the souls of the dead appear from the other world in the guise of insects, birds, or reptiles; they can also appear as a vortex, a column of dust, wandering lights, clouds, and so on. Sorcerers and the damned almost always become werewolves after their death (unless a special disabling ritual has been performed). Taking various forms, they roam the earth and bring misfortune to people.

Ways to become a werewolf

This or that class or type of people had different tendencies towards forms of circulation. So sorcerers most often preferred to become wolves or bears, witches usually turned into animals such as a pig, a horse, from birds, preference was given to a magpie, rarely a crow, and could even take the form of objects - a wheel, a head of hay, a log, and in rare cases even could turn into smoke.

Representatives of the profession of hunters and fishermen mainly turned into game animals, that is, those who were hunted. Shepherds were "turned over" into dogs, but people who became werewolves against their will usually became a wolf, bear or horse.

Werewolf animals were distinguished by their unusual behavior or by some features in their appearance (a white stripe on the neck of a wolf, the absence of a tail in a magpie, etc.).

Sorcerers and witches turn around when they need it, and they can regain their human form at any time. Usually transformations take place either at dusk or at night.

There were many varieties of magical procedure, with the help of which the "turnover" was carried out from the human state to the animal state. To “turn around”, that is, to turn into an animal or inanimate object, sometimes literally meant “to roll over” (to roll over) over a certain conditional line (object-border), established on the symbolic border between the worlds.

Most often, sorcerers and witches threw themselves over one or more knives stuck in the ground underground or in a smoothly cut tree stump in the forest. Among other objects-borders, through which werewolves tumbled, also hoops, a rocker, decks and some others are mentioned. In more detail, the ritual, apparently, looked like this: before turning into a wolf, a sorcerer in some secluded place drove five knives or aspen stakes into the ground or into a stump, two of which symbolized the front paws, two - the hind legs, and one - the tail. Jumping or tumbling forward over the knives, starting from the back, he became a wolf.

To regain his human form, the werewolf had to run from the opposite side of the border and roll over it back. But if during the time a person is in the form of an animal, someone picks up and takes away a knife or a similar border object, then he will forever remain a wolf.

Sometimes a wolf's skin was used for the "turnover", which the sorcerer threw over himself. Apparently, this is one of the most ancient methods, since information about such a technique is already found in shamanic legends. For example, in North American and Koryak myths, it is told how the mythological hero Ememkut turned into the Great Crow with the help of a raven costume, and his grandson Keel turned into a bear, wearing a bear skin. Ememkut gave a dog skin to his sister and she turned into a dog.

In some cases, for werewolves, they used a "magic nauza" - a belt or bast, charmed by a spell, which the sorcerer was girded with to carry out a magical operation. Such magic belts-nauz, with the help of which the sorcerer could take on a wolf's appearance, starting from the XII century, are often mentioned in the teachings against paganism. In these teachings, “wearing” was equated with the performance of koshchun (myths) and “demonic songs”.

Types of werewolves and werewolves

All werewolves can be divided into three classes, depending not on what kind of animal a person turns into, but whether he does it voluntarily, whether he was forced to become a werewolf with the help of magic spells, or he got a similar gift from birth.

The first group - voluntary werewolves, include sorcerers and sorcerers, who know how to take an animal form mainly in order to harm people. According to popular beliefs, they can take the form of not only a wolf, but also other animals, as well as plants (bush, branch, straw) and objects (ball of thread, spindle, haystack, log). Moreover, sorcerers and witches, according to popular beliefs, have the ability to "turn around" several times, that is, repeatedly change their appearance. The Eastern Slavs also believed that a witch could change her appearance twelve times in one instant, and then turn back into a woman.

The goals of the transformation of sorcerers and witches are selfish: to penetrate unnoticed into someone else's court; harm the neighboring cattle (for example, take milk from a cow and the like); attack your foe while remaining unidentified; to intimidate people, "confuse" or start off-road; spoil. A witch mother in a frightening animal form could pursue her son so as not to let him go on a date with a girl she did not like, and to destroy their relationship.

Often, "knowledgeable" people turn into animals in order to hide from their pursuers or deceive them, or simply cross long distances. Let us recall that even in "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" it is said that Prince Vseslav "prowls like a wolf in the night", overcoming great distances.

Unwitting werewolves usually include people who are forcibly turned into wolves by the power of witchcraft. One of the main differences between an involuntary werewolf and a voluntary werewolf is that an involuntary werewolf usually does no harm to anyone, except for those people who "spoiled" him, that is, turned into a wolf.

Usually, shape-shifting of this type is committed in order to punish a person for an offense inflicted and settle scores with him. Typical examples of such revenge are the transformation into wolves of unwanted sons-in-law or boys or men who rejected the love of a witch. The witch can take revenge on the offender by wrapping him in a horse at night and driving him half to death. There are also many legends about how the offended sorcerer "let the wolves" the newlyweds who did not invite him to the wedding, or even all the wedding participants.

If an involuntary werewolf became a victim of a hunter, then before death he shouted in a human voice, and hunters, removing the skin from a killed werewolf, found under it the remnants of a red sash, traces of a person's clothing, or even his human appearance, hiding under the skin. Although sometimes there are beliefs that the sorcerer turns his victim into a wolf only for a certain period of time. When the term expires, he again turns into a person, but his distinguishing feature is fused eyebrows and red eyes, or a piece of gray wool near the heart. Also, by some other signs, it was possible to distinguish a real wolf from a werewolf: it was believed that a werewolf retains a human reflection, which can be seen in the water when he comes up to drink; in addition, werewolves can be recognized by the structure of their hind legs - they are turned with their knees forward, like a human.

How, then, were people turned into werewolves against their will? The effect of the magic spell "knowing" on the victim is achieved in different ways. According to legends, a sorcerer or witch throws an animal skin, ribbon or belt ("nauzu") on a person or beat them with their stick, accompanying these actions with spells.

Another technique is also known: a twisted belt is placed under the threshold of the hut, and the one who enters into it becomes a wolf. The witch, in order to wrap the bride and groom in wolves, throws a ball of yarn under the horses' hooves. According to some stories, the sorceress, in order to spoil it, dug the road along which the wedding was to pass with a small ditch, and when the train crossed this depression, the horses fell dead, and people turned into wild animals. The sorcerer could also turn an entire wedding procession into a wolf pack by throwing a wolf-fur mitten under the first horse's feet.

And finally, the last category of werewolves is werewolves from birth, also called "spontaneous" werewolves. They were usually considered children conceived by their parents on days that, according to tradition, were forbidden for sexual intercourse, for example, at Easter. 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 Russian North, they believed that werewolves are children cursed by their parents, or criminals who have committed a terrible atrocity.

Legends have preserved many stories about unhappy marriages of such werewolves, which usually end in disaster for their spouses, who, as a rule, are bitten by them. Wolves of this origin, like witches with sorcerers, can be in the guise of wolves after death, since they, besides the soul, also have a "spirit" that gives them the opportunity to be ghouls.

Failure to comply with certain prohibitions and prescriptions by a pregnant woman could also lead to sad consequences. It was believed that a born child may be under the influence of evil spirits, which will give him extraordinary abilities.

Werewolves

Despite the variety of faces and forms of werewolves, the most stable image of a werewolf is associated, of course, with a wolf.

Why exactly a wolf? The fact is that the wolf among many peoples from time immemorial has been associated with the world of magic, and at the same time, which is characteristic, its origin was usually associated with evil spirits. So, according to one of the legends, the devil blinded a wolf from clay or carved it out of wood, but could not revive it, and then God himself breathed life into the wolf. At the same time, the wolf, revived by God, rushed to the devil and grabbed him by the leg (therefore, the devil has been limping since then). In addition, wolf features are sometimes traced in folklore portraits of devils and other evil spirits (wolf teeth, ears, eyes, tail, hair, and so on). In general, the idea of \u200b\u200bshapeshifting is usually confined to that animal, which in a given territory posed a particular danger to humans. For the peoples of Europe, it was, of course, a wolf (for comparison, werewolf tigers met in South and East Asia, werewolf leopards in Africa, werewolf jaguars in South America, and so on).

Belief in the wolf-men, who were called wolf-laks (not to be confused with ghouls!), Was widespread among the Slavic peoples until the 19th-20th centuries. The word "volkodlak" itself is formed from two parts - the common Slavic "wolf" and the South Slavic "dlak" meaning "wool, skin".

Sometimes werewolves were also called wolf lags in general, that is, those people who can take the form of not only a wolf, but also a dog, cat, bush, stump, bird, and so on. However, primordially, apparently, a wolf lak is, after all, a werewolf, that is, a person who can only turn into a wolf and into no one else. And here's what is curious: a werewolf, even being in animal guise, always retains human thoughts and feelings.

According to popular beliefs, the conversion of werewolves into wolves occurs during special periods when evil spirits are most active - on Christmastide, on Kupala night, during the Trinity period and other major holidays. Sorcerers and witches, according to popular opinion, most often "spread" during the summer solstice and on the winter Christmastide. Although later legends, which appeared already under Christianity, testify that werewolves can turn into wolves at almost any time in order to harm their fellow tribesmen in every possible way: to gnaw cattle and people and cause damage.

The forced werewolf differed from the sorcerer by the fact that he did not eat carrion, raw meat or other "unclean" food - he tried to get himself bread and other human food, or at worst, to fry the prey killed by the wolf pack. This behavior was explained as follows: after eating raw meat, the bewitched person will finally turn into a wolf, therefore he seeks to get the food that would keep him connected with the human world. Sometimes in search of food, the wolves climbed into the cellars, and many peasants, noticing the loss of supplies, usually attributed such thefts to the account of involuntary werewolves. Longing for human life, werewolves often came under the windows of their native hut and howled plaintively, wanting to see their relatives.

Sometimes there are beliefs that werewolves can run in a pack of real wolves, taking a subordinate position in relation to them. However, being in the guise of a beast, a werewolf must always be careful, as he smells of human flesh, and if real animals smell him, they will tear him apart.

Werewolf shamans

Shape-shifting was widespread among shamans. Shamans put on an animal costume to turn into an animal during the rituals, and the main purpose of the costume is to help transform a person into an animal. An explanation for this can be found in the myths of the Tlingit Indians, which say that people and animals used to be one, animals differed from people in clothing - skin and fur. In dens and holes, they took them off and became people.

The Buryat shamans call the patron spirit “khubilgan”, which can be translated as “metamorphosis” (from khubilhu - “to change”, “to acquire a different form”), which directly indicates the ability to “throw over”.

The spirits themselves-helpers or patron spirits, as a rule, appearing before the shaman in the guise of this or that animal, endowed him with the ability to turn into him at will, that is, to be a werewolf. So a shaman who has an eagle helper spirit can transform into an eagle. We find this phenomenon among the Chukchi and Eskimo shamans (they turn into wolves). Lapland shamans become not only wolves, but also bears, reindeer and fish. Recorded stories of shamans claiming that they can turn into tigers.

Werewolf fear and protection from the werewolf

Naturally, none of the humans wanted to date a werewolf. They were afraid, and once they were afraid, then they came up with various means of protection against them. So, for example, it was recommended, when meeting with a werewolf, to hit him with a cart axle or the so-called "snake ax", that is, with an ax that once killed a snake.

If there were suspicions that any horse was in fact a werewolf, then in order to nullify the magic spells, it had to be shod.

But the most important thing when fighting werewolves was finding out his identity. Here our ancestors did not philosophize, when they met, they tried to inflict some injury on him, so that later, when he becomes a man again, they will recognize him. After all, the injury inflicted on the werewolf will remain in his human form.

If you had to deal with a werewolf, which became a deceased sorcerer or another dashing person who died a terrible death, then a rather complex and dangerous ritual was carried out to neutralize the dangerous dead. It was necessary to dig his grave, turn the corpse face down, or cut the heel tendons or pierce the werewolf between the shoulder blades with an aspen stake.

In other cases, while the deceased witch or sorcerer was still in his house, they broke a plank from the ceiling or even dismantled an entire corner of the roof. Nailing her shadow with a nail was also a reliable remedy against the wanderings of the "revived" witch.

It was widely believed that an experienced sorcerer or sorcerer could turn a werewolf back into a human, but this can only be done by a magician who is superior in strength to a sorcerer who turned a human into a beast. In addition, for the werewolf victim, there was a danger of a different kind: if the sorcerer dies before the duration of the spell, then the person will remain a wolf for life and no one can help him.

In addition to strong witchers, an unwitting werewolf could be helped by an ordinary person, only one should have known special magical techniques that could save the victim from an animal appearance.

For this purpose, the following simple ritual was performed. It is necessary to take off the belt, tie several knots on it, each time saying: "Lord, have mercy", and then gird them with the wolf-dog. Other ways to disenchant a werewolf - when you meet him, call him a human name, feed him a blessed meal, throw human clothes on him, or even a simple canvas.

According to popular beliefs, during the reverse transformation, the wolf lak retains the characteristics of a werewolf: he is naked, cannot speak like a human being. The final return of the werewolf to the human world occurs after his introduction to cultural activities: when putting on clothes, eating human food, washing in a bath, and also at the sound of a bell ringing. Violation of the conditions of reverse transformation threatened that the disenchanted person could have a tail.

The acquisition of a human form could happen by itself after the expiration of the spell (from 9 days to a year or 3, 7, 9, 12 years) or under special conditions - if the magic belt that the sorcerer threw over his victim is frayed, burst or will be torn by anyone.

© Alexey Korneev

Who is a werewolf?

Many people from time to time have rather strange desires: to bite the offender, sleep on the grass, sit in a tree, or even try raw meat. For most, this usually ends with this.

Those who come across werewolf more closely, at first perceive everything that happens to them as "an offer from above." And, accordingly, they begin to get lost in the definition of the beast in themselves, trying to "decompose" it into separate properties and qualities. The beast, on the other hand, is a creature with a bright personality and will not tolerate a consumer attitude towards itself for a long time. He will certainly try to get in touch with the human mind, which in turn threatens a person with a nervous breakdown, especially if he is used to constantly looking at everything from the standpoint of “common sense”.

Other people - those who are not afraid of change - have a different attitude to their instinctive impulses, more sensitive, in part even encouraging them. Over time, they realize that their behavior is very similar to some kind of animal. A person carefully looks at himself and over time realizes what kind of animal he looks like. And then the problem of self-determination emerges, which all those who face it cope with depending on how much mass culture has managed to "brainwash" them. For the most part, people who were not specifically interested in werewolves before, believe that a werewolf is a wolf, or at least a bear. Well, or some other strong and dangerous predator. But in fact, the "inner beast" can be anything: a hedgehog, a hare, a sloth, or a ferret. And a person who discovers a hare in himself can begin to try to fit his beast to his usual appearance, thinking little about the fact that even an ordinary hare has a lot of advantages over a person. This can lead to very serious consequences, including suicide, because the animal nature does not tolerate attempts to change it, let alone replace and destroy it.

It was believed that the "wrap-around" can occur absolutely at any moment, although most often it occurs on the full moon, at night. Man turned into a beast - most often a wolf - and began to behave exactly like a wolf. The creatures that turned back would leave home, roam all over the night until morning, and kill anyone in their path.

Such a disease was considered a terrible disaster, because if a cross and garlic could be saved from a vampire and a person turned into a vampire only after a vampire's bite, then nothing could be saved from the werewolf disease, and absolutely any person could suddenly get sick.

The "wrapping" itself takes a few minutes. Its onset is accompanied by a feeling of chills, then fever. The person experiences severe headache and thirst, nausea, spasms and convulsions, it becomes difficult for him to breathe. Hands swell and lengthen, as if in a patient with leprosy, the skin of the face coarsens and spreads, the toes no longer fit in the shoes, the legs become paws. The reason at this moment also changes: the beast becomes cramped in the house, he wants to get out into the wild. The language no longer obeys man, he can no longer pronounce a single word. Volkolak throws off his clothes, stands on all fours, and his body is covered with matte hair. The head and face are also overgrown with wool. Man becomes a beast.

The werewolf himself always feels the beginning of changes, but this happens so quickly that there is no time left to prevent "wrapping". Some werewolf people, who had the opportunity, built special secret rooms in their homes, where loyal servants or loving relatives locked them up during attacks of "illness".

The werewolf had practically no chance of curing his illness. Moreover, due to the characteristics of the organism, the werewolf could live for a very long time, if not forever. He was doomed to suffer in this way every full moon, or even every night, until someone killed him. It was possible to kill a werewolf in any way, but a specially made silver bullet was considered the most effective. This belief persisted in Europe until the 18th century, as well as the belief that the wolf always carries with it its thick shaggy wolf's tail. It was also believed that if you hide and burn the werewolf's clothes, then he would not be able to regain his human appearance. Many legends said that if you pour water on a werewolf (saint?), It will burn his fur and cleanse him of the disease.

There are several characteristics of werewolves in relation to their inner self and to the awareness of their own "I" after "conversions".

Firstly, these are the so-called werewolves. Those who, when transforming from a human into a wolf, completely lose their human mind and acquire the consciousness of a wolf (or other animal into which they turn). That is, this werewolf becomes much more a wolf (beast) than a man. He is bloodthirsty, he does not kill for the sake of killing, but is able to pounce on a person and eat him if he is hungry enough. Since such a werewolf is still not one hundred percent beast, he can sometimes perform strange and uncontrollable actions that go against even the very instincts of the beast, although this happens quite rarely.

In general, the "wolf" can go through three stages of memory retention. Normal werewolves - unless they are pack leaders - go through all three of these stages in sequence. As the werewolf becomes more experienced, the amount of memory stored in the transformation grows. By the way, since a werewolf is a wolf, he protects his territory if he addresses himself at home. If the conversion takes place outside the home, then the werewolf-animal realizes that it is on foreign territory and becomes much more careful.

Secondly, they are demon werewolves. These are the werewolves who completely lose control of their hidden desires. This werewolf is even worse than a werewolf-wolf: he kills for the sake of killing, kills out of a trifling resentment or old memories. This is the most dangerous type of werewolf, since there is no recipe for how to communicate with it. The demon is unpredictable and bloodthirsty.

Third, there are "over-werewolves", or "super werewolves": those who, after transformation, fully retain the human mind and thinking. These werewolves are the least dangerous to other people. Provided, of course, that such a werewolf deliberately did not plan some kind of crime, otherwise he becomes much more cunning, resourceful and elusive than a werewolf-wolf.

Very often, the signs of all three types are mixed, and if, for example, a werewolf, having turned from a person into a beast, thinks like a person, then the realization that he is in the body of a beast can greatly affect his psyche.

In addition, there are several other main types of werewolves: firstly, those who turn at their own will (witches and sorcerers), secondly, werewolves from birth, thirdly, ordinary people who were turned into werewolves by witchcraft, and and fourthly, people who have turned into animals for some good reason.

Sorcerers and witches are the most dangerous werewolves, as they become animals in order to harm people. They can turn other people into werewolves against their will. To turn a person into a wolf, a sorcerer or witch throws an animal skin, ribbon or belt over him. It was believed that strong sorcerers and witches can turn up to several dozen people into animals at a time, and this was done at a wedding. For this, a sorcerer or a witch with a small shovel dug the road for the wedding train, and as soon as the wedding train ran into this depression, all the horses fell dead, and the guests scattered in the form of wolves or other animals.

Wolves from birth are children who suffer for the sins of their parents. They cannot help but turn into a wolf or - less often - into any other animal when the hour of transformation comes: at midnight, into the full moon. Conversion is very painful for such werewolves. Most often, they roll over a knife stuck in the ground, become wolves and run away into a pack. Ordinary people can also become animals, birds and fish, if they have any very serious reason: a woman can become a wolf in order to escape from an evil unloved husband, a man can turn into a bear so as not to fall into the clutches of robbers.

And although in essence a werewolf is a wolf, being in a wolf's body, he nevertheless retains human abilities and knowledge that help him kill. Things such as a certain choice of victims, bypassing traps and human cunning become apparent when investigating cases involving werewolves. However, it can often be said that the choice of the victims was not fully conscious.

It was believed that wolves used several basic ways to avoid being detected. So, on a full moon, when a werewolf was especially susceptible to attacks of illness, he locked himself in a room and threw the key into the darkness, and when the attack was over, he had to look for means to get out. Others made cunning straps to tie themselves to the bed. Often, werewolves would take refuge in a house, somewhere in a secret place, perhaps under the roof itself, so that all the noise was drowned out. The werewolves tried to close the windows in their houses with bars, and the doors were locked with bolts. Special constipations were used, not subject to the beast, but which a person could open. But the main trouble with werewolves was that there was no cure for their disease. Therefore, all these cunning measures could only delay the inevitable exposure.

Usually, the pack is led by a werewolf, who became such through magic, birth or curse, that is, the primary cursed blood. Such a werewolf is called an alpha werewolf. The rest of this pack are called beta werewolves: they are bitten by an alpha werewolf and carry his cursed blood.

In some cases (in the absence of an alpha werewolf, the inability of the direct descendant of an alpha werewolf to take the place of a parent, etc.), a beta werewolf may take the place of the leader of the pack. However, he himself cannot become an alpha werewolf. To remove the werewolf curse, you need to kill the alpha werewolf - the source of cursed blood.

Cursed blood means blood that contains the so-called WW (Word of Wolfs) virus, which is transmitted either by inheritance, or penetrating into the bloodstream, or artificially inoculated. The virus has a stable form, but a somewhat peculiar principle of action, which helps to neutralize rough attempts to resist it. The area that the virus infects is not the body, as was believed in the Middle Ages, but the energy and strength of its owner's blood.

Both European scientists and village healers agree that werewolf is actually a disease. Some healers say that during their lives they have cured more than one werewolf who came to them for help. Like any disease, werewolf lends itself or should be amenable, if not cure, then at least to alleviate the disease.

To do this, it is not at all necessary to understand exactly how a normal-looking person suddenly becomes a beast. But it is important to remember and not ignore your own - folk - methods of coping with this.

If a person began to have dreams in which he ceases to be himself and becomes someone else, and not necessarily a beast, but, perhaps, just another person, he should first of all think about whether he lives in the world correctly. Is he kind enough to the world, people, animals, to his land. That is, to find a reason why a person suddenly begins to want to be not himself, but someone else. One book on modern obsessive-compulsive disorder clinical psychiatry states the following.

It is not for nothing that the Bible says: "Love yourself and your neighbor." Loving yourself - not at the level of everyday life, but as a person, as a part of the higher mind - this is not only a must, but also necessary. It has already been proven that the prevention of the healing of the soul and the prevention of terrible, although, fortunately, rather rare mental conditions are very interrelated things.

There are some silly werewolf myths.

The first myth: a werewolf is a half-man, half-beast. For example, a man with the head of a beast, an animal with a human body, in thick fur. In fact, a werewolf in human form cannot be distinguished from an ordinary person. A werewolf in animal form cannot be distinguished from an ordinary animal of this kind. Therefore, the secret of werewolves will remain a secret forever. The werewolf gene cannot be identified.

What is the difference between a werewolf and a human? The ability to transform, extraordinary vitality even in human form. The werewolf will calmly endure wounds and diseases that will kill an ordinary person. Provided that a werewolf leads a normal life and no one mortally wounds him, he can live up to 200 years, while the upper bar of human life in the same conditions is 90-100 years. Each werewolf possesses magical abilities in addition to being able to "turn around". Another thing is that not every werewolf develops these abilities.

The second myth: a werewolf-man turns into a beast at night on a full moon. In fact, conversion can take place at any time of the year, day or night.

Myth three: transformation is accompanied by terrible pain and loss of consciousness. But this is not so, otherwise werewolves as a species would have disappeared long ago.

The fourth myth: every werewolf is an irrepressible killer who feeds on human meat. In fact, almost all modern werewolves have never attacked humans or killed for the sake of killing.

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