Everything is Possible: Real Live Werewolves
The concept of a werewolf or lycanthrope is a human that can shape-shift into a wolf or half wolf/half human beast. Typically in older tales, once transformed, the werewolf has an uncontrollable urge to hunt and kill humans. However, there are also tales where the shape-shifter can control their transformation and/or behavior once transformed. Today we’ll take a look at the origin of werewolves, and real world correlations.
Earliest Known Mentions of a Werewolf in Literature
Werewolves appear in stories all over the world. The earliest known mention of a man turning into a wolf is in The Epic of Gilgamesh, which is a series of Sumerian poems that date back to 2100 B.C. In the story, Gilgamesh decides not to take things further with a potential lover, because she turned her previous mate into a wolf. Smart guy! Another famous appearance of werewolves in early times is in Greek mythology in Ovid’s first book of Metamorphoses (8 A.D). The story is the Legend of Lycaon. In the story, Lycaon angers the god Zeus by offering him a meal made from a sacrificed human boy. Zeus is so angry he turns Lycaon and his sons into wolves.
