A creature that has been vilified in the human world, but despised in the wizarding world. Over the past two decades, werewolves have made many big appearances in shows and films such as Wolfman (2010), Howling (1981), Stephen King's Silver Bullet (1985), and the teen drama Twilight. In Western culture, werewolves are depicted as mysterious, disturbing humans by day who then transform into dark, deadly creatures at night. According to Oxford Dictionary.com, a werewolf is described (in myth or fiction) as a "person who transforms for periods of time into a wolf, typically when there is a full moon." Therefore, leading many to have the impression that all werewolves behave and look more or less the same when the full moon approaches. However, according to many legends, werewolves do not all come from the same region or do the same thing. The history of werewolf legend states that the "eastern" vampire werewolf is found in the folklore of Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, Romania, and the Balkans, while the "western" sorcerer werewolf is found in France, Germany, 'Talking Europe and the Baltic'' (History.com). Additionally, not all werewolves react to shapeshifting the same way. Werewolves can be divided into 3 main categories: the wolf, the wolfman, and the mind/spirit wolves. Each particular group of werewolves therefore has its own particular types of animals that associate with the werewolf family: some of the most common wolves are Skinwalkers, wolfweres are wereanimals, and Mind/Spirit wolves are Berserkers. Although each animal associates with each other, their history and characteristics also vary greatly from each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The most popular type of werewolf is the wolf, hence the name. Lycanthropy, the medical definition of becoming a werewolf, is made up of two Greek words: lykos (meaning wolf) and Anthropos (meaning man). (Encyclopedia Britannica). Humans who fall into the “wolf” category have the ability to “morph into the native wolf of the place they come from, thus allowing them to be very in touch with nature in both human and wolf form. They are also able to maintain their human intelligence while in wolf form and are generally able to transform at will, although strong negative emotions such as anger might cause someone to change” (Supernatural Archive: Types of Werewolves) . Two types of animals, both skinwalkers and shapeshifters, share characteristics similar to those of the wolf. A skinwalker is similar to an Animagi in that they are a person with the ability to transform into any animal at will. According to Skinwalkers Fandom, the skinwalker legend originates from the Navajo tribe, a “Southwestern Native American tribe where in the Navajo language the word “skinwalker” translates to “one who walks on all fours” (Skinwalker Fandom) . The most popular forms a skinwalker takes are coyote, wolf, fox, eagle, owl, and/or raven. However, although they can take many forms, their current appearance appears to resemble that of a "hollow" dog-like animal. Not only do skinwalkers have the ability to transform into multiple animals, but they also have a tendency to "hang around cemeteries, digging up graves allowing some to even "steal" the faces of different people and appear as someone you know. This can be extremely dangerous, especially if you accidentally lock eyes with a skinwalker as they can “absorb” into you and take over your body” (Skinwalkers Fandom). If theirother powers weren't terrifying enough, skinwalkers are also said to be able to run over 200 miles in a day and that the only way to kill one is to call it by its human name. The other type of animal within the wolf category are shapeshifters. However, a shapeshifter differs from a skinwalker in that he is a human-like creature who has the ability to transform into any "person" he desires. Some develop this ability as children, while others develop it later in their adolescence. Some shapeshifters are known to change shape within seconds, while others take up to several hours. When a shapeshifter takes the form of a person, they not only take on the person's physical appearance, but are also able to access the thoughts of the person they are copying. They can also take the forms of fictional characters or inhuman characteristics, such as vampires and wolves” (Shapeshifter Fandom). Some of the other strengths include the ability to regenerate (injured body parts), having super strength (even at a young age), and super agility (having very fast reflexes). The second category of werewolves are wereanimals. A wereanimal is a fictional character who is capable of transforming into an animal that is not a wolf. Wereanimals are less popular than werewolves, causing most of their changing abilities to be unknown. However, wereanimals have been known to transform into animals publicly or secretly. Other times, a transformation into a wereanimal requires him to be bitten by a different animal to match his image. Wereanimals usually have control over their transformations, but simple things like being under a full moon or having unbalanced emotions can trigger a transformation. Wereanimals have a very limited variety as not being a "pure" wereanimal prevents some humans from transforming into something else or transforming at all. Any animal outside of the werewolf is considered a minor species by werewolves themselves, even if they are similar in nature. A pure werewolf, i.e. both parents are werewolves, can move whenever it wants, but is still susceptible to moving in the presence of a full moon. However, wereanimals do not have the same luxury. Wereanimals are not considered purebloods as to create a werewolf, a parent must be a werewolf and during their animal form they are not fully animal. They can “recognize people and places and have some control over their actions. In human form, they have keen senses: a keen sense of smell, taste, and hearing, essentially retaining some of their animal instincts while in human form. They may also feel strongly attracted to other werewolves and shapeshifters” (Wereanimals Fanlore). As animals, their powers include Super Strength, Super Agility, General Mortality (the ability to rend bodies), and Bite (some include venom). However, some of their weaknesses include: extreme physical damage (ripping out the heart and breaking the neck), tranquilizers, and magic (wereanimals are susceptible to magic). Now modern werewolves are more tamed than their counterparts. As stated previously, the belief in lycanthropy is what allowed the belief in werewolves to take off, despite there being no real medical evidence that humans could transform into werewolves. However, this disbelief about the truth behind the existence of werewolves began to diminish after psychologists and medical professionals received calls to work on cases involving clinical lycanthropy. According to Penn State University, there have been 13 cases of people turning into wolveswerewolves. Thus allowing some to believe that modern werewolves exist. A psychiatrist, Dr. Jan Dirk Blom, was one of those doctors examining clinical lycanthropy. According to Blom's research, "52 cases of lycanthropy were reported, but only 13 met the requirements of clinical lycanthropy as it is generally the result of a more major mental disorder such as severe depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder" (Penn State University). Blom's studies of his patients "report extreme changes in physical appearance, such as changes in the mouth and teeth, enlarged chest, shrunken bodies, burning sensation in the thighs and stomach region" (Penn State University). So, today there are no real people who turn into werewolves, however, depending on someone's mental stability, their brain can lead them to think differently. The third category of werewolves are mind/spirit wolves. A type of Mental/Spirit wolf are people who do not physically transform into a werewolf but instead change mentally. For them, the brain and spirit literally change. This plays into “'Clinical Lycanthropy' which is the belief that you are transforming or have transformed into that of a wolf or other creature when this is not the case. All their senses began to become alert, their vision became sharper, their sense of smell and hearing became heightened, and their reflexes were quickened” (Supernatural Archive). While these types of wolves are rare, there are still a few different types of mental/spiritual wolves such as Norse berserkers who take on the spirit of a wolf before battle and Therians who are capable of mentally changing their minds. in that of a wolf or other creature. Berserkers are known to be a special group of elite Viking warriors who, according to the Urban Dictionary, "fought with savage fury and acquired their power through ritual practices." Berserkers are known to take part in rituals that, before a battle, created a "berserker gang" state in which anyone who participated was considered a shapeshifter. These rituals caused the crazed gangs to begin “with shivering, chattering teeth, and chills in the body, then the face would swell and change color. Added to this was great impetuosity, which eventually turned into great rage, in which they howled like wild animals, bit the edge of shields, and knocked down everything they encountered, without distinguishing between friend and foe. In this state, berserkers lost all human ability to reason and were known to constantly scream and howl as they tore their enemies to shreds. " (Wikipedia: Berserkers). However, Berserkers also transformed themselves mentally by assuming the mental identity of the animals they wanted to mirror. These practices included spending periods in extreme isolation, fasting and exposing themselves to extreme heat or cold, precisely to copy the mannerisms of said animal. For example, “the berserker's goal in battle was to take on the identity and characteristics of a bear or wolf. In fact, becoming a wolf or a bear was the ultimate goal of all drugs, the drinking and the rituals that berserkers took part in. Living in the woods, emulating these animals served as preparation for transformation, as did entering a frenzied state” (Supernatural Fandom: Berserkers). which describes the process of a human who practices shapeshifting is someone who identifies as a non-human both spiritually and psychologically an animal. However, the best-known form of therianthropy is found in stories”, 2(4), 44-49.