Werewolves

Readers were very happy with the research done in the previous posts. Many of you, e-mailed about werewolves so I hope you'll find the answers in this post. Origins The word werewolf is from the Anglo-Saxon word werwulf; wer meaning man, and wulf meaning wolf. This half-man half-beast has all the appearance of a normal human being by day. But come nightfall, with the rising of a full moon, a transformation takes place. And what was once a man turns into a vicious, bloodthirsty, killing machine - the werewolf. Hollywood's portrayal of this beast is often shallow and sometimes even comical. It makes this supernatural phenomenon often unbelievable. But this creature is prevalent amongst many ancient culture. Lycanthropy Lycanthropy is not unusual, from Asia to Europe. It describes the ability to assume the form of an animal, that is to shift shapes. The werewolf is as good example of this. Another case in point is the Dracula-bat change. Instances of lycanthropy have been recorded as early as the time of Julius Caesar by Ovid (43 BC to AD 18). As the legend goes, Lycaon the king of Arcadia tried to test the omniscience of Zeus by placing before him a dish of human flesh, just to see if the god could tell. Well, Zeus didn't get to be a god if he couldn't tell some delicious repast from cannibal cuisine. He was so angry, he cursed Lycaon, turning him into the very first werewolf. King Nebuchadnezzar Besides Roman and Greek legend, the shape shifters are also reported in the Bible. The book of Daniel in the Bile tells of how King Nebuchadnezzar was transformed from an almight ruler into a beast of the field. Daniel makes a prediction about the king and the Bible records, "The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven from men and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair was grown as eagle feathers and his nails were as claws." Do we need any further proof that shape shifting is plausible? I have seen for myself how sometimes, while in a trance, a spirit that induces animal behavior can possess a person. This person will then behave exactly like a monkey, prancing about and scratching himself. He can even perform a dance resembling an animal or do some sort of pugilistic routine that imitates animal movements. The possible causes According to an old English traditional belief, lycanthropy in the case of the werewolf is caused by the plant Wolfsbane. If a man scratches himself with this magical plant by the light of a full moon, he immediately becomes a werewolf, forever doomed to changing into a ravenous, murderous beast every time the full moon rises in the night sky. However. I believe it can also happen through spirit possession. The spirit world, you see, is very complex. There are spirits that would make you take after an animal and if you are trapped by one of these foul demons, it could even make you look like a beast. Have you noticed how some people looked like animals? Well, there might be a supernatural explanation for this. In the time of the Celts, before the Norman and Saxon invasion of England, the Druids used to dress up in wolfskin by the light of the full moon to mark occult festivals like the summer and winter solstice. Eastern beliefs Although the wolf is the most common animal referred to in lycanthropy in the West, it is not necessarily the case in the East. Indian legends of lycanthropy revolve around the tiger instead of the wolf. As recently as 1919,, in Bhagalpur, India, a shopkeeper named Rupa Sao attacked and killed a small girl. However, the marks and signs of this murder were more like those of a tiger rather than a man. When arrested, Sao was in such a deteriorated state of mind that he could not account for the heinous act himself. He had to be committed to an asylum. One night while in custody there, the guards heard him cursing his fate and calling out to the heavens - that he did not want to change into a tiger again! By the time they reached his cell, he had killed himself. In popular Chinese legends, lycanthropy and werewolves are also prevalent. Many stories revolve around this. However, there's an interesting variant - a female of the species, the legendary Hu Li Jing [狐狸精]. This is the Fox Spirit, where certain beautiful woman are believed to be the spirits of demonic foxes. You could say that the could change their shape from foxy babe to baby fox at will! Other animals Animals have always been a favorite target of evil spirits. These spirits attack dogs, pigs and snakes because animals are almost defenceless against their attacks. The first known case of animal possession was in the garden of Eden when the devil possessed the snake to talk to Eve. Interestingly enough, the snake was punished for that foul deed and damned to spend the rest of eternity crawling on its belly. Dogs and wolves seem to have an uncanny ability to "see" things that others can't. You can tell when a dog is seeing something when it barks or howls for no apparent reason. Many readers have e-mailed to say that when you use dog tears on your own eyes, you'll be able to see the spirits just like dogs do. POSTED BY PUNIAO AT 4:19 AM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: ARCADIA KING, KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR, LYCANTHROPY, LYCAON, ORIGINS, WEREWOLF, WEREWOLVES, WERWULF, 狐狸精