The Complete Idiot's Guide to Werewolves

by Brown Robert

  • A sudden change in skin tone (usually the skin pales).

  • Sporadic trouble controlling or focusing your eyesight.

  • Temporary episodes during which you’re extremely sensitive to certain sounds (especially if high pitched).

  • Tear duct malfunctions, leading to shifting extremes of eye dryness and overflowing tears.

  • You always feel thirsty, but water doesn’t seem to help quench your thirst.

  • A sudden development of hydrophobia, or “fear of water.” (This doesn’t count if you had hydrophobia to begin with.)

  Beastly Words

  Hydrophobia (hydro = water, phobia = fear) is an irrational and debilitating fear of all water. Many pieces of werewolf lore state that lycanthropes have an unnatural aversion to water.

  • The Mark of the Beast appears on your body, usually described as a pentagram, circle of seven stars, or triangle. (On some occasions, it is wise to call your buddies to make sure you didn’t just get a bad tattoo the previous night.)

  Physical Symptoms

  After the primary symptoms have set in, you will (or, hopefully, will not) begin to exhibit the more extreme and noticeable physical symptoms of lycanthropy. Unlike the primary symptoms, these physical symptoms are a bit harder to deny or explain away. The most extreme physical symptoms of lycanthropy are as follows:

  • Constant body aches, yet at times you feel more energized than ever before in your life.

  • Skin irritation, rashes, or constant itching.

  • Increased body hair growth and thickness. (Sometimes this includes hairy palms.)

  • Canine teeth begin to protrude and/or increase slightly in mass. (This change is usually minor until the first transformation.)

  • Third and middle fingers begin to increase in length (as well as those same toes).

  • Increased body mass, both skeletal and muscular.

  Psychological Symptoms

  The mind and body are undoubtedly linked. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the onset of lycanthropy includes a number of psychological symptoms. At first, these will usually manifest as out-of-character behaviors or sudden changes in personality. For example, if you are the type of person who avoids confrontation, you may suddenly find yourself itching for a fight. If you are the type of person who is timid by nature, you may begin staring other people down to assert dominance. These manifestations are caused by the interaction between your preexisting human nature and the foreign invasion of the wolf nature brought on by lycanthropy.

  The most common psychological symptoms of lycanthropy include the following:

  • A strong, almost constant craving for red meat

  • Unnecessary or uncharacteristically antisocial behavior

  Beastly Words

  The libido is a Freudian term for the human sex drive. Newly infected lycanthropes are often said to experience a sudden and extreme increase in sexual appetite and endurance.

  • Antiauthoritarian behavior

  • Unprovoked acts of rebellion

  • An uncontrollable urge to act out wolflike behaviors such as growling, howling, etc.

  • Sudden and extreme increase in your libido/sex drive

  Degrees of Infection

  For the sake of this book, the various levels of lycanthropic infection have been broken up into three main stages—first-, second-, and third-degree lycanthropy. To summarize, the basic criteria for each degree may be thought of as follows:

  • First degree: Bitten/infected but has not yet undergone the first transformation

  • Second degree: Has experienced first transformation but is still adapting to the new state of lycanthropy

  • Third degree: Oldest and most powerful; can change shape at will and is believed to retain a high level of mental control in wolf form

  If you’ve been bitten by a lycanthrope or in any way infected with lycanthropy, then you are experiencing first-degree lycanthropy. For the most part, you will continue to be in the first degree until the first transformation. This is commonly believed to occur roughly 30 days after the initial infection. In this stage, it is important to watch out for widespread combinations of the aforementioned physical and psychological symptoms. If you are uncertain as to whether or not you are infected with lycanthropy, your best bet is to isolate yourself as much as possible and wait 30 days. If you really have been infected, then it should become painfully obvious by then.

  Second-degree lycanthropy infection begins at the moment of your first transformation into wolf form. At this stage, you will likely be unable to control your abilities. It is also unlikely that you will be able to change at will. Second-degree lycanthropy is usually the longest in duration since it is in this stage that your mind and body must adapt to its new forms and abilities.

  Third-degree lycanthropes are the most dangerous. They are the oldest, strongest, and most skilled among werewolves. It would seem that few lycanthropes survive long enough to make it to this stage. A third-degree lycanthrope can shapeshift from human to wolf form and back at will. (However, some lore states that even third-degree lycanthropes are forced to change during the night of a full moon.)

  The First Transformation

  If you were thinking that your first transformation was going to be a blissful communion with nature, think again! Nearly every resource makes the same assertion. Your first lycanthropic transformation is going to hurt like hell. After all, your body is being forcefully transformed on both cellular and genetic levels. Does that sound pleasant to you? Of course, these rules may not apply to enchanted lycanthropes that use magical means to attain their forms.

  There are a handful of sources that offer a couple of mildly comforting ideas. Some sources argue that it is only the initial transformation that is painful, and they claim that lycanthropes in the mid to latter stages of the second degree no longer experience pain when they transform. Others claim that the transformation itself is so severe in its impact on the human mind that the infected person does not even remember it once back in human form. So yes, there is no doubt that your first lycanthropic transformation is going to hurt and that it’s going to hurt a lot. However, the good news is that there exists a very slim chance you won’t even be able to remember the experience when you regain consciousness the next morning, back in your human form … stark raving naked … in the middle of the woods … with a dead rabbit in your mouth. There, now … don’t you feel better?

  The Full Moon

  There is a bit of controversy in modern werewolf lore as to the role of the moon when it comes to its influence on lycanthropic transformations. The oldest lore states that a lycanthrope enters the werewolf state only on the night of a full moon. Later werewolf lore, however, as well as the majority of modern lore, insists that this is a misconception.

  According to most current beliefs, a “young” werewolf (meaning one who still exhibits the early stages of second-degree lycanthropy) can’t control his or her transformations. Therefore, the moon is at first the primary trigger for a “young” werewolf’s transformations. However, it is thought that, somewhere in the middle stages of second-degree lycanthropy, extreme emotions such as anger or sexual arousal become secondary triggers for the change.

  What about the full moon, however? Well, some modern lore claims that all lycanthropes involuntarily transform into either the werewolf or the full wolf state on the night of a full moon. Some believe that older werewolves (those who are well into the stages of third-degree lycanthropy) are able to resist the full moon’s influence. Among some, there exists the belief that the whole idea that the moon influences lycanthropic transformations is nothing more than an old story and that it has no real merit. You may be wondering which of these is correct. As with much of the conflicting pages of werewolf lore … you’ll just have to decide for yourself.

  A Cure for Lycanthropy?

  Unfortunately, there is no certain cure for an infection of actual lycanthropy (this does not include cli
nical lycanthropy, also known as psychological lycanthropy, which will be discussed in Chapter 18) unless one considers death a valid cure. However, in older werewolf lore, there were a number of methods believed to be effective in reversing the curse of lycanthropy. However, one must remember that most of these methods were written during or shortly after the Dark Ages, back when lycanthropy was considered a supernatural occurrence.

  The known cures for lycanthropy, according to the old lore, are as follows:

  • Exorcism

  • Iron bars

  • Charms or magic potions

  • Calling the lycanthrope by his or her human name

  • Simply telling the lycanthrope that he or she is a werewolf

  The Demons Within

  Lycanthropy, in much of the early church’s lore on the subject, was caused either by making a pact with the devil or demonic possession. Therefore, it was believed that performing a rite of exorcism on the afflicted individual would cure him or her of lycanthropy.

  The Savage Truth

  The only officially sanctioned Roman Catholic rite of exorcism, which includes both written invocations and detailed physical instructions, may be found in any copy of the text referred to as the Rituale Romanum. This text is rather difficult to find in English translation. Unfortunately for the layman, the entire text is written in Latin. Therefore, it may be a little difficult to follow without the aid of either a priest or at least someone who has a working understanding of Latin.

  The belief that lycanthropy was the result of demonic influences was probably spread throughout Europe during or shortly after the influx of Catholicism into the region. Many of the old religions, traditions, and beliefs were labeled as pagan. Before Christianity, this word was used to refer to country people who were considered “uncivilized.” The Roman Church later adopted the word to refer to those who still practiced the “old ways,” or pre-Christian religions.

  Beastly Words

  The term pagan originally comes from the Latin word paganus, which means “rustic” or “country person.” During the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the word came to refer to the “uncivilized” people who continued to practice polytheistic or pre-Christian religions. The word later took on a negative connotation and came to be associated with dark arts, devil worship, evil, etc. In recent years, the term has begun to shed this negative connotation as more people have begun to practice these old religions openly, now that they can do so without fear of harm.

  Eventually, the Roman Church denounced nearly all pagan practices as witchcraft or in some way related to demonic rites or devil worship. As a result, it was most likely reasoned by the church that lycanthropy (a concept which, like other pagan beliefs, predated the arrival of Christianity in Europe) was also a product of interactions with the devil. This would explain how exorcism came to be seen as a potential cure for lycanthropy. However, the level of success (or failure) for this method is unclear or at least undocumented.

  Got Iron? Or Potions?

  The good news is that throwing or waving an iron bar, knife, or any other iron artifact over a werewolf will return it to human form. The bad news is that this method appears only to work against enchanted or magical lycanthropes. There are no recorded cases of this method being used against cursed lycanthropes. Though this would appear discouraging, the upside is that no one can say that it definitely won’t work. I mean, considering the alternative, you’d probably want to exhaust all potential options.

  Iron was considered a strong element for protection against magic/ curses or in the negation of spells. Similar methods were believed to be effective against witches. The belief was that, by doing this, one could temporarily render impotent any magical power. Therefore, it makes sense that this was believed to work in returning magical or enchanted lycanthropes to their human forms. In lore, these kinds of werewolves were often said to gain their abilities to assume the wolf state from a belt or shawl (usually constructed from wolf’s skin).

  As for potions, there were a few that claimed to cure lycanthropy. Unfortunately, after looking at the ingredients, one would likely come to the conclusion that these potions were written by people who considered death to be a valid cure. Nearly all of these potions contain at least one (usually more) highly poisonous or toxic ingredient that is more likely to kill anyone who drinks them than they are to cure anything. As a result, the details of these potions will not be provided in this text for the sake of safety.

  Say My Name!

  Could curing lycanthropy really be this simple? Well, according to some lore … yes! According to a number of stories and myths, curing lycanthropy can be as simple as calling the werewolf by his or her human name. Unfortunately, the details about doing this are a little sketchy. For example, they don’t explain whether or not just saying the afflicted individual’s first name alone will do the trick. It is entirely possible that the person’s last name will be needed as well. Perhaps the person’s full given name is necessary. The stories are also unclear as to whether or not the name must be said while the person is still in wolf form (though one would imagine it would since it would stand to reason that many people would refer to the person by a human name when he or she is in human form). In using this method, it would be best to err on the side of caution.

  What Am I?

  Some lore explains that, similar to the “name” method, lycanthropy may be cured by simply informing afflicted people that they are a werewolf (because apparently they aren’t already aware of it?). There is one story of such an occurrence that is told (in various but fairly similar versions) throughout regions of northern Europe.

  There was once a man who had been afflicted with lycanthropy his entire life. However, he seemed to have learned to live with it fairly well since he managed to acquire a wife and home in his lifetime. One evening, however, he found himself still on the road home (driving a wagon with his wife sitting right beside him no less) as the full moon began to reveal itself in the darkening sky. He halted the wagon and handed the reins to his wife. The man got down and explained to his increasingly disconcerted wife that she was to wait with the wagon until he returned. He instructed her that, if any animal were to approach, she was to snap at it with her apron … and nothing more. Having given her these directions, the man disappeared into the woods.

  Shortly after, the wife heard howling. Suddenly a werewolf (or, in some versions of the tale, just a wolf) charged from the woods and attacked her. She did as her husband had instructed and began to snap the werewolf’s snout with her apron. Though the werewolf tore a chunk of the apron with its sharp fangs, the woman continued to fight. These strikes eventually seemed to bring the werewolf (her husband) back to his senses somewhat. Remembering himself, the werewolf ran back into the woods and again disappeared.

  Moments passed before the woman’s husband again emerged from the woods. He was completely disheveled, his clothes torn and hair a mess. From his mouth dangled the torn piece of fabric from his wife’s apron. Seeing this, the wife cried out, “My husband! By God, you are a werewolf!” To which he replied “Thank you, my dear wife. I am finally free.” From that day forward, it is said that the man never again experienced transformations of lycanthropy. Luckily, it would appear that his wife was willing to let “dead dogs lie,” so to speak.

  The Least You Need to Know

  • If you have been bitten by a wolf or wild dog, the best thing to do is get to a hospital immediately. (A rabies infection is not fun.)

  • Most lore supports that a newly infected lycanthrope will not transform until either 30 days passed or the next full moon after the initial bite.

  • There are three degrees of lycanthropy, and one who has recently been bitten is only experiencing the first degree.

  • Most lore supports the belief that all werewolves involuntarily transform on the night of a full moon.

  • While there are a number of theoretical cures for lycanthropy, none of them is known for certain to be ef
fective.

  Chapter 16

  How to Kill a Werewolf

  In This Chapter

  • Weapons that are believed to be effective against lycanthropes … and some that are not

  • A closer look at wolf’s bane, also known as “werewolf repellent”

  • Magic vs. lycanthropy

  • The proper disposal of a downed werewolf

  There is a long-held belief in western pop culture that there exists but one way to kill a werewolf. However, this is not the case. In fact, depending on which parts of werewolf lore you believe (or perhaps it would be better to say, that you believe enough to bet your life on), there are a number of ways for dispatching a troublesome lycanthrope. Of course, in the rare case that you find yourself in the presence of a werewolf while equipped with the proper tools to fight it, your chances of surviving the ordeal uninfected are still slim to none. To be honest, if you ever do find yourself being stalked or chased by a werewolf, your best chance for survival is to run … and run fast. Remember, you don’t have to be the fastest runner in your group (unless you were crazy enough to come alone). You just can’t be the slowest.