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In folklore, a werewolf [a] (from Old English werwulf 'man-wolf'), or occasionally lycanthrope [b] (from Ancient Greek λυκάνθρωπος, lykánthrōpos, 'wolf-human'), is an individual who can shape-shift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction, often a bite or the occasional ...
The wolf as a mythological creature plays an important role in Balkan and Serbian mythology and cults. [34] [35] In the Slavic and old Serbian religion and mythology, the wolf was used as a totem. [36] In Serbian epic poetry, the wolf is a symbol of fearlessness. [37]
In fact, Greek mythology tells the story of a confrontation between Lycaon, a cruel king, and the Greek god, Zeus, in which Zeus ultimately punishes Lycaon by turning him into a wolf.
However, in most legends influenced by medieval theology, the werewolf was a Satanic beast with a craving for human flesh. This appears in such later fiction as "The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains": an episode in the novel The Phantom Ship (1839) by Marryat , featuring a demonic femme fatale who transforms from woman to wolf.
In Abrahamic mythology and Zoroastrianism mythology, angels are often depicted as benevolent celestial beings who act as messengers between God and humans. Bat – An Egyptian goddess with the horns and ears of a cow. Cernunnos – An ancient Gaulish/Celtic God with the antlers of a deer. Fairy – A humanoid with insect-like wings.
Greek mythology introduced werewolves with the tale of the king of Arcadia, Lycaon, who tried to serve a sacrificed child for Zeus to eat. The story goes that Zeus was so angry at Lycaon’s crass ...
Zeus turning Lycaon into a wolf; engraving by Hendrik Goltzius.. In Greek mythology, Lycaon (/laɪˈkeɪɒn/; Attic Greek: Λυκάων, romanized: Lukáōn, Attic Greek: [ly.kǎː.ɔːn]) was a king of Arcadia who, in the most popular version of the myth, killed and cooked his son Nyctimus and served him to Zeus, to see whether the god was sufficiently all-knowing to recognize human flesh.
1722 German woodcut of a werewolf transforming. Popular shapeshifting creatures in folklore are werewolves and vampires (mostly of European, Canadian, and Native American/early American origin), ichchhadhari naag (shape-shifting cobra) of India, shapeshifting fox spirits of East Asia such as the huli jing of China, the obake of Japan, the Navajo skin-walkers, and gods, goddesses and demons and ...