The word “lycanthropia” or “lycanthropy” derives from the Greek word “lycos” meaning wolf, and “anthropos” meaning human.

Of course, the Greek origin of the werewolf legend has many variants. According to the earliest and best known is in Roman Poet Ovid “Metamorphoses”. The publication was in 8 A.D.

This is how the legend goes. King Lycaon was the greek ruler and tyrant of Arcadia. One day, the mighty Zeus arrived at Lycaon’s palace masquerading as an ordinary man. After Zeus reveals his true identity, the king devises a plan to test whether the mighty Zeus is actually a god. The king murders one of his hostages named Epirus, and boils and roasts the victim’s flesh, and serves it to the god. Zeus does not eat what is presented to him. Utterly enraged, he sets the king’s palace on fire and does a slayage of the 50 sons of Lycaon. This act is caused with lightning bolts. As the final punishment for the king, he is cursed and sent into the wild where he is transformed into a howling wolf.

But an interesting question is posed. Why does Zeus curse Lycaon into a wolf and not any other animals. The answer of course lies to King Lycaon’s savagery and lust for human-flesh which is identical to that of wolves.

Another significant story in terms of werewolves, is the Grimm version. It was narrated to them by a soldier that stated the legend happened to his own grandfather. The grandfather enters within the forest to cut wood with a friend a third man. The grandfather notices something peculiar about the third man, but he can’t make sense of what it is. After all three of them finish their work and end up becoming fatigued, the third man recommends a nap. Accordingly, they all lay down on the ground, and close their eyes.

The grandfather pretends to fall asleep; however, he keeps his eyes slightly open. He is very adamant in discovering the reason behind the third man’s strange behavior.

So, the third person looks to see if the other two men were sleeping. When he was certain they were, he put on a belt and became a wolf. However, he did not resemble a natural wolf. He seemed to be rather different and very feral. He quickly ran off to a nearby field where he ambused a female horse and devoured it completely.

Upon his return, he removed the belt, and lay down in human form near the others. While returning to town, the man complained about having a stomach ache. As they entered the town gate, the grandfather whispers into the 2nd man’s ear “When one devours a whole horse…” But before he could finish his sentence, the third man interrupts and states “Had you said this to me in the forest, you would not be able to say this now. “ hinting to his keen sense of hearing and sense of violence.

Other forms of lycanthropia include the French werewolf or loup garou. That has an intense amount of human reasoning around it, and attempts to free itself from the lycanthropic curse. It was placed under the curse by someone’s witchcraft. Finally, the Wendigo, is a werewolf like creature in the Native American folklore, which is characterized by malevolence and cannibalism. When a loup garou and Wendigo combine, there emerges a new kind of legend which is still present in our lovely country Canada, the upper and lower peninsulas of Michican and upstate New York. All three places were once French Colonies.

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