Werewolves on a psychic level, page 1

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Topic started on 10-10-2005 @ 08:26 AM by ShadowedRedemption

For those of you with boundless information on the subject of werewolves, I give unto you this question: Can werewolves operate on a psychic level?
If they were to pick someone in advance that they'd want to attack, would a dream come to that person from the werewolf? Or perhaps a vision? My guess would be if this was true the werewolf was a cruel creature who wants to play with his food.
But I just want to know. Since vampires can be psychic to a degree, why can't a werewolf?

reply posted on 10-10-2005 @ 08:56 AM by Jeremiah25

Well, I think it bears pointing out that there is absolutely no evidence that either werewolves or vampires exist at all beyond mythology and symbolism. Having said that, I imagine that the difference in psychic abilities between vampires and werewolves has to do with their very different representations. What I mean by this is that a vampire is held to be a creature which preys on Humanity by blending in and by seducing its victims. Vampires are often depicted as suave, sensual, sexual creatures and many have argued that the entire concept of a vampire is an attempt to define the darker characteristics of human sexuality. It is arguable that, if they existed, vampires would utilise psychic abilities to better enable them to move amongst humans undetected and to lure and seduce their prey. This argument can be seen in any number of incarnations of the vampire mythos. In the classic Dracula, for example, the famous Count is portrayed as having significant psychic powers of telepathy, mind control and pyrokinesis. He uses these powers to lure both Renfield and Lucy Westenra and seduce them both to his will.

Similarly, the more recent Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice portrays vampires with enormously powerful psychic abilities, which they too use to charm and beguile mortals, to better move amongst them unfettered. So we can see that psychic powers complement the image of the vampire as a sensual, manipulating creature.

Werewolves, on the other hand, are most often portrayed as incarnations of savagery and Humanity's more bestial aspects. Whereas a vampire might choose its victims with great care, werewolves are normally depicted as being far less fussy when it comes to choosing dinner. For this reason, the traits commonly associated with werewolves are more in line with its depiction as a powerful, wild force of nature. Werewolves are thusly portrayed as being extremely fast, extremely strong and extremely savage. Note that these are all physical characteristics. Since werewolves are a symbol of Humanity's animal side, it is only natural that depictions of them would focus on purely physical attributes. Werewolves have traditionally been depicted as acting more on primal animal instinct than on cunning, guile and deception. Simply put, werewolves do not need psychic powers, so they are not portrayed as having them.

There have been exceptions to this rule, however. In the classic An American Werewolf In London, the werewolf is depicted as having mild psychic powers that enable him to communicate with the dead, although this is more in the form of a curse than innate abilities.

From our portrayals of werewolves, it is assumed that if a werewolf were to choose their victim in advance, that they would simply kill them. As symbols of savagery, they are not afforded psychic powers since they do not need them in the same way a vampire might. I hope this helped answer your question, ShadowedRedemption.

reply posted on 10-10-2005 @ 04:41 PM by Wolvaurynphamir

Jeremiah25 already said it all, but I'd like to add:

If werewolves ever appeared to have powers remotely psychic-related, it would be their heightened senses. This, again, runs along the lines of werewolves representing the beastial side of humanity. Some werewolves, even when they weren't transformed, are portrayed as having superhuman senses. Some have extremely powerful empathy, just as some vampires have been said to have empathy (among other things).

But the psychic werewolf? I've never heard of such a thing. It sounds like the interesting premise of a werewolf story. It sounds like the marriage of a predator's need to hunt and the human concept of premediated revenge.

reply posted on 10-10-2005 @ 05:42 PM by ShadowedRedemption

What about the myth that a star appears on the hand of the next victim? Or is that myth not very common.

reply posted on 10-10-2005 @ 06:09 PM by Wolvaurynphamir

That's the invention of a scriptwriter, as far as I know. I have never heard it referenced in folklore; the first I heard of it was from the movie The Wolf Man, and I haven't found anything to substantiate it.

[edit on 10-10-2005 by Wolvaurynphamir]

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