Werewolves Do they Exist, or are they just a myth?

I have been struggling with this Subject for years now, My brother insist that Werewolves are real? I , on the other hand don't believe that they do. But now I'm asking you folks, if you have a story or any other evidence to prove that these "legends of lore' exist, i would be more then glad to chat about this "subject" lol

I suspect that if certain bigfoot are indeed non-corpreal, then there would be (if we create some of these things ourselves with our mind) a variety of bigfoot that has wolfen characteristics.

The Beast of Bray Road comes to mind as a typical 'werewolf' encounter that has 'bigfoot' overtones to it.

So, yes I believe there is definitely something out there that is using that shape to its advantage, as to whether its 'real' or not I don't know.

Its a very interesting subject, and I know that through many many years in the UK they has been stories throughout history of werewolf encounters,

One of the first was over 1000 years ago when a werewolf was said to have caused terror through the UK this was known as the Flixton Werewolf, the Saxons had even built a hostel to protect travellers from it,

heres an interesting read on some monsterusa.blogspot.com...

If you mean the typical 'movie' werewolf, I'd have to say no. There are people around the world, one famous family in Mexico, who are covered head-to-toe in long brown hair. It’s actually a genetic disorder.

So back in the day, when medical science wasn't the greatest thing and many people didn't understand the functions of the human body, these people could have easily been mistaken for a werewolf. If I saw someone covered completely in hair/fur, I'd probably assume it was a creature of some sort. Also, if you were afflicted with this disorder, I'm sure you would have been an outcast...living in the woods...stealing for survival. Therefore, I'm sure a lot of stories can be attributed to this.

DD.




[edit on 9-10-2007 by DoubleDee]

I believe a high percentage of cryptids are simply demonic manifestations: werewolves, vampires, black dogs and cats, chupacabras, etc.

I am not sure I'd lump Bigfoot type creatures or lake monsters in that category. There is still quite a bit of evidence that they are undiscovered species.

[edit on 10/9/07 by Zane Zackerly]

i think there is something to werefolk & shapeshifters since they appear from ancient times around the world and within cultures that didn't have any contact with eachother at that time.

here is an interesting blog post on that subject

strangecorridor.blogspot.com...

Originally posted by DoubleDee
If you mean the typical 'movie' werewolf, I'd have to say no. There are people around the world, one famous family in Mexico, who are covered head-to-toe in long brown hair. It’s actually a genetic disorder.

yes,
i think that there's 38 members of that family...the thing is called

Hypertrichosis ~ excessive body hair over the entire body

Lycanthropy
Gunther's Disease ~ porphyria & PCT

all three maladies are most likely the source or origin for the
legend & fables which in turn birthed the 'werewolf' stereotype
popularized by Hollywood



see:
citybeat.com...
web.utah.edu...

for interesting factoid presentations, then let your mind project possibilities

I think werewolves can exist!
Like ridiculously large wolves with razor-sharp fangs...stuff like that! But they're just really big wolves!
As far as them being human, I seriously doubt that, humans cannot "transform" into anything!

I wouldn't doubt that they did or even still do exist. I'd hate to be a werewolf in the USA though. Eventually you'd end up facing some heavily armed guardsmen with silver bullets that would turn you into pet food!



[edit on 9/10/07 by NuclearPaul]

I've always wanted to test out some of the theories about how to turn into a werewolf. One of which was drinking water from the paw print of a wolf. For some reason, I thought that was really cool. :|

As for the existence of them, perhaps, but not as we know them in movies and books.

Originally posted by DelightfullyDreadful
I've always wanted to test out some of the theories about how to turn into a werewolf. One of which was drinking water from the paw print of a wolf. For some reason, I thought that was really cool. :|

As for the existence of them, perhaps, but not as we know them in movies and books.

Never heard of that, sounds like a good way to end up with a bacterial infection though.

I started a thread about werewolves in the UK a few months ago after several sightings of a werewolf type creature in a area called Cannock chase, I'm not sure I believe to be honest but its still very intersting none the less!!

movie type werewolves. who knows. i can come up with a theory as to how its possible, but any evidence to help prove it other than a theory of how it could happen, is not gonna come from me, or probably anyone here.
this is a huge planet, and im sure there might be a beast somewhere, not a shapeshifter, who resembles the werewolf that we know. thats not that far out. if it does exist, then it is smart, and is not just some blood thirsty animal that likes to feed on humans. well, i think all that came from the fact that werewolves are not supposed to be natural creatures of the wild, but humans who can shapeshift, and they are only blood thirsty through curse, and or the power trip makes them just go buckwild.

we could throw around thoughts on the topic all day, but there is no hard evidence to support the existence of werewolves.

A werewolf in folklore and mythology is a person who shapeshifts into a wolf, either purposely, by using magic, or after being placed under a curse. The medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the full moon, but this concept was rarely associated with the werewolf until the idea was picked up by modern fiction writers. Most modern references agree that a werewolf can be killed if shot by a silver bullet, although this is more a reflection of fiction's influence than an authentic feature of the folk legends. A werewolf allegedly can be killed by complete destruction of heart or brain; silver isn't necessary.

Now, I don't believe in the wolf changing humans who's rib cages shift, back arches over and snaps into place. The head then changing into a long snout and when daylight comes again, the creature returns to human. No I don't.

France in particular seems to have been infested with werewolves during the 16th century, and the consequent trials were very numerous. In some of the cases - e.g. those of the Gandillon family in the Jura, the tailor of Chalons and Roulet in Angers, all occurring in the year 1598 - there was clear evidence against the accused of murder and cannibalism, but none of association with wolves; in other cases, as that of Gilles Garnier in Dole in 1573, there was clear evidence against some wolf, but none against the accused.

The same was done in England, very much the same as Vampire stories and Witch trials. The guilty were burned alive.

Now I personally always wondered where myths such as the Werewolf, Vampire etc stemmed from. Something must have happened for all these believers of ancient times to 'get their knickers in a twist.' Vampirism as I've posted in the Vampire thread, can be dated back a long time - so can Werewolf stories and myths. In France, Germany and the Far East. In Prussia, Livonia and Lithuania, according to the bishops Olaus Magnus and Majolus, the werewolves were in the 16th century far more destructive than "true and natural wolves."

The stories come from everywhere around the World so something must have made those stories happen and start off right?

Many of the werewolves in European tradition were most innocent and God-fearing persons, who suffered through the witchcraft of others, or simply from an unhappy fate, and who as wolves behaved in a truly touching fashion, fawning upon and protecting their benefactors. In Marie de France's poem Bisclaveret (c. 1200), the nobleman Bisclavret, for reasons not described in the lai, had to transform into a wolf every week. When his treacherous wife stole his clothing, needed to restore his human form, he escaped the king's wolf hunt by imploring the king for mercy, and accompanied the king thereafter.

You can keep finding numerous stories out there. So I'm wondering where they all came from!? Ok, let's look back not so long ago. It was only very recently, a few hundred years (18th century ish) where people were tried for being witches. If you had a pet, a cat for example and you spoke to it, that was deemed a piece of evidence that you were conspiring with the Devil. But now we can see that the poor old lonely woman was only talking to somebody because she wanted company and friendship. Many people speak to their pets today, I do and we aren't witches!

Porphyria has been long linked with Vampires. It's a very rare disease that humans can get and the symptoms are very, yes very vampire like. So, link that disease with someone who's immensely hairy (hypertrichosis), and in my eyes you have the stereotypical werewolf. A human with a lot of hair, searching for blood to drink/consume, as his body needs it because of the disease porphyria.

Another theory about their origins could be Ergot. A recent theory has been proposed to explain werewolf episodes in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ergot, which causes a form of foodborne illness, is a fungus that grows in place of rye grains in wet growing seasons after very cold winters.

Ergot poisoning usually affects whole towns or at least poor areas of towns and results in hallucinations, mass hysteria and paranoia, as well as convulsions and sometimes death. ('___' can be derived from ergot.) Ergot poisoning has been proposed as both a cause of an individual believing that he or she is a werewolf and of a whole town believing that they had seen a werewolf. However, this theory is controversial and unsatisfactory.

So you imagine the whole town going crazy, almost as on LCD and you might have cracked the reasons why people were so paranoid and hysterical.

Also you have the occasional mental people who believe they are 'turning.' It's called clinical lycanthropy, in which an affected person has a delusional belief that he or she is transforming into another animal, although not always a wolf or werewolf.

Others believe werewolf legends arose as a part of shamanism and totem animals in primitive and nature-based cultures.

There's so many possibilities and different views on it all over the World that I don't know what to believe. Although I'm keen to stick with a medical/scientific condition

yes they do!but its more of a spiritual nature than a physical one, a lot like native american shape shifters.

They are among the most elusive of creatures.

I may be pure of heart, and pure of soul,
but I'll become a wolf when the moon is full.

Hey I'm new to the site but I've done alot of research on werekin (werewolves, werecats, ect) and vampires. I've found that they come up alot in the lore of diffrent cultures. Infact there are no cultures that have no refrences to these creatures. So I think its very possible that they exist, as far as how they hide so well it wouldn't be that hard. Buy a farm or other large piece of property and have the pack meet there every full moon and a few times in between and you set. Just don't go to hospitals cause your blood would be way off. But if you act normal and live kind of apart I doubt anyone would suspect you. In fact I'm sure some people have gotten away with "odd habits" becuase they lived slightly apart.

I can dont have any proof or evidence to prove werewolves do or do not exist. Ive stay up all night, searching the web for proof and evidence that mystical things exist, sometimes. I have found few websites that can prove werewolves altough i have come across 2 or 3.

All i can say is that i sinceraly hope that mystical creatures, such as vampires, werewolves, etc., really do exist. And to keep searching the web looking for evidence that they have and/or do still exist.

yeah thats true..there are cave paintings of werewolf type creatures in africa, australia, britain and north america yet none of these cultures had met when the paintings were done! thats more than just a coincidence?