Werewolves
USER: Horatio | POSTED: 4-6-1990 12:18:24
SUBJECT: Werewolves
After Vampires, werewolves are some of the most commonly reported encounters we've seen in recent years. Most of the reports have come from the rural areas of northwestern North America, especially the state of Alaska and Yukon Territory in Canada. There have also been some suggestions that sightings classified as Sasquatch, mutant bears, or other phenomena may actually be werewolves. There are a lot of these that occur on the nights of the full moon; the jury is out whether that's just because it is better lit, or if those sightings are misclassified.
When all is told, we don't really know much about werewolves. It's possible that they are all mistaken identities, but I don't think so - I've heard enough consistency in the accounts that I think they are really out there in the wilderness. Combined with the information in the old texts and what truths we can sift from folklore, I think their existence is confirmed. Beyond that, all we have is educated guesses, which form the rest of this bulletin.
***************** * Shapeshifters * *****************
All the folklore about werewolves agree on this - they change shape, usually under the full moon, and usually into a large, aggressive wolf. Modern fiction, especially early horror cinema, appears to have invented the "wolf-man" whole cloth, because it was a lot easier to film. To the best of our knowledge, there's not much support that werewolves ever adopt this hybrid form, but unless a werewolf joins the board to give an expert opinion, we're just guessing. There are also many tales of people who shapeshift into animals all over the world - if any of those are true or partially true, they could easily be creating confusion on this topic.
Since at least the early 1980s, there have been reports of enormous wolves spotted under the full moon in the remote areas of western Canada and eastern Alaska. They span a huge area, with the easternmost reports being near Great Bear Lake and the westernmost along the banks of the Koyukok river in central Alaska. Most are in the Yukon Territory; given how sparsely populated the region they appear in is, the presence of any reports at all suggest that there are far more present than have been reported - and it is also likely that many sightings were never reported anywhere we would find them. However, if they are human the rest of the time, that puts an upper limit on the population - at least in this region.
**************** * Transmission * ****************
To the best of our knowledge, there has been nobody bitten and turned into a werewolf. Some of the sightings were accompanied by injuries, and some people have gone missing on full moon nights in places where giant wolves were spotted. But there is no case reported of anyone being bitten and then reporting turning into a wolf, or dropping out of their lives, or anything else that seems to indicate they've been turned into a werewolf themselves. Our best clues for how it is transmitted actually come a collection of French-Canadian diaries dating back to the late nineteenth century, all associated to a particular family that moved there earlier in the century. These are collectively known as the Gevaudanais diaries, and have found their way into the collection of a particular museum, where our own Raven has had the opportunity to peruse them. In these diaries, several generations of the Gevaudanais family report sporadic blackouts under the full moon, often months or years apart, and sometimes accompanied by other signs such as large wolf-tracks, gutted and half-devoured animals, and witness claims that large wolves had been spotted. The familial connection between these diaries supports the idea that lycanthropy is a hereditary condition, and that it can manifest whenever the thaumic density is sufficient to support it. Since we know that thaumic density tends to spike under the full moon, this makes werewolf transformations one of the earliest signs of larger magical trends, and makes these diaries some of our best evidence of past periods when Magic was possible.
None of this rules out the possibility of contagious lycanthropy of course - it may be that this mechanism requires a higher base magical level than inheritance, and that infectious lycanthropy may emerge under different conditions. But at the moment, it looks like werewolves are born - not made.
************* * Wild Folk * *************
The Gevaudanais diaries also give us a sense of what being a werewolf - even a latent one that does not regularly transform - is like. The diaries recount that the Gevaudanais family were called 'les sauvagins' by their neighbors, a term which, in the dialect of that time and place, is best translated as "Wild-Folk". They were called this for their tendency to move as deep into the wilderness as they could survive. The diarists themselves speak of finding the presence of towns and villages uncomfortable; that being in them was like being caged or trapped, and being driven by a desire to move further and further away. They take on professions which allow them stay far from civilization, and form small, tight-knit communities mostly consisting of family members, with very limited interaction with outsiders. The diaries also refer to other families being dubbed 'les sauvagins', but do not give their names except where specific marriages and partnerships are mentioned - the cluster of families that we suspect carried latent lycanthropy became closely intertwined over the generations, possibly reinforcing the inherited condition.
************** * Conclusion * **************
That's what we know about werewolves so far. There may be enclaves outside of North America, probably in remote and wild areas, and there may be more than one kind of shapeshifter active in the world. Also, the presentation of lycanthropy may change as thaumic levels increase, possibly creating new methods of transmission, transformations outside of the full-moon period, or even cinematic hybrid forms; we will have to wait and see what happens. As always, much of this information is conjecture on our part; we will update this Lore bulletin with any additional information we obtain.
And if you are a werewolf, let us know; we'd love to have a chat.
USER: FringeDr | POSTED 5-6-1990 20:11:14
SUBJECT: RE: Werewolves (Horatio)
Additional note: based on the reports we've seen, werewolves don't appear to gain or lose mass when they change, so a two-hundred pound human would become a two-hundred pound wolf. That's absolutely gigantic by the standards of a normal wolf, which normally wouldn't exceed a hundred pounds, with 150 being the absolute maximum. The few specimens discovered which were larger (such as a 175lb specimen killed in Alaska in 1939) may in fact be werewolves; we don't believe they revert to a human form after death.
USER: CanadaHam | POSTED 5-6-1990 20:14:36
SUBJECT: RE: Werewolves (Horatio)
You say werewolf - I say giant wolves created by the GOVERNMENT. I've seen them running under the moon - they are larger than you expect, even when you know they are huge. I got out of there in a hurry - lucky they can't keep up with a truck!
USER: Grimalkin | POSTED 5-6-1990 20:41:58
SUBJECT: RE: Werewolves (Horatio)
In addition to this variety of werewolves, there are also people who use magical talismans to adopt a wolf form; these are not tied to the full moon, except inasmuch as it is a good time to practice magic this powerful.
Horatio - you didn't mention anything about silver being harmful to the hereditary werewolves - is that not the case?
USER: Percival | POSTED 5-6-1990 23:08:45
SUBJECT: RE: Werewolves (Horatio)
First vampires, now werewolves - how many monsters are prowling in the shadows? Why are they not hunted down?
USER: Horatio | POSTED 6-6-1990 0:11:14
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Werewolves (Horatio) (Grimalkin)
We don't know the answer on silver - nothing in the stories we have addresses it. It might be a thing - or it might not. I left it out because it isn't a part of traditional lore at all - like the wolfman form, it seems to be a twentieth century invention.
USER: Horatio | POSTED 6-6-1990 0:14:27
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Werewolves (Horatio) (Percival)
We don't know that werewolves are monsters like vampires - it may make more sense to think of them like wolves instead, and just stay out of their way.
This just keeps getting better.
Thanks!!
Like, I'm beside myself over how much fun this is. I've said this takes me back, but damn dude.... this is good and hitting me in the nostalgia feels hard. You never cease to impress me.
Thanks so much!