Topic please.

Yeah...sorry.

Just to remind all you puppies; the topic is who here is/believes themselves to be a were, and how they got that way.

Saluer et ne pas nécessitez mon capitan.

(Salute. and no need* my captain.)


*No need = thank you.


Has anyone seen The Brotherhood of the Wolf?
How -- if at all -- do you all think cultural preconceptions and stories have impacted weredom?  Do you think that weres began as a creation of the human mind, or as a physical condition?

Last edited by Fuzzball (2006-02-17 16:47:37)

If you look at Therianism throughout history (particularly European - but in fact, anywhere that European involvement took place), you'll see three distinct periods. THis is important and any theory of Therianthropy is going to have to deal with this. The first period would be Oriental in nature (eastern European and central Asian). Werewolves were considered a distinct group of humans who were bloodthirsty and evil for the most part - yes - but nevertheless, quite human. During the early Middle Ages, they were seen as much more benign. At worst they were innocent people living out a curse; otherwise they were simply seen s people who were different and possibly even gifted. Then, after the Inquisition, they were evil and either insane or demonic. Now, there's a new era and we're looked at, by the outside world as fantisizers.

I propose that the reason for the first change was that the early Therians were forced to become neighbors. Although the Neuri were a pretty awful people, it seems that dispersers - indiviiduals that migrate away from the culture - easily became parts of their new cultures and were quite good neighbors. 

I think that the reason for the second change was almost completely "social preconceptions and stories." The Therians were demonized very effectively by the church. From that pointon, "Werewolves" were not anyone with any nature right to that label but mentally ill people that wanted to be thought of as people that impacted the world. The wee the Middle Age equivalent of the people who admit to murders and arson to get attention. The real Wrewolves had been wiped out by the Inquisition.

Today, the term has fallen into ill repute. When people think of "Werewolves", they can't get around the image of Larry Talbot. So most Werewolves try to escape the stigma of the movies by calling themselves "Therians".

Honestly, I think that the Werewolves that existed in history are exactly the same kind of people that exist today. It's easy to speculate that shamanic shifting into other animals could have been misunderstood by mainstream humans as a physical transformation and that the very private and aloof Therians would have used that misunderstanding to avoid complete inclusion in the social structures of the early Middle Ages. You see exactly the same thing in fringe cultures today. People like bikers use the myths that have developed about them to disuade "straights" from entering their subcultures.

So the Werewolves were real enough, but a lot of the things that were "known" about them were popular misconceptions.

Now, whether Werewolves could (or can) actually transform - I assume that the popular myth is strong enough that it presents itself as a real potential to some modern Therians (let me add, who are not particularly naive). On the other hand, I could be wrong - I certainly can't prove that a human being can't change into a wolf. But, again, the occassional report of physical shifting needs substantiation.

Sorry, occassionally, I wax elephants.

I don't think the "Werewolves" of the witch hunts were Werewolves at all. They were mentally ill people who wanted attention (sort of lke many serial killers want attention) and the Werewolf mystique appealed to them, so they called themselves "Werewolves". But they resembled in no way either the Neuri, the Werewolves of the early Middle Ages, or the present day Therians. On the otherhand, it's easy enough imagining those three to be the same people in different ages.

That's very possible.

Topic please.

The Busboy wrote:

Topic please.

I knew you were going to say that, The Busboy.

There were two identical theeads on this topic, so the other one was deleted today, again the topic is:

werewolf552 wrote:

Hey, just wondering, who all here is a werewolf? And if so, how did it happen to you

/me is just getting into this stuff..

Permanent?  Like what?

LOL me born and bread. so is my son