The Werewolf Café The Werewolf Café

You are not logged in.

#1 2009-11-06 05:40:57

Rainbow BeerWolf
Member
From: Planet Krypton
Registered: 2009-11-05
Posts: 34

Therianthropy - What is it?

Topic: What does Therianthropy mean to you and what is it to you?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will first note that I do not claim to be a therianthrope or know everything about them.

I've had a bit of a look through the Therianthropy section of the boards here (and on many other sources). Therianthropy is a topic which I've always found rather interesting in a social context as well as a community context. I suppose the fact it is about dual personalities (animal and human) doesn't hurt to make it even more interesting!

Is therianthropy a method of escapism? Or is it something many people have experienced in their lives? A past life memory, totem animal spirits constantly being with you (and yes I will possibly get a lot of disagreement over the totem thing) or a forced change in behaviour into the animal you love because you want to be something special? Which is escapism in my view.

In any case, I believe therianthropy is a real phenomenon and is defined by the individual alone. It can't be defined by someone else. Whether you invented it, or whether it's something else (reincarnation, genetics, an actual animal spirit), if it's real to the individual, then it must be real (let's not get philosophical here though - haha).

Anyhow if I were to describe any of this with regards to myself, I suppose I could, in answer to my own question. I've experienced what therianthropes term 'phantom shifts'. I still do and many are not enjoyable. I've experienced shifting in my dreams, or being that animal. I occasionally exhibit behaviour which might seem strange (growling/teeth baring, walking on my toes, that sort of thing).

However!!  - I pretended to be a wolf and a shape-shifter in many childhood games. I've got an amazing imagination, I have a passion for shifters, and often wonder what it's like, which probably brings on some 'phantom shift' feelings which are very powerful in some instances. I also pretended to be medieval warriors and cats and all that, but anyway. We could say I had quite a fun, imaginative childhood. Possibly some of these things remained with me as habits over the years, despite my age (the growling, for sure). I used to be able to run on all fours, raced my friends this way and on toes, just a silly childhood game, so I suppose I like to run up the stairs like that too. If I need to lift something heavy, I picture myself as a stronger creature. Imagination. It works, too; gives you a great adrenaline rush. The mind is a powerful thing.

I've found a heap people claiming that 'craving meat' is a sign of carnivorous therianthropy. Humans crave meat all the time. I'm a vegetarian and have been for years, and I still crave meat (and refuse to eat it), because I grew up eating and enjoying it. I took it away from myself, and my mind is saying 'you little shite! Why did you go and deny me?' Others claim that aggression is an indicator - why? Humans are no more or less aggressive than many types of non-human animals. How is that a factor?

I'm not sure I'd call myself a therianthrope, or would wish to define myself. I am who I am, for whatever reason.

For you:

My question anyway is what is therianthropy to YOU? What, to you, defines it? How did you discover it, why are you eager to call yourself a therianthrope, and do you have any other names for it? This isn't to mock, this is purely interest. So please refrain from creating huge flame wars in my thread, thanks very much! I apologise for any offense caused by the above.

Last edited by Rainbow BeerWolf (2009-11-06 05:42:04)


"I never realised the Deptartment of Agriculture was interested in National Security. Do you have like, undercover cows?" - John Corey (Nelson Demille)

Offline

 

#2 2009-11-08 20:00:05

SherlawkDragon
Submarine Troll
From: South Florida
Registered: 2007-08-18
Posts: 1308
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Rainbow BeerWolf wrote:

I suppose the fact it is about dual personalities (animal and human) doesn't hurt to make it even more interesting!

Therianthropy isn't exactly "Dual personalities" as you describe it, it's more like having a part of yourself that feels that it is an animal and not a human. (to me at least, there's alot of dissent in therianthropy.  VanZandt is into that "dual personalities" thing...)

Is therianthropy a method of escapism? Or is it something many people have experienced in their lives? A past life memory, totem animal spirits constantly being with you (and yes I will possibly get a lot of disagreement over the totem thing) or a forced change in behaviour into the animal you love because you want to be something special? Which is escapism in my view.

Both.  There are many people who are legitimate therians (I tend to think that I'm one, but someone else may disagree.  Once again, lots of dissent.) and the majority of us lead typical, positive human lives. (a few nuttos here and there, but that's everywhere)  On the other paw, there are alot of people who use therianthropy as a kind of escapism, or are just confused.  Usually these people leave the community within a year, though some have stayed for longer and may never leave.  Alot of them end up really jaded from it too, and sometimes come back in to try and "save" others. (that can be a few who they are skeptic of to everyone in the community)

I've found a heap people claiming that 'craving meat' is a sign of carnivorous therianthropy. Humans crave meat all the time. I'm a vegetarian and have been for years, and I still crave meat (and refuse to eat it), because I grew up eating and enjoying it. I took it away from myself, and my mind is saying 'you little shite! Why did you go and deny me?' Others claim that aggression is an indicator - why? Humans are no more or less aggressive than many types of non-human animals. How is that a factor?

It's bull-shite.  "Craving Meat" is no more a sign of therianthropy than any of this other silliness.  Proof: Many (carnivorous) therians are happily vegetarian (it's hard to eat animals when you identify so strongly with them), and don't have any problems with it. (Vampires too, for that matter)

My question anyway is what is therianthropy to YOU? What, to you, defines it? How did you discover it, why are you eager to call yourself a therianthrope, and do you have any other names for it?

Therianthropy to me is that weird feeling I get somewhere in my head that tells me I'm a raccoon or dragon, and the community of people that have the same sort of feeling.  I never really "discovered" it, it just started to come about on its own and one day I was hanging out on WikiFur and I came across their article on Therianthropy and was like "oh hey, that's me.", and here I am.  I've heard alot of other names, like "Animal Person" and "Werecreature", but I tend to stick with "Therian", because that doesn't bring anything else to mind, it's an entirely new term to someone I'm explaining it to, so they don't think of anything they already know which might be wrong. (it's also the most commonly used term, if they've heard of it before)

This isn't to mock, this is purely interest. So please refrain from creating huge flame wars in my thread, thanks very much! I apologise for any offense caused by the above.

No, it's actually a good topic, it raises some good points that aren't raised here enough...

Last edited by SherlawkDragon (2009-11-08 20:08:22)


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

Offline

 

#3 2009-11-08 23:18:24

WolfVanZandt
Member
From: Broomfield, Colorado
Registered: 2004-09-01
Posts: 4717
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

I don't actually think that therianthropy is about dual personalities although I do believe that therianthropy manifests somewhere on a continuum of dissociation. I believe that therianthropy is about natural shamanism.

Offline

 

#4 2009-11-09 05:54:44

Rainbow BeerWolf
Member
From: Planet Krypton
Registered: 2009-11-05
Posts: 34

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

My apologies, guys - the 'dual personalities' was a sort of joke. wink The craving meat and aggression was a rhetorical question - I just tend to see it around a lot and it kind of annoys me I suppose, because to crave meat and to be aggressive - both human traits as well.

SherlawkDragon - I'd like to hear more about those who try to 'save' people - sounds interesting; are they therianthropes who deliberately trash those using it as escapists? I see 'trashing' a lot. I mean as tempted as I am to laugh sometimes at the teenagers, I also remember that teenagers have a very different mindset, and they are finding themselves. Or a sort of 'save them' from devilry thing?

Cheers as well - as I said, I find stuff like this interesting. I also kind of agree with you WolfVanZandt that it's natural shamanism to a lot of people, or a spiritual thing.


"I never realised the Deptartment of Agriculture was interested in National Security. Do you have like, undercover cows?" - John Corey (Nelson Demille)

Offline

 

#5 2009-11-09 17:36:27

SherlawkDragon
Submarine Troll
From: South Florida
Registered: 2007-08-18
Posts: 1308
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

WolfVanZandt wrote:

I don't actually think that therianthropy is about dual personalities although I do believe that therianthropy manifests somewhere on a continuum of dissociation. I believe that therianthropy is about natural shamanism.

I don't care what you think, it's you, so I already know is that it's crazy. >:|
(the face there means I'm not being serious, in case anyone hasn't realized that by now)

Rainbow BeerWolf wrote:

SherlawkDragon - I'd like to hear more about those who try to 'save' people - sounds interesting; are they therianthropes who deliberately trash those using it as escapists? I see 'trashing' a lot. I mean as tempted as I am to laugh sometimes at the teenagers, I also remember that teenagers have a very different mindset, and they are finding themselves. Or a sort of 'save them' from devilry thing?

All of it.  There are people like me who throw skepticism around at new claims, there are people who hang around and target certain people and hang on their every statement to try and dissuade them, and there are people who crusade against all therians. (many of these people used to believe they were therians and were really into it, but got all jaded when they decided they weren't)  I don't like to be around the last two, because they just create a hostile environment.  ShadowMyst's forum has a few of all kinds there, and that's why I don't hang out there anymore: it just became a warzone where you couldn't say one word without being attacked by someone from the other 'side' (people would form aggressive, tightly bonded teams), skepticism and such is nice for keeping reality around, but there's an extreme that just becomes annoying, and at some point, you just have to let it go and get along.

I also kind of agree with you WolfVanZandt that it's natural shamanism to a lot of people, or a spiritual thing.

I disagree actually. (Like I've said, as much as I will agree that he knows what he's talking about, me and VanZandt are politically remote within the community)  Though it seems like it could fit, there is little to actually support the "Natural Shamanism" viewpoint that VanZandt and ShadowMyst subscribe to.  To me the only thing that's certain and reliable to say is that, whether it be spiritual or mental (I think it probably crosses over alot, but I'm more sure that it's mental than spiritual or magical), there's some sort of 'animal'-trait within us that makes us the way we are.  Terms like "Natural Shamanism" and "A spiritual thing" jump to far too many conclusions and put down too many implications that just aren't satisfied.

*ShadowMyst is a tiger therian and occultist.  She's a "gray-muzzle" like VanZandt, but she's much more reclusive.
EDIT: I love what the [[graymuzzle]] article says: "Wolf VanZandt is a graymuzzle because he's really old."  I wonder if I wrote that....

Last edited by SherlawkDragon (2009-11-09 17:41:32)


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

Offline

 

#6 2009-11-09 17:57:43

White Wolf
Dreamer of the East [Moderator]
From: "Southern" Florida
Registered: 2009-04-21
Posts: 18155
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Therianthropy to me is that weird feeling I get somewhere in my head that tells me I'm a raccoon or dragon, and the community of people that have the same sort of feeling.

Ah, I finally understand the avatars... wink


Nos totus take diversus semita ut a similis fortuna per sapientia, vires, quod fides in divinus nostrum maioribus socius.

Offline

 

#7 2009-11-09 19:01:38

SherlawkDragon
Submarine Troll
From: South Florida
Registered: 2007-08-18
Posts: 1308
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

White Wolf wrote:

Therianthropy to me is that weird feeling I get somewhere in my head that tells me I'm a raccoon or dragon, and the community of people that have the same sort of feeling.

Ah, I finally understand the avatars... ;)

What do you mean?


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

Offline

 

#8 2009-11-09 19:09:30

Rainbow BeerWolf
Member
From: Planet Krypton
Registered: 2009-11-05
Posts: 34

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

How do you quote someone? I've forgotten the proper tag. Been a while since I've been on any discussion forums except for an Irish one but with no lengthy discussions.

Sherlawk - That sounds unpleasant. I've seen a few myself; I did used to lurk on a therianthropy board a while ago. With a lot of greymuzzles and the like. I found a lot of them to be abrasive and rude. I also found the new ones to be rude and immature. So I left, even though they were interesting in a sense. I'm sure people view therianthropy differently; some might see it as spiritual, but not all. I think I see it that way. That's why I might hesitate to call myself a 'therian' because the term has so many different meanings for so many people, and when I 'shape-change' in any sense of the word (never p-shift - in my honest opinion, anyone who claims this is bonkers, or a liar looking for attention), in my dreams, or a phantom shift, it's sort of calling the spirit to me to help me. It happens automatically a lot. When afraid or tense. Sort of a shift in perception.

Hmmm I wonder if I make sense; I'm hurrying to type before I rush off to work. -Sighs- And now I must leave.


"I never realised the Deptartment of Agriculture was interested in National Security. Do you have like, undercover cows?" - John Corey (Nelson Demille)

Offline

 

#9 2009-11-09 22:47:35

White Wolf
Dreamer of the East [Moderator]
From: "Southern" Florida
Registered: 2009-04-21
Posts: 18155
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

The easiest way is just to hit the quote button on the bottom left of a post. wink

Hahahahahahahahaha, I never really understood why you had that picture Sherlawk, but it makes sense now. wink


Nos totus take diversus semita ut a similis fortuna per sapientia, vires, quod fides in divinus nostrum maioribus socius.

Offline

 

#10 2009-11-10 00:25:46

WolfVanZandt
Member
From: Broomfield, Colorado
Registered: 2004-09-01
Posts: 4717
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Hey, Sherlawk. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth....somebody understands you....just leave it at that.

Offline

 

#11 2009-11-10 17:16:26

SherlawkDragon
Submarine Troll
From: South Florida
Registered: 2007-08-18
Posts: 1308
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

White Wolf wrote:

Hahahahahahahahaha, I never really understood why you had that picture Sherlawk, but it makes sense now. ;)

You mean SuperCoon?  Yeah, that was the reason.  The one I've got now was Blue Eyes Wolf's drawing for me.

EDIT:

WolfVanZandt wrote:

Hey, Sherlawk. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth....somebody understands you....just leave it at that.

You can talk Payton, it all comes out as Crazy-Talk to me. >:|

Last edited by SherlawkDragon (2009-11-17 23:01:27)


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

Offline

 

#12 2009-11-10 19:08:54

Rainbow BeerWolf
Member
From: Planet Krypton
Registered: 2009-11-05
Posts: 34

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

White Wolf wrote:

The easiest way is just to hit the quote button on the bottom left of a post. wink

Hahahahahahahahaha, I never really understood why you had that picture Sherlawk, but it makes sense now. wink

Oooh...I'm an eejit! Cheers.


"I never realised the Deptartment of Agriculture was interested in National Security. Do you have like, undercover cows?" - John Corey (Nelson Demille)

Offline

 

#13 2009-11-17 18:07:52

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Before I say anything else I would like to apologize to anyone who is offended, and I'm sure that will be most of the people in this area of the forum.

Until yesterday, I wasn't even aware of a group who considered themselves to be Therians. I am an avid reader and I have been trying to wrap my mind around this, trying to understand. I believe Rainbow BeerWolf made a valid statement when posting "a forced change in behaviour into the animal you love"

I see people who claim to be weredragons, I read about the psychology of lycanthropy and therianthropy. And they are defined as a person who believes they change into an animal.

Some say that it is shamanism or spiritualism. Others say that it is two souls or spirits sharing the same body, I also consider this to be a spiritual concept.

Some say that they simply associate their own behavior with a certain animal, this would seem to be psychological. This would also explain why someone could have a Were that is a mythological animal like a dragon.

If this is spiritual and you believe that your soul has somehow been replaced by or joind with that of an animal I have to ask the following insulting but legitimate question. Where are the werechickens, the werepigs, the werecows and the wererats? Why are all therians wolves, tigers and dragons?

If being a therian is psychological then why would anyone want to claim to be a therian? I've read that the word Therian is a new term used to explain this group but when I research the word, I find that it was used as early as 1901. One hundred and nine years doesn't seem all that "new" to me. I am sure that this modern group of Therians were not on the mind of the person who first coined the word.

In either case, I have to wonder why anyone would want to associate themselves with a mythical creature (werewolf) that has such an evil, disturbing and demonic history.

This is my scientific, analytical and skeptical side coming out but on a more personal side the idea of Therians appeals to me, please let me explain.

I prefer the company of dogs over that of people

I have, throughout my life, associated myself as being more dog than man

I can understand from a dogs mannerism what it wants and have always payed close attention to the actions of my dogs.

I never wanted to be the type of werewolf that I saw in the movies but have always thought of how awesome it would be to change into a dog. The thought of being able to wrestle, play and run with a pack is appealing to me. I have even had dreams about being a dog and playing or chasing other dogs.

My wife often tells people that I am the only person she has ever seen who can speak dog. I know certain looks, facial expressions and sounds that dogs understand and I imitate those around my dogs.

With all of this in my past, I hope that you can understand why the idea of actual Therians appeals to me. I have no other way of explaining why I have always felt that I am more dog than I am a person. Therianthropy could be the answer that I have always looked for.

I have also learned that the term cynanthropy was first applied in 1901 to people in Chinese myth who turned into dogs.

My spiritual side wants to believe that I may be a cynanthrope but my skeptical side has to ask questions.

Last edited by Exanimis (2009-11-17 18:17:17)


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#14 2009-11-17 22:56:23

SherlawkDragon
Submarine Troll
From: South Florida
Registered: 2007-08-18
Posts: 1308
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Exanimis wrote:

Before I say anything else I would like to apologize to anyone who is offended, and I'm sure that will be most of the people in this area of the forum.

To be offensive myself, there are only a few people on this board who are therians and have been in the community long enough to justify taking offense, so don't worry about it.

Until yesterday, I wasn't even aware of a group who considered themselves to be Therians. I am an avid reader and I have been trying to wrap my mind around this, trying to understand. I believe Rainbow BeerWolf made a valid statement when posting "a forced change in behaviour into the animal you love"

As I think I said to Beerqueer over there, I totally agree that that is likely, not only for people who aren't therians but convince themselves that they are, but I think for real therians too.  I know I myself have done things on purpose just because I enjoy doing them, but that doesn't make the underlying cause/feelings any less real.  I enjoy acting like a raccoon, even when I'm forcing it, but it's still a real, mainly-related behavior.

If this is spiritual and you believe that your soul has somehow been replaced by or joind with that of an animal I have to ask the following insulting but legitimate question. Where are the werechickens, the werepigs, the werecows and the wererats? Why are all therians wolves, tigers and dragons?

Very simple answer: Not on this forum.  To be equally insulting, I'm going to go ahead and say that I doubt most of the people here are really therians, or at least the animals they claim, that's just the reality when you're talking about a website that is made mainly for fictional werewolf fans.  On typical forums, there are a variety of animals, from dogs to deer to insects.  Now, it's true, there are some animals you hardly ever see, and others that you see more often, but that's an issue that has no real answer within the community. (A "political" issue, as I've called them before)

If being a therian is psychological then why would anyone want to claim to be a therian? I've read that the word Therian is a new term used to explain this group but when I research the word, I find that it was used as early as 1901. One hundred and nine years doesn't seem all that "new" to me. I am sure that this modern group of Therians were not on the mind of the person who first coined the word.

This is also a ridiculously simple answer: The same reason that people claim to have aspergers or be functioning schizophrenics, or anything like that.  Disorders are not necessarily disabilities, only variations from the norm, and in any case, there's nothing to be ashamed of.  Most therians function just fine, aside from the occasional growl and howl, as I've already said.  When you're different from everyone around you in some major way, it's healthy to reach out for others like you to assure you that you are not crazy and can live with it.  There lies the flip side though, which is that people who aren't actually therians will use this as a way to self-validate and find encouragement for delusional behavior. (reason why I'm so negative sometimes)

In either case, I have to wonder why anyone would want to associate themselves with a mythical creature (werewolf) that has such an evil, disturbing and demonic history.

Once again, very simply answer: Because it's cool and relevant.  I use the term were-raccoon for it, because that aptly describes it, and does, in fact, sound cool. (lots of people have a thing for flair)  Also, if you pay attention to modern culture, werewolves aren't necessarily a monstrous or demonic thing, but portrayed like vampires: as a two-sided issue.  Quite truthfully though, the use of terminology stems from the fact that the first recorded occurance of a "Therian Community" was on the Alt.Horror.WereWolves Usenet group, which attracted Therians who related to werewolves because they felt like they had some inner animal that they could transform into nonphysically or wanted the ability to turn into.

I prefer the company of dogs over that of people

This isn't uncommon, especially if you have an anti-social personality trait. (which isn't even a real disorder, as is a common mistake in our diagnosis-and-pill obsessed culture)  Dogs are nonjudgmental and happy to please you, and don't require lots of conversation to keep a close friendship with.  They really are "Man's best friend".

I have, throughout my life, associated myself as being more dog than man
I can understand from a dogs mannerism what it wants and have always payed close attention to the actions of my dogs.
I never wanted to be the type of werewolf that I saw in the movies but have always thought of how awesome it would be to change into a dog. The thought of being able to wrestle, play and run with a pack is appealing to me. I have even had dreams about being a dog and playing or chasing other dogs.
My wife often tells people that I am the only person she has ever seen who can speak dog. I know certain looks, facial expressions and sounds that dogs understand and I imitate those around my dogs.

Ok, THAT is interesting.  Do you have any explanation for that?  Perhaps you associated with dogs alot when you were a child?  Do you have similar interests which might connect to this?  How long have you felt this way and how seriously do you feel it?

With all of this in my past, I hope that you can understand why the idea of actual Therians appeals to me. I have no other way of explaining why I have always felt that I am more dog than I am a person. Therianthropy could be the answer that I have always looked for.
I have also learned that the term cynanthropy was first applied in 1901 to people in Chinese myth who turned into dogs.
My spiritual side wants to believe that I may be a cynanthrope but my skeptical side has to ask questions.

Keep asking questions then, and keep being skeptical.  You actually sound a bit like you might be a therian to me, but, as I've said before, it's not a good thing to trick yourself into thinking you are one when you aren't, but if you really are a therian, too much skepticism won't stop you from realizing it. (reason why I feel comfortable loading it on to people who ask if they are one)


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

Offline

 

#15 2009-11-18 00:51:18

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Wow! SherlawkDragon you answered every question with reasonable and well thought out answers. I had not expected that, I actually expected to be flamed for my post, thank you.

I have had two main loves in my life that have never faded or changed. Science and Art. As I said earlier, I read a lot. My mother always told people that I read the books no one else would. It is no rare thing for me to check out a book from a library that no one else ever has. For about twelve years, I read nothing but reference material and reference books.

I have very little formal education but through my reading I have learned quite a bit. I have spent most of my life studying paleontology, comparative anatomy and animal behavior. If you ever read the book, Ants, Indians and Little Dinosaurs, you would have a greater understanding of how my mind works. I study animals and could probably tell you many things that you could not imagine about them.

When I was twenty four, my wife got a kitten, I had watched mothers around their kittens before and knew the call that all domestic house cats use to call the kittens back to the den. By imitating this call I taught the cat to come to me whenever I called him. As an adult the cat would respond to me calling his name.

I am fascinated with animals, with everything about them from their habits to their skeletal structure. I have always been fascinated with them and dogs have always been the animal that I identify with the most. I am in no way anti social and I never meet a stranger, I joke with everybody and find ways to start conversations in strange places.

People are hard to understand and I believe that we live solitaire lives no matter how many others are around. We do not have the pack mentality, we have always imitated that from the animals around us.

As for Therians, I can understand the draw of the werewolf mythology but I still can't understand the association with such a negative image. Have there been any attempts at a new terminology to explain this social group?

If I met someone in public who said "I am a Shamanic shape shifter" I would say "Cool, tell me more about your belief system"

If I met someone in public who said "I am a werewolf" I would say "That's nice, hope that works out for you" while looking around for the exit.

From what I"\'ve read so far, Being a Therian is something that you simply say I am too. I have found no real explanation of it and no real definition. No one seems to even agree as to what a therian is. I find it hard to believe in something that has so little evidence and documentation. I have read WolfVanZandt's website as well as many other sites and I see nothing that explains what a "true therian" is. This seems to be an easily enough problem to solve.

All therians should add a link to their signatures on each forum or social network that they are a member of.

That link should connect to a site that has nothing to do with werewolf mythology or movies and should explain what the site is for on the fist page.

The forum for the site should allow therians and those who believe that they have a powerful connection, either spiritually or psychologically to an animal, To discuss what that connection is and how it has effected their lives. What their differences and similarities are to other therians,

Is there such a site? Is asking for something like this too much toask?

Last edited by Exanimis (2009-11-18 01:07:58)


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#16 2009-11-18 01:05:37

WolfVanZandt
Member
From: Broomfield, Colorado
Registered: 2004-09-01
Posts: 4717
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

And since Sherlawk did such a good job, I won't rehash it.

I will mention, though a few extra points....

First, I'm not offended, I'm simply explaining some things to you.

Second, not all Therians are that fascinated by the animal they "resemble". I like animals, so, certainly I like the wolf (what's not to like?), but I'm not particularly fascinated by wolves.

Certainly therianthropy is psychological. Being human is psychological. Unless a person is mindless, they're psychological.

Only a few cultures have considered Werewolves "evil, disturbing and demonic" and this one does only because it watches too many movies and puts way too much stock in them.

"Therian" is a new terminology, and it was invented to have a less negative impact on theh average person.

Offline

 

#17 2009-11-18 01:32:45

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Again I have to question that response. Satan and serial killers bring up equally disturbing images to the average person. If I came up to you on the street and said that "I am a serial killer but I don't actually kill people" or "I am a Satanist but I don't co to the church because I'm a good Satanist" You would think that I was a nut!

In older stories and paintings Satan was the ruler of a frozen place, not the fire and brimstone that we imagine today but that makes him no less evil. Most cultures, especially the more primitive cultures, have stories about men who became an animal. These men are often seen as being spiritual and the change was for the good of the people but grouping all those stories and calling it proof of werewolfism, seems a bit optimistic to me. Why not attempt to find another term for people who feel thay have a connection with the animal kingdom?

You posted that you simply like wolves but have no real connection with them. You also call yourself a werewolf or therian. You seem to be saying that you are a werewolf because you always thought it was cool and at the same time, saying that someone else can't be a werewolf because they don't understand or believe the way I do.

Again, I mean no harm and I am truly trying to come to some understanding of this. Please do not take this as a personal attack. I have a great respectfor your efforts and the years of knowledge that you have obtained.


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#18 2009-11-18 01:40:45

lupusindefined
Dark Shadow
Registered: 2009-11-06
Posts: 2142

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

...does that mean that im not the average person??...i imagen them both with me shuving a knife in their gut tongue...

never heard of him being the ruler of anythig realy...he was throwen into the pit and was only to be released when god let him take power for a specific ammount of time...

....also can we get over this whole missunderstanding??


Lupus

silver bullets dont work... not on me anyway =P ...the other guy however.... *looks at dead body lying on the ground*

Offline

 

#19 2009-11-18 02:00:52

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

First, it depends on your definition of average and the instance that you are applying it too.

Second, From your statement I am guessing that you are from a christian background in which case he was cast down to earth to be the ruler of this world. He would not be cast into the pit until the second coming, but this isn't a thread about religion.

Third, I do not consider the search for knowledge i any form to be a misunderstanding. I am questioning those who know more about the subject in order to better understand it.

Last edited by Exanimis (2009-11-18 02:01:12)


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#20 2009-11-18 02:18:55

White Wolf
Dreamer of the East [Moderator]
From: "Southern" Florida
Registered: 2009-04-21
Posts: 18155
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

As I've mentioned to a couple of my friends on here, I like wolves, but they're not my favorite animal, nor have they ever been. Growing up my favorite animals were foxes, donkeys, and horses. I've never had any special affinity for wolves, and yet, as a child I still found myself always acting like a wolf walking around on all fours after school was over. It's something that later manifested itself in me (I can see now retrospectively, obviously at the time I never thought about it) as mental and phantom shifts. So in other words, I didn't actually "chose" a wolf or anything. If I could've chosen my theriotype, I probably would have picked a fox or a horse, but that's the way it is.


Nos totus take diversus semita ut a similis fortuna per sapientia, vires, quod fides in divinus nostrum maioribus socius.

Offline

 

#21 2009-11-18 02:50:12

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

You bring up a statement that I have seen time and again. You say that you walked on all fours. I did this as a child and using all fours to ascend stairs carried through most of my adult life. I also find that I am somewhat digitigrade in that, I always walk on my toes whenever I am not wearing shoes. Not wearing shoes is something I always find time for since I dislike the feel of them. All of the animals that you mentioned are digitigrade, Could that be a common factor among therians?

I have to wonder what other habits true therians might share, is there or has there been any attempt at constructing such a list? Would those who consider themselves therians be willing to put together a list explaining their commonalities or would that hinder their own beliefs.

Should I start a new thread asking therians to explain their habits that they consider to be part of their animal nature? Should that thread be a listing of those habits so that others could better understand if they themselves fit into the therian category?

Last edited by Exanimis (2009-11-18 02:56:32)


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#22 2009-11-18 03:29:54

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

White Wolf wrote:

As I've mentioned to a couple of my friends on here, I like wolves, but they're not my favorite animal, nor have they ever been. Growing up my favorite animals were foxes, donkeys, and horses. I've never had any special affinity for wolves, and yet, as a child I still found myself always acting like a wolf walking around on all fours after school was over. It's something that later manifested itself in me (I can see now retrospectively, obviously at the time I never thought about it) as mental and phantom shifts. So in other words, I didn't actually "chose" a wolf or anything. If I could've chosen my theriotype, I probably would have picked a fox or a horse, but that's the way it is.

White=wolf, How do you know that your theriotype is a wolf? Why do you believe it is a wolf and not the fox that you have an affinity toward? Could it be that as a child you learned about werewolves and not werefoxes?

From the little that I have learned so far, I believe this is a legitimate sub culture or perhaps a belief system, WVZ's web page was very informative but seems to be lacking in some aspects. Why aren't more therians willing to put forth the effort or financial support to help WVZ create a site for all therians to visit, learn and share their experiences? Is it because of the lack of a set description or definition of therians?

Last edited by Exanimis (2009-11-18 03:37:12)


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#23 2009-11-18 12:20:03

White Wolf
Dreamer of the East [Moderator]
From: "Southern" Florida
Registered: 2009-04-21
Posts: 18155
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Those are some great question Ex! Hahahahahaha, I've been waiting for someone to be rather direct around here with their questions and such, so I'm glad that you've taken advantage of this forum to post them!

Well, to answer the second question first, as that perhaps leads up to the second. To put it simply, no. I really have no extended interest in werewolves. As a kid, I really wasn't exposed to them much because I never particularly enjoyed the horror genre. In fact, I believe the first movie I ever actually saw which had a werewolf in it was Van Helsing which I happened to catch on tv one time. A know there are a couple of famous werewolf movies out there, but I've never seen any of them.

Hahahahahahaha, well I assume that leads to the next logical half step, which I shall answer before I proceed to your other question, and that is, "If you don't care too much for werewolves, then why are you here?" Well, I first discovered this site because a friend of mine and I were messing around one night doing random searches and we came across this place. We looked around a bit and pretty much just laughed at all the "crazy people", mostly the people that I now realize to be the ones which seem to appear from time to time and make fanciful claims about this or that. For as long as I can remember, I've had dreams as a wolf, and a couple of months after my brief visit here for a period of time I began having those dreams much more frequently. That spurred me on to find out if there was anyone else who had dreams like that, and I remembered this site, so I came back, actually created an account and began asking about them. To make a long story short, I eventually met Vin, who was also having similar experiences and together we both sort of pieced stuff together. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that I enjoying talking to my friends here and checking up on the Therianthropy thread, I wouldn't still be around this site, because as I mentioned, I really don't care much for werewolves.

As for your final question, now that is a really good one! I guess the best way to answer it is like this: I like foxes, I like those other animals I listed, but I don't feel any connection with them. I've had phantom paws before, which obviously rules out the latter two, but as for foxes, the answer really comes in the mental shifts I have quite frequently. During those times, my perception of self (my mental image) changes dramatically, so that when I'm having a mental shift, I see myself as a wolf. That, and then the dreams (although dreams can be misgiving, thus why I use them as secondary supporting evidence) I feel support that identity. Now that's not to say that it couldn't be something else. As WVZ, Sherlawk, and others on other forums (werelist) have said before, in all likelihood, theriotypes are something which are much more fluid, or at least less understood, than is believed.

Hahahahahahahahaha, wow, that was a long post, even for me... Anyways, there are actually a lot of sites out there. Probably the most dynamic and engaging in terms of constant discussion, debate, etc. is Werelist. I highly, highly recommend that you scan through there if you're just interested in learning more. Personally, while I do have an account with them, I don't post there but rather check it every day or so to read what other folks are saying.


Nos totus take diversus semita ut a similis fortuna per sapientia, vires, quod fides in divinus nostrum maioribus socius.

Offline

 

#24 2009-11-18 12:45:03

Exanimis
Just an Old Dog
From: North Carolina U.S.A.
Registered: 2009-11-13
Posts: 198

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

I did do a search for the werelist and the site I found had a dead forum. There were very few posts and those posts were from months ago. Perhaps I need to join the site before I can see all of the forums and threads. I will be sure to check it out again.

I like to write stories and while searching for information on werewolves for my latest story, I found this site. Since my story is about a werewolf, I thought this would be the perfect place to "try it out" The problem I ran into is that people actually believed my story. I then found a response to one of my posts from WVZ that introduced me to the Therian community and my research began from that. I have always thought that if someone could do for werewolves what Ann Rice did for vampires, they would have a very popular book. Ann Rice not only made vampires believable but she made them romantic characters, more so than had ever been done before. My werewolf story does not go along with the traditional werewolf story and I am not literate enough to make it a romantic story, I can however make it believable.

I appreciate the answers and the responses that I have gotten in this thread so far and I am sure I will have many more questions at a later date. For now, my questions have been answered with much more tact than I had expected.


There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
from"The Power of the Dog" by Rudyard Kipling

Offline

 

#25 2009-11-19 01:29:38

WolfVanZandt
Member
From: Broomfield, Colorado
Registered: 2004-09-01
Posts: 4717
Website

Re: Therianthropy - What is it?

Well, I, personally don't want to create a site for all Werewolves to visit. I've been working my brains out trying to get Werewolves off the Internet and into real life interaction. I do quite a lot of that.

We have some good online facilities....I don't have to create one more.

Like I said, "Therian" is the term that the community came up that doesn't have the baggage. Nevertheless, I don't really see the need of coming up with a new term. I would prefer to educate people about the old term. Contrary to being Satanic, Medieval Werewolves directly fought Satan. It wasn't until the Inquisition that the Catholic church started selling the idea of Werewolves as Satanic beings and they did that with pretty much all Protestants or anyone else that disagreed with them.

"You posted that you simply like wolves but have no real connection with them. You also call yourself a werewolf or therian. You seem to be saying that you are a werewolf because you always thought it was cool and at the same time, saying that someone else can't be a werewolf because they don't understand or believe the way I do."

The first two statements there, Exanimis, seem to have no logical connection to the last sentence. Please explain how you got from 1 and 2 to 3.

The Werelist has been hacked about 3 times. It's been a couple of years, though, since the last time and, it's going quite well. It has plenty of traffic on it.

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB 1.2.14
© Copyright 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson

In Association with Amazon.com   In Association with Zazzle.com
page counter View Statistics