As far back as man can recall, there have always been beings that were not quite human yet not quite animal. In some of the oldest cave paintings in Lascaux, France, there are images of alien beings; beings that are somewhere between man and animal. Many ancient cave paintings were done by shamans and people of greater sight that partook in special ceremonies usually involving the ingestion of a psychoactive plant or mixture of sorts (ayahuasca, peyote, etc.).

The origin of the "werewolf" itself was in the middle ages: a time of man's dominance over the mother earth in order to restore the power of god the father. Being "man" or "human" meant being dominant, apart from the earth; something more divine. Turmoil fell on the earth as churches, monuments, roads, and cities were being built to fervently favor the christian God in order to prove their dominance over the mother, something they considered lower than themselves. Even though the planet's hospitality was vital to man's existence and perseverance, it was still ignored and destroyed. People that valued and used to earth to heal (witches, shamans, healers, heretics) were looked down upon, persecuted, and, more often than not, killed.

Thus, an important crop began to decay and a mold developed. The rye crops develop a mold called ergot. When one consumes this deadly mold, it causes horrific hallucinations and hysteria (similar to the effects of belladonna/deadly nightshade); i. e. "animalistic" behavior. Entire towns would be plagued by these infected crops and mass hysteria would ensue. People would run rampant throughout the streets, unable to control their visions, muscles, bowels, and gag reflexes. Outsiders would see the chaos and pain and report it as "demons" or "animals" to others unaware of the horrible plague.

This behavior was immediately associated with the wolf: an animal feared by herders for their flocks and stock, and the typical enemy to the Christian "lamb" referenced in the bible. The trend grew as people became more aware of witches/healers and those with severe mental disorders within their societies. Many were executed or excommunicated from the communities to waste away in the wilderness.

However, today, we associate the "werewolf" or the therianthrope as one who has an inner animal, or one who feels not quite human, or caught between the world of the human and the animal. This brings me back to my first point. Since the dawn of man, we've always known or felt that there were some of us that weren't quite human, or felt more than just instinct. These traits are still feared and frowned upon today, however, humans tend to label and assign things that they don't understand.

loldoctors.


Just my two cents and giving you guys a brief summary of my understanding on the origin of the Werewolf. :3 Feel free to chip in about any insights you might have about this or further detail.