Professor Jason Kirkmeyer
English 1010
2 November 2009
While reading Elisabeth Miller’s “The Magnetism of Mysterious”, I couldn’t help but agree with her writing. I have long found mythology and cryptozoology fascinating subjects and have studied them thoroughly. Through these studies, I’ve found that many of Elisabeth’s statements are now widely accepted theories as to the origins of mythical creatures. It was this thought process that was the basis for my final paper in my senior-year AP English class. My paper – entitled “Lycanthropy” – was a ten-page informative discussion of the werewolf legend and where that legend began. Like many of the creatures in Elisabeth’s paper, werewolves also have a historical connection to real-life people with mental and/or medical afflictions that could not be explained by the technology of their time periods.
I remember the day our teacher, Mrs. Rowley, asked us for our topics for our final papers. I sat down with her and explained what I wanted to write about. She looked at me skeptically and asked, “Are you sure you can find enough information on that subject?” Truthfully, I hadn’t been sure that I could, but I simply smiled and said, “I won’t know ‘til I try.” And with that, I was off to do research into the mysterious world of the werewolf which, surprisingly, was not hard to come by at all.
In her paper, Elisabeth mentions that descriptions of the mythical dragon can be found all over the world – dating back to times when many different civilizations did not have contact with one another – and do not vary much from culture to culture. Interestingly enough, the same is true for werewolves. While the myths may vary slightly in different cultures, what can be agreed upon is that a werewolf can be either a male or a female with the ability to change from human to animal and back at will. The power of transformation can be either heredity or acquired, the latter usually coming from the use of black art.
Elisabeth then goes on to say that it has been proven that some mythical creatures have a basis in fact. She cites the giant squid as an example. The giant squid was once described by sailors as an enormous monster capable of dragging a whole ship down to the depths. Scientists have now confirmed that there is a gigantic squid – called the Colossal Squid – that lives in the deepest darkest depths of the ocean. While the werewolf has not been confirmed as being an actual creature, Clinical Lycanthropy is a very real, documented mental disorder. The disorder is rare, but causes the sufferer to believe that he or she is a real shape-shifter. This includes hallucinations, unusual or dangerous behavior, and even violent outbursts.
It has also been proven that the moon does have a mental effect on humans. Psychosis and violent behavior have been shown to increase during full moons. One study found that homicidal crimes were unusually concentrated around new and full moons. Observations such as these could be one of the possible origins for the myth that werewolves are changed by the moon.
Another theory is that werewolf legends grew out of the horror of the Berserker Insanity. Berserker Insanity has been defined as simply killing for the love of it. It was most prevalent in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. Those afflicted with the Insanity would gather in bands and travel around the land massacring many. The killers would often dress in wolf or bear skins and were known for cracking backbones, smashing skulls, and drinking the blood of their victims.
One Arcadian religious theory states that werewolves were men who lived with wolf packs in the woods. It was the job of these men to keep the wolves away from the village and be especially vigilant about children and domestic animals. If these “werewolves” were to lose control of their packs, they would be shunned from society.
When Christianity – especially Catholicism – grew in popularity in Europe, werewolf paranoia also grew. Christianity claimed that werewolfery was witchcraft; its powers gained from the devil. This fear, spread by the Church, caused an immense increase in cases of werewolfery reported. Anyone with long teeth, long fingernails, bushy eyebrows, or who was just seen outside late at night, could be suspected. As can be imagined, these descriptions could serve to make anyone a potential werewolf. Between 1520 and 1630 the Catholic Church received 30,000 reports of werewolves from across Europe. Those accused would either confess freely, or be tortured until they did. After they confessed, they would then be burned, decapitated, or stabbed with a silver knife.
Even with all the evidence that can be found, it is hard to locate the exact basis for the werewolf legends. Theories abound – many with very convincing and sound supporting evidence – but the fact remains that no one knows for sure. Like the creatures Elisabeth mentioned in “The Magnetism of the Mysterious,” origins for the myths can only be speculated on; at least until – like the Colossal Squid – a real, transforming werewolf turns up in modern society. Until then, werewolves will only remain in our minds as the creatures dramatized by Hollywood that haunt our nightmares.
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