There is one final component of shapeshifting and that is the type of transformation. Is it physical, mental, or shamanic? Physical Transformation – I am skeptical that full physical transformation actually happens beyond mythology, folk tales, and the movies. Some people believe full and partial transformations can be generated by the manipulation of ectoplasm and […]
Types of Shapeshifters, Part 4 – Types of Transformation Read More »
Besides the many different types of animals, one can shapeshift into and the many types of shapeshifters, there are also various degrees of shapeshifting. Since there are specific terms related to werewolves, I will use them here. The terms may be somewhat different for other shapeshifters, but the general concepts will be similar. Throughout this
Types of Shapeshifters, Part 3 – Man or Beast? Read More »
Within shapeshifting lore, there are various ways that one might become a werewolf or other shapeshifter. These include: Natural and Hereditary Shapeshifters – These are folks who are born as shapeshifters. Their entire family might be shapeshifters, or there may be special cases where certain members of a family acquire animal or shapeshifting traits. In
Types of Shapeshifters, Part 2 – Nature vs. Nurture? Read More »
Shapeshifters come in many animal forms. Historic shapeshifting warrior cults typically chose the predatory animals of their regions to serve as their inspirations. Animals for shapeshifting can be chosen for their size and strength, but they might also be chosen for other attributes such as their intelligence, cunning, speed and agility, or association with certain
Types of Shapeshifters, Part 1 – What’s your type? Read More »
I can’t leave this topic without taking a moment to compare werewolf hunters of old to the homophobes of today. During the famous European witch hunts, a number of werewolf hunts and trials also took place. Many of the witch and werewolf hunters were pious God-fearing Christians, or else men who entered the profession for
Werewolf as a Metaphor, Part 6 – Of Hunters and Homophobes Read More »
The negative, shadow side of the werewolf mirrors that of the savage man. He is negative, destructive, and murderous. In many stories of the werewolf, the man fearing his werewolf nature locks himself in chains or a cage on the nights of the full moon. Sometimes his non-werewolf friends and acquaintances even help him do
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Like LGBTQ+ folks, werewolves combine both masculine and feminine energies. The wolf is typically a masculine archetype, but the werewolf is ruled by the moon. In most cultures, the moon is symbolic of feminine energies. Like Transgender folks, the werewolf changes form from a man into something else – whether woman or beast. The process
Werewolf as a Metaphor, Part 4 – Werewolves and Gender Read More »
In the not-so-distant past, homosexuals and other sexual and social deviants were relegated to the fringes of society, in much the same way as the werewolf inhabited the fringes of civilized space. At one time homosexuals “lurked” at the fringes of society in back-alley bars or cruised for sex at night in public parks, bathrooms,
Werewolf as a Metaphor, Part 3 – Nature versus Nurture Read More »
In at least one traditional werewolf transformation ritual, the person seeking to become a werewolf chants, “Make me a werewolf. Make me a man eater.” This can have different meanings to different people. I personally prefer the erotic, oral connotation. The stigma of cannibalism that is often associated with werewolves does not always need to
Werewolf as a Metaphor, Part 2 – Man “Eaters” Read More »
