Werewolves

This was originally a news article I wrote to alt.mythology.

Contamination

Lycantrophy is a disease that is carried from a werewolf to a victim by a wound. Of course the wound usually kills the victim, so this contamination is actually quite a rare thing.

Lycanthropy is also hereditary, so if you marry a werewolf, you can expect long nights at every full moon. Oh, it can also be transmitted by sexual intercourse, so you must only hope that you both like romantic walks under full moon.

Cure

According to most sources, there is no cure against this disease. One suggested cure is the boiling of a king's tooth in werewolves blood in molten silver (hot!), but I haven't tried if it works.

Well, ok, one cure is - killing the beast, but it includes killing the human form also. This can be accomplished by a silver (or magically enchanted) weapon. According to some legends, it can only be done by a person who loves the werewolf. Well, in it's human form at least..

The metamorphosis

Change to the wolf form occurs usually at full moon. In some versions this happends also at few successive nights after the full moon and in some other versions the change may take place at any time, but with different propabilities (more likely to happen at full moon, in nighttime, outdoors, etc.). The change can also take place at any time if the victim is seriously wounded or experienses intense pain. There is no way escaping the change at full moon, not even by digging oneself 10km's under the ground - the Moon finds you from wherever you are!

It may, however, be possible to control the change and behaviour of the wolf form by several means. Most of these means are magical, and unfortunately usually used for utterly nasty purposes. It could be accomplished by strong will also, but it would require a REALLY strong will and still be quite difficult. But what to do if you do succeed? First, it is possible to force a change to happen. This is rather nasty if done at the wrong moment. Second, it's possible to control the beast's mind. This is not much different from controlling normal people's minds, but the results can be a lot more devastating. If the control, however, is done by the werewolf's human part, the results can include not killing a loved one, saving the loved one from vicious crooks, or world peace. Or total destruction, it's a personal choise. Third, it may be possible to resist the change, but this is for nice people only.

What makes the werewolf tick?

The answer is: hate! Yes! Pure, totally perfect hate against all living, especially men. There is actually nothing evil in this hate, unless you define hate itself to be evil. Anyways, as the Christian God has veen said to be Love itself, a werewolf IS hate.

- The Plural One
magi@utu.fi

Muuta