TheLycanthropedia

Guys. Soooo… Werewolves, right?

First of all, the condition of lycanthropy is largely linked to the stages of the moon. Rather than a sudden transformation on the night of the full moon, lycanthropy displays itself in an individual constantly, in a gradual ebb and flow. Here, we will dive into each phase of the moon and what it brings:

The New Moon 🌑

For many lycans, the new moon is a chance for rest and rejuvenation. For a period of twenty-four hours, the moon is “missing” from the sky. And it is during this phase that a lycan is most human. There is no stark differences from your average human. The canines are relatively dull, skin clear, and there is little to no hunger gnawing at their belly. Their hormones are stabilized, resulting in relative calmness and ease.

Waxing Crescent 🌒

Lasting for a duration of roughly seven days, the waxing crescent brings with it very minor changes to an otherwise human appearance. Throughout this week, body hair is known to darken and grow coarser than weeks past, though remains manageably short with no accelerated growth. There is no notable change in the canines, nor any increased body odor.

First Quarter 🌓

Lasting one day, the human canines begin to ache and loosen as the body prepares lupine canines beneath the gums. By this point the werewolf will start developing a “second skin” beneath their human skin, which will reaveal itself later in the cycle.

Waxing Gibbous 🌔

Lasting seven days, This week is incredibly painful, as the human skin will tear and slough off to reveal furred, thick wolf-skin that had formed underneath, and bones will break and reshape themselves entirely as the body begins to shift in preparation for the full moon. Body oder will be strong, and the lycan’s mental state will be in shambles. This phase of the moon could bring a variety of changes to the individual, including but not limited to: extreme irritability, overstimulation, fatigue, headache, depression, and anxiety.

Due to the energy expended in this phase, lycans will experience a sharp, near debilitating increase in hunger. If not properly nourished during this phase, the full moon will bring disastrous results.

The Full Moon 🌕

The full moon, spanning over three days, comes in three different phases of its own.

The first day is centered around the full transformation, in which any semblance to a human is lost and the body shifts completely into the one of two possible forms known to lycans. The difference of these forms will be covered at a later date. The werewolf can still speak, but their vocal clarity and pitch will have dropped significantly. If properly fed in the week prior, they should be able to maintain full control over their body and mind.

The second day, when the full moon is the strongest, the werewolf will be much more aggressive, even if unintentionally. While a new moon brings out their human side most, a full moon does the complete opposite. Their human conscious no longer has control over their body and they will be unable to speak intelligently.

And finally, in the last day, the individual will be completely exhausted. Their movement will be sluggish and uncoordinated, and it will be hard for them to fully process their surroundings. The level of aggression will fluctuate depending on the individual themselves, but on average is fairly mild. Do not mistake this as a day of rest, as a werewolf can still be quite emotionally volatile and sore from the previous day.

If not properly nourished in the week of the Waxing Gibbous, the individual will be left starving from the energy expenditure, becoming uncontrollably aggressive. They will lash out in blind hunger, and in true animalistic fashion, will not be able to stop themselves from hunting and consuming anything they may get their claws and teeth into. If for whatever reason a lycan is unable to gain back the lost energy, they will die during their transformation into a more humanoid form.

Waning Gibbous 🌖

Lasting seven days, it is in this phase that the werewolf de-transitions. Fur will begin to fall out, bones reconfigure themselves once more, and skin stretched by the transformation will start to tighten back up as the lycan shifts to a more humanoid, though still wolfish, form. Another painful week. Rather than aggressive, a werewolf during this week will just be in a constant state of exhaustion.

Third Quarter 🌗

Lasts one day; The turning point in which the werewolf finally looks more human than animal. By this point they’ve returned to a respectably human size, body odor decreasing and mental state stabilizing.

Waning Crescent 🌘

Lasts seven days. A werewolf in this week will appear near seamlessly human, aside from sharp canines that will fall out as the week comes to an end, and perhaps some lingering fatigue.

(Might make edits later)

Werewolves are easily one of my greatest passions. I’ve written fiction about werewolves and studied werewolf folklore and pop culture for my entire life, and now I get to do it professionally as an academic. All my sources are thoroughly checked by myself and others, and I take very seriously sharing only accurate information about werewolves, be it from folklore or from a piece of popular culture.

I also do werewolf facts! Currently, werewolf/vampire/other folklore facts are on hold from their regular schedule while I compile and publish a fully coherent, fully sourced book entitled Werewolf Facts: A Guidebook to Folklore vs Pop Culture! Give me a follow to stay up to date with all the latest news.

Still, every now and then, I post a new bit of info about the folklore of werewolves. You’ll find those under both the Folklore tag and the Random Werewolf Fact tag. You can also check my Werewolves tag for other werewolf-related things, including asks and reblogs. You’ll find no shortage of werewolf content around here! You will of course find my own writing under the Writing tag, and rest assured a lot of it will be werewolves.

The following is a convenient database of all the werewolf facts I’ve written, for easy reference.

Werewolf Fact Database

What IS a Werewolf? - Although technically the 27th fact, this one is being listed first because it answers a very important question: what IS a werewolf, anyway? How do you define one? What is and isn’t a werewolf?

Full Moon - Where this idea of werewolves transforming at the full moon first came from, plus other info and more moon associations.

Silver - Where this idea of werewolves being sensitive to/only killable by silver came from.

Etymology - Etymology of the words “werewolf,” “lycanthropy,” and many other terms for werewolves.

The Trial of Peter Stubbe - How the trial of one Satanic sorcerer ended up becoming a massive negative influence on werewolf media.

Becoming a  Werewolf - A detailed list of various means of becoming a werewolf, and which ones are from folklore and which ones aren’t.

Curse, Not Disease - Discussion and details of how lycanthropy is a curse but popular culture has turned it into a disease and infection.

Berserkers - Lots of info on berserkers, their legends, and how they tie into werewolves. (Recently expanded!)

Werewolves Are Not British - A discussion of how ridiculous it is that so many modern pop culture things directly associate werewolves with British culture and especially the Victorian time period.

The First Werewolf - Examination into who, if anyone, could be considered the “first werewolf.”

Skinwalkers - All the reasons why the skinwalker legend has nothing to do with werewolves.

Physical Appearance - The many different forms werewolves can take.

On Werewolf Intelligence (And Speech!) - Did you know werewolves are just as smart as you are, and some of them can talk, too?

Gluttony (and swallowing things whole) - Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? You should be, because he’s about to eat you alive. This is a study into how wolves and werewolves over the ages are closely associated with swallowing things and people alive/whole.

Werewolves as Noble Knights - Did you know that there were plenty of noble werewolf knights, way back when? Read all about them here.

How To Identify a Werewolf - All the different things you can use to figure out if someone might be a werewolf.

Is Alpha, Beta, Omega really a thing? - Just how unrealistic is the idea of the alpha-beta-omega hierarchy in wolf packs, and how does that relate to werewolves?

The Wulver is probably not actually a thing - What it says on the tin! The Wulver legend and a deeper look into it and its sources.

Powers and Abilities - A list of various werewolf powers and abilities, including which ones are from folklore and which ones aren’t.

Werewolves vs Evil - You know how werewolves are so often malevolent today? They weren’t always, that’s for sure.

How to Kill a Werewolf (Weaknesses) - A list of various werewolf weaknesses and means of killing them, including which ones are from folklore and which ones aren’t.

Werewolves vs Vampires - Who decided that werewolves and vampires are connected somehow? Better yet, why are they always “ancient enemies?” Here are your answers.

Transformation Triggers - After someone becomes a werewolf, what will actually make them transform?

The Arcadians - Greeks and Romans had werewolves too, and the Arcadians with their many werewolf sacrifices, rituals, and games were some of the most prominent.

The Transformation Sequence - Maybe the most scrutinized part of any modern werewolf thing - what were they like in folklore, how much did they hurt, and what are they like in pop culture today?

How to Cure Lycanthropy - So you or a loved one is a werewolf, how’re you going to fix this? What does folklore say about “curing” lycanthropy, as opposed to the pop culture methods?

Vrykolakas - What are vrykolakas, anyway - werewolves or vampires? And what is a volkodlak, and what do these words mean?

Can Werewolves Climb Trees? - A burning question of whether or not climbing that tree will actually save your character from a werewolf.

Can Werewolves Swim? - Another simple question, this time in regards to werewolves and how they handle water.

Werewolves and Christmas - Is Halloween really the only time of year for werewolves? Well, of course not, but just for the record, Christmas is a very werewolfy time of year, too!

Can Werewolves Outrun You? - Yet another simple question, this time concerning werewolf running speeds, with a close look at real-life wolves as an example.

Bite Worse Than… Wait, They Don’t Bark - Werewolves and wolves don’t actually bark! Here’s more info about that.

On Werewolf Biology - Are werewolves that biologically different from humans? What about wolves?

Werewolf Grandmas - My, what big teeth you have. Actually these werewolf grandmas aren’t what you expect - one of them has a tragic story to break your heart, and they come from Chinese mythology.

The Beast of Gevaudan, and What Isn’t a Werewolf Legend - Remember that really popular story, the Beast of Gevaudan? It’s not really much of a werewolf legend - here’s why.

Belladonna and Wolfbane (or Wolfsbane) - So how about that whole belladonna and wolfsbane thing negatively affecting werewolves? How’d that start, and does it have any basis in folklore at all?

Loup-garous and Rougarous - What are these things, anyway? Are they werewolves? The answer to that, plus a lot more info on how awesome they are.

Eye Colors - What color eyes does a werewolf have, anyway? How much variety is there, and what exactly do they look like?

Personality Changes - Did becoming a werewolf actually change the person’s personality in folklore, and what about popular culture?

Fur Colors - What fur colors do werewolves have? What about wolves, for that matter?

Werewolf/Monster Hunters - Were werewolf hunters, and monster hunters in general, really a thing in folklore? The answer might surprise you.

Creatures Confused With Werewolves - What is and isn’t a werewolf?

Where Were the Werewolf Hybrids? - What about werewolf hybrids, like werewolf-vampire hybrids? Were they a thing in folklore?

When Werewolves Went Rabid (Part 1) - A huge topic, at long last! Where did this concept of an insane/uncontrollable/”rabid” werewolf come from? Why is it so huge today? The first part in a two-part post.

When Werewolves Went Rabid (Part 2) - The conclusion to the topic on when werewolves became insane/uncontrollable/”rabid” monsters.

Aging and Immortality - So are werewolves immortal or what?

Werewolf Diet (Do Werewolves Eat People?) - Well, do they? And what else might they eat?

Eye/Vision Powers - What happens when you make eye contact with a werewolf?

The Werewolves of Ossory - One of my favorite werewolf stories! A medieval tale (published in a historie, not as fiction) about a monk who meets a pair of werewolves.

Werewolf Inheritance/Offspring - Is lycanthropy inherited? What are werewolf offspring like? Are there werewolf puppies? Here are the answers.

Magic Skins - What’s up with the whole association of magic skins with werewolves, anyway?

On Shaping Other Shapeshifters - How werewolves have influenced the modern concept of “werecreature” - essentially, by creating the whole thing and then getting no credit for it.

Packs, Communities, and Families - So how about that super popular werewolf pack trope?

Hands and Claws - Are werewolves capable of using their hands and/or paws as… well, as hands?

Arthur and Gorlagon, pt 1 - A werewolf story! A classic medieval werewolf tale that hits on some interesting werewolf ideas in a fun (hopefully?) retelling by yours truly.

Arthur and Gorlagon, pt 2 - The conclusion to a very good werewolf story with a truly badass werewolf.

Hiding Being a Werewolf - Did werewolves in folklore also have to hide their lycanthropy from everyone?

Wolves are Big, Werewolves are Bigger - Wolves are undoubtedly bigger than you think they are - and what does that say about folklore’s werewolves?

Spiritual Werewolves/Spirit Projection - So how about those werewolves that don’t undergo a physical transformation but instead project their souls out to become wolves? Did you catch all that?

Werewolves Have Tails - Here’s a fact all about how werewolves have tails and are scarier for it.

Memory - Do werewolves retain memory of their werewolfery in folklore, or do they wake up not remembering anything?

Mates and Mating - Do werewolves have some specific kind of mates, or mates at all? Mating seasons? Any of that?

Werewolf Women - A small look into the world of werewolf women in folklore - yes, there are werewolf women outside modern pop culture!

Prehistoric Werewolves - We looked once at how old werewolf legends are, but let’s take a deeper look at how people have always believed in them.

“The Werewolf of Bedburg,” Peter Stubbe - An extremely detailed, close examination of the legend of Peter Stubbe - and how his legend is one of a sorcerer, not a werewolf, and why it’s important to know the difference.

The Legend of King Lycaon of Arcadia - A very deep look into the legend of King Lycaon, often considered the “first werewolf,” as possibly the oldest fully intact werewolf story.

The Lai of the Werewolf, “Bisclavret” - A deeper look at the entirety of my favorite werewolf story, a medieval lai about a noble werewolf knight!

The Importance of The Wolf Man (1941) - A close look at exactly how incredibly important the classic Universal Monsters picture The Wolf Man has been - and still is - to everything we know and love about werewolves today.

Ancient Egypt - Was there anything like a “werewolf” in ancient Egypt? What about their mythology, and what did they think of wolves? Find out!

Werewolves in medical history + “clinical lycanthropy” - There were many medical treatises on werewolves attempting to scientifically explain and justify lycanthropy as a concept, including those that gave rise to the idea of “clinical lycanthropy.” This is an overview of those things.

Book Review - Sabine Baring-Gould’s The Book of Were-Wolves - A review for one of the most renown sources out there for werewolf studies. How good is it really? What all does it discuss?

Returning to Human Form - Under what circumstances does a werewolf return from the bestial form into the human form?

Hypertrichosis, “Werewolf Syndrome,” Beauty and the Beast, and Bluebeard - What is “werewolf syndrome,” and how does it relate to werewolves and the fairytales of Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard?

Cynocephali, “dog-headed men” - What are the “cynocephali,” are they related to werewolves at all, and where do their stories come from?  

I’ll keep this list updated as more werewolf facts are posted.

Other helpful werewolf info, tips, and more:

What to Do and What to Avoid when Writing Werewolves/Werecreatures - I wrote this as a response to an ask. Maybe someday I’ll write a more extensive guide or several, but for now, here’s a pretty good reference for my take on how to write werewolves and shapeshifters like them.

(Play as a) Werewolf Video Games - Ever wanted to play as a werewolf in a video game? Here’s the tiered list to the best games in which you can play as a werewolf.

Giant, Giant Post, On Pop Culture Werewolves - Creature Designs, and Underworld’s Massive Influence - Please read this, I worked so hard on this, oh man.

Giant Post On Werewolf Tropes - Yeah, I got a little, um… long-winded. But this is a good guide on werewolf tropes (and ones I like vs ones I don’t like) that already exist in fiction and we see a lot.

Werewolf Worldbuilding Sheet - Looking to worldbuild your own werewolves? Look no further!

Wargs/Worgs - A look into wargs/worgs of modern pop culture versus where they came from originally in Norse myth.

Do Werewolves Walk Upright? - A little more info on werewolf posture and body styles in folklore.

On Werewolves and Tails - Do werewolves always have tails? I say yes; otherwise they’re just a witch. Here’s more info on why.

Review of My Favorite Pop Culture Werewolf Things - What it says on the tin! My top three in terms of representation of werewolves.

More on Writing Werewolves & Werewolf Tropes - Even more thoughts on werewolf trope things.

On Werewolf Angst, Werewolf Anxiety, and Writing Believable Reluctant Werewolves - What it says on the tin again. This is a big deal for me. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope it sheds some light on the topic.

Good Folklore Sources on Werewolves - Some of my favorite books for research purposes.

Werewolves on the Moon - My personal crazy theorizing about “do werewolves transform in space.”

Werewolves: Not Zombies, Not Dogs - A big list of why werewolves shouldn’t be zombies or dogs and should be actual werewolves instead. AKA: how to tell if your werewolf is just a zombie or just a dog.

On Werewolf Antagonists and Evil Werewolves - A discussion and some food for thought on how to make werewolves not always evil.

I also write fiction, and much of it includes or focuses on werewolves, especially my medieval fantasy universe, Wulfgard. For more info, take a look at my Writing List!

Shifters are humans who can, at will, turn into a wolf. The wolf might be bigger than a normal wolf but it's still just a wolf. They also (mostly?) retain their human mind while in wolf form and their temperament, not becoming any more or less violent or bloodthirsty. There is a shifter variant where they are humans who can at will turn into Wolfmen. The important thing about shifter werewolves is the "at will" part. Werewolfism in these kinds of stories is less of a curse and more of a superpower, and more often than not born into being a werewolf through a genetic line rather than being bitten and turned.

Wolfmen are creatures that take on the characteristics of both humans and wolves at the same time. Anthro wolves and anime girls with ears and a tail both fit into this category. The important distinction in this category is that these werewolves look like this 24/7 and unless they are the shifter variant mentioned above they have no human form at all. Wolfmen are similar to shifters, more often than not born into this form and lifestyle rather than being cursed with it through bites.

Lycanthropes are horror movie werewolves, these werewolves need to be bitten, cursed, or otherwise inflicted with lycanthropy. These are the werewolves that have painful, bone-breaking transformations under the light of the full moon and turn from a human into a monster. The form they take, whether it be closer to a wolf-human hybrid or a big wolf, isn't as important to the typing as the fact that the transformation is uncontrollable and that the Lycanthrope loses almost all of their human qualities becoming a wild animal. Lycanthropes also often don't remember what they did as a wolf in their time shifted.