DADA-301 Lessons

And so we begin learning about our final creature for the course. For the next two lessons, we will be covering werewolves. As with vampires, there is a lot of information to cover, so we will be taking two lessons to discuss them. For the first time, information that is presented in Lesson 9 will be relevant to the discussion at hand and it will be more important than ever that you take notes before taking your final examination. With so much information, we don’t have time to spare, so let us get right to it,shall we?

A Brief Overview and History of Werewolves
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a werewolf is “a person who changes for periods of time into a wolf, typically when there is a full moon.” While this short definition covers an important basis of the werewolf, namely what exactly a werewolf is, it does not begin to explain what a werewolf goes through. By day, and most nights, werewolves look like a typical human. This is because they are typical humans. The only difference, by day, is that they have a dormant disease that flows through their veins. It is by the light of the full moon that the werewolf’s affliction becomes obvious. Under the light of a full moon, the man becomes what many describe as a savage beast. There is no known way to prevent this transformation, though, as we will discuss later both in this lesson and the next, there are ways to make it less aggressive.

What makes a werewolf, also known as a person afflicted with lycanthropy, unique is that they have two classifications within the Ministry of Magic. We will delve into the more specific legalistic aspects of lycanthropes in the next lesson, but for now you need to know that a lycanthrope is both a Being and a Beast. When they are in their human form, they are considered a Being, with full cognitive abilities that allow them to actively participate in the creation and maintenance of the laws. When they have changed into their wolf form, they are considered Beasts with a rating of XXXXX. While they are in their wolf form, they are highly aggressive and very difficult to control. You should, in no way, attempt to engage a werewolf who has transformed into their wolf form.

But where did these werewolves come from? How did the development of lycanthropy start? As with vampires, we can turn to mythological tales in order to get a sense of where lycanthropy originated. There are a plethora of tales that exist in lore about the werewolf, but the first recorded tale comes from approximately 1 C.E. and is told by a man named Ovid in his collection of myths known as Metamorphoses. In Ovid’s tale, Jupiter (the Roman name for Zeus) descended from his throne to see how bad the mortal world had become. When he arrived in the area over which Lycaon ruled, he presented the signs of his godliness and all began to worship him. All, that is, except Lycaon.

Lycaon doubted Jupiter’s display and decided to test whether he was truly a god or not. In order to do this, Lycaon had a servant killed and served to Jupiter for a meal. Jupiter, being a god, immediately saw what it was that Lycaon had done and became angry. As punishment for what had been done, Jupiter transformed Lycaon into a wolf, so that Lycaon could continue his carnal tendencies that had been displayed in his attempt to trick Jupiter. Though Lycaon never was able to transform back into a human, he is considered the original werewolf and the disease that causes a werewolf to transform, known as lycanthropy, is named after him.

As you may notice from this tale, the werewolf Lycaon has some very distinct differences from the werewolves we know today. The first of these is that the full moon had no impact on the transformation, it was an act of the gods. Second is that it is a permanent transformation. These differences bring us to an important discussion - the different types of werewolves that have appeared throughout history.

Types of Werewolves
When most people think of a werewolf, they think of the type that involuntarily changes shape at the full moon. While this is accurate, this is not the only type of werewolf. In fact, many cultures have very different ideas about what is considered a werewolf. Though many cultures have very different interpretations, the various types of werewolf can be boiled down to three specific kinds: the shapeshifter werewolf, the wolfman werewolf, and the “true” werewolf.

The shapeshifter werewolf is one of the oldest of the werewolf legends. It is also the type with the most variation in the way that the transformation works. The shapeshifter is a human that has gained the ability to transform into a wolf. There are a variety of ways that this change can occur. The first, one of the most prominent in stories, is that the human strips themselves of all their human clothes and places a belt made of wolf skin on themselves that had, in some way, been enchanted. While the belt was worn, the individual would take on the full characteristics of a wolf. Only by removing the belt could a person change back to their human form. Other methods of shapeshifting for these types of werewolves include, but are not limited to: drinking water out of a wolf’s paw imprint in the mud, sleeping under the full moon on a Friday, and drinking a special beer and saying a specific incantation.

Next, we come to the wolfman, pictured here. This type of werewolf is unique from the other two as it is the only one that involves a one way change. The idea of the wolfman is that it is a human being who bears many characteristics of a wolf. They walk on two legs and are mostly human, but have long claws and sharp fangs, like a wolf. In some stories, the wolfman is always part man and part wolf, other stories depict the wolfman as a human by day and “wolfman” by night, and a third variation claims that the wolfman is a human who, in some way, becomes infected (we assume with lycanthropy, but cannot be sure) and then transforms slightly each full moon; each moon they take on more and more wolfish characteristics until they fully become a wolf. No matter the differences in interpretation of the wolfman, one unifying factor that makes these stories unique for the stories of the shapeshifter is that the wolfman has no control over their changes. Something happened to them that forces their changes.

Finally, we come to the “true” werewolf, which is the kind most of you will be familiar with. This is the kind of werewolf that goes through a monthly transformation. Each month, on the night of the full moon, what appears to be a regular human undergoes a painful transformation that changes them into a wolf. This change is a forced change that is unpleasant for the lycanthrope and dangerous for those around the werewolf. In its wolf form, it will revert to its wolfish instincts and attack first and ask questions never. This change is different from both of its predecessors because it is a forced change, rather than a choice like the shapeshifter, but is not permanent and the werewolf will turn back into a human after the full moon has gone down, unlike the wolfman.

At the heart of all of these changes is a disease that we must talk about. This disease creates a terrible stigma in our society that makes people believe that those infected are in some way inferior. This disease is known as lycanthropy.

Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the technical name for the disease that enters the blood of a werewolf and forces the change to occur. In the Muggle world, it has become synonymous with a mental disorder in which a person truly believes that they become a wolf; this is because Muggles do not have the same understanding we do, so they fill in the gaps in the most logical way that they can. Lycanthropy is in no way a mental disorder, but is in fact an incurable disease that forever affects the life of the person affected. Next class, we will have a special guest speaker come who will explain some of the legal repercussions associated with lycanthropy, including when a Muggle becomes afflicted with it, better than I can.

One of the challenges that one infected with lycanthropy faces is the challenge of social stigma. Though it is not a disease that “just happens”, and in most cases it is not a disease that a person chooses to get (the only way to become afflicted with lycanthropy is to be bitten by another werewolf), people still act as though the person chooses to become a werewolf. I will let you explore how you feel this perception plays out in your essay.

As I have previously mentioned, there is currently no cure for lycanthropy. Once you are bitten by a werewolf, you are affected for life. There have been numerous attempts to create potions that will cure a lycanthrope, but the best effect that has been reached is that the werewolf experiences a little less pain and is able to keep their own mind. In modern times, the most successful attempt at softening the effects of lycanthropy is the Wolfsbane Potion, which is a very complicated potion to make and can have disastrous results for the unfortunate drinker if it is brewed improperly. This is why it is best to find an experienced Potioneer or to buy a stock from your local apothecary if you find yourself in need of some.

Lycanthropy does not only affect the individual internally, nor does it only affect them on the night of the full moon. In the days that lead up to a full moon, a werewolf will look as if they have become ill; some common descriptions of a werewolf during this time are “peaky” or “pale.” They also will not have the strength or endurance that they usually have, because their bodies are both fighting the disease and preparing themselves for the transformation that is to come. After the transformation, when the lycanthrope has returned to their human form, they will continue to look peaky; they will also be physically exhausted, having exerted more energy in their wolf form than most humans are capable of at one given time. It is not uncommon for a lycanthrope to be bedridden for several days after the change.

One good thing that has been discovered is that it does not seem to be possible to pass lycanthropy on through reproduction. Many tests have been done and there has never been a case where the human child of a lycanthrope has had lycanthropy from birth - the human child will be fully human. Likewise, if two werewolves mate while in their wolf forms, their offspring will be a pack of wolf cubs that are true wolves in every way. The only noticeable difference between true wolves born from true wolves and true wolves born from werewolves is that the wolves born from werewolves have intelligence that is closer to human intelligence.

Finally, before we move into the temperament and characteristics of a werewolf when they are in their wolf form, as well as how to distinguish a werewolf from a true wolf, there is one more interesting tidbit of information about lycanthropy that I would like to share with you all. As I mentioned at the beginning of this segment, Muggles have the perception that lycanthropy is a mental disorder, but that is not the only perception that exists. Some people, even among magical folk, view lycanthropy as an overarching metaphor. They believe that, rather than an actual disease, that lycanthropy plays the role of representing all incurable diseases that place a negative social stigma on the affected individual. One of the most popular metaphors in modern literature, and society as a whole, is the use of lycanthropy as a metaphor for HIV/AIDs. In the Muggle world, people get uncomfortable bringing up this topic in general discussion, or believe that it is something that should not be brought up. In order to have these discussions and get these ideas out, people use this metaphor to get people to consider their perspectives - it’s interesting to see who is against the stigma placed on lycanthropes, but not those affected with HIV.

But enough about that. If you wish to learn more about that, there’s plenty of time for extra research. For now, let’s move on to discuss how you can identify a werewolf and what they are like when in wolf form.

Characteristics of Werewolves (and how to differentiate them from true wolves)
While it is well known that a werewolf is aggressive in its wolf form, hence the XXXXX rating by the Ministry of Magic, what exactly is it about the werewolf that makes it such a dangerous wizard killer? There are two separate components of the personality of a werewolf to consider: their animalistic instincts, which differ slightly from a true wolf, and their views on many aspects of the world.

True wolves, despite many stories that are out there, are not usually aggressive towards humans. That does not mean that a true wolf will not attack a human, but it is less likely than the wolf attacking, say, a deer or another form of prey in the area. The only way that you will increase your likelihood of being attacked by a wolf is if you run. The true wolf will now see it as a sport and will chase you for the sake of the hunt. Once it is chasing you, it will have to capture you and harm you; it is a matter of pride for the wolf. If it doesn’t, it will be disgraced within its pack. Werewolves, on the other hand, will almost exclusively attack humans. When presented with multiple forms of prey, the werewolf always chooses the human. This is one way to clearly distinguish a true wolf from a werewolf: if you do not make yourself obvious prey and the wolf in question still attacks you, it is most likely a werewolf.

Once you become a werewolf, your taste buds change slightly. Where once you may have preferred your steak to be cooked medium to medium well, werewolves in their human form will have a preference for their steak to be rare. Even though they are in their human form, they are still trying to appease the wolf within (this taste for rarer meat is also common among those who are attacked by a lycanthrope while the lycanthrope is in its human form). This also applies to their sense of morality. For the most part, the morals of a lycanthrope will not change. They will still have the same understanding of right and wrong, though they may be a little more vindictive and see crueler acts as fair, depending on the situation. Overall, though, they are still human and have a human understanding of right and wrong. When they transform into the wolf, they still keep most of their morality, but lose all of their human sense of right and wrong.

Along with these internal and invisible differences that mark a werewolf, there are also three physical traits that, if you are aware of, will make it easier for you to differentiate between a werewolf and a true wolf. The first physical difference is in the snout. Werewolves have shorter snouts than a true wolf, which has a longer snout that is physically designed to guide the true wolf by scent, where werewolves do not have to be as dependent on their sense of smell. The second difference is in their eyes. Werewolves, though feral, will have smaller pupils that are more reflective of human eyes, as opposed to the large, animalistic pupils of a true wolf. The third and final difference is the fullness of the wolf’s tail. A true wolf’s tail will be full, long, and bushy where a werewolf’s tail will be shorter, tufted, and a little lacking in the fullness department. If you can recognize these signs, or even two of them, you should find it easy to recognize whether you are in the presence of a werewolf in their wolf form or a true wolf.

Well, I think I have given you more than enough information for one day. As you can see, werewolves, like vampires, are creatures with extensive amounts of information about them available. What I have covered here, and what I will cover in the next class with some help, is only a small portion of what can be found out there about these creatures. As always, my office door will  be open for further inquiries or discussions about any of the creatures that have been covered thus far. For now, I will let you get to your quiz and your essay for your homework assignments.

Class dismissed!

Original lesson written by Professor Jericho Penrose

Note: The images used in this lesson were found through a Google Images search for the terms “wolfman” and “werewolf”