History Analysis / OurWerewolvesAreDifferent

* A werewolf may maintain their human mind while transformed, or they may [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody receive the mind of that animal]]. Or end up somewhere in between. Or [[UnstoppableRage they may just go crazy]]. In either case, they may also be subject to an [[HorrorHunger irresistible urge to dine on human flesh]]. As a general rule, the more voluntary their transformations, the more control the individual retains in their wolf-shape -- it wouldn't make much sense to voluntarily choose a transformation that requires going nuts, would it? -- Sometimes this is subverted and the shapeshifter might voluntarily enter this form knowing they'll lose control, but usually the shapeshifter is unrepentant evil and gets some sexual thrill off this much like a serial killer. In fact, some anthropologists believe werewolf lore was in part a way of the ancients explaining serial killers who horribly mutilated their victims.

Obviously, if the wolflike form isn't a transformation but one's permanent, natural-born shape, you have nothing to worry about here.

* If the transformation is unwilling and no control is retained when in wolf form, a werewolf will often have themselves locked up in a secure place on nights of the full moon to ensure they don't harm anyone. On ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Oz did this on nights of the full moon. On ''Series/{{Angel}}'' Nina Ash, after learning she'd become a werewolf, voluntarily allowed herself to be locked up on nights of the full moon, but lived a normal life the rest of the month.
** In HarryPotter, whether a werewolf locks themselves away or not is an indication of their morality. [[NiceGuy Remus Lupin]] takes huge precautions to ensure he doesn't hurt people, whereas Fenrir Greyback actually makes an effort to transform near his intended victims.

** In HarryPotter, whether a werewolf locks themselves away or not is an indication of their morality. [[NiceGuy Remus Lupin]] takes huge precautions to ensure he doesn't hurt people, whereas [[CompleteMonster Fenrir Greyback]] actually makes an effort to transform near his intended victims.

* If the transformation is unwilling and no control is retained when in wolf form, a werewolf will often have themselves locked up in a secure place on nights of the full moon to ensure they don't harm anyone. On ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Oz did this on nights of the full moon. On ''Series/{{Angel}}'' Nina Ash, after learning she'd become a werewolf, voluntarily allowed herself to be locked up on nights of the full moon, but lived a normal life the rest of the month.

* The extent of their vulnerabilities and/or their resistance to everything else, varies. Sometimes, they can be ''hurt'' by mundane means, but it takes their weakness to ''kill'' them. Or they may be completely invulnerable otherwise. Alternately, Silver may only negate their invulnerabliity/kill them, or they could have an adverse reaction (mystical or chemical) to simple contact with silver.

* ''Doesn't transform at all'': Some werewolves don't actually posess shapeshifting powers; the humanoid-wolf shape is their single, permanent form. This, too, is typically limited to werewolves who are a distinct species (and thus born that way to begin with).

* A werewolf may begin to adopt lupine characteristics in human form, such as [[MysteriousAnimalSenses heightened senses]], the need to mark territory, hairy palms, or the tendency to sleep curled up into a ball. EyesOfGold are a common characteristic, since they look mysterious but not incriminating.

* This transformation may be total, turning the human into an actual wolf; or partial, turning the man into a BeastMan with wolf features, but retaining human proportions. With the advent of more sophisticated make-up and visual effects (especially computer imagery), techniques have been developed that allowed more wolflike features on humanoids, such as giving a character a wolf's muzzle and ears. The [[BodyHorror human-to-werewolf transformation]] in the movie ''AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' is generally considered to be the standard to which all others are compared, quite remarkable for a movie now more than 30 years old and from the pre-CGI era.

* If the transformation is unwilling and no control is retained when in wolf form, a werewolf will often have themselves locked up in a secure place on nights of the full moon to ensure they don't harm anyone. On ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Oz did this on nights of the full moon. On ''Series/{{Angel}}'' Nina Ash, after learning she'd become a werewolf, voluntarily allowed herself to be locked up on nights of the full moon, but lived a normal life the rest of the month.

* This transformation may be total, turning the human into an actual wolf; or partial, turning the man into a BeastMan with wolf features, but retaining human proportions. With the advent of more sophisticated make-up and visual effects (especially computer imagery), techniques have been developed that allowed more wolflike features on humanoids, such as giving a character a wolf's muzzle and ears. The [[BodyHorror human-to-werewolf transformation]] in the movie ''AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' is generally considered to be the standard to which all others are compared, quite remarkable for a movie now more than twenty five years old and from the pre-CGI era.

* Werewolves are strangely prone to [[WerewolfThemeNaming Theme Naming]] and {{Meaningful Name}}s. [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Beware of any guy named Wolfgang "Moondog" Lupin]]. This makes some sense for hereditary werewolves, but not so much for those who were turned.

* The underlying cause of one's lycanthropic condition. Technically, a number of variations are possible: in some mythologies, a werewolf is an ''actual wolf'' who can assume human form rather than the other way around. However, far and away the most popular concept is that a werewolf is a human who has somehow acquired the ability to transform ([[VoluntaryShapeshifter willingly]] or [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting otherwise]]) into a wolf. Popular methods include a ViralTransformation after being bitten by a previous werewolf, but there are many possible causes:
** ''Heredity'': Some werewolves are simply born that way to begin with: They either belong to a distinct species, or lycanthropy is a genetic condition that was passed down through their family line. Alternately, it can be a hereditary curse, which tends to manifest around the DangerousSixteenthBirthday (give or take a few years). In SpeculativeFiction, the werewolf is often neither really wolf nor man, but some [[IntelligentGerbil species of alien]].

* This transformation may be total, turning the human into an actual wolf, or partial, turning the man into a BeastMan that has wolf features, but retaining human proportions. With the advent of more sophisticated make-up and visual effects, techniques have been developed that allowed more wolflike features on humanoids, such as giving a character a wolf's muzzle and ears. The [[BodyHorror human to werewolf transformation]] in the movie ''AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' is generally considered to be the standard to which all others are compared, quite remarkable for a movie now more than twenty five years old and from the pre-CGI era.

* ''Doesn't transform at all'': The humanoid wolf shape is the werewolf's single, permanent form. This, too, is typically limited to werewolves who are a distinct species.

* A werewolf may maintain their human mind while transformed, or they may [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody receive the mind of that animal]]. Or end up somewhere in between. Or [[UnstoppableRage they may just go crazy]]. In either case, they may also be subject to an [[HorrorHunger irresistible urge to dine on human flesh]]. The more voluntary their transformation, the more control the individual retains in their wolf-shape -- it wouldn't make much sense to voluntarily choose a transformation that requires going nuts, would it? -- and members who can't transform at all have nothing to worry about here. Sometimes this is subverted and the shapeshifter might voluntarily enter this form knowing they'll lose control, but usually the shapeshifter is unrepentant evil and gets some sexual thrill off this much like a serial killer. In fact, some anthropologists believe werewolf lore was in part a way of the ancients explaining serial killers who horribly mutilated their victims.

* A werewolf might just be a werewolf for life, but sometimes it's possible to undo the condition if it is unwanted. Sadly, this may only be a temporary treatment rather than a permanent cure.
** Sometimes, a possible cure is to [[NoOntologicalInertia kill the werewolf which just infected you]], usually with a time limit, such as before the next month.

This page is doubling as the Analysis Page for OurWerewolvesAreDifferent and OurWerebeastsAreDifferent. While the word "wolf" is used as the default term, breeds of {{therianthrope}} other than lycanthropes (werewolves) are based on other animals.

** ''Disease'': Lycanthropy is an [[ViralTransformation infectious condition]], passed on (like [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires ... maybe]]) to any surviving victim of a werewolf attack (usually a bite). Rarely is it explicitly established that disease-style Lycanthropy isn't also hereditary, though it often is. This is a [[NewerThanTheyThink fairly new addition]] to werewolf lore.
** ''Magic'': Becoming a werewolf is the result of [[AWizardDidIt magical forces]] or AppliedPhlebotinum at work. It could be due a BlackMagic ceremony or making a DealWithTheDevil, or it could be the result of a {{Curse}} placed on the person by some EvilSorceror or whatnot -- other popular causes may include typical MadScientist experiments, exposure to GreenRocks ... the list goes on. Certain magicians (particularly Druids) have learned to [[VoluntaryShapeshifter change their form at will]] -- they may insist they are TotallyNotAWerewolf, and rightly so.

* If the transformation is unwilling and no control is retained when in wolf form, a werewolf will often have themselves locked up in a secure place on nights of the full moon to ensure they don't harm anyone. On ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Oz did this on nights of the full moon. On ''{{Series/Angel}}'' Nina Ash, after learning she'd become a werewolf, voluntarily allowed herself to be locked up on nights of the full moon, but lived a normal life the rest of the month.

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* If the transformation is unwilling and no control is retained when in wolf form, a werewolf will often have themselves locked up in a secure place on nights of the full moon to ensure they don't harm anyone. On ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Oz did this on nights of the full moon. On ''{{Series/Angel}}'' Nina Ash, after learning she'd become a werewolf, voluntarily allowed herself to be locked up on nights of the full moon, but lived a normal life the rest of the month.

[[/folder]]

** Beheading it or burning it usually works across the board.

** ''WolfMan'': In [[TheFifties '50s]] horror films, the transformation usually took the form of a [[BeastMan hairy humanoid]] with a scattering of animal features, such as pointed ears, fangs, claws, and maybe a more canine nose or even a tail, but otherwise remaining almost entirely human (The "classic" Wolf Man appearance is not entirely dissimilar to the symptoms of a rare genetic disorder, hypertrichosis.) May be used as a GameFace to intimidate, or a PartialTransformation between full man and full wolf.
** ''Man-Wolf'': PettingZooPeople with a fur-covered humanoid body and a fully lupine head. Man-wolves seem to have become more popular than wolf-men recently, likely due to increasing special effects technology; the old wolf-man design was purely for the purposes of suggesting wolfishness while remaining within the limits of latex applications. It might also involve a GrowingMusclesSequence.

** ''[[BigBadassWolf Dire Wolf]]'': like the above, but either ''much'' bigger, or far more muscular, often with long, rather un-lupine claws, and a grizzly-bear physique

** ''Man-Wolf'': PettingZooPeople with a fur-covered humanoid body and a fully lupine head. Man-wolves seem to have become more popular than wolf-men recently, likely due to increasing special effects technology; the old wolf-man design was purely for the purposes of suggesting wolfishness while remaining within the limits of latex applications.

* If a werewolf is able to control the transformation, it sometimes raises the question of [[FridgeLogic what he gets out of turning into a wolf.]] One common answer is that he hunts animals, or just run in the wilderness with his pack. This could be because of some supernatural compulsion, or he might just make him feel good. Often this desire is treated [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything as a metaphor]].

* Sexism is rampant in the werewolf world. Female werewolves are less often depicted than males, and it's especially rare to see a female alpha of a pack; there may even be an explicit rule that females are not allowed to serve as alpha. This aspect of the mythos is edging into [[DiscreditedTrope discredited]] territory, though. In visual media, female werewolves are [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished still rare]], and onscreen transformations are just about non-existent due to censorship reasons (her clothes being shredded in the process of transformation). Of course, there are a lot of female werewolves in works by the furry fandom [[CuteMonsterGirl because]], [[RuleOfSexy well...]]

** The claws/fangs of fellow Werewolves/other Werebeasts, [[FurAgainstFang Vampires]], or other supernatural beings.
* The extent of their vulnerabilities and/or their resistance to everything else, varies. Sometimes, they can be ''hurt'' by mundane means, but it takes their weakness to ''kill'' them. Or they may be completely invulnerable otherwise. Alternately, Silver may only negate their invulnerabliity/kill them, or they could have an adverse reaction (mystical or chemical) to simple contact with silver.

[[folder:Other Common Characteristic of Werewolves]]

** Transformation occuring on a nightly basis (human by day, wolf by night) is another viable option, especially in VideoGames with an InUniverseGameClock.
*** If you want to be really old-timey, some werewolves will only change when the plant aconitum (aka wolfsbane) blooms, which is to say, around autumn, although different species bloom all year. Sometimes the werewolf has to eat the aconitum.
** Transformation can be the result of a ''specific trigger'', like GreenRocks.
*** Sometimes it occurs as the [[HulkingOut result of severe physical pain or emotional stress]].
** ''Doesn't transform at all'': The humanoid wolf shape is the werewolf's single, permanent form. This, too, is typically limited to werewolves who are a distinct species.

* Sexism is rampant in the werewolf world. Female werewolves are less often depicted than males, and it's especially rare to see a female alpha of a pack; there may even be an explicit rule that females are not allowed to serve as alpha. This aspect of the mythos is edging into {{discredited}} territory, though. In visual media, female werewolves are [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished still rare]], and onscreen transformations are just about non-existent due to censorship reasons (her clothes being shredded in the process of transformation). Of course, there are a lot of female werewolves in works by the furry fandom [[CuteMonsterGirl because]], [[RuleOfSexy well...]]

* A werewolf may begin to adopt lupine characteristics in human form, such as [[MysteriousAnimalSenses heightened senses]], the need to mark territory, [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean hairy palms]], or the tendency to sleep curled up into a ball. EyesOfGold are a common characteristic, since they look mysterious but not incriminating.

* Werewolves will rarely show [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean romantic interest]] in either other werewolves or humans if they are [[{{Squick}} currently in a different shape]]. Even if they are highly social. [[InterspeciesRomance Even if they fully maintain their human mind during the change]]. Which really [[FridgeLogic doesn't make much sense]] from the were's [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman point of view]].