Undoubtedly, everyone has heard stories and legends about a creature that looks like an ordinary person in the light of the sun, and turns into a monster in the full moon. Werewolf, werewolf, lycan, shapeshifter - he has many names. But it doesn't matter what the wolf man is called, the question is: does he really exist or is it all a figment of someone's sick imagination?
The animal inside us
Each nation has its own traditions, beliefs, as well as mystical creatures: wolf people, coyotes, hyenas and even bear people. Some worshiped the snake man, others revered the lion man, and some were afraid of the leopard people. Even at the dawn of civilization, warriors dressed in the skins of slain animals to gain their strength. However, it seems that it was the werewolf (wolfman) who became the ideal synthesis of human transformation into an animal. Why wolf?
This wild beast has long been considered a mysterious and unknown creature. The wolf is dangerous, gluttonous and unusually strong. Man has always been frightened by the ability of the beastsneak up quietly and imperceptibly. In addition, the wolf has an incredible ability to turn around at the sound of the whole body at once, which adds to its intimidation.
When the wolf people first appeared, history is silent. Experts come to the conclusion that here we are talking about the primitive magic of shamans and totem rituals. Herodotus mentioned that the Scythians and Greeks considered the inhabitants of the Black Sea shores to be magicians capable of turning into wolves on certain days of the year. But is it really?
Wolves and sorcerers
Lycanthropy (the so-called ability to turn into a wolf) began to gain popularity from the 15th century. People believed that the village shamans made deals with the devil and evil spirits during the full moon, and in exchange for the sold soul they received the "wolf essence".
One of the most famous demonologists in the world, Lancre, claimed that "a man who has turned into a wolf is none other than the devil himself, who, in the guise of a ferocious beast, roams the earth to cause pain and suffering." In addition, the wolf is the sworn enemy of the lamb, which symbolized and depicted Jesus.
The Church has announced the same hunt for werewolves as for witches. And even the rulers of the largest countries in Europe believed that there was a so-called "wolf disease". For example, the Hungarian king Sigismund made considerable efforts to ensure that the Church Ecumenical Council in 1414 recognized that wolf people really exist. This recognition marked the beginning of a real persecution of werewolves throughout Europe. Only in France between 1520 and 1630more than 30 thousand cases of collision with lycanthropes were recorded. It is worth remembering the most terrible cases of that time.
Garnier the Eater
In 1573, Gilles Garnier was arrested for numerous murders of children, who confessed that he was a lone wolf man. According to him, one night while hunting, a spirit appeared to him and offered his help. The ghost gave Gilles a miraculous balm, with which it was possible to turn into a wolf. But it was worth doing this only on a full moon and on nights with a growing moon. Only at this time, all the rage and power of the beast was felt. Garnier told the court that he committed the murders of four children under the age of 14. In the skin of a wolf, he not only killed, but also ate the flesh of his victims. The killer's story was full of the most macabre and vile details.
Gilles Garnier was found guilty of "criminal acts that he committed after turning into a wolf, as well as witchcraft." The murderer was burned at the stake in January 1573.
Gandillon - a family of werewolves
In 1584, in a small mountain village near the town of Saint-Claude, a werewolf attacked a little girl. Her sixteen-year-old brother, who rushed to her aid, was torn to pieces. The villagers ran to the cries of the children and threw stones at the beast to death. What was the general amazement when the dead monster turned into a naked young girl. It was Perenette Gandillon.
As a result, the entire Gandillon family was under arrest. They probably used some kind of self-hypnosis technique to put themselves intostate of psychosis werewolf. The city judge Boge, who considered this case, personally observed the family in prison and conducted an inquiry. In his work en titled "Tales of the Witches", he wrote that the Gandillon family are real wolf people. They crawled on their hands and feet, howled at the moon and generally lost their human appearance: their eyes were bloodshot, their bodies were covered with thick hair, and instead of nails, they had hardened claws. By the way, Boge's lawyer was not one of the gullible. And his observations are confirmed by other official reports of lycanthropes infesting France.
Rolle - the man who turned into a wolf
This incident happened in 1598. In a sown field, the peasants found the corpse of a young man, near which a wolf roamed. People chased the beast, which was trying to escape into the thicket of the forest. They pursued him to the great juniper groves. The hunters decided that the beast was in a trap. But instead of a wolf, an absolutely naked man was sitting in the bushes, all stained with fresh blood, with a piece of human meat in his hands. It was Jacques Rollet.
During interrogation, he stated that he could turn into a wolf with the help of a witch's balm. Rolle also confessed to the numerous murders he committed with his brother and sister in the guise of wolves. He was saved from execution only by the fact that the court declared him crazy.
The man with the head of a wolf
Thirteen-year-old Jean Grenier was mentally handicapped. But that's not the point. And in his face. It had pronounced canine features: strongly defined cheekbones, pointed fangs and fulleye blood. Jean believed that he was a real wolf man.
One day he confessed to the girls that he wanted to eat them more than anything in the world, and when the sun went down, he would. Of course, they did not believe Jean and even laughed at him. But when the sun went down, the boy fulfilled his promise. He attacked the girl and bit her very badly, but she managed to escape. Grenier was arrested. During his trial, the boy declared that a wolf lives in him, and he can free him when the sun goes down. According to the young lycanthrope, he received his abilities from the devil himself.
Pathology
All these cases are undeniably terrible. Bloodthirsty murders, maimed children… But if you take a closer look, it becomes clear that all the crimes were committed by people, to put it mildly, emotionally unstable.
So, in psychology there is the concept of "zootropy". And this is not at all the ability of a person to turn into an animal with the help of magic, but a real pathology. And it lies in the fact that people consider themselves animals and think that if they behave the same way, they will get their abilities.
There is even a separate type of this pathology - werewolf psychosis (lycanthropy or lupinomania). When a person suffering from a mental disorder can really believe that during the full moon he turns into a werewolf. The patient actually feels how hair grows on him, sees how his nails sharpen and lengthen, how his jaws increase and fangs grow. Such a "man-wolf", burning with impatienceshed blood, roam the streets in search of his victim and can actually seriously bite, scratch, maim and even kill.
Power of thought
Some psychologists believe that werewolf psychosis can cause dramatic changes in the appearance of patients. Of course, the loss of human qualities will not happen: the tail will not grow, hands, albeit with claws, will not turn into paws, and the face will become more like a monkey face or a Neanderthal, but not a wolf.
Scientists are simply amazed at the metamorphoses that can occur in somatic cells as a result of self-hypnosis and willpower. Wounds are healed, burns are blown away. So why is it impossible to become like a wolf through intense self-hypnosis?
Besides, if you listen to people who turned themselves into wolves, you can learn about certain rituals - a prelude to metamorphosis. For example, drink water from a wolf trail, eat the brain of an animal, or spend the night in its hole.
