Our Werewolves Are Different: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"It's a full moon tonight,

 

[[Sub-Trope]] of [[Our Werebeasts Are Different]], dealing with variations of lycanthropy (i.e. werewolves). [[Our Vampires Are Different|As with vampires]], the exact parameters of lycanthrophy vary, but to meet the definition, a werewolf must be like an [[Animorphism]] who takes the form of a wolf every month. The prospective werewolf character has a number of options for customization. See the [[Our Werebeasts Are Different/Analysis|Werewolf Analysis Page]] for a listing of common characteristics and some variations on werewolves in media.

The word "werewolf" is a compound with the archaic English word for an adult male (etymologically "man" was once genderless). Hence, the not-uncommon female Lycanthropes should more strictly be "wifwolves" (or 'woman-wolves'), a term that has not seen much actual use. Generally, werewolves are [[Older Than Feudalism]], going back to the European middle ages- and to the Ancient Roman myth of a King cursed by Zeus to become one. Werewolves are very popular because of qualities of opposing forces of 'man vs animal nature'.

 

* See [[Werewolf Works]] for an index of works that prominently feature werewolves.

* See [[Werebeast Tropes]] for other tropes related to werewolves and other Werebeasts.

* [[Youkai]] are Japanese supernatural creatures that are sometimes depicted as having features similar to werebeasts.

* See [[Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism]] for information on other tropes related to the combination of human and animal features and [[Shapeshifting]] for other tropes related to changing form.

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* Jean Jacquemonde is this in the manga ''[[Spriggan]]'' as {{spoiler|his father before him was a werewolf too, being created as a biological weapon of war by ancient civilizations}}. The catch? He {{spoiler|needs to see his own blood after being shot to death to do this. He transforms back to a man after anyone near him is either gone from sight or dead.}}

* Jyabura, a villain from ''[[One Piece]]'', possesses a Devil Fruit power that allows him to transform into a wolf or a wolf/human hybrid that looks like a typical werewolf.

* Liru from ''[[Magical Pokaan]]'' turns into a cute little puppy with anything round, strangely enough, except for the full moon.

** He can transform at will, but he his power varies according to the phase of the moon. He once lost a fight when a cloud covered the moon.

* The Captain, one of the villains from the manga ''[[Hellsing]]'', is a werewolf. He has several forms which he can go between at will, ranging from a human to a mist-like Dire Wolf. In all forms he has massive physical strength and speed with a [[Healing Factor]].

* ''[[Outlaw Star]]'' includes werewolves.

* Appears in many works by [[Osamu Tezuka]]. In ''[[Phoenix]]'' they're a kind of Shinto nature spirits. Another story, ''Vampire'', features more typical ones that are called, well... Vampires (Though many vampire legends say they can turn into wolves, too). Perhaps the weirdest, and arguably most realistic, example is ''[[Ode to Kirihito]]'', which revolves around the mysterious illness known as Monmow Disease, an affliction that gradually turns people into canine-like mutants until the trauma the transformation causes to their organs kills them.

** She is a wolf-god who transforms voluntarily into a human form, however, not a human who becomes a wolf.

* ''[[ARAGO]]'' has a variation wherein {{spoiler|a specific wolf's pelt, when worn, will turn a person into a werewolf.}}

** Regardless of the moon, he has [[Doom Magnet|incredibly bad luck]] that tends to get others hurt or killed.

** The only legitimate transmission seems to be inheritance. Biting is never brought up and blood transmission just turns the recipient into a short-lived ogre.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Mikola Rostov from ''[[The Warlord]]'' was a Russian fencing instructor cursed to become a werewolf every full moon. He tried to escape his curse by moving to world of perpetual sunlight. This was not as successful as he might have hoped.

* Bigby Wolf from the ''[[Fables]]'' is a sort of inversion. He was a giant wolf great enough to eat entire armies at one go (indeed, he was ''the'' Big Bad Wolf), but he allowed Snow White to cut him with a lycanthropy-cursed knife so that he could take a human form at will in order to live peacefully in our world.

** You forgot magic and Dwarven Steel (which disrupts the magic in the were's aura, which slows down their [[Healing Factor]]).

** The main character in question is the last Full-blooded were-cheetah and the werewolves have only one fertile female left due to a war between the two {{spoiler|and betrayal by the leader of the werewolves which left Britanny the last were-cheetah and the werewolf clan in ruins.}}

** There was also a minor character, Wolfcub, who was stuck in a "wolfman" form. A couple of plots have tried to explain that all mutants with regenerative powers, claws, and heightened senses were a subspecies of mutant (Homo superior lupus) that was the origin of werewolves.

* In ''[[Runaways]]'' the heroes have to go up against a group of "cowboy werewoofs". One character is surprised at this because "there isn't even a full moon tonight". This prompts another character to point out that the "moon is always full".

* In the very allegorical ''[[House of Mystery]]'' story "Maidenhead", the Children of the Blue Gray's lycanthropy is sexual (it's unclear whether arousal leads to the change or vice versa, because as far as they're concerned it's the same thing), but also seems to be tied into their [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Crystal Dragon Mohammad]] religion.

* In the Wildstorm title ''Wetworks'', werewolves are a separate species (as are the vampires, with which the werewolves are secretly at war), which spend most of their time in human form, but have trouble controlling their rage when transformed into wolfmen. For the first two years of the title, the titular team was employed as vampire killers by the werewolf king (originally presenting himself merely as a human billionaire concerned about the vampire problem). An interesting twist is that most werewolves find it increasingly difficult to control their rage as they get older, so most of the governing in werewolf society is done by the children.

* [[Welcome To Hoxford]] by Ben Templesmith had a pack of werewolves running a prison/mental asylum, in order to hunt the inmates. These werewolves are huge, skeletal and vicious, and have a propensity for eating human flesh, though notably they lack the invulnerability many werewolves had, and can be killed with physical weapons.They also transform very squickily, and seem functionally ageless.

* [[Ferals]] focuses on a breed of very violent and strong werewolves that do not appear to have any restrictions on when they can transform. While they are certainly not mindless, they do seem prone to unquenchable bloodlust and cruelty while they are in wolf form. They fall closest to the dire wolf flavor of lycanthropy, except perhaps with a gallon of steroids thrown in for good measure.

 

== Film ==

** {{spoiler|The title character eventually transforms into one in order to take down Dracula for good.}}

* ''[[Ginger Snaps]]'' has its title character bitten by a werewolf on the night that she gets her first period. Unlike most werewolf movies, Ginger's transformation into the monster (which is of the Man-Wolf type) is gradual, and there're many ties with the onset of puberty.

* The Wolfman from ''[[The Monster Squad]]'' was a pretty solid Wolf Man. Regular bullets didn't work on him, as revealed in the scene with the cops and the coroner guy. In his first encounter with the protagonists in the old house on Shadowbrook Road, he gets [[Groin Attack|kicked in the nards]] by "Fat Kid" Horace, which proves to be quite effective. After being blown up by the main character and his father, he's finally finished off when Rudy, the oldest of the titular group, uses a silver bullet to kill him, [[Did Not Do the Research|completely ignoring the fact that you need a cartridge in order for the bullet to actually fire]].

* ''[[Bad Moon]]'' features a werewolf that changes every night, without the need for a full moon, and that doesn't need any special method to kill (or harm).

* ''[[Red Riding Hood (film)|Red Riding Hood]]'': One can only be turned into a werewolf if they are bitten by one during the Blood Moon. And only those that are in their bloodline can understand what they say. Everyone else hears only growls.

* ''[[Nosferatu]]'' has a scene of a werewolf (actually, a [[Misplaced Wildlife|hyena]]) roaming the inn that the protagonist stops at en route to Orlock's castle in the Carpathians.

 

== Literature ==

** ''Lycanthropes'' are people whose minds become wolf-like at full moons, and who gain increased strength and healing at the same time, but physically remain human. They are related to Viking [[The Berserker|berserkers]].

** A ''Loup-Garou'' is a human subject to a powerful hereditary curse. Under the full moon, he transforms into a demonic man-wolf with enormous speed and strength, as well as immunity to injury by virtually any source except ''inherited'' silver. The demon takes over all control during this time, with the human personality completely submerged. There is no known cure and the only spells capable of perfectly restraining them is similar to what one would need to contain an ''archangel''.

* In ''[[The Graveyard Book]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]], the role of Baloo is taken by a no-nonsense Hound of God named Miss Lupescu, who uses the Baltic version of the myth. As a Hound of God Miss Lupescue, and apparently other werewolves, pursue evil and will run to the gates of hell, or beyond, to save the innocent. She transforms into a powerful wolf and is immune to injury except from silver. She's also apparently immortal.

* Laurell K. Hamilton's ''[[Anita Blake|Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter]]''.

* Constable {{spoiler|eventually, Captain}} Delphine Angua von Überwald from [[Terry Pratchett]]'s "City Watch" series of ''[[Discworld]]'' novels. Angua can [[Voluntary Shapeshifter|transform into a wolf at will]], but is [[Involuntary Shapeshifting|unable to prevent herself from changing]] during a full moon. Pratchett delves much deeper into the psychology of the werewolf than most writers, describing what the world looks like to a creature that uses smell as its primary sense, and also developing a cultural [[Backstory]] for the werewolves, such as the term "yennork" being used to describe a werewolf that cannot change shape (and is therefore trapped in the body of either a wolf or a human) but is born to werewolf parents.

** The "smell as its primary sense" has to be reinterpreted by the werewolf when in human form; it is presented as synesthesia, with scent data being reinterpreted in terms of colours and sounds.

** Angua's type of lycanthropy is hereditary (infection by bite is alluded to but never actually demonstrated{{spoiler|in the books; it does happen in [[Discworld Noir]], which Pratchett worked on}}). Pure-bred werewolves change into a normal wolf (hybrids produce other forms). At least partial control is possible, although sometimes this takes some effort. Silver and fire are a werewolf's primary weaknesses; all other damage is temporary.

** During the involuntary moon-induced transformation there's an irresistible urge to eat meat, but enough control is maintained for the werewolf to choose which ''kind'' of meat is consumed. Angua, who's a vegetarian when she can help it, eats chickens (and always leaves behind payment for them, even when forced to steal them from out of the henhouse).

* In ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'', lycanthropy is transmitted by bites, and results in uncontrolled transformations during full moon. Werewolves are discriminated against by the Wizarding society despite their relative innocence. They are dangerous to humans, but not to other animals (or Animagi). No cure exists, but a Wolfsbane Potion allows them to keep control of their minds during the transformation. Good werewolf Remus Lupin takes the Wolfsbane potion to keep his, whereas the evil Fenrir Greyback doesn't care as he is bloodthirsty as a human anyway. In the books werewolves are Dire Wolves, with only a few superficial differences between them and real wolves. In the movies they are Wolf-Men that look more like Were-Chihuahuas than wolves...

** It should also be noted that werewolves are only created when bitten by another werewolf while in wolf form. If bitten by a werewolf in human form, they may garner a few traits (a desire for bloody meat, a temper issue, etc.), but will not actually become a werewolf.

** Consider the last sentence of that quote in light of the fact that the speaker is five hundred ''thousand'' years old and has [[Seen It All|seen the Great Demons reshape the continents of Earth]].

* The [[Kitty Norville]] series by Carrie Vaughn focuses on a werewolf heroine ironically named...[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Kitty]]. This series is closer to earth than most werewolf stories in a lot of ways.

** Werewolves can be killed without silver, they can just survive more damage than a normal human and heal faster, but being gutted or at ground zero of an IED kills a werewolf perfectly well.

** The first werewolf pack that we see in the books is led by a bullying, abusive alpha male, but from the second book on we can see that werewolf pack dynamics vary widely. At least two seem to be a normal group of people who just happen to spend full moon nights in the woods together.

** The [[Theme Naming]] trope is subverted or just averted; the protagonist herself has a punny [[Non-Indicative Name]] purely by chance, and few if any of the many other werecreatures encountered in the series have any connection between their name and what they do.

** Lycanthropy is infectious. Some characters have feared getting it from being exposed to a werewolf's blood or saliva while that werewolf is in human form, but it hasn't happened in the books themselves. In their human forms, werewolves have the same silver vulnerability, [[Healing Factor]] and increased strength that they do as wolves. Female werewolves can't carry a pregnancy to term; shapeshifting causes the fetus to miscarry.

** There was also Wolfgang von Newald in the ''Konrad Saga'' although it isn't revealed until the end of the last book.

* In Kit Whitfield's novel ''Bareback'' (understandably published as ''Benighted'' in the US) 99% of the world's population are werewolves; not being a werewolf is due to a ''birth defect''. Werewolves cannot change at will, but [[Involuntary Shapeshifting|do invariably change]] on the full moon and the nights before and after, and do not retain their human mind when they do. This has led to some complicated social structures. Their form is never described in detail but seems to be the dire wolf with some Man Wolf characteristics, for instance they normally run on all fours but can stand up.

* Petronius's ''Satyricon'' contains a story told about a werewolf who is a wizard, able to transform his clothing into stone and back (so that it remains undamaged while he's changed) and changing fully into a wolf at will. He does not have any kind of accelerated healing and retains his wounds when he changes back (so that a pike through the neck as a wolf becomes a grievous wound that requires a surgeon's attention as a human). (Incidentally, this segment is also well-known to Latin scholars for containing the ''hapax legomenon'' "''circumminxit''", describing the method for transforming his clothes to stone - he ''pisses in a circle around'' them).

* In the ''[[Lonely Werewolf Girl]]'' books werewolves are mainly vulnerable only to silver, certain magic weapons, and other werewolves; they have accelerated healing only in werewolf form though. Speaking of werewolf shapes, they have three modes: human-looking, a wolf-man/woman half and half mode, and a full wolf mode. They must change on the night of the full moon into one of the latter, but "royal werewolves" can change at any time so long as it is dark outside. A lunar eclipse [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock|locks]] them into their human forms, and make them ill while it passes. They are born werewolves (although [[Big Bad]] Sarapen does have a human minion who thinks Sarapen is going to turn him into a werewolf if he serves well enough. Since Sarapen gives him the old "[[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]" treatment the question is left open). Having been born in wolf shape, while her mother was in wolf shape, on the night of the full moon, protagonist Kalix feels as if she lives in a permanent lunar eclipse.

* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s "Rouges in the House" [[Conan the Barbarian]] invokes this to reason that the [[Beast Man]] is possible.

{{quote|''Everyone knows there are men who take the form of wolves at will''.}}

* In ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', 'wargs' are people who can telepathically borrow the bodies of animals in dreams. Their human body stays the same, however if they are killed while their spirit is within an animal they will be trapped there.

* Werewolfs in ''[[The Talisman]]'' are called Wolfs and are servants of the crown, acting as shepherds. Even in human form, they are immensely strong and quite honest but not terribly intelligent. They transform into wolves for several days around the full moon, prior to which they slowly lose their humanity. Even as wolves, they retain ''some'' sense, but are intensely hungry. They also transform under stress, but it hurts.

* In the childrens book series ''[[Alfie the Werewolf]]'', the main character becomes a werewolf because it runs in his familiy, but skips a generation (his grandfather is also a werewolf, but his parents are not). They can however turn other people into werewolfs by biting them, and the 13th book introduces special belts which can temporarily turn people into werewolfs. Werewolfs in these books can both walk on four legs like a normal wolf or on two like a Wolf Man. They are not bloodthirsty monsters but most of the time retain their human toughts and capability of speech, although sometimes they can get so called werewulf hunger, which they can solve by eating meat. Finally; while young werewolfs only transform during the full moon, older werewolfs like Alfie's grandfather can stay in wolf form all the time.

* MaryJanice Davidson's werewolves are faster and stronger in their human form and can turn into both Man Wolf and Dire Wolf at will although they have to during the full moon.

* In [[Devon Monk]]'s ''[[Age of Steam|Dead Iron]]'', Cedar, under a [[Curse]], changes by the full moon and loses his mind, requiring him to chain himself. He pays quite dearly for a collar that lets him keep his right mind. {{spoiler|1=Later we learn his brother Wil is still alive and also under a curse, but while Cedar only changes during the full moon, Wil is permanently a wolf, and fortunately, can control himself all the time when not actively bespelled by LeFel.}}

* The novel Tamed features werewolves as pets.

* ''[[Half Upon a Time]]'' gives us [[Talking Animal|The Wolf King]], who can assume a human guise as he wishes.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

** In the new series, "Tooth and Claw" involved an alien intelligence that could possess people and turn them into a [[Wolf Man]] form, and jump between bodies by biting.

** A society of werewolves also appears in the [[Big Finish]] audio ''Loups-Garoux'', in which the Doctor notes that "There are so many forms of lycanthropy", presumably to avoid any problems with continuity.

** The most interesting aspect of Buffyverse werewolves is that lycanthropy can be transmitted by bite even if the werewolf is in human form at the time. Oz was bitten by his baby cousin Jordy.

** Though vulnerable to silver, werewolves could also be killed by deadly injuries, like a ripped throat.

** In Season 3, Oz started to display a heightened sense of smell in human form. It's possible that if Oz hadn't left the show in Season 4, his werewolf nature would have been more fully explored.

* The short-lived series ''Wolf Lake'' revolved around a community of lycanthropes based (roughly) on Native American werewolf mythology.

** The above poster mis-remembers the series' mythology. Transformations by the hero (and his enemies) could happen for eight nights in a row, because their timing was random and had nothing to do with the lunar cycle.

** It also borrowed Siodmak's pentacle (see below), but has it appear on the werewolf's ''own'' palm during twilight hours as a harbinger of the coming change. It also introduced the idea of escaping the curse by killing the werewolf who started the "bloodline" (although the series didn't have time to explain how bloodlines get started in the first place).

* An episode of ''[[Dinosaurs]]'' had Robbie tell a scary story to his baby bro where he ''gets bitten by a rabid [[Furry Confusion|caveman]]'' and becomes a ''were-man''. (Of course, ''were'' means ''man'' [[Did Not Do the Research|anyway]], but you shouldn't go to this show for one hundred percent accuracy).

** That may have also been a case of [[Viewers are Morons]].

** What makes the half-wolves interesting is the twists: they ''always'' possess tails, even in human form, [[Freud Was Right|which change size with the time of the month]] and apparently act as [[Fantastic Arousal|erogenous zones]], and explicit reference is made to the female cycle by how Wolf starts gaining PMS-like symptoms as the full moon approaches and, when fighting the change, ends up with... [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|cramps]].

*** Wolf's sole [[Transformation Sequence]] during the miniseries is inconclusive, since all we see is him becoming a typical Lon Chaney [[Wolf Man]]. According to [[Word of God|Simon Moore]], however, Wolf was intended to become a Dire Wolf, but they didn't have the budget for such special effects. What this says about the nature of half-wolves isn't clear.

* The ''[[Wizards of Waverly Place]]'' episode "Beware Wolf" has Justin kiss a girl who is a werewolf and turn into one himself.

** And kissing a werewolf that's a "mutt" will turn you into a werewolf, but kissing a werewolf that's a "pure bred" won't.

* The horrifying werewolves of ''[[Supernatural]]'' are of the mortal/cursed variety. As for their appearance: [[Narm|slightly longer fingernails and fangs]]. Pull out their teeth and file down their nails and they'd be indistinguishable from any other [[Axe Crazy]] psycho. Which actually makes a kind of sense, as they're not obvious to [[Muggles]]. They always remove the heart from a dead victim.

*** The episode ''All Dogs Go To Heaven'' introduces skinwalkers, {{spoiler|who turn into normal, domestic dogs. The skinwalker can be passed by a bite, and across the US skinwalkers are entering homes as family pets, ready for a signal to turn their families, creating a skinwalker army. [[Paranoia Fuel|Good boy, Rover]]?}}

* Jiro/Garulu from ''[[Kamen Rider Kiva]]'' is a Wolfen, one of the 13 Demon Races represented in the series. He can voluntarily change from human to Wolfen form, and feeds by using his claws to pull the soul from a human's body and devour it. Thanks to his supernatural origin, his human form seems to have superhuman levels of strength, speed, and endurance, as well as an enhanced sense of smell (and a fondness for coffee).

** And in an extreme twist of transformation tropes, as part of his involvement in the titular character's transformations Jiro becomes the ''sword'' of Garulu Form.

* The fake documentary ''Werewolves: the Dark Survivors'' features a pack of werewolves who have a non-lethal strain of rabies and porphyria (which causes them to crave blood). Their transformation is simply their skin tightening when certain toxins reach a critical point every couple months or so (some use wolfsbane to force a change) making it look like their nails, teeth, and hair are growing. It seems unlikely that they're invulnerable in any way and the full moon is just the only time when ordinary humans can see their monthly hunts.

* ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. Repeat after me: "He's a werecrow! A WERECROW!"

* ''series/TeenWolf'' has several variations. Beta wolves are humanoid with wolf-like features. Alphas are more like the classic werewolf. There's also a type that can go fully into wolf form. Silver bullets will harm all of them, and emotional stress can trigger a transformation on non-full moon days.

* ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' [[External Retcon|retcons]] [[Little Red Riding Hood]]'s backstory to include a werewolf rather than a regular wolf. {{spoiler|Red herself turns out to be the werewolf; however, her eponymous hood can prevent her transformation.}}

 

== Music ==

* ''Bark at the Moon'' by [[Ozzy Osbourne]].

* ''She Wolf/Loba'' by [[Shakira]].

* "Wolf Like Me" by TV on the Radio.

* ''Full Moon'' by Sonata Arctica.

* ''The Animal'' by [[Disturbed]], which seems to jump between loss of control and enjoying the transformation (or possibly enjoying the loss of control). The narrator does at one point warn the victims to run.

* The music video for "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auzfTPp4moA Heads Will Roll]" by [[Yeah Yeah Yeahs]] features a wolfman dancer who eventually loses control and massacres his audience.

* Lobo hombre en paris by La Union is about a wolf that was bitten by a [[A Wizard Did It|wizard]], and turns intro a men. His name is Denis.

* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEMVPtUc-q0 Curse of the Werewolf]'' and ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWTvp4dTeTU Return of the Werewolf]'' by Timeless Miracle.

 

* The werewolf of medieval tradition tended to fall in the devil's deal category, with the bargainer typically gaining the ability to become a normal or dire wolf through the use of a magic wolf pelt or wolfskin belt.

** The most well-known werewolf of this type would be [[wikipedia:Peter Stumpp|Peter Stumpp]].

** It should also be noted that the [[Deal with the Devil]] was a basic [[Retcon]] applied by the Church to all sorts of magic (except those endorsed by the church, of course). Many [[Burn the Witch|witch trials]] got out of hand because this retcon could transform mere misdemeanors (e.g. magically stealing milk from you neighbour's cow — it was treated seriously by the courts of the time) into treason against God and State.

** Suffice to say, all this varied greatly by the era and region. In early and mid Middle Ages magic was considered real, but the legal treatment was purely based on the effects; supposedly killing a person or animal by magic was considered essentially the same as poisoning, for example. The [[Deal with the Devil]] as a necessary condition for magic only came into legislation and theology in the late Middle Ages. Likewise, whether the Devil could actually grant powers like shapeshifting to his followers, or if they were just deluded or performing illusions varied considerably. In any case, many sociopathic serial killers of the era were considered, and possibly considered themselves to be werewolves. Also, the crime of bestiality was often associated to werewolfism, as well.

* The tale of Bisclavret, from the ''Lais of Marie de France'', features a man cursed to turn into a beast once a fortnight or so; in order to become a man again, he must find his human clothing and put it back on. His wife, upon learning this, sends a knight to steal his clothes, effectively trapping him as an intelligent beast.

** In one version the word gets out and he is returned to normal, but not before biting the guilty wife's nose off and having her banished.

** Wait, so ''[[Van Helsing]]'' wasn't just [[Aluminum Christmas Trees|making shit up]]?

*** And neither was White Wolf Game Studio. (Take a look under Tabletop Gaming).

* In [[Norse Mythology]], berserkers were warriors devoted to Odinn, who turned into wolf-men or bear-men in the frenzy of battle. The usually accepted etymology for the word in ''bar-sarkr'', which meant bear pelt, but it is debatable. Tolkien had those guys in mind when he created the character of Beorn.

* [[Irish Mythology]] has the Faoladh, another benevolent version of the werewolf. Supposedly they protected children and wounded men. Despite that, they still liked to abscond with livestock when they could.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** The game later inversed the process with the wolfwere (and subsequent varieties of beast-were), who is an evil, intelligent, shapeshifting wolf who assumes a human form to mingle in society and lure potential victims. Werewolves and wolfweres both share intense loathing for each other.

** The [[Ravenloft]] setting took this trope to heart for all monsters, introducing "salient abilities" that could make any werewolf (or vampire, golem, mummy, etc) different from any other of its kind. The ''Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts'' gives exhaustive details on all forms of lycanthropy.

** 4th edition D&D makes yet another change. Shifters are presented as playable races in Monster Manual 1 and Player's Handbook 2. Regular werewolves, however, are monsters only... and they no longer transmit the "curse of lycanthropy" upon biting someone, just a generic disease. They also have a [[Healing Factor]] that can be suppressed by silver.

* ''[[Shadowrun]]'' has a virus which turns people into mindless Neanderthal types which get stronger and vicious during the full moon. However, they don't gain animal traits, beyond the extra hair. What Shadowrun does have are Shapeshifters, as in normal animals of all varieties spontaneously giving birth to magically active stock able to take on human form. Not to mention all the dragons who've learned the ability...

* ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]'', has the Uratha, which are somewhat similar to the Garou, but simplified. Unlike the Garou, the Uratha all start as human and can ''only'' breed with humans (or [[Half-Human Hybrid|wolf-blooded]]); trying to mate with other Uratha leads to the [[Fetus Terrible|"ghost children"]]. Interestingly, the antagonist tribes, the Pure, are almost ideologically identical to the Garou. The rules reference commmon aspects of werewolf lore. Biting people doesn't spread lycanthropy, but werewolves ''do'' bite people on the verge of a first change to get their scene. Wolfsbane does not cure lycanthropy, but it can be imbued with the ability to force Uratha to return to human form.

* In ''[[Ars Magica]]'', lycanthrophy is the result of a curse which can be magical or faery in nature, and is tied to the moon cycle. If taken as a blessing, transformations can be controlled. Were-bears and were-lynxes are also possible in the setting.

* ''[[Rifts]]'' and other games in Palladium's ''Megaverse'' have them as a separate species, ranging from Wolves to Bears, and some of the big cats (and even further, Werepanthers are different than Werejaguars).

** Rifts also features the Loup-Garou, a werewolf species with a god complex and the statline to back it up against an unaugmented human. It also must die twice, once in Wolf or Man-Wolf form and once as a Human, in order to be truly killed. Killing it only once "kills" that form, preventing it from changing into it ever again.

* In ''[[Deadlands]]'', the Classic Collection, the [[Du Ponts]] are a branch of the mad Whateley family who are known for being werewolves, as well as inbred mad magicians. Mina Devlin has a few of them working for her at the Hunt-Phelan house.

* An optional werewolf template in ''[[GURPS]]'' is an uncontrollable problem triggered by the full moon. They're very hard to kill but curiously don't have any special level of strength like most werewolves.

* In ''Terror T.R.A.X: Track of the Werewolf'' (reviewed by Spoonyone), the werewolves seem to possess few characteristics that separate them from normal humans. They can be killed by ordinary methods, speak clearly, and fight using ''automatic weapons''.

* The [[Lawful Neutral]] Wolfen from ''Confrontation''.

* ''[[Exalted]]''; There is absolutely nothing preventing a Lunar Exalt from having a wolf as their spirit-shape, although they're not exactly your average werewolves. As far as official characters go, Ma-Ha-Suchi is [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock|Mode Locked]] into a humanoid wolf/goat hybrid form as a result of Wyld-induced [[Body Horror]].

** Actally, only Ma-Ha-Suchi's goat traits are permanent. He can still assume his human form, wolf form, or any other form he's acquired. But he's ashamed of his horns and hooves in his non-hybrid forms (not to mention that the hybrid form is designed for maximized asskickery).

 

* In ''[[The Mystery of Irma Vep]]'', {{spoiler|Nicodemus}} is mauled by a monster on the moors and subsequently transforms into a [[Wolf Man]] on-set.

* Similarly, ''[[The House Of Frankenstein]]'' features Talbot, a [[Wolf Man]] who gets an onstage transformation.

 

== Toys ==

* ''[[Monster High]]'''s werewolves such as Clawdeen and her brother Clawd's transformations are triggered by moonlight or a spotlight. Even then, their physical changes are minimal - weres in the MH universe have not been shown to have a fully human or fully lupine form. In Clawdeen's diary, their younger sister Howleen is mentioned as having been sprayed by a skunk, whether this indicates she was hunting, or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time is not mentioned.

 

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Gabriel Knight]]: The Beast Within''

* Werewolves are a common enemy in the PC game ''[[Nocturne]]'', appearing in all but one chapter, and they can be killed with any weapons; it's just that silver bullets kill them a lot faster.

* One of the main "dual nature" gimmicks in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' is that Link transforms into a wolf when he enters the Twilight Realm. It's quite an [[Big Badass Wolf|impressive step up]] from the unarmed, pink bunny he turned into in ''[[A Link to The Past]]'''s Dark World.

* Saberwulf of ''[[Killer Instinct]]'' is looking for a cure for his condition. Although his ending in the first game does give him one, that ending is not canon and he actually comes out ''worse'' before the second game, both failing to get a cure and losing his arms in the process, forcing him to get new bionic arms.

* ''Fighters Destiny'' for N64 has a character named Piere who is a french clown, there's a cheat you can use which turns him into a werewolf.

* The ''[[Fable]]'' series has Balvarines, humanoid wolf-creatures. When someone is infected, they turn into a Balvarine and stay that way. Permanently.

* The ''[[Bloody Roar]]'' games have a whole ''menagerie'' of therianthropic characters like this including some kind of metalic bug-like beast called the ''unborn'' and a penguin who [[Magikarp Power|becomes a Phoenix]].

* The Beast Kingdom in ''[[Seiken Densetsu 3]]'' is inhabited by a race of werewolves known as Beastmen. They are generally more humanlike during the day, and become [[Wolf Man|Wolf Men]] at night, but due to the presence of the Mana Stone of the Moon, the entire country is cast in perpetual night. One of the potential player characters, Kevin, hails from this place and transforms at night. This effectively gives him two sets of moves to the other characters' one.

** One of the forms Alucard can shapeshift into in [[Symphony of the Night]] is that of a wolf.

** Both wargs and werewolves are featured in the series proper. Werewolves, however, have a few pyrokinetic skills

*** Fans looking for connections between the beastmen and Garoh's werewolves [[Continuity Nod|will find them]]. Sveta can turn into a more wolfish form, and she has the same elemental affinity as the Garoh. In addition, some NPCs in Belinsk mention that beastmen get more aggressive under the full moon, especially those that [[Was Once a Man|were once human]].

* The MMORPG "Darkfall" has a playable race of wolf-men called Mahirim. They are unable to transform, have their own cities, and weild weapons and armor.

* In ''[[Okami]]'', the Oina tribe can transform into a wolf-like form at will. Oki even does this to aid Amaterasu in battle.

* The orginal Worgen of ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' were humans who turned into manwolves after [[Mad Scientist|Archmage Arugal]] experimented on them in the hope of battling the Scourge. After the war the beasts escaped into the nature and continued to inflict the curse in their blood. The playable Worgen in Cataclysm are (mostly) Gilnean humans, who are infected with the werewolf curse after the assault on the city of Gilneas. Once they are infected, the curse is final: They will stay in their manwolf form once turned into it and there is no known cure to undo the curse and revert the transformation. However, a recently transformed Worgen can still be rescued, if the infectees are given [[Applied Phlebotinum|a potion]] that will help the bitten to retain their human minds instead of reverting to bloodthirsty monsters, they later regain complete control over their minds, and control over their bodies as long as they don't feel certain feelings (Pain, excitement, ect. ect.).

** While the playable Worgen are of the Man-Wolf variety, the bear and cat forms of Worgen druids physically resemble werewolves of the Dire Wolf variety. For gameplay purposes, though, the abilities that they have in these forms are identical to those of the other three druid races.

* In ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]'', [[Meaningful Name|Damian Wolfe]]'s takes upon the appearance of an anthro wolf as his EM form, Wolf Woods. It's hard for him to control himself in this form.

* Warwolves in ''[[City of Heroes]]'' are a mysterious variant of [[Super Soldier]] used by the [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|Fifth Column]] and Council. After a certain level, random Council [[Mooks]] have a chance of [[One-Winged Angel|transforming into them when defeated]].

* ''[[Dragon Age|Dragon Age: Origins]]'' features werewolves that were created by {{spoiler|the Keeper of a Dalish (Elf) clan who cursed the humans who destroyed his family. They can only become human again if the Keeper agrees to end the curse, an act that will also kill him}}. These werewolves have learned to speak, but are regrettably cursed with frequent pig-like snorting when doing so. These aren't the only werebeasts in the setting. Most werecreatures are actually humans or animals possessed by demons from [[Spirit World|the Fade]] and subsequently mutated.

** It is also mentioned that because of that, there is pretty much no one "true" version of werewolf. Some change when the moon is full, some when they are angry, some turn into wolf-men, some into large wolves, some are only vulnerable to silver... It all depends on the exact demon involved.

* ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'' has a whole town of creatures ''called'' werewolves, but they always appear in humanoid wolf form, never transforming either way. They're also pretty friendly, for the most part. They were bipedal and wore clothes.

** One also shows up in ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'', where it is a thief who goes by the codename, Lone Wolf. He probably has no connection to the town of werewolves in the previous game, though his sprite was very similar to the generic sprite used for the its townspeople.

* ''[[League of Legends]]'' has [http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Warwick Warwick]. Once a mercenary, he obtained a fully controllable version of lycanthropy as punishment for genocide. He hardly leaves his new form and is mentally the same (which isn't all that different from a wilder mindset). Essentially Soraka's punishment made things a hell of a lot worse.

* ''[[Altered Beast]]'' features the player becoming a werewolf in two levels.

* ''[[Darkstalkers]]'' has Jon Talbain (Gallon in the Japanese version). He seems to be in control of himself as a werewolf, although he fears that he will lose himself in bloodlust and become a beast completely, and is desperately searching for a cure for his condition. {{spoiler|He does find a cure in the endings of the first two games, although the third game's ending suggests that he's jumping headlong in the ''other'' direction}}. Also note: [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|English Kung-Fu Werewolf]]. Hell yes.

* Werewolves exist in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' games.

** In Skyrim Werewolves can change into their powerful beastforms anytime they want every 24 hours. They also retain full control of themselves and gain a lifelong immunity to disease. The downside? For one thing, it's impossible to get a good night's sleep since the beast blood within werewolves makes them restless. Also, if werewolves die with their lycanthropy untreated (removing it is possible but very difficult), their lycanthropy manifests as wolf spirits that drag their souls to Hircine, Daedric Prince of the Hunt and the creator of lycanthropy.

* In ''[[Disgaea]]'' (as represented by [[Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten|Fenrich]]), werewolves are a type of demon descended from both humans and wolves that get their power from the moon. They're a [[Little Bit Beastly]] by default, but can turn into [[Big Badass Wolf|Big Badass Wolves]] as a means of attack.

 

** Also, amusingly, features a [[Shout-Out]] to this very page. Talbot's bookshelf includes a book called "Our Werewolves Are Different" credited to [[TV Tropes]].

* ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]]'': first off, they look like [http://hanna.aftertorque.com/?p=447 this]. Second, they transform at will and third, they are very rare.

** Some clarification on this: Samantha's Werewolf state is a trait of her bloodline, and when the first member of her family to undergo this transformation was given an amulet from the Wotch of that time in order to protect his mind (the body still had to undergo the transformation, but the individual's mind would remain unchanged), it became a true gift to the family. This is because when a new member of the family was born, a new amulet would appear for them to use. Eventually the power of the amulet became so intertwined with the bloodline, that the amulets were no longer needed after a given point. Branches of the family still keep hold of them however in order to show their gratitude for the Wotch's gift, and when Samantha's friend Katie first becomes a Werecat, the amulet is now needed for her in order to prevent a loss of control. A possible ending to the side story that explains this shows that the amulets will now appear for Katie's family line.

* The werewolves in ''Lunatic Chaos'' are caused by heredity. However, the 'when' is cleverly subverted. Upon entering puberty, a werewolf will change some random night. Whatever moon is out that night is what they become 'linked' to. They can transform at will, but will be forced to take on their wolf shape on their personal phase. However, when a werewolf becomes linked to the full moon, they become bloodthirsty monsters whenever they are forced to transform.

* Neauria from ''[[Earthsong]]'' and her species provide the inspiration for the werewolf legends on Earth. They're anthropomorphic dog-like humanoids, but that's about the only similarity they share with Earth's werewolves.

* In ''[http://www.taoofgeek.com The Tao of Geek]'', a horde of werewolves was caused by a voodoo curse found on the Internet. The first person affected became the Alpha Wolf, and all subsequent cursed people became members of the Alpha's pack. Killing the Alpha was mentioned as a way to reverse the curse on the other afflicted people. {{spoiler|Removing the curse on the Alpha works just as well.}}

* Two of the protagonists of ''[[The Dragon Doctors]]'' become inflicted with Lycanthropy. The titular doctors are able to cure nearly any malady, but they're only able to ''control'' lycanthropy rather than get rid of it entirely. The two werewolves became so because a horrific entity bent on consuming all life tried to absorb their minds and souls, and this awoke within them an "inner beast". This is treated differently than "standard" lycanthropy, which is contagious, but it's also difficult to cure because you can't really get rid of the inner beast without killing a person's will to live, and getting it to settle back down is the only way. Kili and Greg have to wear magical arm-bands and exercise a lot to burn off their excess energy, and one side-effect is that their hair is now [[Rapunzel Hair|incredibly long]].

* ''[[Family Man]]'' features an entire town based around the local werewolf population, though the majority of townspeople are by no means werewolves. Lycanthropy, in females, at least, seems to coincide with menstruation, and the transformation is preceded by a ritual including the donning of a wolf skin. Evidence suggests that werewolves can arise from genetic inheritence ''and'' from...some means of transmission. At least, that's what we know so far: there's still much to be revealed on the subject.

* In [[Paradigm Shift]], the weres are the result of (apparently) a government experiment on making [[Super Soldiers]] gone wrong; the original one is a werelion, whereas Kate turns into a rather [[Nightmare Fuel]]-ish man-wolf. They later see the results of, apparently, the same program gone right; these are somewhat were-ish but mostly just [[Made of Iron]] in human form.

* [[Playful Hacker|WiredWolf]] of ''[[Enjuhneer]]'' has no apparent connection to the moon, instead transforming when incredibly angry (and, in one case, when she [[Your Costume Needs Work|needed a Halloween costume]].) Her precise nature is unconfirmed, but it's worth noting that post-[[Plot-Relevant Age-Up]], she's a [[Little Bit Beastly]] even in human form.

* In ''[[Walking on Broken Glass]]'' most of the main cast are Werewolves, who also happen to have [[Elemental Powers]]

*** actually it is implied that all magical creatures have an alignment to two elemental forces

* [[Three Panel Soul]] has a one shot werewolf strip: [http://threepanelsoul.com/2011/02/08/on-wild-animals/ highly social and monogamous].

 

== Web Original ==

* [[Limyaael's Fantasy Rants|Limyaael]] is more concerned with [http://limyaael.livejournal.com/452888.html werewolves] drowning in the [[Wangst]] than in playing with myths.

* Given its canine features, it's quite possible The Rake of creepypasta lore(as well as [[Everyman HYBRID]]) is a ''really [[Uncanny Valley|creepy]]'', hairless wolfman. Its features are mostly human, with just enough canine there to be disturbing.

 

== Western Animation ==

** Another episode featured were-leopards who transformed involuntarily because of a magic curse.

** Also, recurring villain "Wolf", formerly a human mercenary/TV star, who due to [[Hollywood Genetics|genetic engineering]] is a half-man, half-wolf creature, he can't change back to human form or spread his condition, but he's frequently referred to as a werewolf, which, as werewolf roughly translates from Latin as "man-wolf", is technically true, although "mutant" and "hybrid" would be better terms.

** This same episode even parodied the fake frame-by-frame transformations of the original Wolfman, for both the Lon Chaney Jr. [[Expy]] and Freakazoid himself.

* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' did it during a ''[[Halloween Episode|Treehouse of Horror]]'' episode where Ned Flanders gets bitten by a Dire Wolf and becomes a Man-Wolf; a rare case of two types in one show.

* An episode of ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' had Egon turn into a werechicken.

** There was also "No One Comes to Lupusville", in which a [[Fur Against Fang|clan war between werewolves and vampires]] finally got bloody, and when they fought...

'''Egon:''' Exactly! [[Mix-and-Match Critters|So what happens when a werewolf bites a vampire, and a vampire bites a werewolf]]? }}

* In a direct parody of ''An American Werewolf in London'' (and ''[[Turbo Teen]]'' - of course), ''[[Futurama]]'' has a curse that can turn any mild-mannered robot into a were''car''.

** Another episode had Finn get infected by being hugged by a "Hug wolf", a were wolf with heart-shaped hands and feet that hugged anyone it came across.

* After Shaggy is turned into the titular character in ''[[Scooby-Doo (animation)|Scooby Doo]] and the Reluctant Werewolf'' he reverts to his old self by saying "Oogly boogly wobbly wye, no more a werewolf am i, I'm going to be a normal guy!"

** In the direct-to-video Halloween film, "Scooby Doo and The Goblin King", Scooby Doo and Shaggy go to the Magic World and encounter a bartender who was a werewolf. They manage to convince him that they're a werewolf themselves by using a variation of the [[Trope Pole Trench]] and switching themselves to make it look like Shaggy transforming into Scooby. Velma becomes a werewolf very briefly (along with Fred who becomes vampire, and Daphne who turns into a witch) as a result of the Goblin King's magic sceptor.

 

== Real Life ==

* Vampires were originally very similar to (or basically were) werewolves. In some historical lore, vampires would turn into wolves rather than bats.

** The "vampires turn into bats" trope is just a bit over hundred years old in any case, only first thought up by [[Bram Stoker]] when he heard of blood-drinking bats in South America. Before that there has been no connection between the animal and the mythical monster.

* Some legends say that witches were also blamed for making potions (with extreme hallucinogenic properties) that made men into werewolves (or at least made them believe they were wolves).

* It is also thought that the rabies virus may be to blame.

** And possibly (naturally impossible to confirm) early [[Serial Killer|serial killers]]. It's not like [[Jack the Ripper]] was the first one, merely the first in the modern age.

* Perhaps unsurprisingly, some [[Furry Fandom|Furries]] claim to be werewolves or other "shifters". Since they obviously can't change physically, they state that their shifting is (mostly) mental or spiritual in nature, often with connections to [[wikipedia:Astral projection|astral projection]] or Native American style totemism.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Our Monsters Are Different]]

[[Category:Werebeast Tropes]]

[[Category:Shapeshifting]]

[[Category:Horror Tropes]]