Talk:Werewolf

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In the "Middle Ages" section, after "giving rise to the Slavic "werewolf" tales", add the following:

Liutprand of Cremona reports a rumour that Bajan, son of Simeon I of Bulgaria, could use magic to turn himself into a wolf.^[1] 193.61.203.104 (talk) 22:05, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

I'll pay that...in it goes. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:29, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

Not sure if it crosses the bar for notability, but... At the 1987 NHRA Winternationals, Chuck Phelps brought his Bad Moon Rising TA/FC to Pomona and dressed his pit crew as werewolves. (So says Philippe Danh. "Winter Heat: Life on the Starting Line", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p.92 caption.) Cruella de Ville ^{bite me} 09:03, 24 November 2018 (UTC)

That is cool....Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:18, 25 November 2018 (UTC)

Thats fantastic Hlalisto (talk) 06:19, 25 April 2020 (UTC)

Hi! While looking over this article I noticed a few errors in the "Middle Ages" subheading, some of which I will list below. I am currently writing a thesis on the didactic use of the supernatural in the Medieval period, and am in the middle of the chapter on Werewolves and other shapeshifters, so thought I might have something to add to this page, but am only new.

Firstly, just before the Middle Ages section, but very relevant to it: shapeshifters in general (and into wolves specifically) are mentioned in Augustine of Hippo's The City of God (426 CE). This work was widely read throughout the Middle Ages. It specifically says: 'It is very generally believed that by certain witches spells men may be turned into wolves...' (The City of God, XVIII.17)

The article begins the section on the Middle Ages by stating "There was no widespread belief in werewolves in medieval Europe before the 14th century." Other than Bisclavret, and the report of Liutprand of Cramona I can think of at least five other Medieval sources that specifically mention werewolves. One of them, Gerald of Wales, even has a Wiki page dedicated to his werewolves: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolves_of_Ossory. These stories span from Ireland to Germany, by way of England and France; surely this could be considered "widespread". There were even Episcopal bulls (the Capitulatum Episcopi, promoted by the Abbot of Treves in c 906) declaring that belief in werewolves was heretical, indicating widespread belief in peasant classes as well as the priests and educated writers whose work we do have.

I would like permission to edit this section of the article, by attaching both primary and secondary sources, to further expand Wikipedia's knowledge of werewolves.

CWWrites (talk) 07:22, 10 March 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for adding. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:07, 25 April 2020 (UTC)

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Change: From: "The appearance of a werewolf in its animal form varies from culture to culture, though it is most commonly portrayed as being indistinguishable from ordinary wolves save for the fact that it has no tail (a trait thought characteristic of witches in animal form)" To: "The appearance of a werewolf in its animal form varies from culture to culture, though it is most commonly portrayed as being indistinguishable from ordinary wolves. While some cultural deceptions of werewolves have a distinct lack of a tail; traditionally, a werewolf is depicted as having no distinguishing factors from a wild wolf, other than the ability to walk bipedal." 184.64.7.152 (talk) 22:53, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. RandomCanadian (talk / contribs) 02:43, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

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~LIlY The GREAT~

 Lily was a real were-wolf but it was never like what people normally hear in stories.

She was shot in the heart by a silver bullet when she stole 3 live chickens by Joseph E Lenoir.

1818-1863 deceased Alphasunearthfire (talk) 03:46, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ◢  Ganbaruby!  (Say hi!) 12:57, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

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The term lycanthrope is derived from the first werewolf in greek mythology Lycaon, who was cursed by Zeus as he tried to feed him human meat. 106.215.83.133 (talk) 15:32, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Additionally, there is already a paragraph on how the word is traced back from Ancient Greek. – robertsky (talk) 21:54, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

This belongs in Category:Shapeshifting.

(161.29.246.205 (talk) 00:22, 31 October 2021 (UTC))

I added the article to Category:Therianthropy. Myrealnamm (💬Let's talk · 📜My work) 21:19, 11 August 2025 (UTC)

It is said in the section "Nazi Germany" that the names "Werwolf" for Hitler's HQ and a NS-organisation stem from the mythical creature werewolf (Werwolf in German). This is a misunderstanding. These names are based on the novel "Der Wehrwolf" by Hermann Löns and have nothing to do with a wer(e)wolf. There are english and german Wikipedia-pages on "Der Wehrwolf" with more details. Even at his time (Löns died 1914) the author was annoied by this just too obvious misunderstanding.Fyona A. Hallé (talk) 13:39, 22 January 2022 (UTC)

An editor has identified a potential problem with the redirect Λυκάνθρωπος and has thus listed it for discussion. This discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2022 September 16#Λυκάνθρωπος until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. TNstingray (talk) 16:37, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

I believe that the paragraph “ Along with the vulnerability to the silver bullet, the full moon being the cause of the transformation only became part of the depiction of werewolves on a widespread basis in the twentieth century. The first movie to feature the transformative effect of the full moon was Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in 1943.” should be further researched. The film Werewolf of London features the transformative effect of the full moon and was released in 1935. Thefrumpylibrarian (talk) 04:48, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

The sentence which is claiming to quote (#58) the book ‘Of Wolves and Men’ is absolutely untrue and not written anywhere in this publication.

The sentence says as follows…

”People with Down syndrome have been suggested by some scholars to have been possible originators of werewolf myths.”

Not only is this an utterly ludicrous statement to make, it is absolutely offensive.

Thoughts anyone? May this line be removed from the article?

Thanks! 71.80.225.38 (talk) 13:56, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

The redirect Ruvaush has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 July 23 § Ruvaush until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 21:14, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

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The very first sentence of this article claims that “werwulf” was the Old English word for werewolf, but the link shows that it was in fact the Old Saxon word, not the Old English word. The Old English word was “werewulf”, so could someone please replace the wrong word with that one (along with this link https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/werewulf instead of the wrong one)? 2600:100A:B1C3:1DC0:F907:4995:FB46:71F0 (talk) 22:27, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

This is blatantly untrue. The City of God makes zero mention of werewolves in the context of the Christian faith, and the footnote that this quote is connected to leads to a section from The City of God, yes, but one that: 1. Does not feature the cited quote. 2. Simply relates stories Varro told about werewolves. Nowhere does he explain his own views on werewolves or how werewolves relate to the christian faith. 2A02:A03F:859F:8D00:28FB:DBBF:480E:15B4 (talk) 13:34, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

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Add to Category:Romani folklore per Romani folklore. 112.184.208.201 (talk) 12:12, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

 Done 🦅White-tailed eagle^{Talk to the eagle}Stalking eagle 15:00, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

Hello everyone, I appreciate the depth of information covered in this article, particularly the historical and cultural aspects of werewolf mythology. However, I noticed that while the transformation process and vulnerabilities (such as silver) are well-documented, there is limited discussion on regional variations in werewolf lore—especially regarding naming conventions and lesser-known deterrents. In some European traditions, for instance, werewolves were believed to be individuals who voluntarily took on the form rather than being cursed. Additionally, beyond silver, folklore from Nordic and Slavic regions mentions iron, rowan wood, and specific incantations as protective measures. Expanding this section could offer a more comprehensive view of how werewolves were perceived across different cultures. I recently came across a source that delves into werewolf naming conventions and their mythological roots—AnimalNicknames.com, specifically the Werewolf Names section. It explores how different cultures have named and categorized werewolves, which could complement the existing folklore discussion. If the community finds this relevant, it might be worth considering as an additional reference. Looking forward to your thoughts! Fenellalangley (talk) 01:24, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

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"Bedburg" the last word of the History > Early modern history paragraph can be linked to the Bedburg Wikipedia page. Arthible (talk) 14:14, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

 Done Day Creature (talk) 15:55, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

The article attributes the quote "Omnes angeli, boni et Mali, ex virtute naturali habent potestatem transmutandi corpora nostra" to Thomas Aquinas; however, there are no citations and I cannot find any proof of him saying this. Are there any primary or secondary sources that would back this section up? Localwerewolfenjoyer (talk) 23:34, 28 June 2025 (UTC)

He certainly did write this, it's a famous quote of his. I'm trying to find a really good secondary source for it, though. Remsense 🌈 论 00:17, 29 June 2025 (UTC)

The redirect Voirloups has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 August 11 § Voirloups until a consensus is reached. Joy (talk) 21:12, 11 August 2025 (UTC)

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In Werewolf Fiction section, Change: In "Dracula's Guest", a band of military horsemen coming to the aid of the protagonist chase off Dracula, depicted as a great wolf stating the only way to kill it is by a "Sacred Bullet".[97] to: In “Dracula’s Guest”, a band of military horsemen coming to the aid of the protagonist chase off Dracula, who is depicted as a great wolf. They state the only way to kill it is by a “Sacred Bullet.” [97] Parallcx (talk) 11:17, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

 Done Day Creature (talk) 14:48, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello,

I would like to propose adding a link to The Book of Were-Wolves (1865) by Sabine Baring-Gould, a well-known public-domain reference work frequently cited in studies of lycanthropy and European folklore.

Link: https://ebookzy.com/free-ebooks/were-wolves.pdf

This text provides historical context and early folkloric interpretations of werewolves, and may be helpful for readers looking for primary sources or classic scholarship on the topic.

Since I am sharing a link hosted on a site I am familiar with, I prefer to suggest it here rather than add it directly, and will gladly leave the final decision to other editors.

Thank you for your consideration. Raef1982 (talk) 03:56, 23 November 2025 (UTC)