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Werewolves

werewolf

Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf? Not us.

Werewolves are one of the world’s most famous shape-shifters, and have enthralled us in stories — both in print and on screens. Below the glow of a full moon, werewolves frolic and stalk the night. But what else do you know about werewolves? Read these hair-raising facts, and become a shape-shifting scholar.

  • The term “werewolf” comes from two Old English words: “were” meaning “man,” and “wulf” meaning “wolf.”
  • ‎Another term for werewolf is “lycanthrope.” This term comes from the Ancient Greek “lukos” for wolf and “anthropes” for “human.”
  • One of the first werewolf stories is Greek in origin — Lycaon, king of Arcadia, was turned into a werewolf as punishment for attempting to trick the god Zeus.
  • Nordic mythology also has a werewolf story. In this myth, a father and son come across a pair of wolf pelts and put them on. The pelts had the power to turn the father and son into wolves for ten days.
  • ‎Fenrir — a child of the trickster god Loki in Norse mythology — is a great wolf that has lent his name to many wolves in literature. In particular, the werewolf Fenrir Greyback from the Harry Potter series.
  • There’s a version of the werewolf on Scotland’s Shetland Islands called the Wulver. Unlike a traditional werewolf, the Wulver doesn’t transform between man and wolf. Instead, the Wulver is depicted as a man with the head of a wolf. Wulvers are also known for being kind and generous — legend says that Wulvers will leave fish for families facing hardships so that they may have food.
  • Werewolf legends are prominent in areas that are heavily forested, where there is plenty of wildlife.
  • ‎In other parts of the world where there aren’t wolves, there are still shapeshifting legends. For example, fox shapeshifters are common in the folklore of Korea (kumiho), Japan (kitsune) and China (huli jing).
  • While they weren’t as common as witch trials, werewolf trials did exist. The last recorded werewolf trials were in the 18th century.
  • The first werewolf movie debuted in 1935, titled Werewolf of London.
  • ‎The medical condition hypertrichosis is also called “Werewolf Syndrome.” This is a condition that causes an excess of hair to grow on the body.
  • Remus Lupin, the werewolf Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher of Hogwarts, should not have been too surprised with his fate. The name “Remus” comes from the Roman myth of “Romulus and Remus,” twin brothers who were abandoned at birth and raised by a wolf. “Lupin” comes from the Latin word “lupus,” meaning wolf.

For a howling good time, check out some of these titles.

Wolven
A Hairy Problem
The Werewolf Chase
Werewolf versus Dragon
Curse of the Werewolf Boy
Chihuawolf
Dr. Critchlore
The Werewolf Hunters Guide
The Girl’s Guide to Werewolves
Behind the Legend: Werewolves
Werewolves don’t run for president
The Legend of the Howling Werewolf
Werewolves
Night of the Werewolf
Werewolves
The Big Hairy Secret
Scooby Doo and the truth behind werewolves
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Haunted Howl
Knightly and Son: K9
Silver in the Blood
Cycle of the Werewolf
Wereworld
Hair in all the wrong places
Claire De Lune
The Last Werewolf
Shiver
Once in a Full Moon
Soulless
Mooncakes
Moonstruck
Werewolves of Montepelliar
Jughead The Hunger
Never Cry Werewolf
Moon Called
Beauty and the Werewolf
Clean Sweep
Full Blooded
Moonlight
Alpha and Omega

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Top 5 Checked Out Picture Books

Top 5 Checked Out Picture Books

April 21, 2021

Have you ever wondered what the most popular books are at your library? Well, look no further, we’ve got your answer. You can even make it a game, grab a pen and piece of paper and jot down your guesses to see how many you get right.

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