Lycanthrope refers to werewolves, those who transform into beasts, or those possessed by animals. In Greek, "lycos" means wolf, and "anthropos" means man, from which the term "lycanthrope" was derived to call werewolves.
On full-moon nights, they transform into wolves by the moonlight and attack people with their fearsome physical capabilities. It is said that the werewolf can only be defeated by a crucifix, holy water, or silver bullets and that ordinary weapons cannot harm it.
The origin of the tale of a man's transformation into a wolf is said to be found in the story of Lycaon, who was transformed into the beast by Zeus in Greek mythology, along with tales from Germanic and Celtic mythology, but that is still uncertain.
The motif of a man transforming into a wolf became popular in stories around the 12th and 13th centuries. Most werewolves of the time would go into the forest, shed their clothing, and put it back on when they returned to their human form.
However, it is by no means the case that all werewolves who so transformed committed atrocities.
Many of the werewolves in the stories of that time had the cursed fate of being transformed into wolves, but they did not lose their human hearts, suggesting a genuine desire and longing for transformation.
It was not until the 15th and 16th centuries, with the development of demonology, that the idea of the werewolf as a gruesome and evil being became mainstream.
At that time, the transformation into a beast was thought to be the result of selling one's soul to the devil, and the transformation became characterized by the witch-like application of ointments to the body.
Werewolves' supposed weaknesses, such as holy water and crosses, were also developed at that time.
Later, in the 19th century, werewolves began to appear in American and British popular literature as more narrative characters, and their portrayal in movies brought them to their current form.
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