Who invented the werewolf

They are all movies that drive horror into the human heart with blood-thirsty werewolves. Stories like this drive fear into our hearts and are common throughout human history. One of the earliest known werewolf legends comes from Greek mythology.

According to the legend, a man named Lycaon angered Zeus, the Lord of the Gods, when he served Zeus a meal made from human flesh.

Other shape-shiftings were far more sinister. In what is now Ethiopia, the lowest caste of laborers was said to transform into hyenas and other creatures to plunder graves. Such frenzies are reminiscent, of course, of the ravages of rabies. Persons bitten by a mad wolf generally went mad too. They trembled and their limbs jerked, they made their jaws work and foamed at the mouth, often trying to bite other people.

In , L. The affected go manic-depressive and hysterical and delirious. Might people suffering from porphyria be the source of the legend? It does, after all, cover the physical transformation, whereas rabies is more behavioral. Pitt Hopkins Research Foundation. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when it was believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred. It has since evolved into a holiday when spooky legends, myths and folklore take center stage. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States , is remembered for his vital role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War and beginning the process that led to the end of slavery in the United States.

He's remembered for his Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. They may be the best-known classic monsters of all. The Devil, also referred to as Satan, is best known as the personification of evil and the nemesis of good people everywhere.

His image and story have evolved over the years, and the Devil has been called many different names in various cultures: Beelzebub, Lucifer, Satan and Over the course of years, the outlaw from Nottinghamshire who robs from the rich to give to the poor has emerged as one of the most enduring folk heroes A mummy is a person or animal whose body has been dried or otherwise preserved after death.

When people think of a mummy, they often envision the early Hollywood-era versions of human forms wrapped in layers upon layers of bandages, arms outstretched as they slowly shuffle Although accounts of an aquatic beast living in the lake date back 1, years, all efforts to find any credible evidence of the animal have failed. The zombie, often portrayed as an undead, flesh-eating, decaying corpse, has enjoyed a popularity surge in recent years.

Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. The Bedburg Werewolf Peter Stubbe, a wealthy, fifteenth-century farmer in Bedburg, Germany, may be the most notorious werewolf of them all. Their rampage ended when the father attacked his son, causing a lethal wound. The son only survived because a kind raven gave the father a leaf with healing powers.

Continue reading from The History Channel. The ancient origins of werewolves The Conversation. Lycanthropy Britannica. It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older.