Werewolf - Jonathan - Fifth Hour

In folklore and mythology a werewolf is a person who shape shifts into a wolf, either purposely, by using magic, or being placed under a curse. It is associated the transformation the appearance of a full moon, and is to be shot and killed by a silver bullet, otherwise these creatures can not be stopped. Witches foretold that some signs of a werewolf are red hair, a single brow, born the 25th of December, and hair under the skin, although this one will be more difficult to find. I believe these berserkers are or once were very real.

The first sighting of a werewolf was in Colongne and Bedburg, Germany in 1591. The men who spotted it sent their dogs on it and started to beat and stab it with sticks and spears, but the wolf was unresponsive. Instead of trying to run away or fight back, it stood up on its hind legs and transformed into a man, Peter Stubbe. Stubbe was said to have been practicing and obsessing over sorcery since he was twelve, so much so that he attempted to make deals with the Devil. As soon as he was caught, he was tortured until he confessed on killing a total of sixteen people, thirteen children and two pregnant women. His prey was usually young girls, which he would catch in open fields, rape, then kill.

Some may not believe the existence of werewolfs because they know that Europeans in the 15th to 17th centuries were known for being ignorant and very superstitious, especially the villagers that lived closer to the woods. Many people today may not believe because of their religious beliefs. They may think that werewolfs are demons and forbade the mention of them in their houses. These days there are not many sightings of them anymore thus, less belief in the world of the monsters.

Personally I believe that these beasts are or once were real. I think that most likely the creatures were originally under a spell or a demonic curse, being able to change from human to beast at will. These days I have no idea if they still exist today though, because of the few sightings, and no accurate photos. The information that I retrieved, in my opinion, seems to be convincing, although not all of it can be easily trusted.

Reference list

Figure 1: Werewolf picture Date Retrieved: April 6, 2009 http://media.photobucket.com/image/werewolves/AngelOfDeath6666666/Vampires%20%20%20%20Werewolves/aaaa.jpg?o=30
Reference 2: History of the Werewolf Date Retrieved: April 7, 2009 http://www.crystalinks.com/werewolves.html
Reference 3: How to Spot a Werewolf Date Retrieved: April 7, 2009 http://www.mythicalrealm.com/legends/werewolf.html
Reference 4: Origin of the Werewolf Legend Date Retrieved: April 8, 2009 http://members.tripod.com/alam25/first.htm