Talk:Werewolf

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Werewolf article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4

Horror Top‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Horror, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to fictional horror in film, literature and other media on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit one of the articles mentioned below, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the general Project discussion to talk over new ideas and suggestions.HorrorWikipedia:WikiProject HorrorTemplate:WikiProject Horrorhorror articles
Top	This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.

Folklore High‑importance

	This article falls within the scope of WikiProject Folklore, a WikiProject dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of the topics of folklore and folklore studies. If you would like to participate, you may edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project's page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to discussion.FolkloreWikipedia:WikiProject FolkloreTemplate:WikiProject FolkloreFolklore articles
High	This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.

Mythology High‑importance

	Mythology portal This article is supported by WikiProject Mythology. This project provides a central approach to Mythology-related subjects on Wikipedia. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the WikiProject page for more details.MythologyWikipedia:WikiProject MythologyTemplate:WikiProject MythologyMythology articles
High	This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.

Occult Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Occult, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of articles related to the occult on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.OccultWikipedia:WikiProject OccultTemplate:WikiProject OccultOccult articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Paranormal

	This article falls under the scope of WikiProject Paranormal, which aims to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to the paranormal and related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the attached article, help with current tasks, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and discussions.ParanormalWikipedia:WikiProject ParanormalTemplate:WikiProject Paranormalparanormal articles
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.

Skepticism Mid‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Skepticism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of science, pseudoscience, pseudohistory and skepticism related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SkepticismWikipedia:WikiProject SkepticismTemplate:WikiProject SkepticismSkepticism articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Semi-protected edit request on 26th June 2015

{{edit semItalic texti-protected||answered It is not vulkodlak, but vukodlak.--176.104.110.11 (talk) 20:52, 26 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect date listed, should probably be fixed?

This page says:

"After 1650, belief in Lycanthropy had mostly disappeared from French-speaking Europe, as evidenced in Diderot's Encyclopedia, which attributed reports of lycanthropy to a "disorder of the brain."

However, Diderot lived in the 18th century, his Encyclopedia being published for the first time in 1751, so he cannot be used to evidence anything happening in 1650.

So this should be fixed?

Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.219.14.152 (talk) 13:55, 18 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Infobox

I removed the infobox as it was useless to the point of being misleading.

It was classified as a Legendary creature - we-ell it sort of is in a very broad sense of the term, but as much as Bigfoot or Nessie is really. Arbitrary.
It was sub-classified as lycanthrope - err, no, it's a synonym....I mean I suppose we could put shapeshifter but that is insanely broad and nebulous as well.
Countries are Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary...but wait, regions are The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa (!?) - which shows how arbitrary this infobox is.

If someone has any ideas on how to make a useful infobox I am all ears. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 14:52, 9 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Werewolf. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080307025815/http://www.lcie.org/Docs/Regions/Baltic/Linnell%20AZL%20Wolf%20attacks%20in%20Fennoscandia.pdf to http://www.lcie.org/Docs/Regions/Baltic/Linnell%20AZL%20Wolf%20attacks%20in%20Fennoscandia.pdf

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 18:05, 2 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 7 September 2018

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

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)[reply]

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

References

^ Antapodosis 3.29

Calling Warren Zevon

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)[reply]

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

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

Misinformation in the "History" section

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)[reply]

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

Semi-protected edit request on 24 June 2020

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

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)[reply]

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

Semi-protected edit request on 10 December 2020

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

~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)[reply]

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

Semi-protected edit request on 20 December 2020

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

Shapeshifter

This belongs in Category:Shapeshifting.

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

We(h)rwolf in NS-Germany

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)[reply]

"Λυκάνθρωπος" listed at Redirects for discussion

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)[reply]

Check section Werewolf Fiction

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)[reply]

Sentence of Quotation # 58

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)[reply]

"Ruvaush" listed at Redirects for discussion

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)[reply]

"Nick Demase" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Nick Demase 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 § Nick Demase until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 21:16, 23 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"Wolf man" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Wolf man 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 § Wolf man until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 21:20, 23 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Antapodosis 3.29

[1]