Lupine Theriomorphs
Text from Fool Moon, but with TV Bob and Harry. Altered a bit to make it fit with the events of Hair of The Dog as well.
April 2011
TV/Book crossover.
"How much do you know about werewolves, Bob?" Harry asked without looking up from the potion he was assembling.
Bob straightened and looked up from the book he was reading. "My skull was in France during the Inquisition."
Harry blinked at him.
Bob sighed. "You really must remember your history Harry."
"Alright, fine," Harry replied, "I take it there was a lot of werewolfery going on back then."
"It was one of the primary causes of the Inquisition," Bob replied, "The countryside of France was practically crawling with every kind of lupine theriomorph you could think of."
"Therro-what?"
One could almost hear the sound of the old ghost rolling his eyes. "Theriomorph. Therio from the Latin-"
"Spare the history lesson Bob, please," Harry interrupted, "What's it mean?"
"Anything that shapeshifts from a human being into an animal form," Bob replied, a bit disapprovingly. "Werewolves are theriomorphs. So are werebears, weretigers, werebuffaloes..."
Harry stopped stirring the potion and looked to Bob, "Why would anyone want to turn into a buffalo?"
"If one was a Native American Shaman, one might want to," Bob retorted, "But most people do predators, and until recently, wolves were the scariest predator anyone around Europe could think of."
"Fine," Harry replied, "So what do you know about werewolves then?"
"What type?" Bob asked, half-closing his eyes in a familiar manner as he prepared to search his memories.
"There are different types?"
The ghost opened his eyes again. "Of course there are different types." He ticked them off on his fingers, " Hexenwolves, werewolves, two types of lycanthropes and the loup-garou."
"Okay..." Harry said slowly, "And what's the difference?"
"It depends on how one goes from human form to wolf form, and how much humanity one retains," Bob said, "Don't burn the potion."
Harry just turned down the heat on the burner and turned back to Bob expectantly. The ghost settled back into "story teller mode"
"The classic werewolf is simply a human being who uses magic to shift himself into a wolf."
"A sorcerer than," Harry said with a nod, starting to take notes. It required powerful magic to shape shift.
"No," Bob responded automatically, then hesitated, "Well, sort of. It's someone who only knows how to cast one spell, the spell to turn him into a wolf and how to get back out of it. Most people who learn to be werewolves aren't very good at it at first, because they keep all of their humanity."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, they can reshape themselves into the form of a wolf, but it's pretty much just topology," Bob said with a nod, "They rearrange their physical body, but their mind remains the same." Seeing the somewhat blank expression in Harry's eyes, Bob continued to explain. "They can think and reason and their personality doesn’t change, but they don’t have a wolf's instincts or reflexes. They're used to being sight oriented bipeds, not smell oriented quadrupeds. In other words, would have to learn everything from scratch."
"Why would someone learn to be a wolf?"
"You've never been a peasant in Medieval France," Bob answered.
"Neither have you," Harry replied evenly.
"Oh I see, lightening the tension," Bob said with a nod, "Right."
"So," Harry gestured for Bob to go on, "Medieval France, werewolves?"
"For so many people, there was never enough food, shelter or medicine," Bob replied, "Many people jumped at the chance to grown their own fur coat and hunt for their own meat."
"So stopping them... silver spikes and bullets?"
"Hollywood got that one wrong," Bob said, "Werewolves are just like regular wolves."
Harry nodded, writing something down on a sheet of paper. "Right, so humans can turn into wolves if they learn the proper spell."
"Or if someone turns them into a wolf," Bob added
"Transmogrification?" Harry looked to him, "That's illegal, Bob. Laws of Magic."
"And we know how much everyone values those," Bob replied.
"Wouldn't that destroy the person's personality though?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Bob replied, "Although not right away. Most personalities survive the transformation for a little while at least. Very strong wills might manage to keep their human memories and personality for several years, but sooner or later, that fades, and you're left with nothing but a wolf."
Harry decided it was best not to ask how exactly Bob knew that. "So that's werewolves. What else?"
"The most common way is to make a deal with a demon or a devil or a powerful sorcerer. They make an enchanted wolf-hide belt, then you put it on, recite the spell and transform," Bob said, "These are called Hexenwolves."
"How is that different from a werewolf then?"
"The first type, you use your own magic, or someone else's, but in this case, you are employing a talisman," Bob explained, "Sometimes it's a ring or amulet, but traditionally it is a belt. The talisman provides an anchor for a spirit of bestial rage from the dark side of the Nevernever. Then that spirit wraps around the human personality to keep it from being destroyed."
"Like a shield," Harry said with a nod, "Or a sort of insulation."
"Exactly." Bob said with a nod, "When one uses a talisman to turn into a wolf, one loses all their human inhibitions and just runs on their unconscious desires, while the talisman spirit handles how the body moves. The end result is a huge wolf with human level intelligence and animal level ferocity and instincts."
"What's the catch?" Harry asked, "It sounds too easy."
Bob shrugged, "Most people don't have the strength to control a spirit like that. Eventually, the spirit might take over, influencing the actions of the host or even controlling them."
"It would create a monster," Harry murmured.
"It could," Bob agreed.
They were quite for a moment before Harry picked up the pencil again, "What did you say these were called?"
"Hexen-vulf," Bob said with a Germanic accent, "Or in English, 'spell wolf'. The medieval church declared war on anyone who chose to become a Hexenwolf and burned many people at the stake."
"The Inquisition," Harry said, nodding knowingly, "So how do you stop them? Silver bullets?"
"Despite the spirit, their frames are still mortal," Bob said, "So while it's a stronger and cleverer wolf than most, it's still a wolf."
"What next?"
"Lycanthropes," Bob said with a nod.
"Isn't that a psychological condition?"
"I believe that modern psychologists have borrowed the word, yes," Bob replied, "There are two types. Lycanthrope nous and Lycanthrope fysikos."
Harry stumbled to repeat the words and then shook his head, "That's Greek, right?"
Bob looked pleased, "Yes. From the Greek lykos-"
Harry held up a hand, interrupting, "And what makes someone a lycanthrope?"
"A lycanthrope is a natural channel for a spirit of rage," Bob said, "A lycanthrope nous turns into a beast, but only inside his head. The spirit takes over, affecting the way one acts and thinks, making one more aggressive and stronger. They also tend to be very resistant to pain, injury or sickness, and they heal rapidly."
"But they don't actually shapeshift into a wolf?"
"Not these sort," Bob said with a nod, "They remain people, but very fierce people. The Norse Berserkers, for example, were mostly lycanthropes. The spirits to be passed on through a family lineage, but not always."
Harry gave a nod, "So how are they stopped?"
"With difficulty," Bob admitted, "They are exceptionally strong humans, but use enough force and they won't be able to heal fast enough to survive if."
"What about the other sort? Lycanthrope fis... phys..."
"Fysikos," Bob corrected, "That term has died out, as this type is all but extinct." Bob shifted a bit, "The name is misleading, as it implies a connection between the two types. I believe that these are more closely related to the Pricolici of Romanian lore." Here the ghost shrugged, "But at the time, the Greeks were more respected than the Romanians, although I cannot fathom why. So much more could have been done if the wizards of the past would have just - "
"Bob." Harry interrupted, "Back on topic."
"This breed of Lycanthrope, however misnamed, are also spiritual in nature, but they attack their hosts on a cellular level," Bob continued, "It can remain dormant for quite some time before it builds up enough power to start controlling it's host. Traditionally, they infected animals, wolves and dogs, but then there was a shift and humans became their preferred host. But they are more comfortable with the ferocity of the wolf, so their host takes on the appearance and mentality of a wolf whenever the spirit desires."
"It sounds like a disease," Harry replied.
"That is how it was viewed," Bob agreed, "And that is how it behaves. Much like vampires, these lycanthropes can pass on the infection by biting, but only under the right circumstances - if the spirit is strong enough. One has to have been a host for some time before the spirit is strong enough to infect others."
"If it's like a disease, is there a cure?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure of an entirely effective cure," Bob admitted, "But there are some rituals that appear to work. None of which are pleasant. Since there has never been a thorough investigation of the matter, I am not sure what is true magic and what is just tradition, but I do remember reading that certain potions will keep the spirit dormant. There was careful research on that front."
"And what about the last type? That sounded French."
"Loup-garou, yes that is French," Bob said, "That was the name that Etienne the Enchanter used for them before he was burned at the stake. The loup-garou are the monsters. They are rare, but rarely forgotten. When Hollywood thinks of werewolves, this is where they got most of their material."
"Where do they come from then?"
"Someone has cursed them to become a wolf like demon and usually at the full moon. That someone is usually a powerful sorcerer, a demon lord, a demi-god or one of the Faerie Queens. When the full moon comes, they transform into a mindless monster and go on a killing spree, slaughtering everything and everyone they come across until the moon sets or the sun rises."
Harry shivered a bit. "Wonderful. What else?"
"It isn't pleasant," Bob said, "They have super natural speed and power. Amazing healing abilities. They are immune to most attacks, magical and mundane."
"Sounds great," Harry muttered, "I guess this hasn't happened all that often? I'd have heard of something by now."
"Not often at all," Bob agreed, "And usually the poor cursed bastard knows enough to shut himself away somewhere or head out into the wilderness. The last major loup-garou rampage happened around Gevaudan, France, back in the 16th century. More than 200 people were killed in a little more than a year."
"Holy shit," was all that Harry could say to that, "How did they stop it?"
"They killed it," Bob said simply, "Only a silver weapon can hurt a loup-garou, and not only that, the silver has to be inherited from a family member. "
"Inherited silver bullets," Harry said, "Well, that's where Hollywood got that from then."
"Precisely," Bob said, "Silver is influenced by the moon, and inherited silver is magically more loyal to the owner. And giving up a family heirloom is just enough of a sacrifice to appease the powers that called down the curse."
"I don't exactly have much of that laying around," Harry mumbled, "We'll just have to hope that this wasn't a loup-garou then."
"If it was a loup-garou, you'd know," Bob said wisely, "You'd have at least a dozen people dead every time the full moon came around." The ghost looked at Harry, "So what is going on out there?
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry couldn't resist. "A dozen people are dying every time the full moon comes around."
April 2011
TV/Book crossover.
"How much do you know about werewolves, Bob?" Harry asked without looking up from the potion he was assembling.
Bob straightened and looked up from the book he was reading. "My skull was in France during the Inquisition."
Harry blinked at him.
Bob sighed. "You really must remember your history Harry."
"Alright, fine," Harry replied, "I take it there was a lot of werewolfery going on back then."
"It was one of the primary causes of the Inquisition," Bob replied, "The countryside of France was practically crawling with every kind of lupine theriomorph you could think of."
"Therro-what?"
One could almost hear the sound of the old ghost rolling his eyes. "Theriomorph. Therio from the Latin-"
"Spare the history lesson Bob, please," Harry interrupted, "What's it mean?"
"Anything that shapeshifts from a human being into an animal form," Bob replied, a bit disapprovingly. "Werewolves are theriomorphs. So are werebears, weretigers, werebuffaloes..."
Harry stopped stirring the potion and looked to Bob, "Why would anyone want to turn into a buffalo?"
"If one was a Native American Shaman, one might want to," Bob retorted, "But most people do predators, and until recently, wolves were the scariest predator anyone around Europe could think of."
"Fine," Harry replied, "So what do you know about werewolves then?"
"What type?" Bob asked, half-closing his eyes in a familiar manner as he prepared to search his memories.
"There are different types?"
The ghost opened his eyes again. "Of course there are different types." He ticked them off on his fingers, " Hexenwolves, werewolves, two types of lycanthropes and the loup-garou."
"Okay..." Harry said slowly, "And what's the difference?"
"It depends on how one goes from human form to wolf form, and how much humanity one retains," Bob said, "Don't burn the potion."
Harry just turned down the heat on the burner and turned back to Bob expectantly. The ghost settled back into "story teller mode"
"The classic werewolf is simply a human being who uses magic to shift himself into a wolf."
"A sorcerer than," Harry said with a nod, starting to take notes. It required powerful magic to shape shift.
"No," Bob responded automatically, then hesitated, "Well, sort of. It's someone who only knows how to cast one spell, the spell to turn him into a wolf and how to get back out of it. Most people who learn to be werewolves aren't very good at it at first, because they keep all of their humanity."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, they can reshape themselves into the form of a wolf, but it's pretty much just topology," Bob said with a nod, "They rearrange their physical body, but their mind remains the same." Seeing the somewhat blank expression in Harry's eyes, Bob continued to explain. "They can think and reason and their personality doesn’t change, but they don’t have a wolf's instincts or reflexes. They're used to being sight oriented bipeds, not smell oriented quadrupeds. In other words, would have to learn everything from scratch."
"Why would someone learn to be a wolf?"
"You've never been a peasant in Medieval France," Bob answered.
"Neither have you," Harry replied evenly.
"Oh I see, lightening the tension," Bob said with a nod, "Right."
"So," Harry gestured for Bob to go on, "Medieval France, werewolves?"
"For so many people, there was never enough food, shelter or medicine," Bob replied, "Many people jumped at the chance to grown their own fur coat and hunt for their own meat."
"So stopping them... silver spikes and bullets?"
"Hollywood got that one wrong," Bob said, "Werewolves are just like regular wolves."
Harry nodded, writing something down on a sheet of paper. "Right, so humans can turn into wolves if they learn the proper spell."
"Or if someone turns them into a wolf," Bob added
"Transmogrification?" Harry looked to him, "That's illegal, Bob. Laws of Magic."
"And we know how much everyone values those," Bob replied.
"Wouldn't that destroy the person's personality though?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Bob replied, "Although not right away. Most personalities survive the transformation for a little while at least. Very strong wills might manage to keep their human memories and personality for several years, but sooner or later, that fades, and you're left with nothing but a wolf."
Harry decided it was best not to ask how exactly Bob knew that. "So that's werewolves. What else?"
"The most common way is to make a deal with a demon or a devil or a powerful sorcerer. They make an enchanted wolf-hide belt, then you put it on, recite the spell and transform," Bob said, "These are called Hexenwolves."
"How is that different from a werewolf then?"
"The first type, you use your own magic, or someone else's, but in this case, you are employing a talisman," Bob explained, "Sometimes it's a ring or amulet, but traditionally it is a belt. The talisman provides an anchor for a spirit of bestial rage from the dark side of the Nevernever. Then that spirit wraps around the human personality to keep it from being destroyed."
"Like a shield," Harry said with a nod, "Or a sort of insulation."
"Exactly." Bob said with a nod, "When one uses a talisman to turn into a wolf, one loses all their human inhibitions and just runs on their unconscious desires, while the talisman spirit handles how the body moves. The end result is a huge wolf with human level intelligence and animal level ferocity and instincts."
"What's the catch?" Harry asked, "It sounds too easy."
Bob shrugged, "Most people don't have the strength to control a spirit like that. Eventually, the spirit might take over, influencing the actions of the host or even controlling them."
"It would create a monster," Harry murmured.
"It could," Bob agreed.
They were quite for a moment before Harry picked up the pencil again, "What did you say these were called?"
"Hexen-vulf," Bob said with a Germanic accent, "Or in English, 'spell wolf'. The medieval church declared war on anyone who chose to become a Hexenwolf and burned many people at the stake."
"The Inquisition," Harry said, nodding knowingly, "So how do you stop them? Silver bullets?"
"Despite the spirit, their frames are still mortal," Bob said, "So while it's a stronger and cleverer wolf than most, it's still a wolf."
"What next?"
"Lycanthropes," Bob said with a nod.
"Isn't that a psychological condition?"
"I believe that modern psychologists have borrowed the word, yes," Bob replied, "There are two types. Lycanthrope nous and Lycanthrope fysikos."
Harry stumbled to repeat the words and then shook his head, "That's Greek, right?"
Bob looked pleased, "Yes. From the Greek lykos-"
Harry held up a hand, interrupting, "And what makes someone a lycanthrope?"
"A lycanthrope is a natural channel for a spirit of rage," Bob said, "A lycanthrope nous turns into a beast, but only inside his head. The spirit takes over, affecting the way one acts and thinks, making one more aggressive and stronger. They also tend to be very resistant to pain, injury or sickness, and they heal rapidly."
"But they don't actually shapeshift into a wolf?"
"Not these sort," Bob said with a nod, "They remain people, but very fierce people. The Norse Berserkers, for example, were mostly lycanthropes. The spirits to be passed on through a family lineage, but not always."
Harry gave a nod, "So how are they stopped?"
"With difficulty," Bob admitted, "They are exceptionally strong humans, but use enough force and they won't be able to heal fast enough to survive if."
"What about the other sort? Lycanthrope fis... phys..."
"Fysikos," Bob corrected, "That term has died out, as this type is all but extinct." Bob shifted a bit, "The name is misleading, as it implies a connection between the two types. I believe that these are more closely related to the Pricolici of Romanian lore." Here the ghost shrugged, "But at the time, the Greeks were more respected than the Romanians, although I cannot fathom why. So much more could have been done if the wizards of the past would have just - "
"Bob." Harry interrupted, "Back on topic."
"This breed of Lycanthrope, however misnamed, are also spiritual in nature, but they attack their hosts on a cellular level," Bob continued, "It can remain dormant for quite some time before it builds up enough power to start controlling it's host. Traditionally, they infected animals, wolves and dogs, but then there was a shift and humans became their preferred host. But they are more comfortable with the ferocity of the wolf, so their host takes on the appearance and mentality of a wolf whenever the spirit desires."
"It sounds like a disease," Harry replied.
"That is how it was viewed," Bob agreed, "And that is how it behaves. Much like vampires, these lycanthropes can pass on the infection by biting, but only under the right circumstances - if the spirit is strong enough. One has to have been a host for some time before the spirit is strong enough to infect others."
"If it's like a disease, is there a cure?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure of an entirely effective cure," Bob admitted, "But there are some rituals that appear to work. None of which are pleasant. Since there has never been a thorough investigation of the matter, I am not sure what is true magic and what is just tradition, but I do remember reading that certain potions will keep the spirit dormant. There was careful research on that front."
"And what about the last type? That sounded French."
"Loup-garou, yes that is French," Bob said, "That was the name that Etienne the Enchanter used for them before he was burned at the stake. The loup-garou are the monsters. They are rare, but rarely forgotten. When Hollywood thinks of werewolves, this is where they got most of their material."
"Where do they come from then?"
"Someone has cursed them to become a wolf like demon and usually at the full moon. That someone is usually a powerful sorcerer, a demon lord, a demi-god or one of the Faerie Queens. When the full moon comes, they transform into a mindless monster and go on a killing spree, slaughtering everything and everyone they come across until the moon sets or the sun rises."
Harry shivered a bit. "Wonderful. What else?"
"It isn't pleasant," Bob said, "They have super natural speed and power. Amazing healing abilities. They are immune to most attacks, magical and mundane."
"Sounds great," Harry muttered, "I guess this hasn't happened all that often? I'd have heard of something by now."
"Not often at all," Bob agreed, "And usually the poor cursed bastard knows enough to shut himself away somewhere or head out into the wilderness. The last major loup-garou rampage happened around Gevaudan, France, back in the 16th century. More than 200 people were killed in a little more than a year."
"Holy shit," was all that Harry could say to that, "How did they stop it?"
"They killed it," Bob said simply, "Only a silver weapon can hurt a loup-garou, and not only that, the silver has to be inherited from a family member. "
"Inherited silver bullets," Harry said, "Well, that's where Hollywood got that from then."
"Precisely," Bob said, "Silver is influenced by the moon, and inherited silver is magically more loyal to the owner. And giving up a family heirloom is just enough of a sacrifice to appease the powers that called down the curse."
"I don't exactly have much of that laying around," Harry mumbled, "We'll just have to hope that this wasn't a loup-garou then."
"If it was a loup-garou, you'd know," Bob said wisely, "You'd have at least a dozen people dead every time the full moon came around." The ghost looked at Harry, "So what is going on out there?
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry couldn't resist. "A dozen people are dying every time the full moon comes around."