Problematic Werewolves
Posted by: Nick Redfern on July 31st, 2013
“Just the other night, I did a radio show which briefly touched upon my research and writing in the field of werewolves. One of the things I noted to the host is that despite the fact that most people think werewolves are born out of nothing more than fantasy, folklore, legend, and movie-scripts, the reality is that reports of dog-headed humanoids, and creatures that sound just like the classic imagery of werewolves, absolutely abound, and have done so for centuries.
“The bigger issue, which I also discussed with the host, is how such reports polarize the research community. And here’s what I mean by that: when it comes to werewolves, it’s not so much the fact that we have reports which is the problem. Rather, it’s the fact that the very mention of the word ‘werewolf’ provokes controversial imagery born out of Hollywood movies (such as the 2010 version of The Wolfman) which starred Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt), or of traditional, centuries-old tales of human-to-wolf shape-shifters.”
Those are the two opening paragraphs to my latest Mysterious Universe article.
About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
I believe that we are at odds here. While an entertaining article by Mr. Redfern, Werewolves being legendary and supernatural creatures occupy the same world as undead Vampires, shape-shifters and Zombies etc., all of which are not actually cryptids. True cryptids presumably occupy a space in the real world and as such have a corporeal reality. Cryptids also are seen to have growth stages as in juvenile and adult examples being seen. Supernatural entities are generally fixed in time and do not age until they are destroyed by some time-honored magical procedure. Please don’t start with the werewolf is ageless while still shape shifting thing…I get it Twi-hards. A slight twist here in that Zombies are ended by a shot between the eyes which is not all that magical I guess.
Anyway, while I’m not close-minded to the supernatural and actually like the classic monsters, they are in no way connected to the many cryptids being discussed here on Cryptomundo.
Think on it, if the many cryptids that are discussed here are in some way connected the supernatural – myth world, then they will never be discovered and or proven because…they won’t really exist…like Werewolves.
BTW…
I actually enjoyed the Twilight series…so shoot me – silver bullet not necessary.
I’m not sure where the jump here is. At pure nature striking away the Hollywood and fiction tones, the idea of a werewolf is shapeshifting. That is not paranormal, that’s science fiction as far as we know. Many animal species have metamorphosis that change elements about their very being. This is 100% fact, the suggestion an animal can completly change it’s form and skeletal structure upon needing it, is something we have zero proof exists but is merely absurd. Since smaller level metamorphosis exist it’s just overblown, making it science fiction.
The ideas of curses, full moons, needing silver bullets (well technically if your body is that durable to go from man to man-wolf, you might need a really heavy bullet to kill the thing) is all conjecture added to the myth. But then again the idea of sensational metamorphosis have been around a very long time. But also let’s face facts, if said skills does exist, it would never be proven. The people able to do it would never out themselves, since they would be a walking anomaly to everything that plagues humans. Hence forth why i don’t believe the sensational science fiction of a werewolf is real, So back to Nick’s subject.
The idea that maybe there is no “werewolf” out there but instead an animal being mistaken for the transformed state of a “werewolf” Which would require a canine evolving to become bipedal. If Sasquatch are in the same league it opens up a lot of questions. Also if it could still walk on fours, maybe that doubles the idea of larger than normal ferocious dogs?
Should such a thing be real, it would more than likely be in the same realm of sasquatch, needing to hide in the places way from people. It would need intelligence which it might have if it went convergent to the smarter up right animals.
Either way i think Nick has opened up a good question that deserves more research.
Matt,
Why would any canine need evolve into a bipedal animal? In evolution
there is always a compelling reason.
In the paranormal and supernatural world anything and everything can
be claimed to exist. Not so in the natural world. Testable science methodology is required.