Everyone knows the stories of werewolves. This creature’s history starts all the way back 460 BC where the first depiction of a werewolf was discovered on a vase from Ancient Greece. This depiction is of the legend of Dolon. Dolon was a Trojan warrior who was known for being fast. He was a spy against the Greeks and donned wolf skin to blend in with the night. He was then caught and decapitated by Diomedes and Odysseus who were assisted by Athena. This Greek tale has evolved countlessly and it wasn’t until the Middle Ages where the traditional image of a werewolf and the fear associated with it emerged. According to medieval legend, werewolves are humans with the ability to transform, sometimes willingly, sometimes not, into a wolf as a part of a curse or affliction from another werewolf. This canine case was referred to as lycanthropy and was often seen as an evil form of magic. Enter the witch. Witches and werewolves often went hand-in-hand in Medieval Europe. Witches sometimes created werewolves in extreme cases according to myth. Werewolves were often believed to men and were menacing creatures, killing livestock and in rare cases, attacking those who wander too far into the woods. There are hundreds of cases of werewolf trials that took place in tandem with witch trials across Europe. Obviously, witches were a far more prominent fear due to society’s reliance on religion at the time and deep-rooted misogyny that gripped the populace. Werewolves were never seen as the work of the devil, whereas witches were. The reason for this could be many. Witches, more often than not, were seen as the root cause of problems that were beyond explanation to society. Werewolves, however, were the messenger. If a werewolf was found eating your livestock, then there very likely could be a witch. Werewolves were brute fear in its purest form. Witches were fear ingrained into the minds of all that dared to disobey God or worse, the expectations society had for people at the time. One aspect that I think is worth exploring is the discrepancy in gender roles between witches and werewolves. Werewolves were overwhelmingly male. Equally as terrifying if encountered, werewolves were never as big a fear as witches were. Why? Obviously I’m not expert nor have I done copious amounts of research on this topic to claim to be one, but based off of my research, I think it is because witches needed a foil. Witches were pure evil and were twisted beyond imagination. Werewolves were victims. They were poor souls who were unfortunate enough to be afflicted with lycanthropy. Werewolf trials were not as prevalent as witch trials, but they played an integral role in the development of the fear of the “other.” Werewolves and witches can be living among you. They can be anyone who just doesn’t fit in perfectly. They could be hiding this deep, dark secret from the world, and when the world comes crashing down around society, it’s clearly the fault of witches, werewolves, vampires, and the like. Similar to witches, legends of werewolves can be found across the world. Navajo skinwalkers, the Turkish Asena, and the Russian Itbarak are just some of the many legends of men turning into wolf-like monsters that cause havoc in society. Werewolves have since become mainstays in pop culture. Often sexualized, werewolves are recognized by nearly everyone and everyone can name at least a few examples of werewolves in modern media. Werewolves, unlike witches, are usually not depicted as ugly creatures. They are either handsome and suave or brutish and strong. This deeply coincides with the discrepancies in the treatment of werewolves and witches in the Middle Ages. Werewolves were not a victim of ingrained sexism, and thus their treatment in modern media is not as sexist as those of witches. Essentially, when it boils down to it, the biggest difference in witches and werewolves is sex. This fundamental difference is something to keep in mind when consuming media and reading into legend. One thing is for sure, witches and werewolves will be a concrete part of culture for the long-run.
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