Most people know nothing about werewolves other than what they've seen in old Lon Channy Jr. movies, and their modern-day imitations. The modern cinematic myth of the werewolf states that a person bitten by a werewolf who lives becomes under the light of the full moon a werewolf, which is to say a creature with an overall human shape, but covered in wolf's fur and with a head and limbs that resemble those of a wolf. A movie werewolf has glowing eyes, elongated canine teeth, a hairy face, and claws on its feet and hands. Usually it cannot speak, although more recent werewolf films have talking werewolves.

As the night of the full moon approaches, persons infected by the werewolf's bite becomes increasingly restless and savage. Under the pale light of the full lunar orb they transform into the same kind of hairy monster that previously bit them, and go loping off into the night in search of human prey. Once the night of the full moon is past, werewolves revert to their ordinary human form and retain little or no recollection of what they did during their wolf phase. There are usually clues, however, such as clots of drying blood under the fingernails and muddy wolf footprints on the carpet.

In the old Hollywood version of the myth, a werewolf can be killed with a silver bullet, and is allergic to the herb wolf's bane. More modern films have werewolves being killed by various silver objects. In these latter versions of the myth the werewolf is more often wolf-shaped, although larger and stronger than any ordinary wolf.

When not in their changed state, werewolves can be recognized by the bristling or very thick and dark hair on their heads, their hairy bodies, their strangely compelling eyes, their slightly elongated canine teeth, and the fact that their third or ring finger is longer than their middle finger. They are said to have hairy palms. When a werewolf is injured in its wolf form, it retains the injury after transforming back to its human form, but its increased vitality causes it to heal much more quickly than an ordinary person, and to be able to tolerate injuries that would incapacitate the average man or woman.

It is not always clear in films whether the bite of the werewolf infects the victim with some disease, or whether the person bitten must first be under some sort of curse. The source of this confusion is easy to understand. The modern myth of the werewolf may be traced back in substantially the same form to ancient Greece, where it was believed that werewolves were hereditary, and originated from a curse of the gods on particular families or clans. The Greek werewolf actually transformed into a wolf, and was condemned to seek out human flesh while in its wolf state.

To the old folk tale of a god's curse, the modern disease of rabies was added. A person bitten by a mad dog or other animal over time becomes mad, and begins to behave like a beast. Traditionally, all madness falls under the domain of the moon. In movies, the bite of a werewolf acts in a very similar way to the bite of a mad dog. It is a kind of infection. Moonlight triggers it. But enough of the more ancient myth of a god's curse survived to cause some films to hint that the person bitten in some way deserved his or her fate -- that it was more than simple chance that led them to that particular spot in the woods on that specific night when the attack took place.

As I said, the ancient Greek myth is essentially the form of the werewolf legend that was used by Hollywood. However, the origins of the werewolf are lost in the mists of pre-history. Werewolves are only one form of a whole host of were animals that exist in the mythology of cultures all around the globe. In northern Europe there are tales of were-bears. The Japanese had were-cats, the Malaysians and Indians were-tigers. Almost every beast has been a were-beast to some culture. Shape-changers in the East were usually said to be evil magicians or evil witches who used their magic to cause harm to others.

Shape-changing into animal form is a feature of shamanism, the oldest human religion. Shamans are universally believed in their cultures to possess the power of transforming themselves into animals such as wolves, bears and ravens. In their beast form the shamans travel the world to acquire wisdom or exercise their magic power. Individual shamans have an affinity to one or another beast, which is the totemic animal of their family or clan. One shaman may be linked to the raven, another to the fox. This link is not exclusive, but merely stronger than the links that exist between the shaman and other species of animal.

Are there real werewolves? Of course there are. Where else would all these tales of werewolves and other were-beasts around the world have originated?

One genuine form of werewolf is produced by a mental illness known as lycanthropy. This causes the person suffering from the disorder to believe that he or she is a wolf. Victims of lycanthropy growl, bark, crawl on all fours, refuse to wear clothing, eat raw meat, and urinate on the floor. If left unsupervised, as was the case in medieval Europe, they soon became filthy and hairy. Their madness gave their faces a wild look. Their fingernails grew long, and their teeth became yellow. They had the propensity to attack anyone who happened to be near them when the fit came upon them. Since these unfortunates were usually their family or friends, the belief became prevalent that werewolves attack those nearest and dearest to them, such as their wives or children. It is believed by science that lycanthropy has a physiological basis, and is not merely a psychological condition.

Perhaps a more or less respectable form of lycanthropy is the berserker of the Vikings and the ancient Germans. This was a man who believed that he could transform himself into a bear when the need arose. They dressed in bear skins, and wore bear claws. In battle, berserkers became like enraged beasts. They threw down their swords and bit their enemies with their teeth. They were insensible to pain and knew no fear. Apparently the berserker rage was under control, most of the time, but ordinary people lived in terror of such savage warriors since they never knew what small incident might trigger the fury. The rage of the berserker was passed down in an hereditary line from father to son -- it does not appear to have afflicted women. It may have been a genetic disorder, but more likely it was a manifestation of shamanism, the knowledge of which was also passed down within families -- the berserker was very likely a form of shape-shifter.

Modern magicians can also shape-shift, and take on the forms of animals. This is not done on the physical, but on the astral plane. The astral body is easy to mold and transform into any desired pattern. The astral world is a kind of alternative dimension of reality that exists parallel to our everyday physical universe. The shadows of the physical world exist in the astral world, and at certain times and under certain conditions, the astral world overlaps and projects into the physical world. It is possible for astral travelers, either in human or animal form, to interact with ordinary human consciousness, allowing the astral traveler to be seen just as clearly as though he or she was physically present.

So, if on some dark night when you are lying asleep and a noise awakens you, do not be surprised to see a wolf or a tiger standing beside your bed, watching you with glowing eyes.