Wolves-who are they? A man turned into a wolf

Undoubtedly, everyone has heard stories and legends about a creature that looks like an ordinary person in the sunlight, and turns into a monster with a full moon. A werewolf, a werewolf, a lycan, a werewolf - he has many names. But no matter what the wolf-man is called, the question is: is it really, or is it all the fruit of someone's sick imagination?

Animal inside us

Each people has its own traditions, beliefs, and also mystical creatures: people-wolves, coyotes, hyenas and even people-bears. Some worshiped a serpent, others revered a lion man, and someone was afraid of leopard people. Even at the dawn of civilization, warriors changed into skins of dead animals to gain their strength. However, it seems that it was the werewolf (human wolf) that became the ideal synthesis of human transformation into an animal. Why the wolf?

This wild beast for a long time was considered a mysterious and unknown creature. The wolf is dangerous, gluttonous and unusually strong. Man was always frightened by the ability of the beast to sneak up quietly and imperceptibly. In addition, the wolf has an incredible ability to turn on the sound at once with the whole body, which adds to it intimidation.

When the first people appeared, wolves, history is silent. Experts come to the conclusion that here it is a question of primitive magic of shamans and totem rituals. Herodotus mentioned that the Scythians and Greeks considered inhabitants of the shores of the Black Sea magicians capable of turning into wolves on certain days of the year. But is it really so?

Wolves and Sorcerers

Lycanthropy (the so-called ability to turn into a wolf) began to gain popularity from the XV century. People believed that village shamans made deals with the devil and evil spirits during the full moon and in exchange for the sold soul received a "wolf essence".

One of the most famous demonologists in the world, Lancret argued that "a man turned into a wolf is none other than the devil himself, who, in the guise of a ferocious beast, roams the earth to inflict pain and suffering." In addition, the wolf is the sworn enemy of a lamb who symbolized and portrayed Jesus.

The church declared the werewolves the same hunt as the witches. And even the rulers of the largest countries of Europe believed that there was a so-called "wolf disease". For example, the Hungarian King Sigismund made great efforts to the church Ecumenical Council in 1414 recognized that people-wolves really exist. This recognition marked the beginning of the most real persecution of werewolves across Europe. Only in France in the period from 1520 to 1630 there were more than 30 thousand cases of collision with lycanthropes. It is worth remembering the most eerie cases of that time.

Garnier Eater

In 1573, for numerous child killings, Gilles Garnier was arrested, who confessed that he was a single lone wolf. According to him, one night during the hunt, a spirit appeared to him and offered his help. The ghost gave Gilles a miracle balm, with the help of which it was possible to turn into a wolf. But it was only worth doing on the full moon and at night with the growing moon. Only at this time was felt all the fury and power of the beast. Garnier told the court that he committed the murders of four children under the age of 14 years. In the skin of a wolf, he not only killed, but also ate the flesh of his victims. The murderer's story was full of the most horrible and vile details.

Gilles Garnier was found guilty of "criminal acts that he committed after becoming a wolf, as well as in witchcraft." The murderer was burned at the stake in January 1573.

Gandillon - family of werewolves

In 1584, in a small mountain village near the town of Saint-Claude, a werewolf attacked a little girl. Her sixteen-year-old brother, rushed to her aid, was torn to pieces. Villagers ran to the screams of the children and threw stones at the beast to death. What was the general astonishment when a dead monster turned into a naked young girl. It was Perenetta Gandillon.

As a result, the whole Gandillon family was under arrest. Probably, they were using some technique of self-hypnosis to introduce themselves into a werewolf psychosis. The city judge, God, who examined the case, personally observed the family in prison and conducted an inquiry. In his work entitled "Stories of Witches," he wrote that the family of Gandillon - the most real people are wolves. They crawled on their arms and legs, howled at the moon, and lost their human appearance: their eyes were bloodshot, their bodies covered with thick wool, and instead of nails, their coarsened claws. By the way, the lawyer to God was not from the gullible. And his observations are confirmed by other official reports on the lycanthropes that overrun France.

Rolle is a man turned into a wolf

This incident occurred in 1598. On the sown field, the peasants found the corpse of a young man, beside which a wolf was wandering around. People chased the beast, trying to escape into the forest thicket. They pursued him to the huge thickets of juniper. The hunters decided that the beast was trapped. But instead of a wolf in the bushes sat absolutely naked man, all smeared with fresh blood, with a piece of human meat in his hands. It was Jacques Rolle.

During the interrogation, he stated that he could turn into a wolf with the help of witchcraft balm. Rolle also confessed to the numerous murders that he committed along with his brother and sister in the guise of wolves. His execution was saved only by the fact that the court found him crazy.

A man with a wolf's head

Thirteen-year-old Jean Grenier was mentally retarded. But that's not the point. And in his face. It had pronounced canine traits: strongly outlined cheekbones, pointed fangs and bloodshot eyes. Jean believed that he was a real wolf man.

Once he confessed to the girls that he wanted to eat them most of all, and when the sun goes down, he will do it. Of course, Jean did not believe and even laughed at him. But when the sun went down, the boy fulfilled his promise. He attacked the girl and very strongly bitten, but she managed to escape. Grenier was arrested. During the trial of him, the boy declared that a wolf lives in him, and he can release him when the sun goes down. According to the young lycanthrope, he received his opportunities from the devil himself.

Pathology

All these cases are undoubtedly awful. Bloodthirsty murders, tortured children ... But if we look closely, it becomes clear that all crimes were committed by people, to put it mildly, emotionally unstable.

So, in psychology there is a concept of "zootropy". And this is not a person's ability to turn into an animal with the help of magic, but a real pathology. And it consists in the fact that people consider themselves animals and think that if they behave the same way, they will get their abilities.

There is even a separate kind of this pathology - psychosis of the werewolf (lycanthropy or lupinomania). When a person suffering from a mental disorder can really believe that during a full moon he turns into a werewolf. The patient actually feels how the wool grows on it, sees how the nails are sharpened and lengthened, as his jaws grow and fangs grow. Such a "wolf-man", burning with impatience to shed blood, wanders the streets in search of his victim and can actually seriously bite, scratch, maim and even kill.

The power of thought

Some psychologists believe that the psychosis of the werewolf can cause dramatic changes in appearance in patients. Of course, the loss of human qualities will not happen: the tail will not grow, hands, though with claws, will not turn into paws, and the face will look more like a monkey face or a Neanderthal man, but not a wolf.

Scientists are simply amazed at the metamorphosis that can occur in somatic cells as a result of self-suggestion and willpower. Wounds are healed, burns are blown off. So why is it impossible to become like a wolf by an intense self-hypnosis?

In addition, if you listen to people who have turned themselves into wolves, you can learn about certain rituals - the prelude to metamorphosis. For example, drink water from the wolf's trail, eat the brain of the beast or spend the night in its hole.