How Does Lycanthropy Relate to Biology and Mythology?
Lycanthropy is a psychiatric illness in which the sufferer thinks he is a wolf or other nonhuman species. Undoubtedly stimulated by the once widespread superstition that the lycanthropy is given as a supernatural condition, where men actually assume the physical form of the werewolves or the other animals, the delusion has been most likely to take place among the people who believe in transmigration and reincarnation of souls.
About the Lycanthropy
In general, an individual is thought to take the form of the region's most dangerous predator: the bear or wolf in Northern Asia and Europe, the leopard or hyena in Africa, and the tiger in China, India, Japan, and other parts of Asia; but other animals are mentioned as well. Animal guardian spirits, totemism, vampires, werewolves, and witches are all related to superstition and mental disorders. The fairy tales, folklore, and legends of several peoples and nations represent evidence of lycanthropic belief.
Stories of the men turning into beasts reach back to antiquity. Werewolf myths, which are thought to have originated in prehistoric times, became associated with the Olympian religion in parts of ancient Greece. In Arcadia, a region plagued by wolves, there exists a cult of the Wolf-Zeus. Mount Lycaeus was one of the scenes of a yearly gathering, where the priests were said to prepare the sacrificial feast, which included the meat mixed with human parts. As per the legend, whoever tasted it became a wolf and could not come back as a human unless he or she abstained from the human flesh for 9 years.
Also, the Romans knew of this superstition. Anyone who was supposed to have been turned as a wolf by means of herbs or magic spells was known as versipellis (or "turn skin") by the Romans.
Stories about the werewolf (loup-garou - in French) were widely believed in Europe at the time of the Middle Ages. Bandits and Outlaws played on these superstitions by sometimes wearing the wolfskins on their armour. People were particularly susceptible to the delusion that they were wolves at the time, and if convicted, alleged lycanthropes were burned alive. Only rarely was their condition, which is recognized as a psychological disturbance. Although superstition is no longer considered to be common, traces still linger in a few isolated and primitive areas.
Introduction
Lycanthropy (from the Greek lykoi, Anthropos, and "wolf," "human") is an illusion or strange belief in which a person believes he or she has been transformed into an animal as a result of their feelings and behaviour.
Lycanthropy is very frequently seen in schizophrenia or mood disorders and is the symptom of delusion, which is not particular to a certain disorder. In very rare cases, patients believe that other people have changed into animals, and this is known as Lycanthropic intermetamorphosis in Moselhy's report and the Lycanthropy spectrum in Nejad's report.
Classic amphetamines( dextroamphetamine, methamphetamines, and methylphenidate) act through the dopaminergic pathway, but substitute amphetamines contain the neurochemical effects on serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways having behavioural effects showing the same delusional and amphetamine reactions.
A few amphetamine substitutes are divided into hallucinogenic drugs. A few examples of substitute amphetamines include 3,4 methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA), also called XTC or Adam, N-ethyl 3,4 Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MMDA), also called Eve, 5-methoxy 3,4 methyl-dexamphetamine (MMDA), and the 2, 5 methoxys 4 methylamphetamine (DOM), which is also called STP. In this particular report, we present a rare case of lycanthropy in a schizophrenic patient following ecstasy consumption.
Werewolf Lycanthropy
In folklore, a werewolf ("man-wolf"), occasionally called lycanthrope or wolf walker ("wolf person"), is a human having the ability to shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in the modern film, the transformations of a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature occur on the full moon night, either intentionally or after being put under the affliction or curse (often a scratch or bite from another werewolf). Early sources for belief in this affliction or ability, known as lycanthropy, are the Gervase of Tilbury (1150–1228) and Petronius (27–66).
The werewolf is a well-known term in European folklore, with many variations that are linked by a popular development of a Christian interpretation of the underlying European folklore during the mediaeval period. Also, from the early modern period, werewolf beliefs spread to the New World with colonialism.
Belief in the werewolves developed in parallel to the belief in witches in the course of the Early Modern period and Late Middle Ages. The trial of the alleged werewolves began in what is now Switzerland (especially the Vaud and Valais) in the early 15th century and spread throughout Europe in the 16th century, peaking in the 17th century and subsiding by the 18th century, similar to the witchcraft trials as a whole.
Tales of Lycanthropy
A Chilling Collection of the Werewolf Horror! Animal Behavior and the other Tales of Lycanthropy delivers 13 startling tales - which is a lone wolf wishing to be a mother.
FAQs on What is Lycanthropy?
1. What is clinical lycanthropy?
Clinical lycanthropy is a rare psychiatric syndrome where an individual holds a delusion that they can transform into, have transformed into, or are an animal. It is named after the mythological condition of werewolves but is a recognised mental health phenomenon involving a false, fixed belief, not a physical change.
2. What are the common symptoms and behaviours associated with clinical lycanthropy?
The primary symptom is the delusion of animal transformation. Other associated behaviours can include:
- Mimicking animal sounds, such as howling, growling, or barking.
- Adopting animal postures, like walking on all fours.
- Social withdrawal and a desire to live outdoors or in wild areas.
- Expressing sensations of physical changes, like feeling fur grow or teeth sharpen, which are a form of tactile hallucination.
3. What is the main difference between clinical lycanthropy and the werewolf of mythology?
The key difference lies in reality versus myth. Clinical lycanthropy is a psychological condition—a delusion—where the person believes they are an animal, but no physical transformation occurs. In contrast, a werewolf is a mythological creature from folklore that is believed to physically and supernaturally shapeshift into a wolf. One is a subject of psychiatry, the other of mythology.
4. What underlying medical conditions are typically associated with lycanthropy?
Clinical lycanthropy is rarely a standalone diagnosis. It is usually a manifestation of another primary psychiatric or neurological disorder. These can include:
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder with psychotic features
- Severe depression
- Substance-induced psychosis
- Neurological issues like epilepsy, brain lesions, or dementia
5. Can a person with lycanthropy believe they are an animal other than a wolf?
Yes. Although the term 'lycanthropy' specifically refers to wolves (from Greek 'lykos'), the delusion can involve a wide range of other animals. For instance, individuals have reported believing they were cats, dogs, birds, or even frogs. The more general psychiatric term for the delusion of transforming into any animal is therianthropy.
6. How do medical professionals diagnose clinical lycanthropy?
Diagnosis involves a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to confirm the presence of a persistent delusion. Doctors work to identify the underlying primary disorder, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. They must also rule out other medical causes for the symptoms through neurological exams, brain imaging (like MRI or CT scans), and blood tests to ensure the behaviour is not caused by infection, brain injury, or substance abuse.
7. Why is this condition studied under biology or psychology and not considered a real phenomenon?
Lycanthropy is studied under psychology and neurology because it relates to the functioning of the human brain and mind. There is no scientific or biological evidence to support the physical transformation of a human into another animal. All documented cases are explained as delusional misidentification syndromes, where the brain's perception of self is profoundly distorted. It is a disorder of belief and perception, not a biological process of transformation.
