The Legend of the Werewolf

By: C. Schulter

We are officially in Spooky Season! The time of the year where a collective enthusiasm fills us all and turns into people embracing all things eerie, macabre and mysterious. That doesn't annul the lighthearted and playful spirit that comes with this season that allows us to be however we want to be for one night during Halloween, from witches and ghosts to mermaids and princesses, all options are valid if you have fun. Culture plays a vital role in shaping this season according to each one's features and unique characteristics, therefore some of the amazing stories behind the most significant figures of Halloween might vary from country to country. With that being said, this article is going to tell you a little bit more about the different stories behind the Werewolf’s myth.  
The legend of the werewolf originated in ancient Greece. At that time, the story told was that the werewolf was a dethroned king called Lycaon, who was punished by Zeus for being cruel and assassinating the travelers that would request shelter at his palace. In order to verify if such cruelty was true, Zeus disguised as a traveler went to Lycaon’s palace and requested shelter in his house. During supper, Zeus realized that out of evilness and pure sadism the king tried to serve him human meat. In all his anger Zeus destroyed the palace and cursed Lycaon by transforming him in a wolf king.  
An interesting fact about it is that this legend has its place in the psychiatrist field. Lycanthropic syndrome, named after king Lycaon, was the name given to people who thoroughly believe that they can turn into some kind of animal.  
That’s the Greeks take on the story of this mythical creature that is the werewolf. Now crossing the Atlantic Ocean and coming back to Brazilian ground, where the werewolf is a very important folkloric character, the story about its origin changes drastically. The legend brought by the Portuguese was popularized and shaped according to the different regions in this vast country.  Its most popular story is that the werewolf would be the first son of couple that already has seven daughters, or the son of a woman that had affairs with a priest. The legend says that when these boys turn thirteen the curse begins, and every full moon phase at mid-night they would transform into a creature half man and half wolf, that goes around seeking for blood. The werewolf story is strongly based upon Catholicism, some of the strands of this myth in Brazil say that the werewolf would go after children that were not baptized, which would make people baptize their children, and some say that the only way to kill a werewolf is with a bullet dipped in candle wax from the altar of a church that had celebrated three Midnight Masses.  
In both stories werewolves are hideous creatures, scary and spooky just like our season. There are still many other cultures with the most interesting stories about this significant figure, and if curious, it is highly recommended to you, dear reader, to research further in such a fun topic. I would like to conclude this article by wishing you the best of times, may this be spookiest season of them all.  ​