Howl Praise to the Moon.

      Werewolves. Another one of the go to ‘monsters’ thought up from myths. If you’ve ever seen a full moon you definitely have thought of the types of animals that could be howling to it. A werewolf is the popular thought. 

      The idea of werewolves begins with the story of Lycaon. Lycaon was king of Arcadia. He tried to feed Zeus his own son in an attempt to test him. He wanted to see if Zeus truly was all knowing. When Zeus had found out what he did he transformed Lycaon and the rest of his sons into wolves. 

      Werewolves are believed to be a type of shape shifter. There are many different explanations of what a werewolf is. The common belief is that under a full moon people transform into wolves. Whether they have control over it or not is up to debate. Werewolves are people who have been cursed to transform. They are able to transform others as well from a bite, or even scratch. In Greece at 425 BC the first myth of werewolves began. A nomadic tribe of magical men named Neuri were believed to change into wolves for days. However, it is believed that they would simply use the skin of wolves for warmth. The conditions that they were living in made it difficult to survive without it. 

     Even with all these stories there are some medical ties to them. Pitt-Hopkins syndrome is a rare condition discovered in 1978. It causes seizures, lack of speech, distinct facial features, difficulty breathing, and even intellectual challenges. Hypertrichosis is another genetic disease that causes excessive hair growth. Finally there’s lycanthropy. Someone plagued by this disorder believes that they are actual werewolves. They believe that when there is a full moon they transform into a wolf, or another kind of animal. 

      While the idea of werewolves is fun to think of, don't worry they aren’t something to fear. Yes the full moon does have effects on how we act; but we won’t be transforming into a wolf.